This is the twenty-sixth episode of the novel Two Tamas in Paradise. It is the fourth novel in the Trace Troy South Pacific Adventure series. It will be posted in episodes. The plan is for two or three a week. There are fifty episodes. It has not been published yet. The reader is given a sneak preview.
It suffices to say that because this is one novel in a series, there may be things not understood unless one knows what has taken place in previous novels from this series. Here is a link to the first novel in the series: The Big Gamble in Paradise, paperback or Kindle.
Lightning and Thunder
Heavy rain crashed on the deck and splashed on the sea, erupting into craters of water. Lightning stretched across the sky in brilliant, cragged streaks and flashes, illuminating the darkness. Thunder rolled from places unseen and cracked nearby. Sage, Coyote, and Makani sat at the mess table. They shared stories. The passengers sat in the salon on the opposite side of the hull, exchanging their stories.
“Do they have rain like this where you’re from?” Maxwell heaved the question in Sage’s and Coyote’s direction.
Sage nodded to Coyote.
“They call ‘em gully washers,” Coyote said, turning his attention back to the conversation at the table.
“Why do they call them that?” Darlene said.
“Do you know what a gully, ma’am?” Coyote asked.
“It’s where Makani cooks our meals,” Darlene said.
Everyone at the table gave a hidden smile of embarrassment.
“Country folk come up with strange little names to describe things that sound amusing,” Maxwell said.
“Actually,” Sage said, “the word comes from a small passageway between a row of buildings. Perhaps from India, they suspect. And interestingly, it is closely related to the world ally. You do see the similarities, right—a short passageway between rows of buildings. Those are like that, only short and small passageways for water. It’s usually only in use when there’s heavy rain. Thus, the gully is washed out—gully washer.”
“Galley comes from old ships,” Makanis said. “They have a galley furnace to heat the ship and cook on, so just call where cook a galley. Trace said I should know that. If I don’t, people think Makani ignorant islander.”
The passengers emitted an uncomfortable titter, while the crew smiled contentedly.
In the pilothouse, Trace switched off the intercom to the salon and mess. He looked at Adam, and they both laughed.
“Don’t they call that a slam dunk in your face?” Adam said.
“Or an intellectual counterpoint made to silence people who think they know everything,” Trace said.
“Likely, Makani might say, ‘there’s a fish to the mouth,’” Adam said.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever heard that one,” Trace said
“What do you make of ‘em so far?” Adam said.
“You know, after we let them and their cargo off, we’ll probably talk about them for a day or two,” Trace said. “And from that point on it will be Maxwell who.”
“You know,” Adam said, “this does remind me of the old days when this was the Tiki. I offered passage to a collection of dreamers, schemers, some with purpose, others with nothing to live for. I stopped thinking about them, and now, here they are. A few are below, but some of them have popped into my head the last couple of days. They came around just to say hi, how are you doing? We are fine, call anytime you need something. I learned a lot from those folks. And I used to think I was the one doling out the words of wisdom and direction they should go, but all along, they were perhaps teaching me. It took me a while after I got back to Texas, but I realized that every person you meet gives you a gift. You never recognize it as a gift until it has time to mature. A pearl starts from a parasite. It’s a fact. What occurs beautifully in nature replicates itself in our lives.”
Trace and Adam jumped at the crack of thunder and the immediate lightning. The pilothouse returned to only the green glow of the instrument panel.
Trace affirmed, “I guess that’s a sign from above.”
“The Divine is never without exclamation,” Adam said.
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