Cruise Control Over 39116k

©Paul Stansby, Falmouth June 2020

Cruise Control Over

Set in Italy , Switzerland, Caribbean & Colombia Fiction

Part one. Chapters One - Ten

Chapter One : A Caribbean Marina, Grenada

‘Phenomenal’

‘It is Jimmy, off the scene for twenty years and you’re an instant hit, I stuck your memoirs of the race track together and got them online, “et LA Voila” ! ‘Covid-19 got us out of the bars and we ended up with a very constructive result Jack’ ‘Just two weeks, the Super yacht on the end of the quay let me use their internet connection to it onto the book sites I have’ ‘It appeared so easy, life after my Vegas Blow out could be worthwhile too’ ‘It’s a very apt last chapter, most racing drivers have their blow outs on the track, you crashed and burned in a casino full of lap dancers and fancy cocktails, cocktails more fancy than they should have been as you found out’

‘I’m just wondering about my unpaid tax’ ‘It’s a felony, fortunately with this worldwide pandemic you’re safe, gambling all your money away and therefore bankrupting yourself supposedly does not wear well with the UK Tax guys, they want their slice, most likely why the winnings aren’t taxed so the losses can’t be declared as a loss, that’s too easy’ ‘It’s over five years’

‘The money Jimmy can no longer accrue interest, but some eager beaver wanting to get some browny points would drag you over the coals to get you banged up for non payment’ ‘It was fourteen million’ ‘At seven per cent interest over five years considerably more, so five million sales on your memoirs last time I looked, at Nine ninety nine as well is more than good. These many weeks of world wide lockdowns where many are bored senseless, something spicy turned up for people to indulge in whilst stuck indoors’ ‘At least you were organised with these online sellers’ ‘Uh huh, a relevant bank with attached tax codes, at least for the US, so Seventy per cent revenue makes 35 million plus to date, fifty fifty each was a little generous on your part’ ‘So Jimmy Dunstain lives again’ ‘You do indeed, a true resurrection, at least you’re too old to get back on the circuit and terminate yourself on it for real in true legend fashion’ ‘Do you think ‘Dorian’ industries will cut me in on the idea I had and they successfully developed’ ‘That came about from the yacht your father had, a home power cell, everybody has heating boilers, here they have coolers, so why not a unit for electricity rather than dragging cables around the country side from enormous power stations, losing around fifty percent of generated on the way to the home.’ ‘Nuclear power and coal have now become increasingly out of favour, they weren’t popular twenty years ago so hook up to the gas with an efficient engine with minimal emissions and an efficient alternator in the home was obvious.’ ‘Too obvious, no hideous turbines blotting out the countryside, good for industry to construct and erect them though.’

‘Little wind for a while makes them not so feasible, certainly a magical power unit ‘Dorian came up with.’ ‘Yep, you instigated the development, runs of methane easily as well, the newly designed poop box will reduce sewerage needs a lot too, technology advanced while traditional methods remained in place.’ ‘When do you think the bars will re-open, celebrate our new found wealth Jack.’ ‘Yeah, sooner here than in Europe I would think, chilling out here in “Umbrellas”, drinking chilled beers while watching soccer and rugby with lovely girls waiting on is sorely missed.’ ‘Our main highlight of the day, sweating it out onboard with electric fans redistribution the heat becomes loathsome after a few hours.’ ‘It is Jimmy, still it’s something to look forward too.’ ‘yep, definitely sorely missed, I wander if there was any results of my exploits I had in my last year on the track after I finished with my long term girlfriend of five years, who was stunning but frigid’ ‘She wanted to be appreciated and not devoured.’

‘Something like that Jack, a total pain in the ass.’ ‘So different girls at all the race meetings in your last year as you indicated.’ ‘Oh yes, almost as many as there were pitstops.’ ‘The results as opposed to your racing ones will be nineteen now, so a good age for them to discover you, certainly more fun and no doubt their mothers were tantalising beauties as race track groupies all seem to be fabulous lookers’

‘They were, certainly made the trophy a double after winning the race, so their offspring should be such, at least they’ll be out of their teenage years’ ‘So how many actual exploits or conquests as such?’ ‘Oh a lot as I said, maybe more than a hundred and that’s a century in cricket’

‘No doubt there was a mythical one hundred club amongst drivers.’ ‘There is or was, many got caught on the way to it though.’ ‘We better get on with the second volume Jimmy, you’ll need the cash spoiling an entourage of that size, especially as they’ll most likely be beauties.’ ‘Not forgetting the mothers.’ ‘Oh god yes, any thirty year old conquests you had should have finished their menopause, so I’ll help you out there.’ ‘I think there were, you could be a hit with the grandmothers.’ ‘Oh they’re well past their menopause, I’ll do the second volume for free, no fifty fifty, it’ll make for a better book as there’s the pressure build to make the second one better than the first to win more cash.’ ‘I see you point, on the track once you’ve won a few races you had your adrenaline running to win the championship.’ ‘That often doesn’t happen with a narrative.’ ‘Hence the saying everybody has a book in them.’ ‘Well, one that stands out, like many music groups with just one solitary hit.’ ‘They certainly do, I’ve read Frankenstein and Dracula, I know of no others by Stoker

and Shelley.’ ‘Hugely successful books, so let’s make your second volume as successful as your first one is.’ Chapter Two : Three ladies in their sixties social distancing on Skype In Italy

‘There certainly looks to be a strong resemblance to him and the girls, Daniella’

‘There does indeed Rosanna and Carolyn’ ‘There were second cousins it is looking highly likely with this picture of Jimmy Dunstain in his memoirs that they are more than 12.5 % connected as second cousins’

‘Almost by two thirds Carolyn’

‘Indeed Rosanna, our daughters indicated such twenty years ago, but he’d disappeared off the scene, vacated the world to most’ ‘By the looks of this his own lockdown Rosanna is in the Caribbean. He’s certainly looking good in the book, maybe cause some ruptures with our three girls, your granddaughter Daniella must have been first in line.’ ‘Assuming they were caught in the first instance Rosanna, well nobody is going anywhere at present with this damn virus, staying alive for the over sixties seems to be risky, they’ll have no doubt picked this up online at their school in Switzerland.’ ‘I’m not enquiring Daniella, hopefully they haven’t, though we’ve aways said they were strikingly alike, now rather unique as well, he certainly looks

as though he’s lived well, he carried his high of winning every race on the track to Vegas, his invincibility succumbed to the roll of the dice and a stack of cards.’ ‘You excluded the spin of the wheel Rosanna.’ ‘I did Carolyn, too corny that reference for him, four times formula one world racing champion, it would have made a clean sweep for the season with the last race had he made it, missed out on the crowning too, Vegas swept him way instead, so do we interfere or sit back sisters, your call Daniella as you’re the eldest.’ ‘Hell of a father for them to have, his future depends on his financial situation, an unpaid fourteen million Uk tax bill will be one of those guys over there will want to vilify, he’s safe at present as we’re all locked down and no chance of anybody getting to the Caribbean for months’ ‘An excellently timed release of memoirs by whoever wrote it, I’ve checked the writer out and he’s got a lot online and his stories are not bad at all but there’s so much online to achieve any notoriety, that requires some reckless act like streaking on the pitch at a soccer match with ones name tattooed onto your butt, a good style of writing too as they all auto translate with relative ease Daniella.’ ‘An added reason for the universal success of these memoirs Carolyn plus here with Dorian Cars & Industries being Italian, their synonymous racing cars coupled with their exclusive sport cars brand for almost a century now.’ ‘So our girls temporarily became race skanks Daniella’ ‘More or less, that’s kinda of close to sluts, but I suppose they did Rosanna, certain resulted in their own girls being stunning teaming up alongside Dorian’s best ever driver’ ‘Yep, that hunk assisted with knocking out a formidable team with them, so good they’ve all gone to finishing school’ ‘Oh yes, looking as they do Danielle an intellectual continuance would have been wasted, myself and Carolyn were in total agreement; learn style,

etiquette, conversing techniques and poise, not forgetting the all important languages’ ‘They’ll most likely, Rosanna, drag their dad out of the bars and back into the lime light, it’s a pity the three of us can meet up for a glass of champagne and lunch, followed by a delightful drive to Switzerland to meet up with the girls, I went there after our English schooling at a boarding school in Italy, you and Rosanna missed out’ ‘We did Daniella, in those days that was just for the oldest girls in a family, today its totally different of course, I and Carolyn looked on in envy at your two year escape’ ‘Skiing every weekend was a definite plus at that school.’ ‘Won you medals at two Olympics, so you’re revered forever in the annals of time, we were envious sisters looking on, myself and Rosanna, though the trips abroad to see you in action were a plus and some wonderful parties. You were a great topic of conversation in our teenage years growing up, so for once we can’t plan’ ‘Not a damn thing Carolyn, we’re all stuck in our homes tending our gardens, its not for me a daily interaction with plants, only mad people converse with trees, time to have a go at these memoirs of his in Italian as I’ve only just auto-translated them online, my English is rather rusty as they say, not sure on that idiom.’ ‘A fickle language, still the our predecessors tried to make Latin the language to speak and failed so we’re stuck with English, we need the girls to read it out in Italian for us from the English, ah an online delivery is at the door, not shopping is also very irregular, so speak and see you online later Daniella and Rosanna’ Chapter Three: Switzerland ‘Great snow and no doubt great powder for once, so frustrating not being able to ski.’ ‘It is Georgie, how about Jimmy Dunstain?’

‘That Arabella is even more frustrating, it would be so cool to chill with him and get to know him, one couldn’t wish for a better dad turning up, though the worst timing ever, It’ll be months for this fracas to finish and actually being able to fly, if of course any airlines survive it all.’ ‘It’ll be expensive as most will streamline their activities, total crap for the around the world backpackers and holidays on a budget, fortunately our respective grans are loaded, Juliet how does that work out now with us three genetically ?’ ‘My gran sent a text that we’re now sixty two and half per cent connected to each other, more so I think Georgie as we’ve spent the last three years together, I expect with air travel it’ll become mostly club class or business first class and rip out the cheap seats to accommodate more of those, hopeless for resorts and vacationers out for a boozy week.’ ‘I expect you’re right, makes sense filling your planes up with the rich clientele, an exclusive privilege for few will partake in a journey packed in like sardines breathing all over each other and another pandemic will no doubt follow on this one in the polluted environment that now exists, so our actual dad was top dog with Dorian Cars.’ ‘I would think Georgie we will be popular with the car firm too.’ ‘I think so, Juliet, most of the girls here a the school say we’re rather hot.’

‘I’ve had a few approaches Georgie, some of the girls have shacked up with a partner to alleviate the present constraints’ ‘We need entertainment Juliet and the simple way is to it under the covers with one another, gets the adrenaline on the move, now I’m getting flushed thinking about it.’ ‘Me too Georgie, In my sleep I dream of my hands exploring and exploiting me, I’m too trite when awake Georgie’ ‘An uptight Juliet, now we’re sisters we could legitimately share a bed, sisterly love’

‘Ah, so I could explore you in my dreams as well, I’ll think on that, I’ve yet to have a ionate embrace Georgie. It’s so much easier to have a traditional life than explore the other possibilities it presents, one even may prefer the other side god forbid’ ‘There’s always both Juliet’ ‘Maybe Georgie, I don’t want to be ogling your lingerie attire in a different way, still we will soon have this wondrous dad to captivate us, he looks the part’ ‘He looks very fit for forty four in his memoirs, an excellent chaperone for us as he adores the nightlife’ ‘We’ll be as jealous as hell when he pulls other girls around our age, some girls like a little vintage and sure looks to be good one, puts a women to seventh heaven with ease I expect’ ‘I expect we will Carolyn, we’ll keep him on tight reins I think, won’t we Juliet.’ ‘Ah, one problem, if this last year of him participating in formulae one rack track was one of abandonment from the traditional values of one man to a woman after departing from the staid relationship he had, they’ll be most likely more be more of us Georgie’ ‘Hopefully we’ll be top dogs Carolyn’ ‘Yes, not bitches or witches, top of the class in beauty, manners, decorum and style. I’m so glad we were sent here now, time for some Georgie romanticising, fine dresses, balls and catwalks with everybody envying us.’ ‘Mentioning Balls, it’s time to get into ballet attire Georgie for dance class’ ‘Yep, lots of wandering hands ending up where they shouldn’t Juliet too, closeted girls get steamed up’ Chapter Four: N ext day Caribbean ‘Here’s some selfies Jimmy from some possibilities of your exploits, in ballet

gear as well, certainly beauties with fine physiques, they’ve listed there mother’s names along with theirs on the photos’ ‘Let’s see, it’s a handy bench this to pick the Super-yacht’s wi-fi from Jack, imagine being stuck out on a mooring’ ‘No thanks, a couple of months of that remoteness would be a killer for me’ ‘Oh yes, they’re very smart, heart breakers too, time for a loan and some new clothes Jack, as I’ve no cards, no port either, well one that I get by with in ports is not suitable for suitable for scanning at airports’ ‘You can always get back into the Uk with your original expired one, but most likely arrested on entry though’ ‘I know, exiled, but a very nice place to exiled in, they’ll have to make it down here when the airlines have sorted out their new roles, halving the planes capacity and doubling the prices makes economic sense, its no longer a price competitive market, it’s one of survival’ ‘Reduce your fleet by fifty per cent and still have the same revenue, more profit with less overheads too, I reckon people will pay double, they’ll just go on less holidays, the frequent flyer will be history’ ‘Of course they will, just stay longer Jack, not good for plane builders as they’ll be so many grounded’ ‘So, do you recognise any of these attached names to the the photos?’ ‘No, I do some Italian girls in my last year on the track who were kinda of special, they hung out at Monaco, Brands Hatch, Geneva, Rio and Roma of course’ ‘That’s a fair amount of races to turn up at’ ‘I suppose it was, I them having tantalisingly long legs as these girls have in their online photos, their mothers will know of course,

itting to this is another matter though, no doubt all happily married now as is the Italian way, families are all important in Italy’ ‘They’ll make their own way here I should think’ ‘An arranged rendez-vous is needed in that event, or the English police force will come breezing down to this island wasting tax payers money. I’ll pay up when there’s enough revenue but that’s a maybe for I’ll need to generate or you will in fact the amount of around 35 million for half will go in tax and the remainder of it to pay the debt off’ ‘Not forgetting that a genuine deal is arranged in the first place with The UK tax accepting such a proposal’ ‘Of course there maybe some other violations when in Vegas, not that I any’ ‘Do you much of this fourteen day extravaganza yet, would be good to kick off the second volume with it, you’d most likely will have teamed up with a lady so she would be highly constructive with the story’ ‘Could have, I could have shot someone too, even raped someone. I was out of my skull a couple of hours after I got there, then I came round arriving in LAX and my bank cards were working so I checked my s and they were zero, I had twenty thousand on one card owing and my second one still had five thousand left to use so I got a rental at the airport and drove to Orlando where found a boat of mine which I’d purchased the previous year for chilling and slumming it in the Bermuda atols, then sailed down here.’ ‘They’ve made many films about this, but this time what happened in Vegas needs to get its arse down here as its valuable material for the story.’ ‘Can’t you make it up as you’re a story writer, there’s over forty of yours online, some quite long ones, so your imagination is not lacking’ ‘Some credence is needed to substantiate it all, with the success of the first volume, the second one needs to be tight with the facts and true so wild conjecture is out, real people I expect will come out of the woodwork with what actually happened.’

‘Definitely more ladies’ ‘Yep, during a fortnight of wildness and orgies in Vegas you could have fathered a girls soccer team, I’m just assuming girls as they appear to be natural with you as we’re looking at three now.’ ‘I should get back in the saddle after a twenty year sabbatical, initiate something to give them some direction.’ ‘I’m sure the “Dorian” car division would welcome that, especially with these three girls at your side, they’re not lacking in appeal’ ‘These three could already have connections with the Dorian industries’ ‘That’s something their mothers would have not bragged about as you would have steered well clear of getting caught up in family affairs and businesses that some families tend to attract.’ ‘Too right, Italian families are very different, not the one to get caught up in as they take you over, large Sunday gatherings for one, bossy mothers and grandmothers intent on having grandchildren on the scene’ ‘Not the one with you, one girl would have been preferable to live a normal life, not three plus, so the Vegas trip and events there appears as if it was a pre-planned destiny for you for it caused you to disappear, lie low like the real pirates of old used to here in the Caribbean.’ ‘That hasn’t occurred to me, but I’m not a novelist either whose attracted to such avenues, but makes sense as the alternative would have been mayhem. Variety is the spice of life for a man, not so sure with that on the woman front for there make up is so different from ours.’ ‘You were the exciting, successful, handsome and fit guy for a girl to bang, so no responsibility as they were pursuing you’ ‘I see your point, they were enough beauties hanging out around the race track to invigorate you’ ‘I think that stimulus was meant to be put into your driving skills’

‘Oh it did, those girls would brighten up any dull day, kick the adrenaline in and sharpen up one’s senses before jumping into the race car, the best lookers wanting to bang the first guy over the line’

‘Aren’t they referred to as race skanks.’ ‘I’m not sure, that’s a USA term I believe, so now you’ve resurrected me somewhat brilliantly Jack, where and what to do next’ ‘Let everybody come to you which they will judging by the initial response of your memoirs and avoid the law until your situation has been straightened out’ ‘A lawyer’ ‘Oh definitely one of those, any sign of a possible court hearing and the law will be out for blood as you’re high profile, which makes you notorious and news worthy for the hounds, bad people make for good news sales, good ones don’t, the readers browse over the latter and regard them as lucky sods’ ‘There’s little interest in lottery winners, commit a murder or murders then you’re top news’ ‘Robbing banks is another one, people are attracted to villainy, your non payment of tax has that appeal of villainy, though people don’t approve they secretly wish It was them who had the balls to do it’ ‘Mine was self inflicted’ ‘In a way, you were a hero that went off the rails for a short time and lost all; so appealing to women as they find lost souls endearing which gives them cause to romanticise saving and sorting you out’ ‘We don’t’ 'Not unless you're a priest, lost souls are his job’

‘There’s plenty of those around, we find lots of lost souls in the bars’ ‘We do Jack, so it would be interesting to know how many women bought the book’ ‘That Jimmy I expect will be over eighty per cent, instant curiosity with the mysteries behind the scenes which resulted in your disappearance as such, its easily summed by a couple of Mickey’s in a Vegas bar sending you to your own black hole in life and were eventually spat out the other end upon which you took off to the Caribbean on your volition’ ‘People don’t regard black holes in that way, that’s clever’ ‘We were formed from out of this Cosmos somehow, or maybe several Cosmoses, so if space can have them so can humans, we’re all part of the same thing’ ‘Our minds are complex, oh we need an air-conditioned bar and I think we’re in luck as somebody is waving to us from the super-yacht.’ ‘My phone is on so we could have been located.’ ‘That would be Dorian Industries I would think, they’ll be in the know of persons able to do that’ ‘I expect they would being Italian, putting a trace on a cell phone and locating it, maybe they’ll charter this super yacht for you. I’d just love a whole night’s sleep without having to change a towel halfway through on the bunk after one’s sweat has dampened it.’ ‘Dual purpose Beach towels’ ‘Essential for the boats, Jimmy,’

Chapter Five: On the neighbouring Super yacht along the quay.

‘Hi you guys, I’m the ship’s captain, Carl, you’ve been using our wi-fi so as its satellite system on the yacht it’s been easy to track your location’

‘That’s me, Jack, I was using it for Jimmy’s book and subsequent communications, Gail gave me the key’ ‘She told me, that’s fine as few are using it so we’re nowhere near reaching the allocated allowance, so you’re the famous Jimmy Dunstain, the memoirs that Jack produced could easily outsell JF Rowlings creation, superb timing for a release as there is zero news and a load of old news being resurrected.’ ‘I’m fresh news’ ‘You certainly are Jimmy, we’re picking up on the news on satellite and you two are devoid of any news with this lockdown, there’s interest in your last activities in Vegas twenty years ago, a jewel heist, bank robbery and gambling away a fortune in an attempt to be the biggest successful roller there’s ever been on the Strip’ ‘I liked an adrenaline filled life back then, I was first to make the one hundred club on the race circuit I believe.’ ‘Female conquests?’ ‘Oh they were as equally willing, even more so in some cases Carl.’ ‘You obviously liked winning, In Vegas the consensus is that you were somewhat influenced by drugs, extenuating your liking for life on the edge.’ ‘Another was to sail single around the world twice in the shortest time, infinitely more exciting surfing down the rollers infinitely than rolling dice enticing lady luck to come my way ’ ‘A double circumnavigation, how about space’ ‘I did want a trip to the moon Carl, do what Armstrong did, to have a drive in a space buggy in zero gravity would have been enthralling’ ‘Even a race on the moon, a new formulae one event, one circuit around the moon and the first to touch back down on this planet wins.’ ‘Oh his second volume is in the planning, that’s a good concept for a Hollywood blockbuster though Captain Carl.’

‘One of your supposed offspring Grandmother’s, Jimmy, has offered to charter this yacht for you, but I would suggest against travelling to Europe as is her wish, Catania in Sicily was suggested due to the unknown factors in Vegas of your involvement in said activities.’ ‘They’ll have been insured’

‘Oh they were, paid out too, as did the insures on your life, your long time girlfriend prior to your last year of course received a five million payout.’ ‘Ah, yes, I supposed she would as I was missing for twenty years so presumed dead, we took the policy out after our second year, she wanted children but was barren, so the payments continued as the policy was incremental and if still alive it presented a good cash in after a thirty year period for me’ ‘That’s generally how policies work I believe, personally I would keep clear of Europe, not only because its in disarray with this virus but the obvious questioning by the authorities on your involvements in Vegas, these people want meat, and you’d be well done too I would think’ ‘Fried alive Carl’ ‘More or less Jimmy, I would think the coals will be already getting hot, the authorities are reasonably lax in Catania, influenced by some local families but this vessel is not fast enough to outrun patrol vessels that the various Navies have in the Mediterranean’ ‘There’s also his tax’ ‘Oh yes, Jack, there’s no enough meat on him for everybody to have a piece, he’s a skinny rascal but not in their eyes, so getting away with Vegas on the assumption you were rouffied or otherwise on hallucinogenic drugs would be thin, which now has become a good topic for Hollywood movies, so making that even thinner, at least you didn’t steal a tiger.’ ‘Huh?’

