Wednesday, November 7, 2012

BRENT HUGH? Panama Canal Cruise Part 8



Ed and I went out at 6:15 pm to watch the sunset;
 
 
Deck 6 was closed so we went to Deck 12, the Sports Deck.
Here we are
cruising somewhere in the Caribbean Sea
between Cuba and Aruba.
Our sunset revelry
is disturbed
when a voice from Deck 11
shouts up at us:
“Are you with that guy who wears a Bike MO T-shirt?”
“Yes.”
We had only been out two days,
how would he have us connected with
“that guy wearing the Bike MO T-shirt?”
“The thing that caught my eye,” he hollered,
“is the Missouri Bicycle Federation logo.”
“Yes, my son is the Executive Director
of the Missouri Bicycle Federation.”
“BRENT HUGH?”
he shouts.
“Yes!”
Imagine how strange it sounds
to be so far from home
out on a vast ocean
talking to a total stranger
and have him shout your son’s name?
We visit and talk about the Katy Trail
and how dry the summer was in Missouri.
He rides a recumbent also.
He is a card carrying member
of the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation.
“Brent’s doing a good job,
but don’t tell him you talked to me.
I have an idea. . .” Sims said.
It turned out he and his wife were on our same deck
so I chatted with them off and on during the cruise
as I met them in the elevator and elsewhere.
He explained how he planned to
surprise Brent with the news that he met me.
*
I couldn’t wait.
I spilled the beans
first time I talked to Brent.
For all I know,
they were round tripping
and would be gone for another
two weeks after
we got off.
How long did he expect
me to hold it in?

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