Whoever said a boat is under 197 feet (60 meters) length overall obviously hadn't seen Xavier Chandler's boat. As the one a boat manufacturing company had sold him was the length and width of a cruise ship, and he promptly named the thing,"The Big Boat."
It currently was out on the Caribbean Sea….
"Ken-Hutch!" I didn't know you were on this overnight cruise!" the man with silver hair exclaimed and hugged his son lightly, then quickly released him. He would've embraced him tighter and for a lengthier amount of time if he wasn't being mindful of the blond's left arm in a sling.
"Starsky, you've met my dad Kingston 'King' for short before. Also, my mom Jeta 'Jet' who just kissed my cheek. No doubt about it. I've got her hot pink lipstick on my face. I'll keep it there for now as a souvenir!" He broadly smiled at that. Showing a row of teeth. So beautiful and white that if he wanted to, he could be in a toothpaste commercial.
"So, how did your arm get hurt?" King and a doctor asked with concern for his son's well-being.
"Yes, how did it?" Jeta too questioned. Worrisome in her hazel eyes.
"Well I've told you before that when Captain Dobey, Edith and Cal aren't home, sometimes Starsky and I watch Rosie. Last week while doing so, I was reading a book about Mars. Some well-known astronomers were quoted as saying they didn't believe there were aliens on it like a lot of people picture them as looking like. But believe there still are extra-terrestrials on the planet. While reading more about it, I walked into a different room, didn't see a skateboard, tripped over it and landed on the floor on my lower arm."
Facing Starsky, he slewed his eyes to the right. Such signaling the brunet, and with very curly hair, to not mention what else had happened last week to cause injury to his left bicep. He blinked once, that telling Starsky, "Thanks for keeping it a secret."
"I'm so sorry you got hurt dear! But how old is Rosie now?" Jeta inquired.
"Eight-years-old!"
"She's growing up way too fast!"
"Yes, she is!"
######################################################################################################
No longer on the open part of the deck, inside a gigantic party room and with one of the groups of people there, it was Hutch's turn to bob for a red apple again. Sticking his face into the water, just like his previous times at doing so, he had no difficulty at all latching his teeth into the fruit that was wet and was also very slippery.
He'd just raised his face out enough of the water so that it was hovering about five inches above it, "Hey! You're really good at getting an apple! I'm jealous!" Then placed one of his big hands on the back of Hutch's head and the cop was so surprised about it that instead of troubling any over it, he didn't think that right after that something mean was going to happen to him. Though the guy next intentionally pushed down on the back of his head and so forcefully, it dunked his face back into the water and releasing the apple in his mouth, smashed his forehead but mostly his nose on the bottom of the galvanized steel tub!
Stunned about the guy's cruelty, he still didn't think it was something to lose his temper over. Lifting his head all the way out of the water and standing up all the way, "Nice going there whatever your name is!"
"I'm Fred!"
Either way, just because Hutch hadn't lost his cool with him it didn't stop Starsky from running over to Hutch and handing him a towel to dry off with, and growling at Fred, "Hey you! That was totally uncalled for! Pushing down on the back of his head like that! I think you broke his nose! Come on Hutch! We're going to go find your dad and have him take a look at it!"
"I'm fine buddy. No worries." Although his voice had sounded so unnaturally squeaky, what with the swollen nose that he had.
"That does it. I'm taking you to go see your dad and I don't want any further argument about it." Starsky said, again shooting daggers at Fred with his eyes, then gently but firmly grabbed Hutch's right arm and guided him with walking until he located King.
The doctor put a finger on each side of the bridge of his son's nose and pressed down on it. Doing the exact same thing on each side of the rest the nose and until he reached the bottom of his nostrils.
"Did doing that hurt much?"
"Nope."
Hutch was thirty-five-years-old, but there were certain situations when his father still called him 'boy.'
"Don't lie to me boy!
"Okay it hurt a lot! Still does!" However, the pain wasn't going to make him start to cry, but the swelling of his nose caused his eyes to tear up anyway.
King and fatherly gentled his voice, "Though your nose isn't broken it's still very swollen. Sorry, but there's not much to do about it except for you to go lie down on your bed in Starsky and yours sleeping cabin and put on your face a plastic storage bag filled with crushed ice cubes and zipped closed. Starsky, please go to the kitchen and get one while I go back to where Jeta is on this boat.
