Penny Max and the Runaway Lottery Ticket: Hilton Head Chronicles Part 1

X. In Which Kiki James Rises from the Waves

Warm-up: "Venus" by Bananarama

She appeared out of the ocean and the sun hit her white-gold hair stunningly as she shook the water out of it. As she adjusted her swimsuit, a sporty one piece that made it easy to use her SUP board, she was not unaware that some of the people lounging on the beach were watching her. She shrugged as though she was used to it.

Kiki moved to Hilton Head when she was 24 just as she was starting to get tired of what had seemed like a really great job. But instead it was just one manager after another trying to take advantage of her youth, her body and her skill sets and then taking credit for all of her work. She unexpectedly got a small windfall when an aunt she had never met died and left her some money. At first Kiki wasn't going to take the money from a person that never bothered to get to know her. But the situation at work made her rethink this initial decision and she decided to put the money into savings and contemplate.

At one point she had thought maybe California, But the cost of living made her concerned that it would be a little beyond her. So instead she focused on the East Coast and carefully set her plans. And when one more job disappointed her and one more male boss tried to take advantage of her, she made the decision to uproot the only life she had known and leave the area. Though it seemed rash on the outside of the decision to those who (only) kind of knew her, Kiki was confident in the plans she had been contemplating for more than a year.

So she sold most of her items including a used sports car she had bought with her first bonus (which hurt just a little) and packed up what she needed to keep, rented a small van, and drove down to Hilton Head. Though Kiki had never been to Hilton Head, she had done her research and thought it might be a good place to start anew.

Once she arrived - a Sunday - she drove straight to a hotel on the beach she had booked prior to departure. Once she checked in, she went for a walk on the beach and stood looking at the waves for awhile as she contemplated her next steps. And she felt the pride roll up her spine as she acknowledged to herself that she had done it. That she broke free from her expected life. Tears quietly rolled down her cheeks as she thanked whatever deity helped her. 

During that week, she looked for condos on the beach. She spent her mornings with a couple different real estate agents, lunch on her own and then spent the afternoons walking the various beaches, contemplating her new future. In the evenings she had dinner and then went back to her room and read magazines and watched sports programs. By Friday morning, she made her choice, and with the inheritance of an unknown aunt, put a down-payment on a brand new mini-condo at Folly's Field beach that had yet to be used by anyone.

Ever practical, she knew she had just enough for the down payment, a year of payments, plus a little left over to lease a vehicle and start up some kind of small business. She felt quiet pleasure in the anonymity of knowing no one, and she savored it. She stayed one more week at the hotel, having arranged to move into the condo early. And within two months of moving down to Hilton Head, the sporty blonde made the decision to open up a beach recreation business - The Mermaid Stand - renting out boards of all kinds, and later expanding to bikes and other recreational vehicles.

Now 3 years later, she had an assistant manager and a couple employees - retirees - and just enjoyed teaching classes of all kind in the water, including basic surfboarding, snorkeling, and of course the current craze of SUP boarding. She continued to lead a solitary life because she just enjoyed peace and quiet, but she was fond of some of her regulars to class, and that especially included Lar-Lar.

Almost 30 and young enough to be his daughter, and really even his granddaughter, that didn't stop him from trying to pick up the blonde athlete during his first private SUP board lesson, but Kiki immediately shut that down. And once she did, he acquiesced and began to share with her some of the funny anecdotes of his life and made her laugh. He liked making her laugh because though she was always kind, he sensed her aloneness underneath it all, like his own. And in that, they were kindred.

So she smiled as she saw him walk onto the beach with his board in hand. She was well aware that the reason he was doing these private lessons was to keep himself interesting to the 'girls of summer' he made his living from. He kept up with the latest and greatest fads and hobbies to do so. But she also could tell he lived a life of 'quiet desperation' like the author Thoreau described most men back in the 1800s, a little lost and looking for a purpose. Well for one hour a week, she gave him one, barking instructions at him like an Army General.

Afterwards, she would sit with him at the beach cantina and drink a green kale smoothie while he got a cold one from the bartender and he would tell her story after story about his (mis)adventures and life and his past and future dalliances. She laughed and listened and was always thoroughly amused by the old codger. This had gone on for more than a year and Kiki enjoyed his company, looking forward to lessons with him. She especially enjoyed his stories of Ruby Mae and suspected correctly that he was quite in love with her, but like herself, she believed that Ruby Mae put up with no nonsense and Lar-Lar was full of that.

But this time, Lar-Lar seemed a little distracted. During his lesson he kept falling into the water and all of her orders to pay attention did little to get him focused. She also noted that his balance was a little off, favoring his right side. Afterwards, as they sat at the cantina together, he didn't share any funny stories but instead sat quietly with her for awhile, catching his breath from the strenuous work-out. Finally she asked him if he was ok.

He took a drink from his glass and then looked directly at her. "I'm not sure," he said, and then spilled his habits of playing the numbers for years, using Kiki as his confessional, going on for 20 minutes at least. "But there's new people in town and they aren't playing around. They want their money and they want it quick." That's when Kiki noticed he was using his right hand to hold his glass. "Lawrence, let me see your left hand." He flinched as she reached for it and saw that it was bruised. She gently took it in hers and inspected it. "Lawrence, I think your pinky finger is broken. You need to get this taped up so it heals properly."

She called for Stella to grab her the bar's First-Aid kit. Stella who had already been listening already was heading toward it. The bartender pulled a small box out from under the short counter and she pulled out the tape. Kiki wrapped his pinky to his third finger with Stella's assistance. Lar-Lar flinched a little but allowed their ministrations to his hand. Then Kiki looked at him and in a low voice suggested he talk with the police chief, someone who was trustworthy to talk with. Lar-Lar looked to the ground and shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't hurt that bad and maybe it's a sign I need to get out of the numbers playing business," he said looking up at her and laughing a little. Stella was already back on the other side of the bar, but she had heard every word of that conversation. 

Kiki suspected he was in far deeper than he had admitted but she decided not to push him more at that point. "Just be careful Lawrence," she lightly joked with him. "You don't want to lose your good looks for the girls of summer over this.". He bid her his normal foppish farewell and headed to his convertible. The bartender caught her eye and said, "Excuse me for overhearing, but I think your gentleman friend is in a bit of trouble." Kiki agreed, handing back the First Aid kit. "I think I'm going to have to tell someone about this since I don't think he will," she said, as she watched his car pull away. 

Kiki realized she hadn't had lunch and her stomach reminded her that dinner was expected. She looked over at Stella, and decided to invite her to dinner, because she not only wanted the company, but decided she wanted the specific company of Stella. Kiki asked if she was getting off soon and referenced dinner. She watched as Stella paused and looked at her, as though weighing a few things in the balance. Then she watched her smile and heard her say yes, and realized that she too had a few things weighing in the balance, including hoping she would say yes, and the happiness she felt as Stella said. 

Want more? The tiki bar above was inspired by some of the beach bars in Hilton Head. https://hiltonheadhustle.com/best-beach-bars-on-hilton-head/