‘“Hangover” Jimmy’ ‘I’ve got them onboard so he can watch to get an idea Jack, plus some other similar type movies, the girls like them.’ ‘How about if I gave it all back?’ ‘Plead temporary insanity caused by intoxication and unknown drug cocktails istered to you, could be possible with the cut off the book, it was up to five million s recently on Google Play and Kindle. ’ ‘Look today Jack. Kindle books are boasting of some seven million s in the US, Jimmy here seems to be as hot as he was twenty years ago.’ ‘Ah that’ll give relevant people the necessary remuneration, I still have the jewels and money, well most off it, I got the sixty foot banger moored in the dock for one hundred thousand dollars after I sailed down here and sold the more luxurious yacht so I was cash fluid. I had some steel boxes welded into the bilges into it, put the stash in and welded the lids on’ ‘It’s a steel boat, looking good for one of that age’ ‘High grade Corten steel the broker boasted, obviously was Carl’ ‘You got a bargain’ ‘You often do with cash, so you’ve got an acetylene torch we can cut the lids off now the cat is out of the bag’ ‘So you had the cash and jewels but were unaware why you had them in the first place’ ‘I certainly was, so not knowing and the authorities don’t go for the variables on the plausibility of the why’s or reasons, just imagine going into a court and telling a judge that I fell into a parallel where I was a serious gangster so this is not me in this dimension’ ‘Yes you’d get a long term sentence, life is rather cut and dried with those fellows, I see why you kept it, at least its untouched so vilifies your lack of

criminal intent with these instances, I suppose boosting a car or kidnapping a heiress was out as car companies would have you given you a car and an heiress would most likely thrown herself into your arms back then’ ‘I think assassinating a president or a prime minister must be a big buzz’ ‘Most likely is, Jimmy, that one you want to keep quiet on, you certainly wouldn’t get forgotten and most likely Hollywood would make a movie’ ‘I’ll get the engineer organised with an acetylene torch, you two think on where you want to go, South America is on our doorstep’ ‘We’ll make it back to the Alberta, Captain Carl, leave the coolness of your saloon, come on Jack’ ‘I fancy a gin and tonic Jimmy’ ‘Later’

Back on board Jimmy’s boat ‘There’s nothing on board, is there, Jimmy?’ ‘Nope, Jack, just a little spin to suss out Captain Carl integrity to us as the bounty on the loot from the insurance companies will be enormous, it’s all under a certain lady’s flowerbed in Antigua, but the whole of the bilges are sealed off in waterproof compartments in case the hull is holed on some coral or rocks that frequent these shores’ ‘Also for smuggling’ ‘Yep, there’s no pipes attached for water to enable custom guys to stick their prying cameras down, they certainly don’t have cutting gear, some don’t even have torches that work’ ‘So the traditional pirates way, buried treasure’ ‘Of course, it’s somewhat of a bargaining chip I beginning to think.’

‘When you came to this dimension from your drugged induced one, were you shocked?’ ‘In a way Jack, but I dreamed of doing such adventurous things, the super adrenaline kick after being invincible on the racing track. I wanted to discover more excitement, so whatever I downed in Vegas deemed me to do so in real life, but on discovering the loot in the car I drove to LAX from Vegas, I took a rental and you know the rest’ ‘It was stolen’ ‘The car?’ ‘I assume so, I didn’t have car when I went there’ ‘The sales are phenomenal ’ ‘They are from the book, something to impact the world thoughts away from the thoughts of the doom and gloom of this virus will have played an important part I think.’ ‘Maybe, seventy million dollars in a day in the US, let’s gets out of here, ah Captain Carl is on the quay’ ‘We’ve no Argon gas for cutting so another day, I’ll let you guys think on the offer of the super yacht’ ‘Okay Captain, cocktails onboard with you later?’ ‘I’ll look forward to that’ ‘Okay, see you later’ ‘He’s off again, looking a little pissed off Jimmy’ ‘Oh he’d need photographic proof to forward to the insures, they’ll have a lot of hoaxes I would think, so to get seriously involved on a somewhat fanciful tale would be embarrassing’ ‘Spin from us to enhance the book sales even more’

‘It would certainly do so, probably make it the bestseller of all time and these insurance guys would be aware of that, can beat spin for the news hounds’ ‘So Catania, Jimmy?’ ‘Oh, good wine, divine pasta, creamy ice cream and superb pizzas, very tempting, not forgetting three gorgeous nineteen year old girls discovering their dad. God a decision, I’ve not had to make a serious one of those for a long time’ ‘Italy was a favourite for you?’ ‘Of course, and Dorian industries are based here’ ‘Weren’t they featured in a Bond film’ ‘Fictionally I believe, they took in the spirit of adventure and liked the film, so I leave it you Jack, so as you instigated the book you can make the decision and if its wrong I’ve somebody to blame for the rest of my life’ ‘My initial reaction is to leave here, anchor off the Grand Anse Beach, fill up the diving tanks and clean the bottom of the boat then head for Columbia’ ‘Why Columbia?’ ‘They’re bound to have the smartest lawyers in the world, Jimmy’ ‘Ah yes, I suppose they would with all the supposed nefarious activities that happens there.’

Chapter Six: Anchored off Grande Anse beach next day

‘It’s handy for provisions here’ ‘It is and little bother from the port police as they rarely venture out Jack, a ten minute trip to the supermarket pier rather than the hour slog over from the other side, too many boats coming and going to warrant tracking, I’ve

got the tanks full, any lobsters around here’ ‘I doubt it, just turtles Jimmy, so scrap away and I’ll be back soon,’ ‘Lots of booze’ ‘Oh yes, one trolley for that, possibly stop off at the Leeward islands or the A B C islands further along on the way there, nothing much there that’s an improvement on this one though’ ‘No, this takes some beating, good to say you’ve been though, barnacle time, it’s amazing what lives in sea.’ ‘It is, to me this planet is it’s own little universe of species and nature that manages to live in a unique eco system that just happened’ ‘Now humans have made it a super complex one to evolve in,’ ‘Harmony is lacking and viruses are taking over, Jimmy’ ‘Time for a trip across the south Pacific, little point of being ashore Jack’ ‘Uh huh, it is, let’s see what Columbia brings, they have a race track?’ ‘Nope, beautiful girls I believe’ ‘See you shortly, I’ll fill this rib up with goodies’ ‘Yep, more space without me in it’ ‘How about the girls in Switzerland who are most likely yours’ ‘How about them, we told Captain Curious Carl we were going to Antigua last night, not shopping for a trip to Columbia on the west side of the island, so leave your phone switched off with the sim out in case somebody “pings it”. ’ ‘Okay, a postcard?’ ‘That’s a good idea, one has a two week lead on those’

‘I know their names now Jimmy, I’ll pop one in the box.’ Two hours later Jack returns from shopping ‘You were a time, it’s all clean underneath, ‘I stopped off at the yacht club, you were all over CNN’ ‘They’ve definitely got no news then Jack, so I’ve become a pandemic special’ ‘Yep, its good for sales free publicity’ ‘Any interest with you in the bar with CNN full of us?’ ‘No, a sceptical bunch, highly likely regard it as fake news to get an audience for the channel, we’ve both been slipping in their bar for years, even moored there, no they have enough characters coming and going to amuse themselves with’ ‘The newspapers will become a casualty of this pandemic as well as Boeing and Airbus’ ‘Maybe we’ll be able to afford our own jet’ ’Now, there’s a solution to get to Switzerland. CNN quoting our daily sales on the news?’ ‘Figures have caught on with the virus, we’ve not overtaken the virus ones with ed sales yet with Kobo, Kindle and Google play, the latter have their translator linked up to it which no doubt is helping with worldwide sales.’ ‘Not forgetting Apple with your laptop, you must try it, it has a speech feature as well so you can listen. So it’s around the world in an instant.’ ‘Certainly is, according to them s are just above 44 million to date, to me figures are either exaggerated or reduced, depending what's best suited to whom, so maybe half that figure for its not a sensational as a higher figure which makes for big news.’

‘Hopefully we’ll pick up plane in Columbia heavily discounted, must be a few traffickers nervously twitching as their businesses are on hold like anybody else so need to offload assets.’ ‘Yep, they will, that’s one item will disappear off person’s needs as they chill out and manage without their fixes, re-appraise their lifestyles as they explore alternative amusements.’ ‘That’s the same for many businesses, we’re creatures of habits, I see you cleared out the wine shelves in the Foodland.’ ‘I did. Adequate Rum too, not sure what they have in Columbia after the obvious.’ ‘Beaches for one, coffee, bananas and some good wood so I can replace the cockpit table.’ ‘Restyle the cabin interior.’ ‘New mattresses would be good too, let’s get this up the swim ladder, it’s certainly cooler at anchor, too isolated though and accessing the beach bars is limited as there’s only one jetty with to tie up to which is a distance from everywhere.’

The supplies are loaded onboard ‘We’re good to go, which I think is good idea as this anchorage is well viewed from the mainland’ ‘People’s Monoculars will be in constant use from their houses surveying the boats as there’s little else to do and some will notice that the guy on CNN is moored out some 300 meters from their house Jack’ ‘Let’s get this below, two hours till night fall and then we’ll slip off’ ‘Enjoy the fresh food before it’s goes off, I’ll get the compressor fixed on the refrigeration system in Columbia.’

‘A new generator and solar s to run it as well.’ ‘A new yacht might be an idea, seventy per cent of at least 500 million dollars worth of sales is a lot’ ‘Around 350, then there’s the tax, so halve the amount.’ ‘Easily spent.’ ‘Sure is, and you’ve the T-shirt for easy spending already.’ ‘I sure have, when its comes in easily it goes out just as easily, especially in Vegas, I rolled myself dry Jack’ ‘It’s those elusive double sixes’ ‘Octopussy’ ‘It is indeed, and I’ve our favourite, pickled Octopus and Fresh Lobster, chill out and eat while watching that very film before our first night sail for a while’ Back at Secret Harbour on the super yacht, captain is on his satellite phone speaking to Daniella in Italy ‘They slipped off in the night, supposedly to Antigua, madame’ ‘I very much doubt that as the place has strong English connections as does the US with where you are, can’t you go and have a look around the island’ ‘No, I’ll be stopped more than likely and impounded in the port for unauthorised movement with the current Virus regulations and no doubt a large fine.’ ‘Go at night’

‘Not with a yacht this size through the reef’ ‘Ah, yes the Caribbean, it’s known for reefs, I understand. Jimmy Dunstain

is all over CNN as there’s nothing else happening in the world and Trump bashing is getting monotonous.’ ‘Riots are needed’ ‘The US have lots of possibilities for those, their police need to be careful as anything that kicks off will be magnified by a hundred per cent or more by the press, they’re being careful over here in Italy, too easy to upset the apple cart with all the tension caused by this virus and little money being generated’ ‘Tough times, people will strike out, yep Jimmy has a lot of attention now.’ ‘A fashionable rogue, similar to the PinK Panther character in a way, the public adored that creation and Jimmy is for real.’ ‘I’ve heard his of Vegas, which is minimal as he re little about it.’ ‘Set up by the mob without a doubt for them to do some robberies and a heist, unfortunately for them he went off with loot, a difficult guy to pursue in car as you can realise.’ ‘You’d be familiar with that.’ ‘Not me personally, but the boys in the families do like the odd outing to brag about, it’s not about the money with them it’s about street cred.’ ‘Boys need excitement.’ ‘Oh they do Captain, girls give you earache and boys get in trouble, my granddaughter and two great nieces are giving me some now, plus my sisters, there’s a lot of countries to go ducking and diving in down there for those two, a pirates haven in the old days.’ ‘They’ve plenty of money now too.’ ‘I know, CNN have got into figures big style, around fifty million sales with Jimmy, which of course make its the book of the century to read so everybody will be ing now, plus his friend’s backlist who wrote

this is immense so he’s being ed now in volume.’ ‘The world’s their Oyster.’ ‘Which makes them very attractive and exciting to nineteen year old girls Captain, he’s got another bite at the apple after his twenty year absence.’ ‘A rather large bite.’ ‘Oh it is, when this is over steam over to Gibraltar to pick us up and we’ll find them down there, our families have enough connections to locate them.’ ‘Cheap fuel in Algiers to fill up with.’ ‘Cheaper than Gibraltar then, it’s no doubt cheaper than water in Algiers I would think as there’s a glut of it and the monster will use a lot.’ ‘The yacht does Ma’am, so no plane when they’re back up.’ ‘Not with us oldies, we don’t want to catch this on a flights, a yacht is far more flexible as well, hotels will up in the air for a while of how to progress, most of them will be closed for the rest of the year I would think, sensible in the event of this virus having a second wave, who wants a hotel full of infected clients or to be in one’ ‘You’ve many?’ ‘Oh yes, and restaurants, we’ll survive as we’re well organised, it’s all about organisation and being prepared for rainy days, this one is an unseen war as opposed to the ones that have been fought in the past.’ ‘For you 2020 is cancelled’ ‘Absolutely, more than likely 2021 too, you can’t run before you can walk.’ ‘I’m noticing your English phrases are good.’

‘There are English boarding schools in Italy which we frequented and they have the best teachers so a chance for me to use English with you.’

‘I didn’t know.’ ‘Makes for good access to English Universities of course.’ ‘This yacht?’ ‘I’ll pay the wages as if you’re furloughed as nobody can actually charter at present, so it can be kept in full working order, we know the owners, so a nice bit of business for them after the restrictions are reduced hopefully.’ ‘Thank you Ma’am, I keep you updated from this end.’ ‘On they’ll be gone in the trade winds this evening I would expect so little hope of any news, I’ll bid you goodbye and expect to see you in a month or so.’ ‘Goodbye ma’am.’ Chapter 7: Jimmy and Jack en-route to Columbia

‘A good breeze, two weeks to Columbia I reckon.’ ‘Maybe less, this is a heavy boat though, sits well in the water, I wander if Columbia does “Air B&B”, or rather has them’ ‘I think that bourgeoise practice is around the world with people who have second homes, though people do let their odd spare room, why?’ ‘If the airlines logical approach is to half their fleets and double their prices, that would knock them on the head.’ ‘I expect so, this virus will bury a few activities and businesses, so as an investment not so good, with our gains the best attitude is to spend as most investments are up the pole or down the toilet depending how you regard investments, its good for the planet the human race having to put the brakes on as we were full throttle for a rapid extinction in my opinion.’ ‘We’re not that bright in that direction’ ‘No, most of America reckons its a created enigma, or at least used to, Jack,

so these other islands that are en-route, I fancy a peek of them’ ‘Give them a miss, get to more solid ground where you can sort yourself out without any opinions taking over, biased in the direction of common justice for one and all’ ‘Well you or rather I can’t make out that no crimes were committed, just certain circumstances that arouse caused me to commit them, a difficult one, in this present state people will expect justice.’ ‘You didn’t kill anybody.’ ‘Not to my knowledge, I don’t know how to fire a gun never mind hit a target, of course there’s different ways like running a person over for instance.’ ‘I wonder if that applies if somebody was deliberately blocking your path with a car’ ‘You’d just reverse quickly, find a place to turn to do a u turn with the handbrake and go off in opposite direction.’ ‘Yep, that’s an alternative, you had no motive for robbing a bank.’ ‘Or the jewel theft, they can have it all back.’ ‘You could say you had amnesia about the happenings till the Covid lockdowns when you started to relate your life to me thereupon bringing it all back, Vegas was too much of a shock to your system so you blanked it all out.’ ‘Well that’s true, I was clueless to the money or the jewels, rather like your story when somebody gave you two tabs, supposedly ecstasy thereupon had a wild night to which you don’t anything bar waking up to a very nice, youngish lady in the morning’ ‘She wasn’t very happy on my lack of recall.’ ‘I expect not, a bank look on your face wandering why you were where you were and not in your bed, most likely had a hell of a night with her, became

her instant superman.’ ‘My crystals were well burnt out in the morning, an temporary onset of Alzheimer’s, frightening, the brain put into shock by substances interfering with its normal chemical function, at least they just shut down your memory and not any of the vital organs it controls.’ ‘All looks to be the same with me in Vegas but my diet was rather on the minimal side of healthy, so more of an effect on me.’ ‘Alcohol too, would add to the burn out.’ ‘Lunch?’ ‘I think so, a steady breeze in one direction makes for easy sailing, the autopilot is functioning well.’ ‘Little to do.’ ‘Bar your second volume.’ ‘Which can’t be completed as there’s persons and events still to turn up and happen’ ‘So a trilogy then.’ ‘Now there’s a thought, I’ve still plenty of tread left for a third.’

‘For another pitstop in my life.’ ‘The finishing line is a long way ahead on this track.’

Chapter Eight: A Marina in Columbia

‘It’s hotter, has your bank got a branch here Jack, check out some air condition and the necessary sized generator to run it.’ ‘No, there appears to be an HSBC on the brow of a hill though, so a money gram or draft from my son to here, his Bank is HSBC, I just send him the money electronically to him from my in England.’ ‘Cool, I want to be cool too, so we need wi-fi and the laptop.’ ‘Not my phone as that’s traceable and here’s bar that’s open in the marina with drop dead gorgeous girls hanging out in it.’ ‘Uh huh, they look untouchable too, are this lot are catholic? Certainly flash cars are parked outside with four pipes out of the back complimented by fat tyres’ ‘They’ll be daddies’s cars I expect.’ ‘Maybe, okay , Hola, and now an onset of giggles.’ ‘We speak American, Rosetta, and Cambrilla, Alicia, Jilla, Catrianna, you’re famous, everybody in the world is on the lookout for you, time for some beers then we take to our grandfather if you wish, he sorts everybody out.’ ‘Good idea Rosetta, the beers at least, this is Jack, we’ve been ten days at sea.’ ‘A lot happens in ten days, the US is in uproar after white cops killed a black man.’ ‘So if black cops had killed a white men would there have been riots as I’m now looking at the TV.’ ‘Most likely not Jimmy, rather like the Nazis with the Jews, there were inferior to the Jews so rose up and clashed, then won, after got defeated as they got to being superior in grandiose style, which is the way it normally goes.’ ‘I think your school teacher interpretation may he been a little wide of the

mark, Rosetta’ ‘No, my grandfather.’ ‘Ah, he’s presently inferior or superior?’ ‘Superior, he has his own private army to remain so too, the same as the American cops are regarded by the American black population, an American force in place to suppress them and keep them in place.’ ‘How fascism is bred.’ ‘Grandfather is very right wing but a good man and not a Nazi, but neither of you are Jewish so no fear, I’ll call him as he was huge fan of yours back in your heyday Jimmy, loves his cars as you’ll have noticed.’ ‘Lucky we’re not black either.’ ‘No, he doesn’t like those at all, Jack, oiy, Manuel, beers for these men and a phone please.’ ‘Your marina?’ ‘It is Jimmy.’ ‘I want some air conditioning for the boat.’ ‘No problem, he’ll refit it all for free, you must sign your book for him.’ ‘It’s not out yet in hardback or paperback.’ ‘This is South America Jack, we don’t hang around for agents to haggle with publishing rights and all the other technicalities, we knock off most things or knock out in this case, just paste Jimmy’s picture onto the front cover, but now with online you’ve had a 100 million legitimate s , and probably the same amount of illegal s and a number of hardcopies are already out, the South Koreans and Chinese already have it in their languages out on the street.’ ‘I’m popular.’

‘Oh yes, all the boys want to be you Jimmy, hello Grandpappie, Spanish now as he speaks little American, it’s not so you can’t understand what I’m saying to him.’ Five minutes later ‘A chatty guy.’ ‘Always with his granddaughters Jimmy, he idolises us and he only had sons, no girls, he’s on his way.’ ‘Another beer I think.’ ‘You’ve had two.’ ‘It’s hot for us, it was hot before where we were, this is hotter Rosetta, Jack has dropped off in the chair, he was on night watch, ah yes the boat.’ ‘The boatyard foreman is coming, papa is coming down too so between you three the boat will be refitted. Papa knows boats as you would expect of course, this is so good as nothing much exciting happens here, now some hot news to text to all our friends.’ ‘I’m glad we’ve made your day.’ ‘Made our year, Grandpappie will have a party, so time to dress up and dance.’ ‘Lockdown?’ ‘No problem, our testing is very thorough so anybody with the infection will be excluded, its the way to go’ ‘So how are you testing?’ ‘With the testing kits we knock out, as I said we don’t hang around down here waiting for the grass to grow as you English would say, we’re productive and that’s way you need to be to stay ahead of the game, more of your mysterious language.’

‘I suppose it is, it’s all survival at the end of the day, ah here’s Jack stirring.’ ‘I heard beer, we’re not alcoholics young lady but no cold beers for ten or more days is rather like being in a desert without water for us.’ ‘You had wine?’ ‘We do, but disgustingly warm, so I heard refit, a wine cooler to add to the list, Jimmy’ ‘An ice maker too.’

Half an hour later ‘Ah your Grandpa? An elegant man with you five as throw me downs of his physique and stature.’ ‘H ello Jimmy, my granddaughter tends to be the boss, the other girls are great nieces, good to have the honour of you two on our shores, you shall enjoy fine food and wine in Barranquilla later with some good lawyers as you need them Jimmy, after seeing my car collection, all stunning like the girls here.’

‘The English and US governments aren’t top dogs in the democracy department at the moment so any preferential treatment to elitists would cause an outcry.’ ‘A very unfortunate death in America and a top UK aid to the PM over there having a brush down with the lockdown and being ed by their leader.’ ‘Yep, the two of us are in the elite group of the human race now as those American cops and the top uk aid regarded themselves as, untouchable I think is the word.’ ‘You always were Jimmy, it’s natural for you, you fit in perfectly, but one of a different sort, you too Jack, you explore your natural talents so are above others. Oh Jimmy, you can have one of my cars, completely gracias, I only have one hero, that’s you.’