Fifteen minutes later Hutch griped and loudly so, "The ice in this thing is too melted and too lukewarm to do my nose anymore good!" Still lying all the way down on his bed, he took the bag off his face and flung it across the room. "Perfect shot! Right into the trash can!" He congratulated himself. "Now, I want to go get some candy to eat!"
"Since when do you like to eat that stuff!?"
"Since tonight! Got a problem with that pal?"
"Well, no."
"Okay then. Let's go back to the party room where the candy is at!"
Not a whole lot of time had gone by when, "There's a big wad of peanut butter taffy stuck on these front teeth here. It's like it's super glued on them. Can't get it off no matter how hard I try to pull it off with my fingers Starsk."
"Let me give it a go at trying to get it off."
"Can I trust you to do that without breaking off any of my teeth?"
"Boy Scout's honor that you can. And don't give me that line about how I can't say that 'cause I've never been a Boy Scout."
"Who, me? I wasn't even thinking about giving you that line. Now come on and get this taffy off. I must look silly with it on. Plus, if it stays on too much longer, it's going to give me cavities. I've never had even just 'one' before and don't want to ruin my reputation with my dentist."
"Be right back!"
"Where you going?"
"You'll find out soon enough!" Then he quickly returned and pinching something between his left thumb and index and middle fingertips.
"What's that you have there between them?" Hutch queried, looking at the thing very suspiciously.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Don't even recognize a metal toothpick when you see one. Shame, shame, shame on you!"
"Okay. I'm thoroughly shamed, so let's move on. What are you going to do with it?"
"Man! You sure are dumb! If you keep this up the next time you're driving us to Disneyland and see the street sign that has on it: Disneyland left. You're going to take it that the amusement park has taken off to somewhere else and turn the car around to try to find it!"
Hutch stuck his tongue out at Starsky.
When he'd had enough of doing that, "By the way, do you know who my favorite Disney character is?"
"Well, that's an extremely easy answer because Bambi is."
"How did you know that?"
"Because when you go take a walk in the woods and come back, you talk about the squirrels and birds and some other creatures you saw, but mostly you yak on about the deer you spotted."
"Right you are! Now give me that toothpick."
"No."
"Why no?"
"Because I want to pick instead of pull that wad of taffy still on your teeth off with it. It will be fun!"
"Won't be fun for me if you stick any of my gums with it."
"I promise. Boy Scout's honor that I won't stick any of them with it."
"Okay. Go for it picking off this taffy."
"Need you to smile broader and with those two fingers there on your right hand raise up your upper lip." Then a break in the talking when Starsky commended his dental patient with, "You're doing so good Blondie continuing to do that while I continue to work at picking this taffy off!"
He was concentrating on getting the last bit of taffy off his best friend's teeth, but accidentally moved the toothpick up too high, "Ow! Accidentally or not you got me with that metal and sharply pointed thing anyway! This gum above this one front tooth here is bleeding!" Hutch whined and immediately after he'd quickly jerked his head back and away from Starsky's hand.
######################################################################################################
"That's gross Hutch! Spitting your blood into that whatever that thing's called."
"Called a… Oh, I forgot the real name for it. But it's a type of container that the ancient Japanese used for spitting things into."
"You're kidding me. Right?"
"Need to spit some more blood into it!"….."Okay, done! And Boy Scout's honor, including Sea Scouts a program of the Boy Scout's with particular emphasis on boating and water-based activities, that I'm not."
"Still don't know how you were a Sea one being fifteen hundred miles away from a sea."
"Well, even though I've told you before that it wasn't easy, I have a confession to make."
"Oh? Cough it up. I want to hear this. Should be interesting."
"You don't have to be near a sea or an ocean to be one. Can be close to a river or a lake. There's some nearby or in Duluth, Minnesota, but the closest that's only three miles from my parents' house in Duluth is a part of Lake Superior, and the Sea Scout group I was a member of meeting house sat on the shore on."
"Boring. Boring. Boring. Not interesting at all. Excuse me while I yawn."
"Wait!"
"Okay! You've got my full attention!"
"You know what a regatta is?"
