November 11

I paid a visit to Tracey today to see if I could get the keys to The Poinsettia.  That’s the name of Captain Tom’s boat.  You see, despite being a scary, scraggly old man, he was always a big fan of Christmas.  During the two and a half years Tracey and I dated, he got me the following gifts:

1)      The sharp part of a rusty anchor he covered with decorative bows.

2)      The Idiot’s Guide to Talking Like a Sailor™.

3)      A 25-piece puzzle of the prospector character from Toy Story 2.

Tracey seemed happy to see me.  She gave me a big hug and then welcomed me inside.  I immediately saw the affects of her father’s disease, because the back door to her house let you into the kitchen.  The fridge was pocked with holes, and the door was missing.  I commented on the state of the fridge, and asked Tracey how she kept her frozen goods viable.  She pointed to a locked door on the opposite wall.  “There’s a working one in there,” she said.  Captain Tom didn’t even acknowledge my presence.  Maybe he doesn’t remember me.