‘Oh right, I’ll need a bigger boat to put it on.’ ‘You will, Jimmy, so Jack a delightful backlist you have, my wife and mother find them highly entertaining.’ ‘That’s what they’re meant to be, there’s nothing much literally about them.’ ‘Easily translatable too, which no doubt you had in mind, so you girls are no doubt are already planning a party so leave and go up to the house and start organising, your mothers are expecting you, they’ll be a thousand or so coming, so make up an invitation list of your friends and get them all tested, it only takes a couple to infect a mass and I and your grandmother are vulnerable as will a third of the other guests.’ ‘We’ll be off Grandpappie, you gentleman have a good time in Barranquilla, I liked to come of course.’ ‘You can of course Rosetta, some new jewellery, the hairdressers and a dress while we’re having a long lunch and debating Jimmy’s situation.’ Chapter Nine: Barranquilla

‘This is different, everybody with masks Jack.’ ‘Yep, at least its good for the lungs in this pollution, ah.’ ‘Here’s some masks for you two, this old city was for horse and cart mostly, our present day stinky smelly streets full of fumes aren’t so inviting, I’m Cristo to you two, to everybody else I’m boss except with the girls.’ ‘Uh huh.’ ‘Through this door, doesn’t look much but the roof top terrace this place has makes out for a fine restaurant above the pollution.’ ‘We’d have never have found it’

‘Not in the travel guide Jimmy, off the street In Barranquilla as opposed to an off the road guide I used when I was In and Italy’ ‘Switzerland was favourite for me.’ ‘Mountainous, with spectacular lakes, too crowded for me now, I was there just last year, the whole of Europe is generally too crowded for me, Jimmy, we’d welcome you here but its time to have it in black and white from some very astute lawyers.’ ‘Okay Cristo.’ The roof top restaurant ‘ooh an entourage greeting us Cristo.’ ‘There are, laptops out ready for business, you two are a big catch for any country, you’ve no doubt a second volume coming along of your memoirs Jimmy, Jack will pull out his better works for online or Hollywood, you mention them in your introductions. Around the table are Gabriel, Moses, Thomas, Joseph and Magdalene, the latter two are bankers, Thomas is a judge, Gabriel an attorney and Moses a lawyer.’ ‘Oh there could easily be fifteen of us, the type of restaurant you draw straws for when your company is invited for offering their services, it has the best Columbia can offer in food and wine.’ ‘I’d agree with Moses, Thomas at your service, I’ll interlude where I think fit, ah aperos, Gabriel you lead when they’re settled.’ ‘I will, there’s been warrants issued in the UK and US for Jimmy’s arrest in connection with tax evasion and robberies, so those countries are at present out of bounds of course with the virus, also for Jack as he knows of Jimmy’s whereabouts if entering either countries, but this no longer applies to Europe with the Brexit, a grey area but most police forces in Europe would welcome some action in these somewhat dull times, there’s not a lot going on for them.’ ‘Why me?’

‘Assisting a felon, Jack’ ‘I was out of it in Vegas; non compos mentis’ ‘So were half the officers and generals of the third reich on amphetamine sulphate, commonly referred to as crack cocaine, being drugged up to the eyeballs does not hold any creed for your actions in eyes of the law, crimes are crimes, so a defence needs to be built up for these happenings which is a tough one, but of course Jimmy you had no motif bar being an adrenaline seeking person at the time, which is not good.’

‘I’m screwed, even with all this recent success Gabriel.’

‘Only from those countries at present, on behalf of the Columbian government being an attorney we can offer you a residency here and as there has been no murders and violations of people with as in rape or other predatory sexual activities, that’s grave over here, instant deportation; the majority of the population is Catholic.’ ‘I see…….?’ ‘Thomas, of course the pair of you are attractive in wherever you settle as that country gains your enormous tax bill, but US and UK law are fickle as a done deal can be overturned in high court and you could end up in the slammer after paying a whole load of tax, well at present I believe Jack has all the money, but that could easily be seized as well for aiding and abetting a criminal.’ ‘Serious stuff Thomas ‘Indeed it is Jimmy, governments need money and their law needs to win cases to justify their existence, so straying out of line is penalised to whatever extent a judge decides, it’s not school where three swipes of the cane suffices, well used to be for us at school, I’m Seventy now.’ ‘What do you think Jack?’

‘If the second volume is as successful as the first, the tax could be upwards to a billion, so if a country want to be self righteous as opposed to sensible the UK is out, any country leaving the European Federation to me is insane over half a million odd votes as a majority for most were clueless to what the consequences were by leaving.’ ‘Ah, there’s also the commonwealth countries you can’t go to, there’s not many of those anymore but some have treaties with the UK, where you were has none though, but of course money in the right pocket would see you back in the UK being charged.’ ‘You’re used to that here Thomas I suppose.’ ‘We are, bribes are common, so are threats, but Cristo sorts those out especially with cops who have lower earnings, drugs, money and jewels are planted on occasion so persons on the outside are needed.’ ‘A balance, I think in the UK there’s people checking on people in the various security and police departments for corruption and spying.’ ‘You don’t write crime novels.’ ‘No, I’ve come across a number of criminals in my life so maybe a story could be traced back to them.’ ‘I suppose so, such events would make for a bestseller I think.’ ‘It could do Thomas’ ‘Gabriel back to you’ ‘I’ve been authorised to give a favourable tax rate in view of your enormous forthcoming tax bills as an incentive to reside in Columbia, the president himself agreed, twenty percent across all earnings, very favourable compared to the UK, US or Europe.’ ‘It’s strange that’s not a crime in itself, when born to a country you should uphold to its tax laws’ ‘A mute point, depends on loyalty, commitments and families, I believe

that’s why marriage and family values are promoted to keep the system ongoing, the UK have a monarchy which is highly regarded, it’s a good system for governments come and go, they remain so represent stability and comion as is reciprocated by the populace to them, many presidents would like a back up like the UK’s.’ ‘You’re single I take it Gabriel.’ ‘I am Jack, as are you two.’

‘How about it Jimmy?’ ‘There’s bars here as there were where we left, north America and Europe including UK are out , I fancied Hawaii, the Galapagos and New Zealand especially, there’s the stash gents.’ ‘Stash? ‘Yes Thomas, less a 100k.’ ‘You never fenced it?’ ‘No’ ‘How did you handle it?’ ‘Gloves, Thomas, my trade was performed by my dextrous hands on the racing car wheel so I always wore them and still do when working or steering the boat.’ ‘They’ll be finger prints, Thomas ’ ‘DNA too Gabriel.’ ‘An approach to the FBI is required, this is getting exciting Gabriel.’ ‘It is Moses, where is it Jimmy?’ ‘Under a flower bed on an island in the Caribbean.’

‘Ooh buried treasure, how romantic, I’d love to see it’ ‘It’ll end up in your bank vaults for a while so I expect you’ll be able to peruse it at your leisure Magdalene.’ ‘Each time looks to be an inside jog, its how I would do it, some stooges for cover to make the raids plausible to the insurance companies, especially a high profile person stoned out of his head like Jimmy.’

‘Your criminal instinct Cristo, makes sense, most likely the drugs were istered which somehow Jimmy shot off into the dark, or rather space as in what we float around in, sent him off on his own orbit.’ ‘It takes one to know one Thomas and Jimmy here presented with a fast car drive took off for a spin to LA and being the best driver in the world, uncatchable, came to his senses in LA and wandered what the hell was going on.’ ‘We’re assuming then there were some criminals who instigated the whole thing Cristo.’ ‘The average Joe wouldn’t have the wherewithal or know-how, takes planning Magdalene.’ ‘I suppose it does, so can we have your details to open up s gents, Jack can update his online payments so as they don’t enter the UK system, but royalties are taxed in the US at thirty per cent and we do not have a two way tax agreement mister attorney which the UK does, so not reciprocal to Jack here, only in the UK.’ ‘It is, so not so good then this twenty percent on offer, an offer of a zero rate would at least put the money into our economy, I’ll have to ask.’ ‘I was thinking about that, Gabriel, its mostly American where the online s come from.’ ‘I’ll get onto Jack’s having his own online site set up from Columbia right away, you have no contractural agreements to any of these operators.’ ‘Only if you succumb to kindle direct then you’re solely obliged to sell from them, Magdalene. I think it’s sixty days.’ ‘You don’t obviously, clever Amazon, already a new industry for us Mister attorney, okay Gabriel now for I thought you knew about that on the royalties in the US, we’ll make up a good website to attract other writers to base themselves here, not forgetting our own.’ ‘It’ll take long.’

‘Not at all, we’ve a bank, programmers and we’ll put it all on one of our servers, so lets get s organised after lunch.’ ‘Also the FBI and the loot in your bank vault, you want to phone the president Gabriel to borrow his jet or should I, my pilot is on vacation for a week, new baby.’ ‘You do Cristo, oh invite him for lunch as we’ve not ordered yet, I believe he’s in town today’ ‘I will, you’re surprised gents, Gabriel is his son in law, so I think his daughter and wife too will come, we’d better tell the waiter to get the really good wine breathing, a possible job for my granddaughter running this new website Magdalene, good to have a sumptuous office staffed by stunning girls to attract clients, make the site rock as they say.’ ‘It would actually rock for it would attract musicians with your granddaughter and grand nieces running it, promote our country’s music too Cristo’ ‘What’s the good stuff?’ ‘Ah yes, the wine Jack, I’ll show you the selection, Gabriel are they coming?’ ‘Oh yes they are, the president has read Jimmy’s memoirs and he’s getting the jet prepped up and the General is ing the FBI.’ Chapter 10: Evening time in Columbia at the Marina Internacional

‘A very long lunch and we got to know the name of the marina coming back.’ ‘It was Jack and this is first marina along the coast, too late now for any forays around the Caribbean, do you think these guys are too good to be true.’ ‘Overly helpful I think, once they get their hands on your loot, well the loot you have, they’ll then reputedly deny any knowledge of it after splitting it amongst themselves, I’d personally miss out the middle man and go to the

FBI directly, find a genuine guy whose not corrupt, you see so many movies where’s a bent guy in these establishments, adding to their somewhat meagre salaries.’ ‘Yep, these guys today no doubt have their finger in many pies, the FBI included.’ ‘They most likely do and very charming too, good at pulling the wool over your eyes, a long sumptuous lunch is a good way to relax somebody and gain confidence.’ ‘But they’re correct about DNA and finger prints, at least they don’t know of its whereabouts.’ ‘They sure are, the old bed of roses scenario, a lot less dig up flower beds than graves to find loot. I propose ing the FBI on some ruse and see if they’ve been ed genuinely to check on these guys.’ ‘I think that’s the way to go, we’ve known these guys for almost half a day and they can rattle on in a language we can’t understand.’ ‘It’s Spanish. I’ll just tell Cristo that we’re checking up on them in the morning, and get a camera too so we can photograph the events.’ ‘Yep, you gotta to be wise there are plenty of wolves at the door. It’s not a world to trust people and who is the President of this country for we’ve never been here, if they have a president, it could be a dictatorship for all we know.’ ‘A little more research, visit the bar and use its wi-fi with your laptop.’ ‘I’m not using my email, to that and we’ll be located.’ ‘Doesn’t Google do that automatically when switching the laptop on.’ ‘They’d like to but I have my location disabled, its too intrusive knowing so much about someone, I like some privacy.’ ‘Yep, how to get your home robbed or mugged on the street with that information being ciphered into the wrong hands.’

At the bar ‘These girls are friendly toight’ ‘I’m noticing Jimmy, prostitutes to me, tight shorts right up their arse promoting their buttocks and boob tubes showing off their breasts with tight t-shirts on top, out to tantalise and win money by revealing as much as they can as they’re off the beach where’s that’s common place.’ ‘I think you’re right, we’re out of the age of being sexual attractive to them.’ ‘I’m over sixty Jimmy and my tread is bare in that department.’ ‘Can you to your online sites to check on sales?’ ‘Tempting, but they run a security check on where you’re logging if its different from your norm so must know where you are, well at least what country and there’s only four main marinas along Columbia’s coast.’ ‘Of course, that’s why you’ve not done it before’ ‘I’ll just try the email I use on my book intros, uh uh, yep there’s a lot of those, it’s wise not to open those up too, so whose is the present Columbian president, uh huh, its not the guy who came to lunch or his daughter who came with him, at least they could have found somebody that resembled him.’ ‘Insulting our intelligence then, let’s look, no it’s not him’ ‘Many people are easily duped all over the world, take the internet and fake news, a lot of people actually believe what’s posted.’ ‘That’s why everything you write classified as fiction.’ ‘Its takes away disputing whether the stories maybe connected to me or even happened, they’re all based on experiences and I evolve them with my imagination ‘Except my memoirs,’

‘Which are now certainly adding to the spice of life, our propping up beach and marina bars before Covid-19 lockdowns happened is now looking an increasingly dull pastime’ ‘I’m sure many will get into more self satisfying pastimes’ ‘Shall we leg it?’ ‘One more cool beer and a bag of ice Jeremy’

Out at sea an hour later ‘We didn’t pay the marina charges’ ‘They also filled us up with diesel and water, mind you it looked as though is was only 30 cents a litre on the pumps.’ ‘Most likely checked out the boat for goodies Jack’ ‘Yeh well, we have little bar the wine worth lifting and they have plenty of that ashore, your equipment is around twenty years old so if it breaks down its overboard, lets get this wine bucket out and cool a bottle of wine down from 35 celsius to a drinkable temperature with the ice before it melts’ ‘It’s on its way, the bucket, Panama?’ ‘I think so, bound to be a FBI hang out there as that place must see some action.’ ‘So the second volume while on the way to there?’ ‘Most definitely, I’ll put it out in instalments this time, that’ll keep curiosity up and illegal copies off the street and reduce illegal s.’ ‘How does that happen with illegal s’ ‘Once it’s a purchase new instalments can be added to it for free, doesn’t stop them but makes it’s frustrating.’

‘There could be prizes introduced.’ ‘Yep there could be for the bona-fide ers but there appears to no shortage of those.’ ‘I just don’t like cheats Jack.’

‘Well, we’re all are to some extent, it’s the thrill of the deception.’ ‘Similar to me getting thrills on the race track, I can see that, gets the heart beat cracking on.’ ‘Coupled with saving money.’ ‘Bargin hunters?’ ‘Those yes, so we or they’re cheating others out of making extra money which gives you a feel good sense of achieving a saving, even though the prices were most likely inflated in the first place.’ ‘ers who pirate stuff too?’ ‘Oh yes, and shoplifters, to me those have a virus in the brain which overrules the idea of any exchange of payment if it can be avoided.’ ‘Similar to computer viruses Jack.’ ‘Yep, we’ve a vastly superior chemical in our head generally but it is not always in tune with society rules, the more serious offenders to this end get locked or put away in asylums.’ ‘Here’s the bucket of ice with the wine in it, I’ll wedge it in the cockpit as its cooler on deck.’ ‘Hopefully it’ll be the right temperature before the ice melts.’ ‘That’s similar to the ice on the planet keeping us at the right temperature.’ ‘It is, and when that’s gone we’re caput for we’re not aquatic mammals who

can chill out in the oceans which are temperate for their survival, also being able to dive down to cool off as well’ ‘Submarines will be popular’ ‘Very much so Jimmy, the Fab Four were very prophetic to that end after coming back from India with the meditations they pursued whilst there.’ ‘Connected with the vibes from the planet and after connecting with their own kind which is our human race. Why a yellow submarine?’ ‘The sun is yellow’ ‘We must get one’ ‘A deluxe version then of the known yellow one Jimmy, with a patio and pop up bar for times on the surface, especially at night to chill out along with phosphorescence which should happen tonight as the moon is full and the sky is clear of clouds.’ ‘I could adapt this boat Jack’ ‘You could with it being of steel construction, weld ballast tanks on and replace the hatches with watertight ones, add fold down masts stepped to the deck made of carbon fibre to reduce there weight considerably. It would resemble a ghost ship appearing out of the depths of the ocean’ ‘A futuristic story for you were we all took to the oceans and lived under the seas.’ ‘Uh huh, no ice would mean only a few cities left as we know of them with the flooding making it necessary to live on or underneath the sea. Some island Atolls would disappear, most beaches and Florida Keys too’ ‘That’s what the scientists reckon’ ‘I don’t think it’s conjecture.’ ‘That’s the thing about conjecture and debate, immediate action as oppose to waiting to see if it happens as with this new virus, mayhem has occurred

by dilly-dallying.’ ‘But then by stopping it early on people would have said Governments over reacted as nothing much happened.’ ‘So they delay to let it be more severe; instil panic and grave concerns so the next time around they can snuff a new virus out quickly without masses of criticism and resistance from people and opposition parties, yeah that’s logical, the only point is with the planet we’ve only got one and where a virus or viruses are containable therefore controllable in the long run, the ice melts is nature reacting to the environment.’ ‘As this ice in the bucket is melting real quick, I’ll get some beakers to test the wine Jack.’ ‘A second bottle is not really feasible.’ ‘Then it’s the only enjoyable one till we reach Panama, before we frequented bars for drinks and food, onboard refrigeration being irrelevant to our everyday needs.’ ‘Expensive too on the islands, Panama will present an opportune moment to replace equipment we just entertained here in Columbia for your boat’ The end of part one

© Paul Stansby , Falmouth, UK July 2020

Cruise Control Over

Part Two. Cartagena

Chapters Eleven - Fourteen

Chapter 11: Out at sea

‘No wind Jimmy, we’ve been drifting for three days and motoring in the night when its cooler for the engine’ ‘Too hot for the old heat exchanger if it’s run for more than twenty minutes during the day.’ ‘Cartagena at nightfall hopefully, I’m hallucinating cold beers in this heat’ ‘I know, yep. Cartagena is four hundred kilometres down the coast from where we last were’ ‘I don’t think we’ll be bothered there.’ ‘I’m of value to most countries, whether its the loot from Vegas, my past tax or the tax we’re now generating, or my second volume I’m now relating to you, though your laptop does voice to text which is clever you just have to make it readable’ ‘I’m adding some gloss to your rhetoric’ ‘Oh it needs a lot of that, I’m certainly not a poet, my wrench is my sword not a pen, I’d tackle that engine but its around 50 celsius down by the engine, all those rusted bolts and nuts to free, that’s if you don’t break the studs off, then then the work goes up a level with drilling out then retapping.’ ‘Its best pulled out’ ‘In that event we’d just stick in a new one, a generator first behind it as there’s plenty of space, Cartagena looks to be over there, smoke coming up into the air’ ‘That’s a fair indication’ ‘It will, I expect there’s a nice marina so no need to anchor off’ ‘There is, I looked this area up when I was considering going to the

Galapagos Islands on my boat, which I’ll be updating too now, as one needs air conditioning for these climates located in these latitudes and that takes us space’ ‘Suddenly we’ve lots of money to enable us to do these things,’ ‘Going back to your original purchase of this boat, the installed engine was way to small which also causes over heating’ ‘I know, I changed the prop to a smaller size to get it to rev higher and it’s still over loaded as the output is eighty horse power and as this vessel weighs in at over thirty tons a 160 horsepower is needed, maybe 180 HP as technology has reduced engine size, emissions and fuel usage’ ‘I need at least ninety horse power with my 12 ton one, the wind is normally twenty odd knots on the nose, so add the rigging and mast to the windage and it’s a whole different ball game.’ ‘Not forgetting the rest of the stuff you’ve got stuck on; The bimini, solar s, wind turbine, radar and the dingy on davits hanging off the back, we’ve not got formulae one boats by far, more drag than rain tyres on a dry surface.’ ‘That’s cruising, an SUV on the water as opposed to a Lamborghini,’ ‘For speed one needs a streamlined vessel, long low freeboard, narrow, deep keeled, high mast and carbon fibre hull’ ‘With that you could do ten knots in a twelve knot breeze, a lot more exciting for these new found daughters of yours Jimmy than trolling along at five knots in one of these cruiser types in trade winds of twenty knots, there normal velocity, a classic comment from a twenty one year old youth I had on board once was that he could walk faster, it’s a tedious and uncomfortable travel beating into the wind’ ‘As it is now with no wind rolling us around, let’s point this in the general direction of Cartagena, at least there’s no leeway to contend with.’ Midnight

‘A nice marina, Jimmy’ ‘As long as the beers are cold, don’t forget the laptop, I can’t see a bar but I can hear one.’ ‘A good indication, one advantage of these hot climates the bars stay open late to take advantage of the coolness.’ ‘Nobody’s around’ ‘Security will have clocked us but the office won’t be open, not many clients turn up at midnight ‘I’m hearing a busy bar so lets go along to the sound’ They walk along the quay ‘Ah, this a large bar with food, parasols and luxurious tanned girls with velvety skins, a place to spend some time, let’s sit down’ ‘You wouldn’t find waitresses like this London’ ‘I’d say Europe Jack, I know it well with all race tracks, lovely, so we’d better impress and order a bottle of wine, or two, one red and one white, adds some sophistication to a somewhat shabby appearance we have.’ ‘We’re the epitome of the saying of flash not cash in reverse,, here’s the wi-fi code on the menu, I’ll order the most expensive on the list, hi one of that one and one of that, plus some tapas, no Bat please, they’re out of favour and not our thing, squid, tuna, olives and pickled goat’ ‘`Si Senoir, here’s the code for the shower block, it’s not far.’ ‘Good idea, and I see a shop selling shorts and t-shirts still open, no doubt provisions too. I’ll freshen up first after sloshing some wine down’ ‘She’ll be back quickly I would think.’ ‘So, how are sales in the book trade’ ‘Google are exceptional, five days make a hell of a difference, but I knew I

should have gone to spec-savers’ ‘Ah yes, me too, alcohol and sun takes its toll on the eyes even with shades’ ‘That guy we had lunch with who was we supposed not to be the president was so, the president we saw online in the news was an ex one involved in some fracas ‘It’s also in Spanish so we’re clueless with that language plus the distractions of young flesh on parade, even though we disapproved it’s still disconcerting to our minds.’ ‘Memories of our youths recurring.’ ‘So it’s good, anything about me’ ‘Oh yes, the whole wide world knows we’re here and judging by the waitress pointing so do they’ ‘Ah, I wander if they’ll come down here to arrest me, this place I’m liking’ ‘We’ll see, it’s chill out time and here’s some tapas and pizza arriving.’ ‘Four girls bringing it too, ever hopefully of a big tip as were in mafia status with the amount of money we have’ ‘Tapas is fast food, all prepared well in advance, should make us dream well’ ‘These sensual visions will for sure who are now well out of their cloistered upbringing, no doubt the previous youngsters were clawing themselves out of that existence in the marina Internacional cafe, scantily dressed as a symbol of revolt announcing their appeal to the world’ ‘This is certainly a good place to be, we mustn’t let this new found celebrity status go to our heads’ ‘I know, my Vegas experience and the last year of total abandonment off the track with resolute catholic girls in pursuit of a worthwhile experience is now catching up as I disappeared’

‘The latter you willingly obliged to, the results of which you’re now realising.’ ‘They’ll be of a good age for college and staving off the real world for another three or four years.’ ‘Before advancing to waiting on tables.’ ‘Indeed, I’ll endeavour to alter that for mine.’ ‘A chain of casinos; they appear to be profitable after what ed through your hands.’ ‘That’s affordable?’ ‘I should think so, I’m putting the first instalment of the second volume out tomorrow, then we’ll see what reaction that brings, it’s certainly not dull, hello Senoritas, ah smiles and giggles, they won’t speak english’ ‘No, I imagine we’re somewhat of a rare species in these parts, even rarer with this worldwide epidemic.’ ‘Its down to diet to me, survival, fresh food not food with its nutrients obliterated by the microwave, so let’s now replenish our somewhat meagre one since our last food visit to that top restaurant in Barranquilla, ‘Wine?, they’re both in coolers,’ ‘White, I stopped the ready meals by going to decent restaurants, all too easy to throw a ready meal to annihilation in the microwave, then vegetate in front of online.’ ‘Its what’s affordable, do they still charge for water in the UK?” ‘They do, it’s just another tax but one sold off to utility companies, I know in a democracy water should be free at least.’ ‘They’ll be taxing air usage next’ ‘The French kinda of do that already’

‘They have food vouchers there’ ‘They do, and after a pioneering footballer the children are going to continue getting them in the UK after school, the supposed holidays as school has already been stopped for months on end, I’m reading’ ‘Really. I thought the government already did that in the school holidays, just add them to your income, so the one’s on the breadline get them for free, the well to do can pay tax at 50% on them for instance, it’s Tory I believe’ ‘All well off rich dudes running the show who are out of touch, good brains and but no savvy of life on the street, in denial about poverty that exists in the UK’ ‘Dickensian?’ ‘Well, he brought it to attention but Hollywood glorified it rather in the twentieth century so misconstruing people away from the actual reality.’ ‘Should we contribute?’ ’To food vouchers, yes, charities like education to me have now become business enterprises.’ ‘Food vouchers are good, giving people money isn’t for it’ll get spent on non essentials so the children still suffer.’ ‘Exactly, fill them up with pasta and rice, not a good regime for a growing and developing child, maybe some chopped tomatoes thrown in.’ ‘Now I’m feeling guilty over this spread in front of us’ ‘Our combined talents will recirculate wealth, what the hell do we need vast sums of money for’ ‘We’ll treat ourselves to new boats and you can sort out your new found offspring to some extent, we’ve lived well and had excitement that’s a lot more than many achieve.’

