This is the thirty-seventh episode of the novel Two Tamas in Paradise. There are fifty episodes. This is the fourth novel in the Trace Troy South Pacific Adventure series. It may now be purchased on Amazon. It is available in paperback or Kindle digital format.
Maxwell's Hair
The next several days, the crew and passengers engaged in various games. With limited resources, they made their own shuffleboard with modified rules for the modified deck space. They tossed knives, darts, and balls in a bucket. There were card games, checkers, and chess. The meals were times for lively discussions and laughter.
The Gambier Islands lie another eighteen hours east. Sage called all the passengers together. They gathered in the salon.
“We are going to dock at Mangareva Island tomorrow afternoon. It’s one of the Gambiers.” Trace said. “If we don’t stop, we can be at Oeno Island in a day and a half.”
“What about rations? Calvin asked.
“We have plenty,” Trace said. “After we let you off, we could make it as far back as Raro. As you know, it will be impossible for us to go there. But there’s at least another dozen islands where we can get rations and water. That’s not a worry for us.”
Maxwell glanced at everyone. That seemed unusual. Normally, he decided without looking at or consulting others.
“What does everyone think?” Maxwell asked.
“Given the trouble we got into the last time,” Calvin said, “I’d rather skip the Gambier Islands and just go on to Oeno.”
The women agreed.
“Okay,” Trace said, “we’ll just sail on by.”
“Captain,” Maxwell said and looked around to see if anyone besides the passengers was in earshot.
“What’s up?” Trace said, leaning toward Maxwell.
Maxwell leaned forward and whispered loudly, “I’m not accusing anybody, but I had some expensive hair treatment in my room. I can’t find it. I know that I never took it out of my room, but it’s gone.”
“You have looked around the boat, in case you accidentally took it out of the room?” Trace asked.
“I’ve looked every place except the crews’ quarters, the galley, and pilothouse,” Maxwell said.
“I’ll tell you what,” Trace said. “This is serious, very serious. So I’ll let you check the crews’ quarters, the galley, and pilothouse.”
“I don’t know if I want to go that far or not,” Maxwell said. “I was kind of hoping you might say something to the crew, and it just might show up.”
Trace looked closely at Maxwell’s hair and asked. “You don’t like it like it is?”
“I can’t ever remember not having some sort of hair treatment,” Maxwell said. “It’s part of who I am.”
“Yeah,” Trace said, “I get where you’re coming from. We had this guy back home, Curly Caldwell. He was bald, but had a curly wig. He up and misplaced it or somebody took it. We were all sure that if somebody did take it, it was a stranger from out of town, because we never did see anybody else with it. Anyway, it gave Curly a whole new look—bald. Everybody started calling him Slick. And his wife took to it too. Maybe, just maybe, this all came about by fate. Have you asked the missus about it?”
“This is the way she met me,” Maxwell said. He turned and looked at Darlene.
Darlene forced a smile. He looked at Calvin and Wilma. Their eyes swiveled toward Darlene. He looked at Darlene. She wore a pathetic smile.
“Did you hide it?” Maxwell asked.
“No, no,” Darlene said.
“But you don’t like it that way?” Maxwell asked forlornly.
“Sure,” Darlene said,” but out here it doesn’t belong; maybe in a nightclub.”
“Oh,” Maxwell paused and thought. “But which do you like?”
“You’ve never asked me that before,” Darlene said.
“I hate to say this in front of others,” Maxwell said, “but until now, I didn’t care what you thought.” He looked at the others. His eyes darted from one side to the other. “My image, though, it makes me look sharp and assured.” He paused and thought. “Or a shyster.”
“Well,” Trace said. “I’m going to catch forty winks before I go to pilothouse duty. Good night, all.”
Everyone said goodnight.
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