Tobias saw his grandfather’s beat up Mercury parked at the bar. That meant the old man was waiting for him. He had a decision to make.
He sighed inwardly. Then he told Maryanne to go on without him. He said his grandfather was there to take him back to the house where he was staying. She said she understood, and that she hoped they would meet up again, perhaps for another reef dive before he flew back home.
Toby entered the bar and saw his grandfather sitting in a small booth not too far from the counter. The old man raised a drink in his direction when he saw him. Toby put on a smile as he walked over to him.
“Ready to go, Grandpa?”
“You just get back from your scuba dive?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How was it?”
Toby looked around and winced. The atmosphere was years beyond him, what with its darkened interior, old-time fishnets and buoys. He felt uncomfortable being in here.
His grandfather noticed his discomfort. “Sit down, Toby. I’ll buy you a drink.” Then the old man motioned at the empty space across the table.
Toby went ahead and sat down. His grandparents were being gracious enough to put him up during Spring Break. And if Grandpa Tobas was going to buy him a drink anyway…
Toby was named after his grandfather. But as a kid, he’d shortened the pronunciation of Tobias. It was deemed too cute to correct, and the name Tobas had stuck.
The old man motioned at the bartender and waved him to come over. “Vas. Bring one over for my grandson!” Then he smiled at Toby as he added, “I hope you like Greek beer.”
Toby tried not to scowl too much. As long as it didn’t taste bad, he figured he could stomach it.
The old man asked him again, “So how was the diving today, Toby?”
The college lad thought about it. How much should he enlighten his grandfather? After all, he didn’t see him all that much.
“I guess it was all right. In fact, I kind of liked it.” Thankfully, the scenery had been replete with scantily clad females.
“Any chicks in the water with you today?”
Toby gave him a curious eye. “Yeah, grandpa; there were a few.”
“Any that were good-looking?” Now that was an interesting question!
Toby became impatient. He going to complain how he’d lost the opportunity to hang out with one when he’d seen his grandpa’s Mercury and had been reminded who he was staying with. That’s when the bartender came over with a glass filled with a pale yellow fluid and set it down in front of the college youth.
“Vas? This is my grandson Tobias Sideris. He likes to go by the name Toby.””
“Nice to meet you, son.” A grizzled hand came out. Toby shook it and thanked him for the drink.
“It’s on me,” the bartender said with a smile. “So you’re Tobias’ grandson, eh? You sure look like a chip off the old block.”
Tobias immediately cut in on the bartender. “Now don’t be goin’ doin’ that, Vas. I’ll get his tab.”
“It’s on me, Tobias. I’m just glad you came in today. It’s been nice reliving old times.”
“Thanks, Vas.” Then the old man headed back to the bar.
Toby tried to make polite conversation as he nodded at the departing bartender. “So how long have you known him, Grandpa?”
“Ever since I was out here sponge fishing. Bar’s certainly seen better days. But Vas still imports Greek beer. How’s it taste?”
Toby winced as he took a sip. Then he frowned before taking a longer slug. “Not bad, Grandpa,” he admitted grudgingly.
“I thought you’d like it. After all, you’ve got some Greek blood in you.”
“So you were out here sponge fishing, Grandpa? I never knew that.”
“That was back in the ol’ hardhat days. That equipment was hellish heavy. Boy, was I glad when they came out with those Voit, double-hosed scuba tanks.”
Now Toby was interested. “You went down for sponges in both hardhat gear and scuba gear?? Damn, Grandpa! You’re old!”
The old man rubbed his whitened hair. That’s when Toby blushed. “I didn’t mean it like that, Grandpa. I’m sorry. It’s just that they haven’t done hardhat diving in years! I didn’t know you used to do that!”
“We don’t get to see each other all that often, Toby. So I haven’t told you a lot of things. I’m just glad your mom’s letting you stay here with us during Spring Break.”
“You really dove for sponges in double-hosed scuba gear?” Now he was more than a little curious. After all, he’d just returned from diving a reef with a bunch of Spring Breakers.
“That’s before they came out with those single hosed contraptions. By then, your grandmother wanted me to settle down into a life more stable than being out in the Keys all day. I suppose that’s because she was jealous of all the hookers in the area.”
Toby’s ears picked up even more. “Hookers? What hookers, Grandpa?”
Tobias hollered over at the bartender. “Hey, Vas! When did they close down the Dew Drop Inn?”
“Tore it down in the early sixties” came the reply.
“Thought so,” Tobias said to his grandson. “I thought that was back in the sixties. That’s where the hookers took their johns.”
Toby was shocked. “Grandpa, you don’t mean to say you, uh…?”
“A guy’s got needs, son. That was before I met your grandmother. Of course, that changed once the scuba tanks and those double-hoses came on the scene. That made us fisherman stay out in the Keys for days at a time. So there were days when the hookers around here didn’t get that much action because we were all out to sea.”
The old man motioned around as he continued. “Back then, there was nothing but bars, a couple of churches, a few homes, and the marina. Life was wide open. Us guys were out trying to make a buck. So we headed out and fished for sponges, and for anything else that might pay us. And when we weren’t coming back to shore to see the girls that often? That’s when they got the bright idea to bring their business out to us.”
Toby was in the middle of another sip of his beer when he stopped and put down his drink. “They were coming out to you, Grandpa?”