‘I agree, we’ve done well and now hit the jackpot in life as opposed to a Vegas one.’ ‘Oh for those casino owners in Vegas it’s a jackpots all the way into their pockets, but they provide employment, a lot of it’ ‘Of course one of your futuristic worlds is based on gambling centres similar too Vegas, where everybody gambles and taxes don’t exist and the proceeds are spread around the world as only the rich and well off gamble’ ‘Yep, money re-circulates fast cutting out the middle men, the rich entertain themselves within the glamour and splendour of the casinos so are satisfied that they’re privileged by their endeavours and success, no hoarding of money so it festers in s, offshore or legitimate.’ ‘That’s a good idea, I often think with knowing you that you’ve seen all this in parallel experiences you’ve had in other dimensions and it’s not so much fiction as you make out to be.’ ‘Could be, it’s a little difficult to discern as the mind focuses mostly on what’s apparent as there’s so much to take in everyday life.’ ‘We certainly multi task a lot, I’ve always managed to occupy myself after coming off the track some twenty years ago, ah here’s a tray of seafood arriving, a crustacean based one.’ ‘From the Pacific coast I hope, this one is a little too polluted for my liking’ ‘We’ll be glowing like the phosphorescence on the sea on the way back if it is, I’ll ask. Senoritas, Pacifico coast these langoustines?’ ‘Si Senoir, Pacifico, the champagne coming is gracias as the langoustines are’ ‘I’ve some cholesterol bashers on me Jimmy’ ‘An essential item for you with these monsters, I’ll have one’ ‘I’m having two, the garlic on these should shroud our odour for a while’

‘It will, we’d only need to take another in the morning.’ Chapter Twelve Next Day, Midday

‘Hi Jimmy, we’ve scantily dressed girls onboard’ ‘The Senoritas waiting on last night wishing to take the waitressing to the next level, the hostesses supremo level’ ‘You ever clocked the airline ones’ ‘Too hectic, man, life in the sky alters their perception, I think a year of doing that line of work and life becomes tedious, the job loses its novelty, the cabin girls are on the look out for for a nine to five on the ground in whatever form, marriage or waiting on in a coffee bar, or both, their own house to satisfy their ideal in life’ ‘A lot of life is about the house for the girl, I notice with boats they say well clear if there’s no land alternative on offer.’ ‘I notice the same, I think these gorgeous twenty year plus wanted not to miss out on a possible get out of the rut scenario.’ ‘Then fall into a house one, in twenty years they’ll be the image of their mothers, not a problem for me as I’ll most likely be dead but you’re twenty years younger.’ ‘Columbian entertainment, a preview for what’s later, I think a racing yacht to excite my daughters with, there’s not a lot of age difference but sexually these girls onboard will be light years ahead of them though only a few years older’ ‘There’s elegance and refinement, then there’s the desirous, fiery, temperamental ones at the other end of the scale and all the ones inbetween’

‘Of course, being a writer you’re into all of this, so say the fifty per cent in the in-between sector are responsible for ninety percent of the divorces for men fall roughly into the zones or areas you just mentioned, and no doubt like me or even you too, would go for our opposite for a meaningful long lasting relationship’ ‘The rough and the smooth, chalk and cheese, fire and water, beauty and the beast are all swinging in the rigging for the stormy waters ahead in a relationship, ready to catch the wind and fly’ ‘Wow, you’re inspirational today, fired up by Senoritas’ ‘Could be, though ten million sales on a somewhat dormant backlist is more so having caught the attention of the public by doing your memoirs.’ ‘That good huh, oh yes they’re at 9.99 as well, so, yeah, my second volume from you about me should have sensational sales, I think still fifty fifty, me, trying to put myself over would come over as a wet rag to be disregarded and binned’ ‘Yep, a click and a drag and you’re gone forever, the first forty pages need to rock the reader, get the imagination running riot to what’s next, so another look at it before putting an instalment out’ ‘So it’s going to be 200 pages as the the sample is twenty per cent.’ ‘Should be, on some sites the preview is a lot less, more like ten pages, I’m aiming at 65k words on the draft which will be 70k when re-written, giving space for the third volume, which of course has still yet to happen.’ ‘So why do writers write long books, or at least did do’ ‘Thicker spines perhaps so they stand out on a bookshelf, my first attempt was 170k long, too much and I binned it myself’ ‘You mostly write in dialogue, first person’ ‘Ah yes, because its you though its third person for retelling your story in this manner, I like for its slows the reader up to around a hundred words a minute, roughly the same as you speak, I can manage to read a traditional

six hundred page novel in say seven hours, so for the avid reader who likes to devour a book a day not so good’ ‘So not popular to book worms, impatient to get to the end and for the brain confusing too for it has to slow down like myself on a race track in the rain, you’d prefer to pull off into the pits and not to finish, than to slow down, your adrenaline goes flat’ ‘Yep, not a popular style, works for me, eliminates speed reading as well’ ‘Good for online as it’ll translate well’ ‘Auto translators are responsive to the style, ah girls on the move down below Jimmy’ ‘Hola, why do girls always look better at night’ ‘They more sexually active as it’s near to bedtime and a possibility of a shag or indeed just romantic dreams naked under the covers.’ ‘Ah, hence the extra makeup and other beauty enhancing that goes on, perfect hair for one, exit time for a shower away from this shower we dragged onboard’ ‘Not literally though, they came very willingly, almost dragging us onboard away from the bar.’ ‘Yep, and the shower block is next-door to the bar, an ice cold bloody Mary is beckoning,’ Along the quay at the bar ‘Ah this is the best way to start the day, a cool drink at the bar, did we get up to anything earlier?’ ‘I did not, principally as my tackle is dysfunctional and needs assistance as far as I you feel asleep in the cockpit but you later later slid into your bunk next to one of the girls after the cabin had got a little cooler, that’s fairly routine though for you bar the addition of the girl’

‘Good Jack, nothing happened, STD is always in prominence nowadays with all the free sex liberally d on the websites around the world, not the one having to be treated for one of those diseases whilst meeting up with newly found daughters’ ‘They’re supposed to be dating sites but people regard them as the easy way to get laid, a lot more secrete than hooking up in bar’ ‘That’ll have taken trade away from bars as its one of the main functions, for us its refreshment and getting off a hot boat but this bar is rather empty’ ‘The general online socialising too has emptied them, you no longer need to go to the pub and meet up with your buddies, plus booze works out two thirds cheaper at home ‘ ‘The end of the pub and bars’ ‘It will be, a great revenue loss for many countries especially as this pandemic has brought on social distancing to extreme proportions so people after all this will be just dropping in on friends where they can enjoy online films, sport, snack at will and save money while doing so’ ‘Old habits die hard, but four months of closed bars and cafes sees them brushed under the carpet and a new way of life started’ ‘It does, I’m surprised this one is open, maybe its not inside but this is alfresco country,’ ‘All waiter service too as opposed to queuing at a bar, so do you think the world over reacted, we’ve now gone to much into the mollycoddling’ ‘Bad diets and junk food does cumulate to it having to be that way, many peoples’ immune systems will be at a low ebb because of it, so little resistance to ward off virulent bugs and germs’ ‘Yeah, they will, you can’t tell people what to eat for they’ll do the opposite and if it’s not so good for them why are these establishments open for businesses in the first place selling it’ ‘We’re out of our natural habitat where we ate fresh fruit and nuts whilst

swinging around in the jungle and hunting fresh meat on the plains, seems like a long time ago but in relation to the age of the planet no time at all. ‘Totally organic too plus the fruit is ripened on the tree so full of goodness, I do like this place’ ‘It has two totally separate seas, and several borders, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela and possibly Chile’ ‘Of interest for girls to explore’ ‘I believe it’s the current destination for many backpackers, the far east and China losing its enigma as capitalism rolls through spoiling it all’ ‘It does there’s so many cars around now’ ‘There are, even on that relatively small island we were on last, lunch there’s somebody waving in the bar at us’ ‘I think that maybe something else. We need refills, so I’ll go’ Five minutes later ‘That was Magdalena, no Magdalene, the other is the river here, the young girls noticed that we were looking at an older web page on Columbian presidents in that last bar along the coast so told their great Uncle this, so they worked out that we thought they were into deception for their own gains, a perfect reasonable assumption as we hadn’t a clue who they where’ ‘Youngsters still with 20/20 vision who are actually benefitting from their cloistered upbringing away from the internet and its obsessions it creates.’ ‘Screens do play havoc’ ‘Especially laptops, my social distancing from them is a metre or they disturb with my eyes a lot, sometimes headaches ensue.’ ‘Detachable screens then’ ‘The main selling point is great graphics so I don’t think that will generally

happen, there’s a few that have them, so anything else happened’ ‘Oh she’s been busy on this website for you and she’s coming down, they knew where we were of course as a patrol boat was out keeping an eye on us’ ‘Precious goods with the amount of revenue we could create for them, good to be looked after, there’s too little of that, countries assume a natural alliance or bond with a country you originate from, this is an inspirational paradise for me surrounded by diverse countries which have extreme terrains, beauty and climate’ ‘I think she’s worked that out, so authors will be attracted in two ways, it’ll be interesting to what name she comes up with for the website, there’s plenty of rivers in South America’ ‘Mountains too Jimmy, creating a natural water flow which enabled our eighth wonder of the world, a totally natural one, the jungles of Brazil and Venezuela, vastly desecrated now by our capitalistic society needs, too much short term around at the moment’ ‘She’ll get a whole load of money into her bank from us which they can loan out for investments’ ‘Yes, money makes money, they gain on fees and interest while our cut is somewhat dismal, okay new boat or indeed boats required which is not so easy with this worldwide lockdown’ ‘How about a sumptuous apartment’ ‘Ooh changing our environment, we like our rough style of living, gets us out to the city cafes and bars, we’d be glued to a sixty inch TV in an apartment with ice cold air conditioning, never going anywhere,’ ‘We would rather than seeking out comfort in bars, so charter one for the mean time, with air conditioning though in some cabins, we won’t be cooking onboard so the galley and coolers are of no relevance, just an ice maker required for beers while onboard’ ‘Panama?’

‘Later for the Pacific, Jack, and here’s some enormous bloody Mary’s arriving now to cool us off more’ ‘They look to be in litre glasses’ ‘These have certainly set the path for the rest of the day, if Magdalene is coming down could you ask her to bring a portable air conditioner to plug in for onboard, as super perspective clients she would I think and they’re bound to have them for the offices at the bank’ ‘Before the “Manana stage” sets in for the rest of the day, good idea, I’ve got her number and it’ll be of the correct voltage and cycles to hook into the marina supply.’ ‘It will, see you in a minute, some tapas.’ ‘Simple fare, not those enormous langoustines’ ‘Yep, though I’m not sure this marina is aware of simple fare, it’s on the higher end of posh.’ ‘On the one to ten on posh I’d give a six, unless some twenty year old Brooklyn Dekker types come strolling off these super yachts moored up, then it’s the synonymous “Ten” of course’ ‘It is indeed.’

Five minutes later ‘It’s sorted, Rosetta is coming along with Magdalene as she will be running the office side, front of house for website, introducing it online to South America for she’s speaks fluent Portuguese too.’ ‘A positive bunch, well they know we can’t get anywhere with the virus so are monopolising our current success and it’s also to keep it rolling on on the social media forums by hyping it up, we may even be popular in Argentina.’

‘It’s a big continent’ ‘Anymore than the Brazilian Grand Prix’ ‘No, though I’ve driven on the Argentinian track, this a serious continent for football, the memorable hand of god, if it went in the net off him it was a goal’ ‘He just wasn’t tall enough, otherwise he would have got it with his head, a technicality for the player so the goal was allowed as he was shorter than average’ ‘Still not a goal, ‘One for a God though.’ ‘Ordained’ ‘I think maybe we were too by ending up here.’ ‘You’re referring to the lack of wind to propel us to Panama’ ‘I am, once through the canal the other half of the world is there to be explored and revel in as we come across more beautiful islands, beaches and panoramas’ ‘Yep, leaving all this wonderment behind us’ ‘Be good to see all those fantastic beaches and low lying islands in person before rising sea water levels devour them though.’ ‘A sleek sailing yacht is required to get speedily around as discussed, the Galapagos are still a worthy place to check out’ ‘ I read somewhere its now limited visitations because of erosion caused by humans’s affecting the eco system and habitats of the indigenous species’ ‘Ah, we mange to mess up everywhere, I wander what this place was like two hundred years ago,’ ‘Pirates, debauchery, slave trade, guns, looting, easy girls and smells from

horse shit’ ‘Little virtue around and in the heat the smell of dung offensive, more donkeys I would think here or camels, too hot for horses’ ‘Religion rising in prominence to set moral codes.’ ‘I suppose once engrained into us we take them for granted’ ‘Rising one’s awareness, not so much religion now, especially in Vegas, a loss of faith in the genuine ways to approach life in the twenty first century’ ‘Creating hope and expectancy by gambling, life is not a slot machine, slip a hundred dollars in and your world is resolved, if its not slip another 100 dollars and so on, common virtue is a far better approach to getting over the obstacles that life presents’ ‘Life does doesn’t it, our whole existence is a challenge which some succeed in and those that don’t are exploited’ ‘I think on our new path which has reared itself up makes us familiar with both sides of the coin’ ‘Or will be soon, ah food is coming, I specified a vegetarian mezze,’ ‘Ah, not on their traditional menu presented to us here, good for the cholesterol’ ‘Correct, only the glam food for the punters, we should have enough cholesterol buzzing around us for a few days after last night indulgence, so can you look up fast yachts for sale Columbia as the two girls are coming down tonight and our ignorance of Spanish will cost us dearly if we try and negotiate any purchase, assuming there’s something worthwhile for sale.’ ‘I will, take around twenty seconds and yes, we’re looking at it, on the left of those three large motor yachts, well its mast is from here, I noticed it walking down here ’ ‘Okay, many cabins’

‘Three guest two crew all doubles, the crew ones are two single bunks’ ‘Generator?’ ‘Two and a sauna’ ‘A real swish act then’ ‘I has a seventeen foot draught with the centreboard down, so it should be a dream into the wind’ ‘Blow those early morning cobwebs away cracking into the trade winds, shall we browse after this plate of food.’ ‘Only bad thing is that it looks so comfortable would we ever get off it.’ ‘There is that point, miss out on socialising, we’ve already missed out on a ton of that recently, we could always try it and if we found ourselves becoming hermits and your writing dry up, shelve it and go back to roughing it, but keep it for the girls when they come as they’ll most likely be refined after finishing school in Switzerland, they’ll be into skiing as well after Switzerland, is there any snow around here as we’re on the equator.’ ‘There’s some serious kick ass mountains around so down in the south there will be, its strange saying that as we go up for snow in the northern hemisphere’ Ten minutes later along the quay ‘That’s certainly a beast Jack, we’re being clocked by the crew on the super yachts.’ ‘They’re most likely in lockdown, nobody seems to be bothered walking around’ ‘Well, we’re not infectious and we’ve been isolation now for over two months as our taxi-man did all our shopping’ ‘Kept him in business, he may as well had for he he’d to wait for us anyway to bring us back to the marina’

‘It’s Spanish here, so no opportunity like that presents itself’ ‘You could do a list and use Google translator to transpose into Spanish’ ‘Good thinking, but the food at the bar is far more than adequate.’ ‘We’d got rather wayward with our cooking until this pandemic arrived, this boat looks to have an hydraulic erelle as its moored well out from the shore’ ‘It’ll shoot out of hull with a remote control’ ‘Maybe clapping hands like people do for lights and curtains in their homes, though I’ve never encountered any, three claps and see if anything happens.’ ‘Nope, but that brought some girls out who are expensively dressed on the foredeck of the nearby super-yacht’ ‘That’ll have a pool at the front, there’s no dipping in this marina as I’m seeing so big fish’ ‘Yep, if one drops a phone in its staying in’ ‘A wave from them, I’ll wave back, this is an excellent looking boat to check out further so lets stroll back to the bar, they may follow us from the superyacht’ ‘Here’s hoping they speak English, we’re rather limited for shooting breeze with the locals’ ‘Yep, we are indeed’ Back at the bar ‘I’ll have another gander of it on your laptop, Jack’ ‘Of course’ ‘I must get one’

‘Good idea, I’ve got my writing, socialising is rather limited for you here’ ‘We’ll see, here come the girls off that yacht and some others from the ading yachts’ ‘I’m so glad we showered now.’ ‘There’s a possibility of them sitting with us I think’ The girls come along and sit down next to them ‘So senior Jimmy Dunstain, you are a villain and a hero, every boy in Columbia wants to be you’ ‘I got this before when I first arrived, you’re? ‘Alicia, this is Clara, Bella, Violetta and Rosa, ‘ ‘Good sounding names in your language. I’m Jack, so you like the villain angle’ ‘Oh yes, so exciting, Jimmy is a legend on his own being both a winner and a thief, exciting for girls who are of a strict upbringing, many of us are being Catholic, saving ourselves for our intended, our ions exclusively for that one special person’ ‘Life of solitude if you chose God’ ‘One of great reward but little pleasure, a monogamous relationship with a spirit or soul even, alien to a woman’s feeling at our age, but you’re special Jimmy as you excite us, cleverly written memoirs Jack, translates so well into Spanish considering you don’t speak Spanish’ ‘It’s a formulae I have and Spanish is widely spoken when considering text and grammar used in a story, so much can be lost in translation’ ‘Yes we know English fortunately so can enjoy many authors with ease and the manner they’re written in, our own stories are a little lame for you Jack and we don’t have an imagination similar to our great Gabriel Marquex.’

‘There’s a new website being set up for books here to encourage writers to reside here’ ‘Oh we know Jack, and we all have our rather girlish memoirs to hand of course, in need of an experienced writer to polish them up, inspired by your Jane Austin of course, if we can’t be physically inspired we can in our heads be romantically so, express our wishes and desires.’ ‘I’m first girls, my second volume is happening, you’re going to be kept busy with these five Jack, You all went to University as such’ ‘Oh yes, but you two are real people with expertises who aren’t at University, Jack with around Sixty books and you conquered Vegas and the world Jimmy in motor sport’ ‘Vegas robbed me in fact’ ‘But you stole it back and no doubt a lot more’ ‘Could be, I never had it valued, that’s rather difficult with hot goods’ ‘This is a good country for hot goods if you still have it.’ ‘I intend giving it back, it’s a shame I can’t claim the reward money which there is no doubt as I stole it in the first place.’ ‘I think that’s a good angle for a story, pay somebody to rob you, then a third party recovers the goods for you and then you go fifty fifty on the reward.’ ‘Perilous, those folk have no scruples or loyalty so kill with ease, genuine villains who make fencing the stolen goods perilous.’ ‘It’s a story though, Jack, good for a film’ ‘Ooh you could have us kidnapped, Jack ‘Yes, I expect you are worth kidnapping too, coming off those yachts, okay,

drinks?’ ‘Please, but we have bars on the yachts which would be free, it’s expected you buy the drinks when out and about, girls don’t hang out in bars alone or without an escort.’ ‘Girls like you I think, I suppose you could be construed as loose women in this country, cocktails then Alicia.’ ‘Please Jimmy, we’ve marked them on the list, you found some loose women last night we observed,’ ‘Ah, those, they picked us up I believe’ ‘After five days with no beers or drinks, no ice onboard, we were more than fluid last night, so instant sleep when onboard, the only action that was had was by the mosquitos, but we’ve repellent and we were pretty repelling too without assistance for any species or insects on the planet after five days at sea with no showers.’ ‘Clever words, we’ll look forward in expectation of doing something with you, ah we’ve saunas onboard’ ‘’We’ve suddenly come across that in a boat that’s for sale along the quay, too much chill with the air-conditioning so you need to have sweat out, we sweat pints an hour onboard my boat’ ‘Men do, it’s a manly thing, not so for women, so we need saunas to get all our juices out before hand.’ ‘Really, cocktails. Señor, por favor as you’ve come along, save me getting up, Jack?’ ‘A Mojito this time please’ ‘The girls, Señor, too. These five will definitely keep you busy Jack’ ‘I’m busy enough without having aspiring writers to contend with .’ ‘Oh my great grandfather would like you to write his memoirs for him.’