"I actually do. It's a race. So, what's your point?"
"The point is that it was the end of September and late afternoon and for that time of year in Duluth it was surprisingly warm enough no one needed to wear a jacket, our Scout leader had divided us into different teams. Each team was sitting in their own rowboat and with enough paddles, we raced back and forth across that cove on the lake. But before we were through finding out which team could beat which to the final finish buoy, I got a big charley horse in both of my calves. The muscle spasms were so very painful when thankfully they finally stopped! But after I got home, they returned with an even greater vengeance! Thought I was going to die before Dad, grasping my ankles with his hands, stretched out my legs for a long enough of time to put an end to the spasms! Although, after that, he had me often rub Ben-Gay on my calves, they still stayed sore and up until the week ended!"
"Though I feel for you buddy. Really, I do! Your tale is anyhow still quite boring. Tell me something that isn't."
"Okay. Almost a year later but at night and it was darker than the ace of spades outside but the hallway's ceiling lamp chandelier was casting enough light into my room, I was sixteen-years-old and in bed. When I woke up and before the stroke of midnight, I saw some ghosts!"
"Real ones!?"" Starsky asked, his eyes wide-opened as was humanly possible.
"Yeah!"
"Cool!...Um wait! Were these friendly or mean ghosts!?"
"Great question! Those ghosts were mean!"
"How so!?"
"With their bare hands they tore off all my room's windows the curtains and ripped them to shreds! Wouldn't have been so bad, but those curtains were a limited edition and had on them action photos of some baseball players for the Minnesota Twins!"
"Mean ghosts they were alright! I originally hail from Brooklyn, but I'm a huge fan of not the New York Yankees or even the Mets, but of the Minnesota Twins!"
"You are? Since when?"
"Since tonight!"
"Oh!"
######################################################################################################
"Gentlemen. I'm inviting you to play pinata with some of my other guests. Whoever breaks it open with the stick gets the $10,000 inside the pinata!"
"Wow! To be able to give that kind of money away on a game you must be rich!"
"Now who's dumb? Huh Starsk?"
"So, what you're saying Hutch is that I'm now stupid?"
"Yeah. Got a problem with that?"
"Hmmm. Let me think this over for a bit. Okay. I'm through. I don't have one at all if you have a great reason why you think I'm now stupid."
"You told Xavier here that he must be rich, but it's more than obvious that he is with how big his boat is!"
"Woo-Hoo! You got me on that one! Give yourself a grand pat on the back and then let's go play pinata!"
As the Bay City, California detectives were walking to go do so, Starsky held a palm up in front of Hutch's face, making him come to a speedy halt.
"Hey! What's wrong!?"
"Nothing!"
"Then why did you hold your palm up in front of my face for and make me stop like that?"
"Well it's not to tell you that your blond hair also has some curl to it and even though it does. Is 'cause I want you to tell me another story!"
Trying to think of one by scratching his chin with his right hand's trimmed fingernails, "Okay. Got one. It's been a while since Dad and I have had a tickling fight, but when we do, he calls me, 'Twinkle toes.'"
"Twinkle toes? That's hilarious!"
"How so!?" Hutch was offended at Starsky's remark!
"Because Twinkle toes means someone whose quick and light on their feet and you can't dance!"
"You've never seen me line dance before. I'm really good at it!" Will you take my word for it?"
"Sure. Why not."
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome!"
"Hey, we strayed off the topic of the tickling fights. I'm also quick and light on my feet during them and get some tickling Dad in before he even has a chance to tickle me, and that's how come he calls me, 'Twinkle toes.' Then when I start goading him with, 'What's the matter King- your royal highness? Afraid I'm going to beat the socks off you?' It eggs him on enough that all in all we're even on whose won the fights."
"Would love to see a tie-breaker!"
"Maybe someday you will! Now if we hurry, we might make it to play pinata and before it starts after all. If I win, I want to buy a guitar at McDermott's in Bay City that cost ten thousand dollars."
"How much!?" Starsky was incredulous. Not believing that a guitar would be that much.
"What are you deaf? Said it cost ten thousand dollars."
"I heard you the first time! But why so expensive?"