“They were trying to make a living too, Toby. So they’d come out on the boats they bought. And they’d do whatever we paid ‘em to do.”
“You’re joking; right, Grandpa?”
He turned and hollered at the bartender, “Vas, you still got that picture Minardos gave you?”
The old man at the bar walked over to a counter and reached underneath. Then he brought a piece of paper over to them. “You really want him to see this, Tobias?”
“Sure; why not?” Vas just shook his head and gave it to him before walking back.
Toby was curious. “What’s that, Grandpa?”
“This is a picture my dive partner Minardos took of me climbing onto the Pussy Galore.”
“You’re bullshitting me, Grandpa!”
“See for yourself.” Then the old man handed it over.
Toby took a quick look at it. It was black and white. But it clearly showed a young man climbing aboard a boat named the Pussy Galore.
Two hookers stood there holding hands. They were both decked out in twin-hosed scuba gear. And both of them were topless.
He stared at it in surprise, ogling the bare-chested women. Then he murmured, “So that’s where the name of that Bond girl came from.”
“What was that, Toby?”
“Nothing, Grandpa.”
He started to hand it back over. Then he took it back and looked at it real hard. “Topless Scuba Escort? Grandpa, were those really the rates they charged you for them to go topless?”
“It was a real treat to see them topless underwater in scuba gear, Toby. We were making pretty good money back then. So naturally, we paid ‘em those rates.”
“They look like a couple of hotties, Grandpa.”
“They sure were, Toby.”
The college lad handed it back. Then he leaned forward conspiratorially. “You know, Grandpa? Today during our dive session? There was a girl who flashed me her tits while we were underwater.”
The old man chuckled. “Did you get a good look?”
“She was going to give me a ride back to where she was staying, Grandpa. I didn’t know when I was going to get back to you and Grandma. So I stayed behind and came here.”
The old man winced. “You stayed here with me and missed out? I’m sorry about that, Toby. Maybe you should have gone with her.”
He sounded genuinely apologetic. Toby smiled and waved dismissively. “I’m glad I stayed, Grandpa. The beer’s not bad. Besides, I never knew you went scuba diving or went out with hookers. So you got to see them topless?”
“Sometimes we’d have them down with us while we were picking up sponges. They charged more the deeper they went. It was impressive the way they would learn to scuba dive just to pick up some extra cash by letting us see their tits.”
“Wow, Grandpa! I never knew!” Then Toby paused before carefully asking, “Did you, uh… did you ever do anything more out there in the ocean with ‘em besides looking at their tits?”
“Funny you should ask. There was this one…”
Toby’s ears perked up. “Really? Tell me about her!”
“Well, she was out working a boat, just like the one in the picture. Only she was willing to do a little more, if you know what I mean.”
“A little more what, Grandpa?”
“Well, we sort of had this agreement. I paid her to go down topless and help me pick up sponges. I told her I’d pay her extra if she found enough sponges. Then I’d pay a little more if she did something… special.”
Now Toby was all ears. In fact, his cock was starting to stiffen shamefully in his pants. “Tell me more, Grandpa!”
“Well, this lady went down with me and found a bunch of sponges. That earned her a little extra. Then she… well… she pulled down my trunks and gave me a blowjob.”
“Down there at the bottom of the ocean?” Toby was shocked.
“It’s not that deep out in the Keys, Toby.”
“Damn, Grandpa! Did you cum in her mouth?”
“She swallowed it all like a true hooker. So I went ahead and paid her extra. She did all that while using that double-hosed gear.”
“Damn, Grandpa! I’m not sure I believe that!”
He pointed over at the bartender. “Vasileios over there knows. I told him all about it.”
“Wow, Grandpa; I’m impressed. Anything else?”
“Well, yes.”
“Tell me!” Then Toby eagerly leaned forward. He wanted to hear the whole story in case he might get a chance to practice something later on with that Maryanne girl during another reef dive.
“Well, this one chick went down topless. I paid her for helping me find sponges. Then I paid her extra for… well…”
“What? Tell me!”
“We fucked at the bottom of the ocean.”
“Holy hell, Grandpa! That’s… that’s incredible!”
“We actually did it on several occasions. But we had to put a stop to it once she got pregnant.”
Toby’s eyes flew open. “You got her pregnant, Grandpa?”
“Yes, I did. So I did the honorable thing and married her. I gave up going out with hookers, and she gave up the business. Nine months later, we had your mother.”
Toby was incredulous. “Damn, Grandpa! That’s an incredible story!”
“Vas here knows all about it.” But Tobias decided not to tell his grandson that the bartender had once had a go at his future wife while she was still hooking.
Toby’s expression suddenly changed as though he’d been hit by a bolt from the blue. Then he stretched out a hand. “Let me see that picture again, Grandpa.”
The old man looked at him funny. Then he handed it over. Toby grabbed it and stared… and then stared harder.
No! It couldn’t be! That one on the right looked like…
“That’s right,” Tobias told his grandson. “That’s your grandmother. That’s the one I fucked at the bottom of the ocean. I met her on the Pussy Galore. But I’d rather you keep that little piece of information to yourself. Minardos gave it to Vas, who likes to gawk at it every now and then. Maybe he thinks she’s the one that got away. Anyway, I think she believes that picture has been lost to posterity. If she ever finds out you’ve see it, your grandmother would probably kill me.”
3-25-23 Inspired by the JustPaul render, and by his input.