‘I expect that’s reasonably colourful, Alicia’ ‘He’s offering 2 million US as you now have amazing street cred, so it’ll get read rather than buried with the million or so other autobiographies and biographies that exist and added to by the day with online, he’s a fan of yours Jimmy, I read your memoirs to him translating into Spanish as I went along.’ ‘You’ve a role to play then in life’ ‘Oh yes, the old ones in the families much prefer to be looked after by their own rather than a nurse or a carer.’ ‘They would, I expect the large yachts are something to do with this’ ‘Oh yes, an easy enticement for us and good for the men to get away from our bossy grand mothers, we’re new school as such, away from the traditional values of marriage, a home and children, another step forward in the liberation of women from our previous sanctitude, we can live more freely than having to abide to the wishes of another person’ ‘Love?’ ‘If you’re lucky, but once in love its lasts forever, religion teaches us that so you don’t have to physically be with that person, which is probably good as you won’t fall out.’ ‘That’s a good concept, so I’ve yet to fall in love, loads of one night or possibly even week stands in my halcyon days, resulting in daughters apparently, nineteen yers old so a little younger than you’ ‘We have sisters that age, ah here come the oldies down the gangplanks on mass, five grand fathers and three great grandfathers’ ‘Do they own Columbia, it’s look as though they might.’ ‘Some of it, Jimmy, also some of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, they like this marina and bar,’ ‘I expect that’s a mutual liking Alicia as the waiters are busying themselves

polishing brandy glasses.’ ‘They adore fine Cognac and Port, and the cooks here prepare suitable meals for persons of their age.’ ‘Ah, hence the vegetarian mezze we had earlier, this is looking to be an entertaining afternoon’ ‘Amongst them there’s a couple of centuries of stories, Jimmy. I’ll switch this laptop onto voice text’ ‘Rosa can you get some Spanish laptops to record them for Jack, none of them speak English as such, maybe the first 500 words that many get by on, we can translate it later for Jack.’ ‘We will, they expect us to greet them on the quay anyway Alicia, as they’ve not seen us today’ ‘I’ll stay, Rosa and get the tables organised as more of our families will arrive later’ ‘Ah, Catholic families’ ‘We tend to have big ones, Jimmy, you’ll get to see our grandma’s and great mamma’s, they won’t live on the boats, they adore their gardens, ponds and patios’ ‘A sensible arrangement as no doubt they know each other well enough by now, too much is not good’ ‘It’s not Jack, they become irritable with each other after an hour or so together.’ Evening time Rosetta and Magdalene come along the quay to bar from Barranquilla ‘Quite a crowd’, Jimmy’ ‘They’re mostly related as well Magdalene’

‘So I can see, four generations, you need an algorithm to work out this lot out, then there’s the illegitimate children, mind boggling, ah my bank owners are here, this indeed is an affluent bunch’ ‘They’ve those super yachts just along the quay’ ‘Uh huh, I see Jack’s occupied.’ ‘Memoirs, Alicia’s great grandfather offered 2 million for his to be written’ ‘Of course, instant world wide appeal written in English style, Alicia no doubt will translate them back.’ ‘You know her? ‘Only by name, she’s heiress to the bank’ ‘All of it?’ ‘Eldest grand child of the CEO stroke president, her great grandfather is retired’ ‘Ah, all girls down the line.’ ‘Her father got busted for various things. It’s Columbia where it’s cool to be a criminal which means he can’t own or run a bank, the authorities insisted it was left to a female heir.’ ‘Oh, the sons like dad, following in his footsteps.’ ‘Indeed, there’s only one and he’s as mad as hatter, loves life on the edge.’ ‘I’m familiar with that, I’m an instant hero with this lot after my past Vegas stints, rather stunts to me, that’s what I was going to continue with after my race days, a stunt driver’ ‘I expect so, which one’s Alicia’ ‘She’s over on that table with Jack translating, Magdalene, maybe Rosetta should go over as they’re looking over as she’s sporting glamour to the full’

‘I’ll go over, good to mingle with a new family, my grandfather thought they’d come down as their yachts are in this marina, hence the dress and grandma’s jewels, pissed my mother off cause she’s never been loaned them.’ ‘Oh some live on the boats, your mother will have married in to the family and so not a descendant for treasured possessions to be released from lock and key’ ‘Yep, she realises that, I’ll go over to the table.’ She leaves ‘That’s the way it works with marriage, sons are forever and daughters are given away at the alter, kinda of a one sided affair’ ‘Ah the institution or marriage, Magdalene, lineage too. I never thought much about it but mothers can be hard on their son’s girl friends.’ ‘They’re possible coming into the family as new daughters and fanciable to their husbands too, so a double threat and they’re first in the pecking order for the grandchildren if of course they happen, with their daughter’s ones they would be second in the pecking list, especially with grandsons.’ ‘So that’s they way it works.’ ‘More or less, unless of course there’s divorce but over here affairs or mistresses are tolerated with the men.’ ‘The French are similar, it’s one sided’ ‘As yet I don’t mix in those circles, whether my father had one I don’t know, but I’ll assume so as my mother was a tough cookie, I would think sex was once a year, if at all, what starts off as in a dream like fashion of roses, chocolates, presents and flowers often deteriorates’ ‘Dreams always come to an end,’ ‘The novelty of a new home wears off too, hence additions and alterations through the lifetime of one as in new furnishings, kitchens and other

unnecessary items’ ‘To keep the pot simmering, often on the never never’ ‘Good for the bank, new bathrooms, patios and kitchens are at the top list for loans’ ‘Of course marriage plays an important to its existence, Rosetta seems to have been welcomed by Alicia’ ‘The looks she has gives her a definite advantage with strangers not forgetting her impressing apparel tonight, somebody to be reckoned with. Ah a waiter, Cuba Libre por favor, Jimmy?’ ‘Just a chilled sparkling water, we’ve been here since one O’clock. So you’ve sorted out the website’ ‘Getting there, I have Jack’s new bank number for his online earnings to be sent too,’ ‘Good, we want to buy that yacht along the quay, the one with the tall mast, the old one is getting past it.’ ‘You really can’t rejuvenate them either whilst being on board, how old?’ ‘It’s referred to as a refit, it’s forty years old, for us any refits would need a shade of a roof, a boat out of the water in these latitudes would be an oven more or less.’ ‘You get me the vendors number of the boat and I’ll negotiate for you, too much rough living ages one faster, especially in the heat here, you had the trade winds cooling you on that island where you were, that’s missing here.’ ‘It’s not comfortable, well it wasn’t before, now it’s more so. We were hoping you you would’ ‘Oh yes, and encourage the vendor to buy a more expensive new one which no doubt he’ll need a loan for,’ ‘That’s the name of the game’

‘Oh yes, get in on the deal and I’ll be the one insuring the vessel for you too, so more commission for me.’ ‘Good, we’d be ripped off otherwise’ ‘Indeed, a third party required and you’ve seen enough of it online and viewed it from the quay so just a mechanic onboard to check out the generator and engine run smoothly, so nobody needs to know who you are’ ‘Excellent, I shall term it or you In fact as a professional negotiator. Here’s our drinks and Alicia too is coming over.’ ‘She doesn’t know me, so don’t refer to the bank otherwise I’ll end up doing the rounds of her family and leaving here at 2am. Ah yes, Rosetta wants to stay and go through the website with Jack, so you’re good with that.’ ‘I am and I expect as she’s got pally with these girls so she’ll find luxury accommodation one of their super yachts moored up here, especially as they’re into writing and being published or at least getting online, all now assisted by Jack.’ ‘Writing what ?’ ‘It started with their memoirs, but Jack is going to get them away from their university literary background.’ ‘Books inspired by Jane Austin, Dickens and Woolf are tedious, then there’s a dearth of American writers but the English authoresses leave a lasting impression with girls’ ‘I expect they do, I did Dickens and Shakespeare at school, they were enough.’ ‘Hi, why don’t you come over Magdalene, Jimmy too before he’s hi-jacked by another of the family enticing him to go to another Sunday lunch.’ ‘Yes, many invitations; doing the rounds of your family would take till Xmas, Alicia, we’ll just hop into the first car that comes along for us on Sunday, no doubt a quarter if these will be present.’

‘Something like that, we’ve finished talking books, we’ve worn Jack out but we could go on forever’ ‘I will, delighted’ ‘Not me, I’m just dropping off so I’ll go to the boat, Jack too most likely, here’s your Grandad Alicia making a beeline to us, grinning’ ‘Ah, yep he’s spotted me, I work for you Alicia at the head office of your bank at Barranquilla and I’m one of his favourites and he’d like to think I was one of his’ ‘He’s getting delusional nowadays at sixty-nine, next year is my time for me to fill his place unfortunately but now its looking to be a lot better with Rosetta moving into some of our spare office space running this new book website, virtually the whole top floor has been freed with technology taking over at the bank, no need for hundreds of clerks keeping ledgers and sorting out thousands of s and issuing statements’ ‘No, there’s not. I’ve just got Jack sorted with an with us, with Jimmy I can’t at present as he’s a ed felon and we can no longer criminals as we’ve branches in the major European cities.’ ‘No, especially with him being high profile, the European commission would look upon us dimly, still that should all be sorted this year as I believe the FBI is coming over to get DNA and fingerprints off the loot, having it all should represent there was no intention of him taking it in the first place, he was temporary waylaid in a different world which Vegas is of course,’ ‘I’m sure outer space visitors would find it very entertaining.’ ‘Oh, with their advanced technology they’d clean out the Casinos easily I would think Jimmy, hi grandpa, behave please, Magdalene is looking the business in her evening attire.’ ‘I can see, she’s a beauty, as you are my dear, good of you to set up this new website, great idea and should attract a lot of business and young faces to the bank with Cristo’s girls running it, his wife was Miss Columbia twice and his granddaughter over there has her grandma’s looks, she’s really stunning tonight, adorned in Jewellery that’s not seen the light of day for a

while.’ ‘It’ll keep me entertained as well Grandpa’ ‘It will Alicia, you’ll soon get used to us fuddy-duddies, and we’ll get used to you of course, can I you. I’ve already met Jack and I’ve booked myself in for my memoirs if he can manage the time to do them, good to around the family a Xmas if nothing else and for the bank’s clients, people like being associated with history and becoming part of it too.’ ‘You’re astute sir, still akin with PR’ ‘Eduardo, Jimmy, oh yes you need to sell yourself in the banking game, be somebody as you are though we’ll never become legends doing banking.’ ‘You’re envious, Grandpa.’ ‘Totally, Alicia and these guys are a great catch for our bank, our street cred will go up a lot I think, attract more of your generation’s attention that we are the place to bank.’ Chapter Thirteen Next Day, Midday

‘Our body clock is back after the lockdown’ ‘It is Jimmy, one minute after the yard arm es the hour and the bar is beckoning’ ‘Whose on board?’ ‘More than just us for sure, Jack, it was past 4 am as I and most of the crowd in the bar hit the super-yachts to crash on, helped on by the waiters so when they wake up no doubt they’ll be another session,’ ‘Getting over lockdown in style, afternoon siestas out of the fierce heat of the day temporarily cancelled’ ‘Siestas are good’ ‘With you, yes. You just naturally drop off in the bar, 2.30 till 4.00 pm, even

the barmen have bets on it, your body clock is well in tune.’ ‘Shower?’ ‘Oh yes, let’s see whose up front, uh huh, naked on top off the sheets is Rosetta, okay whose in the back cabins Jack’ ‘Naked again’ ‘Well it’s hot onboard’ ‘Alicia and Magdalene, wrapped around each other, an encounter fuelled by alcohol.’ ‘Well it lowers most people’s inhibitions and if they are strong catholics saving themselves for a man so frustrating their ions and on occasions they’ll erupt.’ ‘Could be, abortion is out too if they get caught out, just see whose in the other back cabin, the same again, two naked girls ‘ ‘Well lets leave them to it, they’ll arise late afternoon I would think, shower then bar then, there’s no need for towels to dry off in this heat, a couple of minutes and you’re bone dry,’ Back at the Bar ‘A return to tranquility for a while’ ‘Most will return to their homes when they wake up I reckon Jack after last night’ ‘From what I gathered for the various memoirs as I was asked to do, most would end up doing some prison time as prison was not mentioned by any’ ‘Doing penance for their sins.’ ‘So much has come out of religion’ ‘Law and order, most so called thieves will have stolen just to stave off their hunger then as wealth manifested itself some sort to relieve the well off of

some of their booty so they could live in a similar lifestyle‘ ‘At the end of the day it’s all about being equal.’ ‘This black guy in America that died with excessive use of force’ ‘Bored cops seeing little action during the lockdown, the cops shoot dead all types of folk in the various counties in the US where most people have a shooter I believe, this guy had his larynx damaged resulting in him choking to death I assume.’ ‘So?’ ‘Counterfeit money was being ed on, the guy had been a previous criminal, vigilante type police exist so take justice into their own hands and go too far, promoted a lot in films, this guy came across some and died because of excess force exerted on him.’ ‘It was filmed’ ‘Yes it was, and the shit certainly hit the fan about all the injustices of the past exploitation of the Africans races as a downtrodden race, from the days of slavery. It’s happened, and is supposed past and forgotten, then four bored cops are filmed brutally arresting a black man, who died, not good.’ ‘So the media exploits it from every angle,’ ‘Of course, there’s no news, the world is lockdown, and a couple fo hundred years of racial injustices rose up. The main point in this day and age is there massive racial divides in mixed communities where people of all denominations, races and colour all live together; not everywhere but in this particular place there was, so the whole of America, which is a big place, got included,’ ‘In recent history Africans are generally a down trodden race.’ ‘So the focus is on them, and the slave trade from Africa was to me as horrific as the nazi gassings of the jews, in fact gassing was more humane than what those poor fellows had to endure.’

‘The mental scars must have been horrendous on those that made the crossings to the various countries’ ‘The scars were that immense that they are still being carried today, ah bloody Mary’s, regulars after two days, well two nights and one day,’ ‘Not forgetting the scars between the English and the Irish, a conflict that is still apparent to this day, though not as severe as it was in the 1970’s and 1980’s, there are deep rooted injustices all around the world.’ ‘There are Jimmy so as I said you are a prime crumpet for the various justices departments for some white bashing at present, no electric chair or no collapsed larynx induced by hanging.’ ‘So the police guy new what he up to.’ ‘More than likely, a knee replacing a noose, definitely more than sadistic, a street execution filmed live, ooh who’d want to be president of the USA.’ ‘Not me.’ ‘Nor me, and we can’t as we’re British, ah these cooling drinks are so good. Yep, as I said, keep away from England and America for the moment, not forgetting any territories d to them.’ ‘Shall we go to town later and check out some different bars?’ ‘Could do Jimmy,, the difficulty to embrace the locals and town is our lack of Spanish, we’d best wait for either Alicia or Rosetta for our first foray, plus they’ll know the best places.’ ‘So you’ve thought anymore about breaking away from the UK’ ‘My own “Jaxit”, I’d be ing you as a permanent refugee, Jimmy, for the sake of money, rather lame for the sake of money’ ‘It’s a lot though’ ‘It means surrendering the 30 per cent of royalties to the US as opposed to not residing in California for instance, after this lockdown the UK are

assumed to be in a mess, there cut would be a little more than 45 up to 48 per cent, though the upper tax above150 k will no doubt rise to sixty five per cent to raise money for losses caused by the lockdown’’ ‘We’d be unpopular with both residing and operating from here, ’ ‘The tax is more than a mere drop in the ocean, possibly 600 million Stateside and 900 million UK side, that’s on current rates’ ‘Yep that’s a lot, as we discussed my scalp is a worthy trophy to both countries but do we need all this loot’ ‘We’ve managed reasonably in life up to now.’ ‘Lack of wealth does mean we have almost zero responsibilities, Jack.’ ‘Also a private life as few wish to know you, success tends to breeds false friends and others that envy which tends to result into them secretly hating you.’ ‘Changes the ball game completely and we’re not a football club after being the top dog and the most expensive team to brag about.’ ‘Yep, no goals needed for us, premier status has ed us by with ease, certainly me. I changed my levels over twenty years ago after online selling brought my mid life existence to an abrupt halt, so any mid life crisis that could have happened did not on of a massive upheaval with my habitat and lifestyle changing dramatically.’ ‘You said if you can manage to get by working was pointless.’ ‘Oh yes, it is, for me the tax guys back then bled me dry afterwards and caused so much stress, likewise with you, a miserable bunch who cause so much hardships, you don’t get any discount on your tax for working hard and putting in twelve hour days, its all just total stupidity.’ ‘I was lucky lying low down in the Caribbean after my Vegas escapades and I’ve never done a twelve hour day’ ‘It’s twenty hours a day in the Christmas month, yep total madness, so yep

I was working for the government as a tax collector in fact, they gained a hell of a lot more than I did’ ‘European governments are certainly keen on getting their indirect tax revenues back in action after the lockdown’ ‘The main problem there is that many have realised how many non essential items they were buying and non essential journeys they were undertaking’ ‘Yep, our essential journey was our daily walk to the bar, very eco friendly, the boats has sails and we don’’t need a super yacht with twin engined 36 litre turbo charged diesels.’ ‘Don’t forget the generators for the air conditioning’ ‘Yep, wealth leads to the destruction on the environment, so a refill then we’ll sort the world out’ ‘The first one always slips down easily, sort our world first.’ ‘Update the sailboat with a seventy two footer, put enough side for running and upkeep of it, then do the fashionable thing’ ‘Ah, the fashionable thing, what’s that with you Jimmy’ ‘Oh, set up trusts for those that deserve or in need of money, sponsor talent and not gamble it all way in Vegas.’ ‘You’ve already done the latter one, how about Foundations?’ ‘Ooh, that’s getting posh, why not though, they could indeed be better and here’s the waiter, two more please.’ Chapter 14: Cartagena City; evening time walking in a square.

‘You girls missed a day, Magdalene.’ ‘Re-charge, Jimmy, you guys do bars we sleep, a different fuel, you’re more akin to alcohol.’

‘Yep we need a higher octane as we get older to run our bodies, so where’s the hottest place to hit, you’re all dressed to party.’ ‘No food as such, we had enough yesterday, just some tapas this evening, too early in life to start resembling our mothers.’ ‘I think that’s more boredom being stuck at home and occupying oneself in the kitchen, my mother was the same, not forgetting the vino,’ ‘Good, not just us catholic’s imposing our traditional ways.’ ‘No. It’s fairly universal Magdalene but you’re not knowing much else.’ ‘We’re steeped in traditional vales, none of us have left South America.’ ‘A a diverse continent this size could satisfy me easily.’ ‘I had brief glimpses of it in Brazil and Argentina on the racing circuit, Jack’s never been’ ‘So first impressions Jack, as a writer you observe.’ ‘Ten novels could flow out in a year and that’s just here, some travelling around this continent experiencing the various cultures and I’d be in overdrive, so the best most affluent bar or club in the city so you girls don’t stand out.’ ‘They’re all princesses tonight jewelled up, anybody would think they’ve got on the jewel heist from Vegas I’ve got.’ ‘I thought it was buried safely away.’ ‘That’s what I meant, Jack’ ‘You’ve gone embarrassed Jimmy.’ ‘You have caught me off guard with your radiance Rosetta, it’’s been twenty years since I was surrounded by a a bevy of beauties.’ ‘Good, we’ve brought back your fond memories, I’m looking forward to meeting your daughters who are my age, so you can get some advance

practice in by chaperoning us.’ ‘I certainly need the practice Rosetta, or rather experience what’s expected of me. They’re catholic too.’ ‘You will have others who are not, perhaps some really rebellious tearaways in your last circumnavigation of the globe with the most glamorous sport known to man.’ ‘I will, Jack, Australia comes to my mind, now that’s a place for tall girls.’ ‘Great, lot of parties to celebrate their unveiling of them to you, keep us girls more than busy planning the parties out, especially as big bands are easily affordable for you.‘ ‘They are Rosetta, let life flow.’ ‘Let’s go to the cafe over there, It’s my favourite and next door to a fabulous club.’ ‘Good, local knowledge is so valuable Alicia, we’re not exactly dressed for clubbing, especially for ones that are fantastic’ ‘I’ll phone some tailors and they can measure you up in the cafe and they’ll have you suited in a jiffy, well ninety minutes, they’ll text your measurements to their workshop and they’ll be delivered to the cafe with shoes and shirts.’ ‘Really, that’s faster than online Alicia.’ ‘Of course, enterprising individuals will always be well in advance of the guys online, just takes a little more effort Jimmy.’ ‘Unfortunately you can do that with a book, though I wrote a story come series where one could dial up for script and you’d get one in a couple days and that really does happen in real life too.’ ‘LA?’ ‘Yep, that area Jimmy, I’m not sure how well suited they are for a

production as so many changes happen’ ‘Re-writes?’ ‘Rather like life Jimmy, you can deliberately alter a plan and see what difference it makes then ponder upon what would have happened had you stuck to the original one, slot in different in characters or indeed go out of you way to meet up with new people for variety in your lifestyle, yep rewrite your own book as in life.’ ‘These five girls are now intrigued.’ ‘Ah, I forget they’re literature aficionados, I promise not to re-write Jane Austin, but use the same theme for a twenty first century version to amuse them Magdalene.’ ‘It’s that easy’ ‘Could be, I’ve never read it’ ‘How’s Jimmy’s memoirs?’ ‘They’re happening, Magdalene, it’s a little more creative here of course, maybe we should do a re-run of robbing a bank and see what second time around is like, hatch an inside job with the tax and loans manager, you of course, combine the bank’s heiress here into the action with Jimmy as the instigator and driver,’ ‘Why would I rob my own bank?’ ‘Insurance scam or fraud and technically it’s not your money so you in fact would be stealing, all good for the adrenaline.’ ‘Good for you as a bestseller, not forgetting a possible film, Jack?’ ‘Second time around for another boost in life for you Jimmy .’ ‘Could you get away with that?’ ‘A moot point Magdalene, set up the whole thing to see how it turned out to

be second time around for Jimmy, stage the whole thing up to the point of being banged up, there’s the point of wasting police and court time.’ ‘Great story’ ‘It is Alicia, the story is most likely a lot more profitable than the bank robbery judging by the majority of the current reads online, and it’s better to be famous than not famous at all.’ ‘That’s said about love.’ ‘It is Alicia, I think you’ll have a number of loves and break a few hearts too judging by the stares as we’re coming into the cafe’ ‘I’m still me in my head’ ‘Yes, but visually its you getting into everybody else’s, what’s inside could be chaotic and insanely jumbled, but your teenage years have almost ed and indeed as looks change so does your mind, expressive eyes appeal to me’ ‘Reflect your image and thoughts to all, you’ve appealing eyes Jack.’ ‘I believe so Alicia, some people’s eyes connect more to life than others, ah waiters, please, uh huh, some Spanish, girls, you need to take over here, the waiter is enthusing a lot which is to be expected.’ ‘More gesticulating in our direction Jack, he sussed we’re American types’ ‘Yeah, being English types has kinda of died out’ ‘ didn’t win the wars, but with number one added to number two it sure finished off the British Empire’ ‘Most other empires too, imperialism met its death, okay we’re sorted now Alicia as we’re now being ushered to tables’ ‘Your dress codes are a little lapse, which you knew, so I explained.’ ‘Uh huh, yes the waiters are rather immaculate, expectant of a large tip, Alicia?’