"It has a maple top with a flawless feel to it and enhanced body contours. A mahogany body that has a rich, warm, focused sound. A one-piece mahogany neck with a warm tone with great endurance, and it's signed by Chet Atkins known as 'Mr. Guitar' and 'The Country Gentleman'."
"Wow! Sounds like a great guitar and looky there Blondie! The pinata looks like a mermaid!"
"I have two good eyes. I can see that it does."
"So sue me for mentioning it in the first place that it looks like one!"
"I would, but you're too broke to pay me even if you win playing pinata and get the ten thousand dollars inside it!"
"Hardy-Har-Har. You're a real hoot!"
"Thank you for the compliment!"
"Anytime buddy!"
######################################################################################################
The lady's eyes were blindfolded and then she swung the stick at the pinata and so forcefully, it flew right out of her hands!
"Ouch!" Hutch couldn't help but yell. Having been whacked and hard on the side of his forehead with the thing!
"Oh! Did I hit someone with it!?" She cried and fretfully so.
"No. Something else happened to me to make me holler."
"So sorry to hear that, but I'm glad I didn't hit you with the stick!"
Out of earshot of the woman, "That was very nice of you to lie to her about not hitting you with it, Son." Jeta further praised him by kissing his cheek again. Though this time she was wearing clear lip gloss.
"Thanks Mom. But I'm fine."
"Well, on further looking you over Kenny, you must have a huge headache with that nasty bruise on the side of your forehead. Let me get some extra-strength aspirin out of my purse to give you."
"Still going to pass on you giving me it. Go finish your Sprite and lime sherbet punch."
"Okay. Ta-da dear!"
######################################################################################################
"Kenny, I mean Hutch!" Starsky quickly corrected himself.
"What Starsk?"
"You should have let her give you the aspirin because I can see that you're really hurting. What with the way that you're wincing."
"Still would have needed to pass on taking it. Especially since aspirin… acetylsalicylic acid… and alone doesn't give my digestive system any grief, but taking it combined with not that long ago eating quite a lot of whatever that candy in a bowl is that are red, oblong, chewy, and cinnamon-flavored would give me a case of heartburn a lot more painful than this headache is!"
"Oh. That candy! They're called Hot Tamales."
"So now you see how come I couldn't take the aspirin and even with swallowing them down with a big and tall glass of ice-cold water."
They then heard a man with a full-bodied and loud enough of a voice that it reverberated off some of the party room's walls joyously shout, "I broke the pinata open with the stick! I'm rich enough now to purchase myself this $10,000 guitar at McDermott's and in Bay City that I've had my eyes on!"
"Well, there goes you buying it Blondie." Starsky stated, giving Hutch a sympathetic pat on his back.
"It's for the best anyway that he's getting it instead of me. Though I can take my arm out of this sling for long enough to wash my hair and shower afterwards, can't take it out long enough to play but a few songs on the guitar I have now. And even then, I hope I don't drop it on the floor and break it."
"About your bicep and how it also got hurt and the next night after you tripped over the skateboard and landed on the floor on your lower arm...
Hutch cut him off, "I don't want to talk about it anymore. Not now anyway."
######################################################################################################
"So, what's your mom Jeta's middle name?"
"Faye."
"Does she have a sister?"
"Yes. Greta."
"Gret for short?"
"Yep."
"What's her middle name?"
"Raye."
"So, are your mom and her sister twins?"
"Nope."
"What's your Dad's middle name?"
"Braxton."
"Like yours is?"
"Yes, and you sure are being nosey!"
"Not nosey. Just inquisitive!"
"Okay, I'll give you that, but I'm going to give you what is well-known as the Hutchinson finger as a warning if you ask too many more questions pertaining to my family, I'm going back to telling you that you're being nosey!"
Starsky then asked six more of them when he saw Hutch give him the finger. Hum, should he dare ask yet another one?- "Sure, why not?" he thought.
"Do you have a brother?"
"Now that was awfully stupid question because you know I don't."
"Okay, it was an awfully stupid one, so how 'bout this not dumb question about your family...
"Starsky, I'm warning you that if you ask another question about my family and whether or not it's a dumb or good one I'm going to throw you off this boat!"
"If there's a life jacket somewhere for me to first put on then I'm cool with you doing that!"
"Sure you are Starsk! Sure you are! I can hardly keep from laughing at you!"
