DAY 5, LIONS AND TUSSLES AND "WHERE?"

Day 5, Lions and Tussles and "Where?"

We've all quoted "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh, My!", well I have my own "Oh, My's" -- Lions and Tussles and "Where?"

At The Cotton Exchange restaurant --
Calvin:  The menu says "Starter" so let's start with Fried Gator Tail and I'll just share it 'round.  (And I shivered and whispered to Mary, "He's eaten octopus tentacles before, you know).

At Gallery Espress,
a coffee shop and artist outlet--
It has hand-painted sceneries on the walls, the place is occupied with bookcases, old fireplace, and an antique wood bar where they serve their coffee fiends their caffeine delights.  The place has an old house feel with creature featured arm chairs, naugahyde couches, patina scratched tables, and old velvet covered settees.  John sits in a chair with lion heads carved in the back.  The credenza displays funky and elegant coffee pots.  On the counter mocha cookies and cake wedges for sale.
Me to Calvin:  This place is just saturated with coffee smells.

Spencer chimes in:  Yah, like your skins absorbing it.

Where DID these coffee lovers come from.  They aren't s'kin of my s'kin.

At Tybee Island Pizza --
It beckons their palette.  Pizza calls.  They call for pizza.  One hour wait.  You see, guidelines for thwarting the coronavirus pandemic were relaxed here in Georgia just a few days before we arrived.  Everyone is out and about and the food lines are long, and the waits extended.   Of their pizza Spencer complained, "It was disgusting.  Don't ever eat there."  Then why did they bring it home.  This morning?  Trashed.

***

We women in the motel.  Men out on the golf cart.  They're cruising 'round killing time waiting for pizza.  For the first time Calvin's behind the wheel.  He approaches an intersection, looking left, looking right, looking straight ahead, "No car, no car, no car.  We're down to 3 minutes."  And he continues his announcement, "Ain't got time, gotta run the stop sign." 

Nope, he didn't even come to a "rolling stop!"

It's been reported he didn't roll the golf cart, though he tried to do wheelies, and it didn't work when he tried to do burnouts in the sand, "He was scary at times," laughing Spencer declares.  Success, though, in the gravel on the ramp to the ocean's turquoise waters, he finally did a burnout.

It's bedtime, "time for bed!"  Relaxing comes easy.  Turning out the lights?  Not so easy.  Shutting down brain and mouth?  A definite challenge; still something left in there to expunge.  Example:  Spencer and Calvin laughingly tussle over whether Spencer can park his water bottle on the head of Calvin's bed.  It's a water bottle fight.  No water's ever air-borne its stays in the bottle tight, but the hits keep coming.  One calling out "Mom make him stop."  I feel like it's 1999 all over again and two elementary boys wearing rolled up jeans are shooting nerf guns...."Stop it or else!"

Their reply,  "Or else what?" 

My reply, "Or else I'm gonna tie a knot in your tail!" 

"What's that?"  And the film continues to rewind in mind-time.

Now Spencer dangles his foot in Mary's face.  Puppet-like, with wiggling, waving toes he says, "Hello-oo, how are you?"  

With quick wit, she exclaims, "Nightmare!  NIGHTMARE!"

Now it's another sunrise.

Birds again chirping up the sun from over the sea.

Faithful joggers jogging.

Morning sleepiness still prevailing.

Quietness, contented quietness.

I, on a second floor balcony, hear from somewhere across the pool, the motel's laid out in a U shape around it, a very loud sneeze, "AH-CHOO!"  

On the island, life is relaxed, everyone's here for the same pleasures, it's easy camaraderie.   I loudly answer, "God bless you."

From an unknown location, showing manners his momma taught him, comes a deep and mature male voice,  "Thank you."  Where, oh, where did that come from?

"And that's Tybee for you, out of the way friendliness" says Mary.

So, yes, thank you, and "You're welcome."