‘Correct, I have adequate pesos for this Jack, the waiters in the bar in the marina commented on you not tipping’ ‘Ah, yes, we’re in need of a cash point, the waiters are very good here’ ‘It’s a good money earner for them, Jack, the tips are roughly as much as they get paid.’ ‘I expect that’s not a lot, good Alicia, it is very plush here with an encyclopaedic looking drinks list on the table’ ‘It has pictures in to tempt clients, you also know what you’re getting, which is good for there’s at least five hundred cocktails devised by the barman here, they enter the barman’s world championship every year’ ‘Really there’s one of those, I expect the winnings are nowhere as good as a racing drivers one, the rewards in sponsorships are awesome in that game, what do you reckon Jack.’ ‘Well if we had two a day we could manage to sample them all I think in a year, I’ll go for beer, too easy to get hooked on these delicious looking drinks I would think’ ‘A long cool drink like beer is the best idea, we’re good to order ladies’ ‘Us too, it’s our favourite bar, Rosetta?’ ‘I’ll go with the flow, whatever you guys recommend, my sophistication is only represented in my dress style and jewels as I’m only nineteen’ “The end of part two”

©Paul Stansby, Falmouth , Uk Aug 2020

Cruise Control Over Part three. Chilling in Columbia

Chapters 15-19

Chapter Fifteen Next Day

‘There’s good beaches along here, Jack’ ‘Drinks for virtually nothing compared to the city bars, bikini paradise for the girls.’ ‘I wander how long before we get hassled by the locals while we’re having a beer.’ ‘It is kinda of off the beaten track for tourists, more like we were, insular resorts catering for everybody whims and needs.’ ‘Keep you onsite so all your cash goes in their pockets.’ ‘That’s the idea, falsified bliss fortified by alcohol to make the days go by, please, yes, dos cerveza, yep he got that, out come the Corona bottles with a slice of lime in their necks, you want to sit down.’ ‘No, some bar hogging, view the arrangement of rums of which there are many, so you thought any more on the proposed heist.’ ‘Me Jimmy. No, I think perhaps some advertising for the bank as it would bring to people’s attention on national news. ‘Staging a robbery to promote yourself, put you back on the map, free national publicity, no that could have been the gig back in Vegas twenty years ago.’ ‘Uh huh, you were so drugged up that you didn’t realise it was not for real.’ ‘Too fictional perhaps.’ ‘The whole thing is fictional up to the present day, Jimmy, if ones takes fictional as not being the norm to which we are far removed from, it’s like how I grew up, everybody would take with a pinch of salt and regard you as fantasying if you told them.’ ‘far removed from the norm, we’re not your everyday Joe’s.’

‘So not such a good idea.’ ‘Depends how it was portrayed, certainly not for the money which again is the norm, an escapade appealing to the whims of some bored persons, for me substance for a story; experience the actual experience rather than relating it in a fantasy conjured up by the mind.’ ‘That would be acceptable for you and I could be your accomplice, you’d have been useful in Vegas.’ ‘I think twenty year ago in a place full of bimbos a total disaster, possible still in the can for some misdemeanour, doing reckless things under the influence of alcohol and substances is rarely taken into , they could view you as as serial adrenaline seeker, seeking the boost from wrongdoings to up your life, arguing that one out in court could be interesting, I must it during those months of lockdown the thoughts did across my mind, a humdrum existence was even preferable to days of nothing, packing boxes in a warehouse giving you some purpose as opposed vegetating in front of some inane series with canned laughter prompting you to the fact that there was a joke to tickle you’ ‘We need some relevance to survive.’ ‘Or something to occupy the mind from wandering to our relevance on this planet and in society, the reason for living became rather fickle on those lockdown days. I can write a lot but ostensibly its all irrelevant as its fiction produced from the imagination.’ ‘So its better having a vegetable patch than churning out stories’ ‘A darn site more relevant but people need those inane series I contribute too to fill their minds with which currently pay for the beers and the moorings.’ ‘So, a heist, bank job or something along those lines.’ ‘Another beer, it’s good to have a project to entertain and plan out, I can see why people shop lift.’ ‘Not regard as so grave but still a thrill as it’s stealing.’

‘Yep. It’s at the bottom of the rung that misdemeanour Jimmy, most need to go up a few rungs so there’s something to brag about to their mates, thank you barmen, necessity is out as there’s social welfare in most civilised countries for the needy especially where children are involved.’ ‘Rather challenges the law system.’ ‘Some just want to bad boys, cool to be bad, the tough guy’s at school, the guy with the best deals on the drugs which gets him the coolest girls by impressing his wherewithal and wildness.’ ‘I very much doubt Chaucer or Einstein were the coolest guys at school, how about and shot of tequila in the bottle now we are half way down the second.’ ‘Why not Jimmy, we’ve our freedom with a taxi to ferry us around.’ ‘You don’t like car rentals.’ ‘I don’t like driving as it’s so crowded nowadays, Tequila please, ooh the bottle, obviously home brew, yep the barman understood that.’ ‘No worry’s about driving as well.’ ‘Yep, that’s a big deal for the police nowadays, so if the authorities were convinced that you’re a prankster as opposed to a criminal by doing it a second time around for no apparent reason bar the bravado and attention I think it should work, you haven’t by any chance got a look alike as in in a brother or cousin to weave into this.’ ‘Oh the good old mistaken identity, I have but I don’t either being at Vegas.’ ‘Well you would as its long way from the UK, so rather than just dropping in they’d need flights and some more planning like visas but there’s two you referred to.’ ‘Uh huh cousins, they’d be game for a bit of action I would think, a break from their humdrum life.’

‘Well most people have those lives and with this proposed bigger yacht on the horizon extra fellows for crew would be good, they’re married?’ ‘They weren’t, but a lot happens in twenty years.’ ‘It does, they could have been married a couple of times but the introduction of lookalikes would be in favour to your case, especially as there was no line out to identify you, just CCTV and maybe there were four you looking alike and only one real you, intuitive robbers.’ ‘It’s the way to do it, blonde wigs all in the same style, same stature and shades and a lot of girls appear the same.’ ‘They do, add a mask which are all too common at the moment make it’s almost foolproof.’ ‘Yep, an added chapter or two for the book as well, adding refreshing candour to happenings which are now some twenty years old.’ ‘I’ve still got it.’ ‘If you have or though to have then there’s avoiding the fifty odd females you nailed back them.’ ‘I forget about them’ ‘They won’t have, but not a bad way to go about having daughters idolise you.’ ‘Great Tequila.’ ‘Certainly is the fine stretch of coastline adding to the flavour, I’ll text Magdalene that the “Prank” is on.’ ‘Getting her occupied with this and the web site for authors.’ ‘There’s this yacht too, Jimmy, ooh a text for afar, well California, from Harry.’ ‘Oh right, he’s got a nice yacht back in Grenada.’

‘He’s stuck in California with the virus so his associate Guy in the UK has big new about space visitors in his back garden.’ ‘Uh huh, I heard about the ship in it, now there’s aliens?’ ‘Yep, we’re alien to the aliens as well, more space travellers’ ‘Cool, so good for you.’ ‘They’d be chance for a different angle on the story, so hence two films instead of one in the first instance but I and Harry know more about parallels, and apparently these new guys don’t know much about them and would like to.’ ‘Inquisitors as well as visitors, maybe they’d like to do some chilling down here’ ‘A Possibility, for we’ve suddenly got lots going on down here.’ ‘Alicia and Rosetta would be pissed off if you went off for a new story while in the midst of a couple down here, they are also delectable girls to hang out with.’ ‘They are, “Pranks”, an almost limitless number of possibilities which lends themselves to a series.’ ‘Something for me to having a starring role in.’ ‘Your newly expanding family too, enthral their grandmothers for sure, we do need to actually stage this one in Cartagena for real though to construct a plausible story to get you off the hook.’ ‘The age old saying, every cloud has a silver lining’ ‘I think the linings for you are gold ones’ ‘I’ll start thinking about some plausible ones.’ ‘Boosting relating to boosters to you as you're racing cars you drove no doubt had twin turbos fitted for bottom and top end performance’

‘Yes Boosts, more serious than shop lifting with greater thrills attached.’ ‘Keep away from kidnapping even though the girls would most likely be overly keen.’ ‘I expect that they’re really on top of police busts, but at least they’d found out how much they were loved’ ‘As are Jewel heists and bank robberies, top pranks and ones you’ve done and about to do again, you sure you weren’t coerced in Vegas by some disenchanted heiress or heiresses thieving off their own families knowing they were fully insured so making sure they got some loot if their parents blew it all.’ ‘I’d not thought of that, I attracted girls back then as bees are to the honey pot.’ ‘That surely would have occurred to them in this ever changing world of commerce, the dreaded online throttling the high street into submission for one, currently viruses rearing their ugly head crumbling empires small and large .’ ‘Good for us though.’ ‘Oh for the publications, yes otherwise impossible with publishing house overcome with multiple submissions so just interested in dead certs. Crystal ball gazing into a pile on manuscripts, hesitant to commit as too many bloomers would loose them their salaries.’ ‘What works.?’ ‘Not newness for you, your escapades are from the past, recent past but still past, this Tequila is from the past too and works well as a spirit to conjure some deep thoughts into the mind.’ ‘Maybe I should lend my name to brand of rum.’ ‘That’’s commerce Jimmy, sell your soul out of a bottle, Jimmy’s elixir to winning, for some reason drinks are the most successful commercial products on the planet.’

‘How about one for writers.’ ‘An exclusive bar / cafe franchise, that’s not been done and maybe its ripe to be done with the current over educated youngsters around, place for them to frequent and debate, people used to get pissed then debate, throw darts and goggle at the box with persons in short chasing a ball around.’ ‘It worked well for a long time now vastly outdated.’ ‘Yep, alcohol is persona non grata for many youngsters and especially regarded as such by parents too.’ ‘Yep, “a writers bar” would work, especially for the contents in this limo drawing up.’ ‘Beach time for babes off the yachts in the Marina, and Rosetta is still here to enthral us with her more than perfect physique.’ ‘You expected them?’ ‘They recommended this stretch of beach, no doubt coming to check us out and who else is hanging out here, the young need social interaction and thrive on it, online social media interrupted it for a while to me for this lot and in time for many more, here there’s a fine beach to bang a ball around and swim off’ ‘Not forget showing themselves off.’ ‘They certainly do that Jimmy, of course as we’re here we’re under the guise of chaperones for them not that they need it as such.’ ‘Not so sure Jack, their grandfathers would most likely think they do.’ ‘Old school, you’re right, nine out of the limo, that’s impressive and there’s the driver unloading the trunk, cool boxes full of low cal root beers and fresh food, I expect no fat fried food for this lot.’ ‘Shall we them.’ ‘You’re twenty three years younger so feel free, this old fogey is going to

punch out some lines on the laptop under this nearby parasol.’ ‘Not sentences’ ‘Yeah, some of those too, some mixing and matching today, its fully charged so will last to dusk’ ‘I’ll go and pound on the sand then’ ‘Limber with those beauties, back to your fantasy land from twenty years ago.’ ‘Indeed’ Chapter Sixteen Dusk at the beach

‘Jake’s been dreaming up new story lines while Jimmy has been on the beach, now the group from the beach has arrived at the bar ‘Exciting for the bar men with a large group of you on Cocktails.’ ‘It’s easy for them for they know what we like, there’s some more girls coming down, some of us work, mostly part time but fills up our days which sometimes can be pretty empty.’ ‘I suppose they can be Alicia, until the night falls and you can party away.’ ‘Its exactly like that, looking as we do its all fashion boutique work our friends do, all good for socialising and dres during the day.’ ‘Tour the boutiques as you do the cafes, not forgetting hairdressers and nail parlours, Alicia.’ ‘You’ve got us sussed Jimmy, we like this idea of Writer’s Cafes, they could be enormously popular, well just one would do as there aren’t any.’ ‘They tried them in bookstores but of course they got it right in California where a class partition separating the coffee from the books, my experience in the uk they were just thrown in willy nilly.’

‘I see, so you lost the protective clients who just wanted to socialise and not be caught up in the book environment, rub shoulders with people who enjoy literature as opposed be ensconced around the books swallowing people up.’ ‘You got it, an introvert and extrovert clash too, then there’s the middle of the road who are easily lost as I was in bookstall cafe.’ ‘Kinda of trendy I suppose as well and you’re not trendy, whereas in a writer cafe it’s a no man’s land for the less intellectual so attaining bourgeoise appeal with a bohemian feel as writers are generally poor.’ ‘Well analysed, Alicia, it was a ing whim I had through the thoughts of the day, obviously met with enthusiasm’ ‘Super for the website too and a great place for over educated egos which have been created by learning to put out thoughts together so create.’ ‘The overly creative Bronte sisters no doubt coerced a lot amongst themselves Alicia, how about Rosetta.’ ‘Oh a new crowd so still finding my depth, but a place I would like and frequent, a place for diverse people with intellect.’ ‘A thought occurred to me.’ ‘What’s that Jimmy, nabbing the crown jewels of England.’ ‘That could be a good caper, with everything written nowadays being on line the “writers cafe” would replace the high street bookstall.’ ‘Yes, bookstalls are somewhat irrelevant today, socialising is getting stronger and stronger judging by the masses interacting online.’ ‘A good project for all of us to get into, create a new fashion line too’ ‘Drab comes to mind for fashion, Alicia, okay fashionable drab as you’re glaring at me hopefully keeping of the era of the eighteen and early nineteen hundreds, just cakes, tea and coffee, keep off the casual eating scenario, you can pack a lot of good nourishment into a cake today.’

‘Oh no, not meals, you’d fill it up with persons you don’t want’ ‘Children especially, Alicia, who are being dragged around shops while their preference is playing in the park, so quarrelsome.’ ‘We were never into shopping until about twelve years old, just on parade with mother and grandmothers who dressed us up to show us off.’ ‘Called being proud, Alicia, their contribution to life and you’re a talking point, yep the all important talking point as is Jimmy and his past capers, so we’ve decided to rob your bank as a major prank to prove Vegas was just that for Jimmy with no criminal intent attached and no doubt pay a whopping fine which in turn will recuperated by a story hopefully with an attached film, super publicity for your bank, twisting justice for profit.’ ‘Huh?’ ‘Using the law to deliberately attain noterietay Alicia, the dividing line between heroes and villains, law is necessary though there would less crime without it, it’s a massive area of justices and injustices that people bounce around the courts and those people caught up in all this legal jargon benefit from all the procedures and istration, its a reasonable sized industry providing a lot of of employment.’ ‘So crime is needed.’ ‘They’d be a whole load of people out of work without it, Alicia, also plays an important role with the media, I would think crime would be more than half the news.’ ‘Good to know I’m relevant, more so than the vegetable patch you previously mentioned today’ ‘You are indeed, Jimmy, at present right at the heart of where it all ticks, obviously prominent in people’s minds judging by the sales of your memoirs, it takes some achieving to be relevant as a person, most miss out on such an achievement, or end up dying trying to get there.’ ‘You can be relevant to your family and partner.’

‘That’s on your own personal notional level of life related to the relationships based on your interpretation, people’s new relationships often sweep aside their old ones, harsh I know and memories are just left for you.’ ‘You’re deep, some people go all out to leave an everlasting impression and put their stamp on society and the goodness they’ve achieved.’ ‘Being somebody justifies life so covers how relevant you have or have not been, to me one of the many smoke screens that shroud us through life.’ ‘The others have all got drinks now, so shall we them?’ ‘Good idea, Rosetta, before I and Alicia gyrate off into space, time and trillion possibilities of what life is actually about, definitely a dawn breaking debate and it’s only just dusk.’ ‘We never got into these areas at school or college.’ ‘Not in the teachers or lectures job description, Alicia, it’s taken fifty years to find out what was my relevancies in life and I’ve had twenty years of little else bar reflecting and story telling to reach that, spinning out my threads of life to cast a web eventually trapping the answers.’ ‘So, are you relevant?’ ‘Not at all Alicia, and missed the truly things that were to me, well, one person and I’m catching up on the other as in words and stories but rather late there to make a mark as such.’ ‘So it’s great to get a novel out at our age.’ ‘Marvellous Alicia, fresh uninterrupted thoughts before they’re clouded by disillusion and disappointments, your vibrant friends are getting curious as you’re all wrapped up in a deep discussion with me.’ ‘You’re impressive, yep let’s get over there, it doesn’t take much to get them curious and you or Jimmy aren’t run of mill’ They go over and sit down and talk till the limo turns up for the girls, Jimmy and Jack order a taxi

at the bar and leave soon after. Chapter Seventeen Next day onboard in the marina. Jake and Jimmy in conversation.

‘The people with that yacht had already sold it Jimmy, Magdalena has just sent a text.’ ‘Well we most definitely missed the boat there, so I think time for me to explore the interior and get into the coolness of the mountains, one of the girls parents have loaned us a jeep for a time.’ ‘Its Alicia’s second cousin, she’s yet to her test, Bogota could be interesting.’ ‘Yeah, get off this sweat pot, where we’ve been for years has the steady trade winds which have travelled across the cooler oceans so cooling that island and others in the Caribbean, little breeze here.’ ‘I know, great for weight loss, we need to check the restrictions for travelling with these viruses that are circulating, they tend to go away and are back again in a fortnight creating havoc.’ ‘If germs go to form once they’ve arrived there here forever, nothing disappears, they’ll mutate then remerge so keeping the virologists happy and the rest of the world frustrated.’ ‘Its how the nature of the planet works, just by looking at the amount of different mammals on this planet, they’ve all mutated from several life forms into countless millions till we emerged and have currently seemed to put the breaks on evolution as many species are dying off.’ ‘The planet fighting back at us as nature wants to have the upper hand and keep evolving, not humans evolving with their own technological wizardry to attain superiority.’ ‘Nature has the upper hand for sure Jimmy, this jeep on offer is one of those monster trucks which does around 8 miles to the gallon, no problem for fuel as Venezuela is next door virtually giving the stuff away but not good for the stratosphere.’

‘Messing with the planets air conditioning, not as if you can dial up your atmosphere to keep as you want it like in car.’ ‘You’d think the governments would have got the message, just sit in a limo and you’ve instant climate control, too hot we die off in vast numbers.’ ‘Hire a hybrid car then Jack, if of course they’ve have them on this continent where fuel is plentiful and cheap.’ ‘Or a more economically fuelled vehicle, we still need the air conditioning, lugging batteries uphill mountains does not make sense, fine on the flatlands where towns and cities most emerge.’ ‘Eight miles to the gallon is around the same as a helicopter usage, lets adjourn to the bar and find a taxi man who’s willing to take us around this country, go down to Ecuador and check out the coastline.’ ‘Bar’s good for me Jimmy as long as you don’t get too bored, I can spend the day writing as you know.’ ‘No new TV shows either to embroil myself into.’ ‘I know, I’ve not sold one story for in six months, they’ll be thousands of scripts piling up on the studios emails.’ ‘A lot of actors are now fancying their own scripts and ideas.’ ‘There are Jimmy, if you’ve won an Oscar or an award for acting take another angle at the accolades.’ 'Yep it’s not a race track either where you have the possibility of winning once a fortnight and party on into the night, a somewhat of a frustrating escapade, none of the top liners need the money. I wouldn’t have the patience.’ At the marina bar ‘I think we’re soon to be ed as we were spotted walking along the quay by the girls.’

‘To them suitable persons to chaperone them as well as have fun as we thought yesterday.’ ‘Maybe you. I’m sure I am just a mind expander for them Jimmy, they’ll have their morning attempts at stories with them for me to comment on, ah my phone is happening, uh huh a message from Italy, Dorian Industries, they’ve hired a plane to fly over your offspring.’ ‘Ah, really too Colombia as well, seemed to a good place not to be visited’ ‘Cramp your style a little. They’re catholic in both places Jimmy, so a good boat valet required, some throws, new mattresses and fresh sheets.’ ‘They’ll stay in a hotel I would think.’ ‘No chance, Jimmy plus a party of beach babes as neighbours to rub shoulders with, expand their horizons with each other, no bodyguards needed.’ ‘No, not with Alicia’s crowd, a confrontation for my mind though’ ‘Yep, fully grown up girls who you’re connected to, father in fact, they’ll certainly play amok with your morals displaying themselves in skimpy bikinis.’ ‘You mean I’ll suddenly touch an area of my mind which to date has been alluding me.’ ‘Yep, it still does for me as I’ve no daughters, I just wear the shades and dream of being twenty again. Hi, yes, two Mojitos, please, no alcohol in them and coffees, you’re good with that Jimmy?’ ‘Yep, senior, make it a very large jug as the girls are coming down of their yachts.’ ‘Si Senoir Jimmy, they have sent a text for their drinks, we know, we’ll seat them alongside’ ‘Important clients.’

