Catch of the Day

“You’re an incurable romantic, Mandy Mayes!” Mandy and her best friend, Jessica, sat on a bench at the town marina eating their lunch. They both worked at the county courthouse, which was conveniently located a block away. It was a beautiful July day, and they were watching the preparations for the 4th of July fireworks celebration to be held the following night.

“What’s wrong with wanting fireworks? When I meet the man I love, I want fireworks at our first kiss!”

“Good luck. After 10 years with George, my firecrackers have fizzled out. Maybe we’re too old for fireworks?”

“Don’t say that, Jess! Thirty is not too old. The right man is here... somewhere. He just hasn’t found me yet.”

With lunch over, they walked along the dock on their way back to the courthouse, admiring the many sailboats in the slips.

“Well, will you look at that hunk.” Jessica nodded toward a tanned, shirtless man on the bow of a sailboat, coiling a rope.

“Shhhhhhh. Good grief, Jess, he’ll ...arggghhhhhhhh!” Mandy’s purse flew into the air as she tripped over the stump of a piling, and fell head first off the dock into the river.

“Oh no!” Jessica screamed. “ Help! Help!” She dropped to her knees at the edge of the dock looking for signs of life below.

Mandy’s head popped up through the surface of murky green water, coughing and choking. A split second later, another head broke through the surface. A man wrapped an arm under Mandy’s chin and pulled her, lifeguard style, to the dock ladder about 15 feet away. Gagging and choking, she climbed the ladder and stood on the dock, a puddle of water forming at her feet. Her dress was clinging to her body like plastic wrap, and she knew her mascara must be running rivers of black down to her chin. She turned to see her rescuer leaning over, hands on knees, catching his breath.

“You ok?” He asked in a deep velvet voice. He looked up at her with the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Between the eyes and the voice, her stomach did a somersault and she was struck speechless. Oh he’s a hunk, all right, and I look like Godzilla! She was mortified.

“Oh, Mandy, what a mess you are!” Jessica was clutching Mandy’s purse, as well as her own. “I’ll go back to the office and tell them what happened. You need to go home and change, so give me your keys and I’ll bring your car over.”

“Before you take off, let me get you a towel,” the velvet voice piped in. He climbed aboard the sailboat he had previously stood on, and disappeared below.

“Do you believe this? I look like the Creature of the Black Lagoon, and just look at him, practically a movie star!” Mandy dug around in her purse for the car keys and gave them to Jessica.

“Okay, I’ll be back in a flash.”

The stranger emerged from the sailboat and wrapped a large blue towel around Mandy’s shoulders. She dabbed at her cheeks in hopes of removing any runaway mascara, but without a mirror it was a futile effort.

“I haven’t had a chance to thank you for saving me, Mr....Mr.?”

“Scott Wilson.”

“Thank you, Scott Wilson. I’m Mandy Mayes. I normally don’t do circus tricks like this in public.”

“There’s always a first time for everything! That was quite a dive you took. I’ve seen you here before, having lunch.”

“Jessica and I work at the courthouse, and eat here when the weather is good.”

“Is that so? You’ll be seeing me around the courthouse in the future. I just joined the law firm, Jones, Blake & Smith.”

"Oh great, nowhere to hide. She wanted to put the towel over her head and disappear, but Jessica, mercifully, drove up in the Toyota and she made a dash for it.

“Thanks again, Mr. Wilson.”

“Keep the towel,” he called after her. “You can give it to me the next time you’re here. I’m living on my boat until the closing on my condo, so I’ll be around.”

Mandy sat on the towel in her car and, with trepidation, sneaked a peek at her reflection in the rear view mirror. “Oh no! It’s worse than I thought!” Splotches of mascara covered each cheek, and her hair hung damp and limp like seaweed.

“Good going, Godzilla.” She said to the monster in the mirror as she drove home.

The next day, she appeared at work wearing the nicest outfit she could dig out of her closet. The blue towel sat clean and folded on her desk, waiting to be returned to its owner at lunch time.

“Good morning. County Courthouse,” she answered, when her desk phone rang.

“Mandy, I just saw Mr. Movie Star come in the building.” It was Jessica, calling from her office downstairs. “He had a suit on, and he just got in the elevator.”

As she hung up the phone, Scott Wilson passed her door. She grabbed the folded towel and ran around her desk, hoping to catch up to him.

“Mr. Wils...arghhhhhhhhhhh!” It was unbelievable. She had tripped over her own feet, landing face down, half in and half out of the doorway. Hearing the thud, Scott Wilson turned around.

“Oh, hello Miss Mayes. Is this your office?”

The velvet voice did not reflect any surprise at finding her sprawled on the floor of the courthouse. He helped Mandy to her feet. She was still clutching the towel, which was no longer neatly folded.

“Uh....your towel, Mr. Wilson.”

“Why don’t you give it to me at lunch, Miss Mayes? I’ll come by and pick you up...again.” A little smile raised the corners of his mouth.

By the time lunch was over, Mandy and Scott were calling each other Mandy and Scott, and had a date to watch the fireworks that evening on Scott’s boat.

Feeling patriotic, Mandy dressed in blue Capri pants and a red and white sleeveless shirt. She checked out her trim figure in the full length mirror hanging on her bedroom door, and gave a nod of approval.

At the marina, her sandaled feet tread carefully along the dock as she made her way to Scott’s slip. No tricks tonight, she warned herself. She was determined to show Scott Wilson that she was not a total klutz. She gracefully stepped onto his sailboat. So far, so good, Godzilla!

Scott complimented her patriotic attire, and poured her a glass of wine. Darkness fell, as they sat side by side at the stern of the boat sipping their wine in the balmy night. While waiting for the fireworks display to begin, they admired the red, white and blue lights that were strung along the dock for the celebration.

“You’re quite entertaining, Mandy Mayes.” Scott turned to look her in the eye. “I’ve never met anyone like you.” He held his glass up in a toast and, as Mandy raised hers, the wake of a motorboat in the channel caused the sailboat to roll sharply over its choppy swell. Mandy felt her rump slip backwards off the transom.

“Arghhhhhhhh!” Over she went into the dark murky water. This can’t be happening! She frantically righted herself and battled her way to the surface. Treading water, she squinted through her dripping hair to see a small crowd gathering at the edge of the dock under the string of lights. She felt Scott’s arms around her, as he once again pulled her to the dock ladder.

“You two okay?” asked a voice overhead.

“You bet!” Scott answered. “It’s just my catch of the day!”