‘Between us the girls we are Jack, the place is a little dead but the nightclubs are reachable for a time. The girls were saying they’ve just reopened, rather an intrusion to their lifestyles those being closed, a stage in their lives when nightly partying is the norm.’ ‘Resulting with them delving into literature and creating themselves, ah here’s our drinks and the table is being lade for them next-door to us’ ‘An incentive to the mind for them to lunch here, they worked we’re mainly liquid during the day, feasting at night guys ‘So a new plan.’ ‘I think so Jimmy, shooting off to the depths of south America is not the one, more of sprucing ourselves up some more.’ ‘The six beauties strolling up the quay will quickly sort that out, the made to measure suits and shirts the other night was impressive, not suitable for casual strolling out and about gear, Panama hats are required too.’ ‘No shortage of those here, the Mexicans have sombreros.’ ‘Tequila in abundance as well, and here they are, at least we’re without the formal greetings.’ ‘We are, we can remain seated and smile over while they get settled, intimate greetings saved for family .’ Ten minutes later ‘The flourish of notebooks and jotters are now put down as they’ve compared their dreams from earlier this morning, catching them fresh as I’ve told them too.’ ‘Before polluting the mind with daily routine and gossip.’ ‘Yep, that’s it Jimmy, the mind wanders away from its dreams as the reality overcomes the mind, I do some middle of the night stuff just in case some dreams take me off again to more faraway places eluding the mind from those earlier ones as the new ones take precedence.’

‘It’s occurred to me the three girls arriving that I’m father will now be around for our jaunt of robbing the bank.’ ‘They will, rather complicate things, your nineteen year old girls who will be as curious as hell will soon find out there’s something afoot, sudden exposure to such an adventure might excite them or horrify them.’ ‘Out into the wilds of life out of their cloistered upbringing, easily corruptible to which we would be doing.’ ‘Yeah, they don’t want to be banged up for sure, laying low for a couple of months would not suit them at all, we can just disappear and live rough in a camper or a tent if necessary till volume three of yours appears which ridicules this forthcoming heist and the previous ones, just promotions for yourself and the bank, a hefty fine but tax deductible.’ ‘News too for these newspapers in search of sensationalism, it’s amazing how things are twisted out of proportion.’ ‘Money for lawyers too, the newspapers need sales, lets be sued to really get it all out in the air and intrigue for the the new erby’s and keep your old readers glued to the newspaper’ ‘How’s the online work’ ‘Good question, Jimmy, I suppose one does it so they all do it, add blockers remove most chances of them winning money online, a puzzlement for day and the new kids on the block are well out of the habit of buying newspapers to add some enthralment to their daily lives.’ ‘Another industry on the way out, with a rapidly growing population some work is needed, otherwise it’ll all go arse up as did the banks not so long ago.’ ‘That’ll happen again, whose bailing out who is intriguing to me, commerce is under a constant broadside sinking slowly under assault.’ ‘A new battlefield and here come the lively bunch over to us, exhausted each other so now over to us with their new updated on their stories and plans for the day’

‘Young active minds seeking out its fix of adrenaline to keep I stimulated.’ ‘Unfortunately or fortunately that’s what education does Jimmy, creates an academic society. I’m not sure of the balance here, reading books or gardening es the day as does creating but it’s all to what end and did they need the academia in the first place.’ ‘As there’s alternatives to ing the day, I see your point, crochet, needle work, music and drawing also come to mind, for me it was go-karts leading to the formulate one track, education was more of a hinderance to me.’ ‘No relevance at all, hi there Alicia, finished off your texts and ready to update us on your forthcoming masterpieces.’ ‘Of course, but we’ve only managed around 500 words and have yet to get to the ten thousand barrier’ ‘Its more like twelve to fifteen thousands word for the pieces or instalments I set out to do, they take around a week so when you’re fully genned and psyched up this will take a third of your day up on average, or peter out if you haven’t got the knack, Alicia.’ ‘That’s an area that can’t be taught.’ ‘The mechanics of writing can be after that’s its very individual, for the one s that do have it as such a very small amount reach to any accolade and after that an even smaller amount make enough out of it for a living.’ ‘So you’d term yourself a writer then’ ‘Could do Alicia, there’s many authors around who liked to think they were writers, presently I’m winning money from Jimmy’s memoirs, a lot, so for once I’m earning enough to myself and because of these memoirs my backlist is as well, but before this not a lot was happening’ ‘Do you think image helps’ ‘Perhaps in this day and age with all the other social interacting young people checking everybody out online will see what you’ve got to say, as in the music business being physical appealing and beautiful works well.’

‘Blogging as well Jack, on their stuff.’ ‘I’ve never done that, but being sexy and appealing will win you many followers there too, promote yourself as there’s something more to promote other than just words and stories.’ ‘We can do this on this new website as well, so here’s our new stuff and we’ll make ourselves scarce doing some errands while you peruse’ ‘Okay Alicia.’

The six girls leave ‘Interesting, I’d thought they stay’ ‘I hinted on beauty rather, so I think a trip the hairdressers will be the first port of call for them, the others follow Alicia as she’s the leader of their little group.’ ‘Also speaks English well compared to the others, update their social media photographs, Instagram especially Jack.’ ‘I’ll put some of these works of there’s out and about online, there should be enough for some instalments, good to see there’s any reaction, move along to another theme if there’s none, little point in them doing a whole novel for just a clap on back and being told well done.’ ‘Or a kiss on the cheeks, they’re girls, I’ll peruse too which will result in my male candid opinion as opposed to twelve to thirty-year old girls who are looking for something totally different.’ ‘Good point, these newly arriving daughters of yours could be useful here, they may love it as opposed to us thinking it’s a load of tosh.’ ‘So light on the criticism, Jack’ ‘They’ll expect some but nothing too extreme for they need to be encouraged to get into a daily routine of a morning or afternoon of writing

and practise as always leads to perfection.’ ‘Psychology moving into the affray, I must psychologically adjust to three daughters, as half sisters they seem to be getting along okay.’ ‘They’ve more or less grown up together by going to the same schools and no doubt been in the same classes, wise old grandmas running the show.’ ‘A role they will miss now the girls are all grown up’ ‘No doubt seeking out suitable boys for them to meet, ever hopeful of weddings and babies.’ ‘As no doubt they are over here, I think though there’s little hope, and I’ve noticed recently a downturn in movies centred around weddings.’ ‘Yeah, a definite move to extreme violence, I think to satisfy the far east and Chinese markets, though I’ve been to a cinema over in those parts, but lots of knives and guns are very apparent in present day series and movies.’ ‘None in yours.’ ‘No, I’ve been getting s from India, so my more moderate approach is perhaps more suited to their culture, India loves films.’ ‘Bollywood.’ ‘Yep, that’s it, these girls writings could be suitable for that market, still it’ll be a while before everything gets going again.’ ‘Do you think cinema will fade out.’ ‘After being hammered by this virus, Jimmy, I’ll think we’ll see a culture change especially within catholic countries so more home cinema and groups of young people going to each others houses.’ ‘It’s not the fun of going out, the buzz of the city and all the bars and cafes.’ ‘I see your point, crystal ball gazing is not recommended, the mind tends to overrule any mystic possibilities as in what’s good for you which makes pre-

empting biased, so what happens will happen unless of course you crash out into another parallel.’ ‘Would that work for me’ ‘No, we’ve discussed that, and any Judge in court has standard sentences which the authorities expects, even if you did crash into another parallel, its happened and effects the dimension you are in, could well be your drifted to the wild side of yourself which is normally refrained from extremes.’ ‘So perhaps not drugged.’ ‘A little late for the possibility of knowing you were roofied up in Vegas.’ ‘How about this staged heist.’ ‘I think to actually be roofied up would present a better case for you, all depends on how the judge views it, a lawyer would know the minimum sentences for such an affray, I’m beginning now to think to just forget about it.’ ‘I was most likely set up,’ ‘Ending up with all the loot, so there could be some nefarious characters appearing thinking about it, they’ll have claimed on the insurance but of course you have the profit.’ ‘It’s good to expand and consider more the possible outcomes, you don’t think giving the loot back, a large fine and compensate the shortfall to the other parties would suffice.’ ‘It makes sense and making sense and being appropriate in the eyes of the law is a conflict within itself, it’s all the fickle rules and responsibilities that make up humanity so we function on a level far above the savages we were before, or hunters and gathers to others who are embarrassed about our savage image.’ ‘As were indigenous population of the North Americas in recent years.’ ‘Only In our eyes, a normal state of affairs to them which had been going on

for thousand of years.’ ‘Our influx did indeed see it differently and today our intrusion back then would have been termed an invasion today with no United Nations to debate the lawfulness of it, Jack, how’s that piece you’ve got, you’re smiling.’ ‘Not bad at all, some good lines which I sense could be more amusing written in their own language, the most reserved one of the six girls.’ ‘Expressive in a different way, less chat and more thought.’ ‘That sounds like a line from the Monty Python guys.’ ‘Your era, be interesting if somebody tried silent movies again where it was the visual expression and action making up the story.’ ‘Script writers would be dumfounded and actors would be expanding their eccentricities or indeed finding them in the first place.’ ‘Character creation.’ ‘Compared to type casting much preferable, once a bank robber always a bank robber, excluding you from that reference Jimmy.’ ‘But I suppose that is what is generally thought.’ ‘Well, you are not in the movies, but I’m sure a debut would be eagerly welcomed by most studios.’ ‘They’d save on stunt men for the car chases, I’d be in my element there.’ ‘You would, pile on the adrenaline for both you and the audience, and you get to wreck cars for free, as you mentioned a stunt man was regarded by you as a continuance in your life, as a lot of footballers becomes coaches.’ ‘Your lucky in that as you diversified.’ ‘I grew up with diversity, so realised change from an early age so the mind comprehended change and challenges, racing formulae one cars didn’t arise.’

‘Your mind had enough going without the need for adrenaline.’ ‘Could be, your mind though active was empty so was in need of being fulfilled, I’ve too much thought going on comprehend finding adrenaline.’ ‘You attain your own heights through thought and imagination, I can see that, different inspirations to satisfy oneself.’ ‘These girls are lacking in imagination in their writings generally, more blog and waffle than substance to me, bar this one I’ve just mentioned mentioned Jimmy.’ ‘ it over and I’ll check it out as well.’ ‘A candid opinion.’ ‘Well I can read, what’s did you say the percentage was for book buyers.’ ‘They used to reckon eighteen per cent of the populace for Europe and the Americas, that with online has dropped as online has a wider ranging field generally, how many actually read the free books online is debatable, I’ve fifty ed and read two.’ ‘But if it’s physically in the cabin we’ve read our library of twenty more than once.’ ‘The physical presence wins, a girl to a rubber doll to bed wins a thousand times down as does a book to bed as opposed to a flat screen, more to feel, hold, embellish and eventually fall asleep with.’ ‘Also you don’t have to recharge either.’ ‘There is that, so perhaps this in paperback, you seem to be captivated Jimmy.’ ‘This girl has a certain vividness with her sentences, has anybody ever thought of added a woman’s musk, her scent to the pages of the book.’ ‘You are inventive, smell the authoress as you turn her pages, that I’ve not though of, I did think of different shades of covers for printed books so they

matched the decor of the room, sniffing and smelling a book could definitely catch on, one up on the ing guys selling and the others ing illegally.’ ‘I’d to love to know how some of the hot female authors exude into the fresh air.’ ‘No doubt likewise for the male authors to women, though in general a female musk is vastly preferable.’ ‘How about riddles?’ ‘A book with an encrypted message and a prize to crack it, they built a machine for that in the UK in the last big bust up in Europe, you could surreptitiously add that to any book, people love crosswords and puzzles, certainly stop speed reading.’ ‘A new bonus to flagging classics too.’ ‘It would be, certainly a possibility to get the bright and young off hacking into computer program firewalls, a new challenge to their inquisitive minds.’ ‘Authors could win perfume sponsorships for their books as actresses do.’ ‘Yep, one best-seller creating another.’ ‘One could add panties into the more racy books for Christmas or Valentines Day package’ ‘A shrunk wrap special edition, erotica which you can read and wear, not forgetting smell, not necessary erotica either, boxer shorts for the women from their favourite male spy novelists.’ ‘Are publishers a boring bunch?’ ‘Not at all that commercial, a literary bunch of fuddy duddies all in search of the next Jane Austin, Hemingway or Mark Twain to name some, but the risqué guys are rather lame too, just different genre’s and all publishers universally have the concept that a fantastic book cover is the one to attract

the reader.’ ‘So you think my next volume of memoirs should be marketed with a set of sexy boxer short with my name embroiled on them.’ ‘That would be appealing to the women for sure, certainly get you appearing on all high streets around the world as a bookseller would not be required for the volume would become a novelty so sold in any store.’ ‘How about online and piracy there.’ ‘Knock off copies and online stores heavily discounting making it not so special with mass market selling as opposed to some uniqueness.’ ‘They rely in volume for profit.’ ‘They do, large cash flows with ninety day credit to the suppliers or publishers in this case, I’ve suggested this before , every book has number and every so often there’s a lottery prize which will match a purchased book,’ ‘Cool.’ ‘Could be, certainly an incentive, plus spend a week with us two down here in Columbia in a ten star resort bobbing around on the sea during the day, no shortage of super yachts long this stretch of quay for that.’ ‘Or girls.’ ‘We may need to hire some of the more than flash waiters here who think they are god’s gift to women.’ ‘They do it for the tips.’ ‘I know, entertain the girls no end, Jimmy so conclusion on this piece you’ve been perusing, obviously stimulating for your mind.’ ‘I think this writer or currently author before you correct me has potential, gets the mind as you noticed with my suggestions, more zippy and it’s a potential best seller to me.’

‘Zippy, I love to hear a publisher use that term, ah a text from Magdalene, she’s found us a similar boat to the one that’s here we liked.’ ‘Where?’ ‘Trinidad.’ ‘Ah, the wind is wrong direction to get there for us.’ ‘I know, the sellers are desperate to sell.’ ‘It’s not hot? Loads of fancy boats get boosted in these parts.’ ‘The vin or vessel number needs to be checked if it has one, if not its most likely hot.’ ‘Its on a website?’ ‘No.’ ‘Ah, Mojito time I think, we don’t need to get into any more hot water, myself especially. l’ll just wave at the waiter, I think a recognised broker is the way to go, you go and see it then send me the pictures.’ ‘I’ll text Magdalene back, maybe use Rosetta’s grandfather, Cristo, as go between as we’re in his good books for getting his granddaughters involved with this website for bookselling and promotion.’ ‘Now that’s make sense for few would mess with him, a gangster type intermediary in this part of the world would work.’ ‘He’s got access to a plane as well so we could both go over.’ ‘That could be fatal for us two as we’d most likely pick up a fleet as we’re both keen on boats, one for everyday of the week.’ ‘A sleek racing yacht would be a good addition as I mentioned and here’s the Mojitos, getting to know our drinks here, we missed our bloody Mary’s this morning.’ ‘A mezze too is following, lovely, I’ll you back these pages, ah Violetta,

she’s put her name on the back of the last page, with an unpronounceable surname.’ ‘Yep that’s one only works in Spanish stroke Columbian, no doubt an indigenous name from whatever tribes were around before Europeans powder caked the continent into submission with lead shot.’ ‘Or a virus like we’re experiencing today decimated thriving civilisations leaving only few left on this continent’ ‘They say there’s evidence of possible space ports further down into the continent.’ ‘Could be that Mars was once inhabitable so persons hopped from one to the other.’ ‘Spoilt for choice a while ago, Mars nowadays is no longer by a long stretch, so a million or so years back is anybodies guess.’ ‘Even when dinosaurs roamed this planet.’ ‘Yep, that guy I know whose in California of all places at the moment has an opinion that this planet could have been used as a farm and people came over from Mars to tock up.’ ‘Makes sense, even a food stop off for water and food for many travellers through the galaxies as ships which traversed our own oceans stopped off a ports for provisions.’ ‘Its our concept of time which throws out most alternate possibilities, our tunnel vision that they were not others before us and where exactly are we in the development of myriad of galaxies we co-exist along with space.’ ‘What’s he called the guy over in California, we have one of his books onboard, Eric Blackwell, but that’s a pseudonym.’ ‘Not sure, Harry always works with him when he’s around and he wave a super yachts of sorts coming into port, resembles the one we were moored near to in the Caribbean.’

‘He went to Barbados according to his transponder.’ ‘We’ve not had the AIS on for ages as we were concerned about pirates and more so being located by various others we would prefer no to bump into.’ ‘I know, anybody with a laptop and an online connection can find you anywhere in the world with that damn thing switched on in the boat.’ ‘Well Jimmy, he somehow found us or somebody whose well in the know did, no doubt your ex employers, Dorian Industries has some satellites orbiting that could do just that.’ ‘Your phone, Captain Carl had the number.’ ‘He did, and Dorian would have just have to ping it I believe for find it, so odds on your daughters flew to Barbados and sailed over with captain Carl. Flights are happening to Barbados from Europe, I checked.’ ‘My long lived freedom has suddenly come crashing down around me.’ ‘Not so bad, there’s Alicia and her friends to distract them as well as Rosetta and hers, it’s a long time since I met girls from Swiss finishing schools.’ ‘You did?’ ‘A long time ago, over forty years ago.’ ‘What were they like.’ ‘Fairly wild and without a concern in the world, life to them was just a long party, twenty four hour a day socialising.’ ‘Nationality.’ ‘English.’ ‘The absolutely fab crowd as such.’ ‘Not as brash, but certainly with a touch of class, Jimmy’

‘Should we go along the quay to meet the boat.’ ‘No, he’ll most likely fluff up his docking If we turn up, Dorian have most likely pinged my phone so know we’re in this bar.’ ‘I hope the mothers aren’t onboard as well.’ ‘Now , that could be calamitous as you’re looking in fine fettle after a twenty year rest, as would grandmothers with me, we have a free, sedate and easy life with no demands or criticisms.’ ‘I’m ing my ex girlfriend before my solo year around the tracks and arriving in the Caribbean, why do people bother getting married or have a partner.’ ‘That I have no answer to. I even tried it and found it to be short term, or as short term as I could make it without giving the game away.’ ‘It’s a formulae for society to be based on’ ‘Well thought out Jimmy, neither of us would most likely not be here without it, so its positive in one way, a Goslings Rum now or shall we wait, getting pissed is rather offhand to travellers who have come from afar to see us, or at least you, I can slide into obscurity and do some tap tapping on the laptop.’ ‘An afternoon of civility and good behaviour it shall be, I’ll wince while you have a couple of Goslings and engage in small talk.’ ‘Can you see that the Amphitrite’s Butterfly has her name plate back on.’ ‘Clever name for a boat, I think the Neried Dancer could be good name for a boat’ ‘More suitable for a greek nightclub, senoir, uno Goslings e uno bottle de aqua con gas por favor, some Mediterranean days returning to my memory, the waiters have come to glean on the new arrival.’ ‘No, there’s no name for them to tap into their phones to see who it possibly is , I wonder if that’s deliberate.’

‘I know the writer chap I mentioned in California just call his “The Boat”, for that reason, as he can’t stand nosey parkers.’ ‘La beau derrière de la mer, could be a good name.’ ‘Or shorten that to ‘La beaucoup de La mer,’ sounds more bistro to me that name, La Dame Blanche is a cool name for a boat, or any colour in French, here’s the waiter back, so now the anticipation comes upon us with their added curiosity looking on.’ ‘It certainly does, I raise my fizzy water to La Dame Blanche for the next boat.’ ‘Also a notable cocktail.’ ‘I’ve never had one.’ ‘Referred to as a ghostly drink so very apt for a boat.’ ‘Gin?’ ‘Yep, and triple sec or orange liquor, notably Cointreau, egg white and the inevitable lemon juice.’ ‘Ooh, that’s a fairly intense taste.’ ‘To be drunk in the company of Goddesses as they to have the effect of knocking you off your feet as the drink is known for, so I suspect with you thinking French you must have been impressed by some drop dead gorgeous girls in your last tour back in the good old days.’ ‘Twins.’ ‘Oh right, and they share, love being equal.’ ‘They certainly do, a more than memorable Monaco grand prix.’ ‘Before or after.’ ‘Both, a double adrenaline boost.’

‘Uh huh, they’ll make for an interesting encounter in the next year or so, so Les Dames Blanche in fact.’ ‘They dressed in flowing fine white chiffon as well that swirled in the breeze so you caught glimpses of their impeccable lingerie .’ ‘Uh huh, my imagination is in full flow, there’s a whole book just in the story of these two, an easy title for an extra volume to finish off your memoirs with, “Then There was Monaco”, especially the “now” piece for the finale.’ ‘I’m going to wander down the quay.’ ‘Good, I’ll start some tapping on the laptop, capture the current mood while it’s fresh rather like drinking a rum cocktail before the ice melts diluting its potency.’ ‘An appropriate clever simile.’ ‘Yep, and it’s an original one, I rather like the movie line, “I’m going after the ice has melted in my drink so don’t be too long dres.” ‘Yep, that’s clever one, what’s the next line?’ ‘ “I’ll mix you another first then darling, extra ice to keep you cool”. ‘Marilyn Monroe movie?’ ‘I think so, perfect for her to say so somebody would have written it for her.’ ‘They’re now spinning the boat’s stern around to the quay, so I’m off down there.’

Chapter Eighteen: Early evening in the marina

‘Hi there Jack’ ‘Ah Alicia, you six certainly have added some wow factor, kept the

hairdressers busy, I noticed the barmen busying themselves with cocktails so assumed you were near’ ‘Predictable with our Pina Coladas, so new neighbours.’ ‘Yep, she’s from Barbados so customs are giving her a thorough search though most of the illegal gear leaves from here I thought.’ ‘Diamonds in lieu of payment for stash most likely, ganja, heroine and cocaine are the best cash converters, South America has all of those in abundance.’ ‘I understand and any of the crew could be easily tempted, Alicia. Violetta, your pages were top dog, that’s from Jimmy too.’ ‘Thank you’ ‘Yes, Violetta is top dog, a first in her degree with a distinction and place in Oxford, UK, to do literature if she chooses, so hopefully you’ll put her to number one in the bestsellers to forget about it.’ ‘I’ll try Alicia.’ ‘Where’s Jimmy.’ ‘Onboard the new arrival.’ ‘Ooh so his daughters are onboard, exciting, our age more or less so we can go night clubbing perhaps, lots of partying to do.’ ‘You’re all looking the business to paint the town red, here’s your cocktails and chairs too.’ ‘You’ve been writing?’ ‘I have, an all inspired day with some good conversation with Jimmy, his repartee was on form so caught the moment, Alicia’ ‘We got Rosetta some new outfits while out as we’ve some marvellous boutiques here and she has the perfect body to show them off for our friends

who own the boutiques, also we’ve all got new shoes and bags.’ ‘No doubt you’re going to follow in your grandmothers footsteps Rosetta, you certainly caught the attention of the barmen and waiters with your new attire.’ ‘Oh she’s a head turner as you say in your English, everybody was giving her glances while out and about this afternoon.’ ‘Well you’ll have three more or perhaps even more than that to show the boutiques too, Alicia.’ ‘They’ll need bikinis no doubt.’ ‘Also relevant footwear for sand and heat.’ ‘So what were you writing about this afternoon.’ ‘Oh a start of something new that cropped up with Jimmy, could be a sizzling part of his memoirs, strike the iron while it’s hot to achieve the right momentum.’ ‘So good writing is spur of the moment, catching it as if your eyes were seeing it before them.’ ‘More or less, you need to ask the master of that, well to me he is, currently hanging out in California and going nowhere with this virus.’ ‘You must introduce him to us, he has published books?’ ‘Oh yes, around forty of them and six or so online TV series which you can’t get get in these neck of the woods, unless you go to a pirate site then that those sites can mess up your laptop something rotten or any other device you choose to use.’ ‘No doubt the books will be in Spanish, we must drag you to a bookstore to show us, ah some activity on deck, there’s Jimmy, ooh six girls around the same age, he was definitely more than popular,’ ‘You’ve got good vision’

‘It’ll fade, we rarely use laptops, we like writing and fantasying our own lives rather than reading about other people’s online.’ ‘You’ve got more to fantasise about in South America I think, especially with your grandfathers and great grandfathers stories adding fuel to your imaginations.’ ‘Oh they adore telling us about their lives and escapades, okay here they come down the gangway, all in slacks and Panama hats shading their faces, scarves around their necks, sporting design sunglasses to die for, we don’t get those here, just love to go to Milan and Paris.’ ‘Get pally and no doubt you’ll be invited, I know three of them are Italian, not sure on the others, Alicia.’ ‘Certainly not used to our fierce sun.’ ‘You’ve climatized skins and deep brown eyes to go along with your skins.’ ‘We have, we still use moisturisers and sunscreen of course for protection from UV, hence our oily skins.’ ‘The writer I know in California eventually discovered he had nine daughters later in life after his working around the UK as a stage roadie come light technician for ten or so years in his younger days.’ ‘A different girl in every town, we would like that today, selfish I suppose but bringing up a child without having to share him or her with two massive families, one family possible two a nightmare, and no union to adjust too with as people change with age.’ ‘Hence the term people growing apart.’ ‘All Jimmy’s are close though as they were all born in the same year, ah I believe twins I’m seeing, cool, we don’t know any’ ‘He mentioned an encounter with twins so perhaps hereditary to those conquests as such.’ ‘Flings, ionate moments in our lives where our heart rules our heads

Jake.’ ‘Yep those, one kiss then then the magic takes overs.’ ‘Exactly Jake, three or four Pina Coladas as well which delude our senses till the following morning arrives.’ ‘Then the morning after tablet’ ‘If necessary, a girl can easily plan when to let her hair down but no going on the pill or other contraception methods to be found here of course. I’ll ask the waiters to pull some more chairs and jugs of water for the table for these girls won’t be drinking alcohol if they’ve had a European Catholic upbringing, just wine with meals.’ ‘You think so.’ ‘Oh yes, our families disapprove but we’re headstrong and liberated from conventions now, education clears the head so you can adjust to new ideals and purposes.’ ‘I suppose it does this lot will not have experienced university.’ ‘Its a whole new world after school and home life, ah señor more tables and jugs of water’ ‘You don’t use Spanish with them I notice.’ ‘No, they need to hear English so are accustomed to it.’ ‘It does, so Rosetta you have any in places you go to at nineteen with nightclubs being limited to you mostly.’ ‘No, my first night club was here with you as my grandfather said it was okay, you two have a clout with him, but with six more my age could be a lot more fun, for males will be less likely to intrude on a group, there’s the predatory instinct of a male to female which we understand of course, some boys are sex mad and think of little else bar food and drink.’ ‘You have a phaser and mace, Rosetta’

‘Of course, a panic alarm too and a trackers in my hair pins, good deterrents I think.’ ‘Maybe we should get some more of those.’ ‘My grandfather will oblige for the new arrivals, they’re looking to be tidy girls, not tarts as my grandmother refers to us as when we’re in skimpy shorts and dresses revealing our panties, she says that’s only for the beach and that’s were they should stay.’ ‘No they’re not, the scarves are now covering their faces.’ ‘Yes, we’re getting used to face coverings with the virus, there’s some very fashionable ones in the stores I noticed, obviously cautious after Italy and our R rate I this county is high so I would think no nightclubs for them at the moment.’ ‘No, alfresco is vastly superior in this climate.’ ‘It’s our large family gatherings that lets us down, the older ones aren’t so in tune with all this and some aren’t that bothered as they are getting more frail as they get older so dying is not such a big deal.’ ‘A rational approach Rosetta, hello Jimmy, your new family I’m seeing.’ ‘Oh yes all six of them, the boat is still being searched, Grenada, Barbados, a day in Trinidad to pick up supplies and fuel.’ ‘Lots of possibilities there, also no a lot a lot for the customs to do with the virus.’ ‘Very little they were saying, they’ve taken tests of everybody but nobody has any symptoms, so happy to doing something though much to Captain Carl annoyance.’ ‘Old stash could turn up, abandoned by a crew member a long while ago.’ ‘That’s what he’s thinking as well a present unknowns on his crew list, few are vetted for such low paid and insignificant jobs.’

‘All the makings for making some bucks on the side, the yacht could even go into dry dock.’ ‘That has crossed his mind as well, the odd extra plate welded to the bottom, filled out with filler and smoothed over, undetectable without an ultrasound on the hull, so I think we think again with the one in Trinidad for sale.’ ‘Could be, but at the end of the day was do these people do with excesses amount of cash.’ ‘Greed perhaps or fill a bath up with diamonds and ogle them as you would do with a goddess on the beach, talking of which meet the new ones for pole position for the goddess spot.’ ‘I’m seeing them, shades off girls and reveal perhaps, though what to most is a myth, smouldering eyes which are as rare as a 100 carat diamonds but more beautiful.’ ‘Not moving a millimetre for you Jake, most likely you’re a little too much for them, let’s sit down and let them introduce themselves first.’ ‘Neither of us are run of the mill, so being cautious, new persons and places to sink into their minds.’ Everybody gets a seat ‘I’m Georgie, then its Arabella, Juliette, Stephanie, Lea, and Olivia. Myself , George and Arabella grew up together as did the latter three who are closely related as their mother’s are twins Stephanie and Lea twins of one and Olivia a girl from the other, they’re French, which we can all speak as well as Spanish, and you’re Jake, the master of fate in this occasion by bringing us all together and shades off now we’re under the shade of the parasols of the cafe.’ ‘Unintentionally so Georgie, worthwhile?’ ‘Very much so, all our lives had become tedious exacerbated by this virus so new friends and places to take in as you said, now for some adventures in life, we all snow ski but have done so since we were three years old so we’re

a little blasé there.’ ‘There’s a new website here being set for books so that would benefit from Italian and French speakers and writers if you’re at loose ends’ ‘Really, that would suit us all especially if dad is going to be here, so whose doing that’ ‘I am, Alicia with Rosetta, the stunner whose your age.’ ‘She’s beauty queen potential’ ‘My grandma was just so, twice for Columbia, pleased to meet you, you know beach volley ball we play that daily but you need to bronze up first, build us some layers sun resistance for you’ll redden easily.’ ‘We can, just need the appropriate swim suits, so they do virgin cocktails here, we’re inexperienced in drinking and have yet to do night clubs.’ ‘You’ll have to wait al little longer for those here Georgie, then was some open the other day but they’ve closed again due to the R numbers spreading again.’ ‘The same in Italy, Alicia, my cousins sent me some texts, so its beach, swimming and reading, not so bad, plus lots of stories.’ ‘Oh yes lots of stories, generations of those Georgie, and board games and puzzles if you can tolerate them Georgie.’ ‘Dad can teach us how not to gamble Jake.’ ‘I think Casinos are non event in his life now, here’s the waiters back with trays of canopies’ ‘Yep order away, Jake pays but he’s got all the liquid on of my situations.’ ‘Of course dad, but our grandmas gave us small fortunes to spend, well enough to last us at least six months in luxury, well in their luxury so a couple of years in most other peoples, so we’re good.’

‘Ah right, we’re organising a new boats as the present one is limited.’ ‘Yeah, we’re accustomed to cool as opposed to baking so we’ll be on the chartered yacht to you get that one sussed, Captain Carl told us of your boat dad, keeps both of you thin though, a drink no food diet basically, too busy sweating and cooling than a need for solids.’ ‘Quite a party.’ ‘I know Alicia, which is good for we’re used to school and a number around our own age, so here’s waiter with a list of virgin cocktails I assume, time for some Spanish and see if they can understand me, its fine learning it in the language lab , out in the real world is so different.’ Chapter Nineteen Next morning 'Good morning Captain Carl’ ‘Hi Jake, so you’ve a bunk spare?’ ‘Nope, just the cockpit, when are they lifting the yacht out.’ ‘This afternoon, maybe sooner, four of the crew were found to be wanted for felonies in the States, fake id’s, good ones, but these guys with time on their hands are checking facials and finger prints, in need of some busts.’ ‘Oh from parking upwards, all enforcements are going to be keen, the relevant superiors will need to get their figures up, show some crime otherwise they’ll be job cuts with this virus.’ ‘Crewing on a boat and you can be anywhere’ ‘Oh the customs know that, piss off to sea and avoid jail time, I’m surprised Jimmy hasn’t been hauled in’ ‘There most likely to be waiting to see if any big fish turn up.’ ‘Or here, on the outside, he’s more profitable for the relevant governments with the amount of tax his memoirs are collecting Captain Carl’

‘Of course with online it’s cut and dried, little avoidance.’ ‘It is, there’s a record of every transaction, too much information and its very difficult, well virtually impossible to delete it, so I stay clear of all the social media sites out there, the weather get’s a look at and no extra apps otherwise there’s a deluge of advertising arrives.’ ‘For items like books and films it’s ideal, anything else to me its rather pointless when there’s cellular phones, a satellite phones for me, to communicate with.’ ‘Yep, he’s worth a to more outside the fence than in it unless some dumb plod wants to advance his career.’ ‘Oh celebrity busting, yep, well most people like to get their names in the paper, become somebody out of their mundane lives.’ ‘That’s me, a celebrity, good to know I’ve not been forgotten on one hand the other side to this of course could be precarious, I think I’m good down here, Jake’s second volume on me is happening, a third in looking possible.’ ‘So how was the quarter berth Jimmy.’ ‘Actually rather comfortable Captain Carl, I’ve never used it as its always had gear on it, all those items you think could be possibly useful are now on deck as you can see, the cabins are all occupied by my girls and Jimmy here rarely gets bitten by mosquitos so he’s good for on deck.’ ‘Apologies there. But customs don’t want the girls on board as their copious use of perfumes and hairsprays interferes with sniffer dogs ,they’re determined to find some stash.’ ‘So wear half a bottle of Chanel and customs is walk in the park for a sophisticated mule who looks like butter would not melt in her mouth.’ ‘That’s fairly potent one, no doubt there’s a top ten list of perfumes for smugglers Jimmy, they’ll have tested them on their sniffer dogs, these guys are always one ahead of the authorities judging by the copious amounts of stash that arrives into the States and Europe.’

‘All those humdrum lives to enhance Captain Carl, big business, also for those who get to the top for they want to keep that illusion of fame forever going on.’ ‘A free ultra sound on the yacht when the it’s hauled out is beneficial to the owners Jake.’ ‘It is if you sink, no quibbling with the insurers over the state of the hull, you put the kettle on Jimmy as you’re down below, ah I hear the sound of girls, no doubt lost a few pounds in this heat last night, there’s an invite from Alicia for them to breakfast on their yacht and that has a pool on the foredeck.’ ‘It’s time for us to start roughing it, we’ve been too spoilt, we’d like to get real and have experiences,’ ‘Good morning Arabella, love the night attire.’ ‘I’m coming up on deck, except for the clothes and shoes they’re stopping, keep some standards and we need some bum shorts and risky bikinis later to fit in with the Columbian girls.’ ‘You hearing this dad.’ ‘I am, we’re getting too blasé about the female anatomy, Jake’ ‘Ah you are, this nightie can come off then, its already hot, tits on view and you’ve seen our mothers so not so relevant for you dad, not sure on you two on deck here, they are just tits though with some mysterious alluring enigma.’ ‘Its a big item for the capitalists to exploit, bras and bikinis are multi million pound industry, some comfort must be had.’ ‘Oh for the Columbian girls yes, they must be heavy so need ours are just mere bumps to theirs and hopefully they’ll stay that way, especially in this heat, no need for bras for us European girls down here, just slip on a t-shirt and shorts.’ ‘I’ll throw you up a t-shirt then, sun burnt titties are painful so I’ve been

told.’ ‘Good idea dad, and we need some lip balm for screening our lips from the sun, lipstick will drying up too fast, messy too, the girls here have brownish lips, nipples too, ours are pink, ah huge t-shirt, makes for a short dress, thanks,’ ‘Obviously the indigenous populations of countries adjusted through time to the different regions of the planet.’ ‘What’s confusing there Jake is the length of time it took as evolution is slow so how did the population move in the first place as we originate from central and Northern Italy supposedly.’ ‘Cave dwellers, so how did we become black and brown as well and how did we get to be all over the planet.’ ‘The current answers are hypotheses Jimmy as none of it makes sense, the human race managed to become the main population on the whole of the planet without flight or seaworthy vessels to cross oceans when it mattered, there would be no reason for walking for more than twenty or thirty miles from your cave dwelling.’ ‘You two debate a lot.’ ‘They do Arabella, for days entertaining many bar hoppers and tourists, often being bought rums, but I agree with the both of them how did we get around the world to populate as I’ve in many countries being a captain.’ ‘Cool, did you debate about our probability ever, your daughters.’ ‘No, I assumed your mothers were out for a good time and not to get knocked up by the fabulously good looking racing drive champion.’ ‘Ever hopeful of beautiful babies and children, you’re still rather good looking dad, acting potential I would have thought.’ ‘It’s good you’ve turned up as it’ll make the third volume as so much more riveting by adding you girls growing up into this mad mad world.’

‘Life without a dad, we would have rather conflicted with his life style Jimmy, so in fact the best interception is now, just after our schooling has finished, perfect timing in fact and thanks for writing them, a life changer for us.’ ‘Yes the first nineteen years of anybodies life is fairly predictable, and the next twenty or thirty are your most productive. I was borderline humdrum and mundane until a different type of world reared up and alerted one that change had struck so time to move along, the first ten years were chaotic after that it started to settle again and now it’s ticking along just fine as you can see.’ ‘So your mind evolved with change of activity and surroundings.’ ‘It appears that way, you’d like the guy whose now up in California who I know, goes by four pseudonyms to my knowledge, commonly known as Harry, and I believe even has a weekly series or two hour instalments airing over two years.’ ‘We read his books, ‘Time Lapses’ was intriguing were everything is random and parallels are not as they would kibosh life and living, we become irrelevant in one so move to the next one randomly, dropping in and dropping out from whatever time lapse we fell into.’ ‘Everything and everybody has a moment and these are always colliding, he’d like it down here.’ ‘He’s already got a lot girls to contend with Jake, they similar to us caught up with their dad and grandad as he started off early in life seducing and being seduced.’ ‘He’s very inventive what do you reckon Jimmy.’ ‘Coffee will be arriving, on this guy Jake, awesome to be drinking rum and debating time possibilities, space, past, present, future, random, relevancy, reason, rationality trying to justify our existence and how are caught up it all and the cosmoses that exist as there’s too many improbabilities for this planet to happen the way it did, its not all a series of accidents.’ ‘You’ve read some of his then dad.’

‘We have, there’s a couple of old ones of his onboard, here’s the coffee, if you’re into cooking or any of your sisters, don’t bother for its literally becomes makes itself into an oven down below.’ ‘Hence the fondness of bars to you dad, life alfresco.’ ‘Great, that can be the title of Jimmy’s second volume, “Life Alfresco”, good one Arabella, let’s get some input of phenols from the Ethiopian coffee brew that been done, then tappy tap time.’ ‘The Harry guys refers to these’ ‘Yep and I back him up, my best stories originate from Ethiopian coffee or Crete Wine, he its the same magical phenols as they’re referred to as.’ ‘Rum doesn’t do it, Jake’s tried.’ ‘The Columbian girls talked about writing a lot to us last night.’ ‘Ah yes they’ve all got literature degrees and are aficionados the areas of the written word and are keeping Jake busy.’ ‘So a combining influence of five girls should be interesting as they’ll relate to each other on their projects they mentioned.’ ‘We think the same, we remarked that it worked well for the Bronte sisters so see what five close friends can achieve together.’ ‘We don’t write as yet, but we’re well versed in the roman and greek classics.’ ‘Cool, anyone can have dabble and who knows what is going to be released, good brew Jimmy, he makes better coffee than me.’ ‘We’re almost out, this place produces a lot of coffee, so we can go on a expedition to find the ultimate Columbian Coffee, write an Arabella of it, “in search of the best bean”, your age group devour travel books I would think.’ ‘A possible project, you’ve got this website being set up to emulate us to do

such things.’ ‘A path of your first relevancy in life as Harry over in California would put it.’ ‘It would be Jake.’ ‘Here comes the tugboat to take me to the dry dock, they’re keen.’ ‘Bored most likely Captain Carl, best of luck, new zinc time perhaps.’ ‘I have them onboard Jake if needed, a free pressure wash which is good for we could not lifted during the virus for one, so that’s good.’ ‘You’ve told the owners.’ ‘Nope Jake, there could be some surprises attached underneath.’ ‘They’ll impound the yacht, at least you’re an employee.’ ‘Yep, some extra loot in the customs back pockets if the yacht will be seized as it will be eventually auctioned off.’ ‘Pandora’s box there as to who is being legit.’ ‘That’s why real smugglers use old bangers, this one fits that’s role perfectly.’ ‘You be with them when they’re inspecting the bottom of the boat, you must have been to a lot of ports.’ ‘Well of course you do its a charter boat, a tour around the Caribbean, anchor off the beaches after moor up in a marina slip so the clients can check the local shops out and go to the current fashionable restaurants.’ ‘Yes, lots of opportunity for moving contraband around or chucking it over side amongst the lobster beds for divers later.’ ‘See you later, here’s some adorable local girls turning up, there’s some good lookers around here.’

He leaves. ‘Who was that?’ ‘Captain Carl, your new neighbour, now on his way to being dry docked Alicia.’ ‘That’s normal, too many sharks for the diver to check the yachts underwater structure, we get that, you could have a submersible attached for landing drugs in the dead of the night, so breakfast Arabella, it’s being served on the fore deck then we can go shopping, show you the best boutiques for yacht and beach wear. In between pool and a shower of course.’ ‘Sounds good, Alicia, but we’d like to start roughing it a bit as such to get into with the real world out of the cocoon we’ve been in for all our lives’ ‘Break your bonds from bourgeoise and the affluence society you’re surrounded by, our yacht crew are very obliging with battery acid to make jeans, shorts and T-shirts holey, very effective, not when you’re wearing them of course.’ ‘Instant rags, I’ll get the others, you two don’t want to come.’ ‘Too many rum cocktails on offer, we’d be cabbaged before midday Arabella.’ ‘Uh huh, I’ll get the others up dad, also not your scene, small talk as opposed to bar talk.’ ‘Capitulated into politeness’ ‘We did finishing school for that one Jake.’ ‘You should try 25 years of retail, it’s amazing how automated responses can be.’

‘Just think on politicians Jake.’ ‘Its more or less the same, smile, be polite and reiterate to questions with what’s laid in front of you so the buck is ed down the line if it doesn’t fit, the thought process is basically nullified.’ ‘Totally, too much going on to grasp the complexity of all the situations what’s best is not necessarily right to many.’ ‘I’m downstairs to put some attire which girls who are brought up well are expected to wear, the oldies will be checking us out, latin American catholic girls being compared to us European ones.’ ‘You’ve one up o them as you speak Spanish.’ ‘Oh they’ll know Latin dad, religion is deep seated with catholics, not that you’re familiar with any religions’ ‘No, twenty one years since I set foot in a church and that was for a wedding.’ ‘We have grandpas and grandmas on your side, I think they’d expect us to say hi.’ ‘An uncle and two aunts as well, this party could get large’ ‘One advantage with the virus they can’t get here easily.’ ‘There is that Jake, I’ll think on that one Arabella, you go and get changed, ah here’s Alicia coming on board, you checking them out?’ ‘I certainly am, time to be big sister Jimmy.’ The girls go below ‘Yes relations, well my mother and grandma will be eager to meet up with the girls.’ ‘No shortage of them and all grown up so no fussing and concerns about caught colds, measles, mumps and so forth.’

‘Well out or the reservation there, what was possibly controllable is so anymore for them.’ ‘Freedom has arrived for them so let the party commence, I suppose we’ve been on one for around fifteen years.’ ‘At least, another coffee at the bar, down below is out of bounds for a while.’ ‘Yep. I’ve my laptop and charger for it.’ ‘Phone?’ ‘Yep, time to the mother country, I’ll enjoy the expletives as they’ll have read your memoirs which will have stoked the fire well up for your sister and mother to launch a tirade of castigation on your actions.’ ‘I’d had been banged up going back.’ ‘Not relevant to them I believe as they’d would have known where you were.’ ‘Ah.’

At the bar ‘Some Dutch courage before the event Jimmy, the longer you leave it now the worse it gets now the grandchildren are on the scene, that’ll take the heat off the moment, well six is okay sixteen I think may not be so’ ‘Yep some large Goslings specials and filter coffee, I think I the phone number.’ ‘There’s my phone and here’s hoping her phone line isn’t tapped.’ ‘They can “PING” it.’ ‘Most likely they already have, as discussed we’re worth a lot more on the outside than on the inside as I said before, well at least you, three more forthcoming volumes will be worth a lot to the various governments in sales

and revenue tax but not if you were banged up, they could do that when you’re Seventy like they do to most others when they become irrelevant.’ ‘No longer a tax worthy saviour so penalise one for the villainy you were involved in, if any. I never thought about it in those .’ ‘Oh they do for sure’ ‘One released every two years then, so maybe a fifth as you mentioned a fourth.’ ‘Absolutely, milk it, plus a travel guide, fashion guide and a cookbook, books are okay if you’re somebody, every politician, actor and pop star has his one readying itself on the back burner, simmering away as more gets added.’ ‘It’s ringing, hi mum,…………………….

To be continued end of part three