DEEP SEA DANGER
Episode 55: When Larry Met Billy
Larry's rotund near-naked frame sweltered in the glare of the midday sun. His tanned face scrunched into an anguished ball of pain as his hunched back slowly crisped in the heat. With a near mechanical action, the leather palms of his cracked hands fed a steady line of cable into the ever hungry water. His pale blue eyes squinted at his watch from beneath wild unkempt eyebrows. “I really need to ask about that pay rise,†he considered briefly before hastily dismissing the idea as the realization set in that Doris was probably the only person crazy enough to employ him. It had been fifteen years now since she'd dragged him out of that bar in downtown Havana and sent him crashing face down into the gutter with one thunderous right hook*. Larry afforded himself a smile at the memory, rubbing the sandpaper that was his jaw as he licked the empty socket where the tooth had been with his whiskey soaked tongue. He and Doris had been friends and business partners ever since.
A couple of tugs on the safety line indicated a new request from the deep. He staggered back to his feet, placed his hands on his hips and arched his sagging body in an attempt to straighten out his heavily folded figure. Larry was certainly past his peak, and his peak really hadn't been anything more than a bump, but there was something about him that Doris valued. He was certainly cheap, but more importantly he was loyal and in a strange, whiskey-fueled way he was dependable. That in itself was vital for this line of employment
After a few minutes Larry retreated from the oxygen pump, wiping the stinging sweat from his eyes. Grabbing the ever present bottle, he tossed his head back and took a few thirsty swigs. “Wow," he croaked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "This stuff really hits the -â€. Larry was rudely interrupted by the billy club that came crashing down on the back of his skull. As he crumpled to the deck, the shadow of his assailant hovered over him menacingly.
“Oh boy,†sighed Larry's internal subconscious. “Out cold again.â€
*As covered in episode 2 - ‘Hullabaloo in Havana'
Episode 55: When Larry Met Billy
Larry's rotund near-naked frame sweltered in the glare of the midday sun. His tanned face scrunched into an anguished ball of pain as his hunched back slowly crisped in the heat. With a near mechanical action, the leather palms of his cracked hands fed a steady line of cable into the ever hungry water. His pale blue eyes squinted at his watch from beneath wild unkempt eyebrows. “I really need to ask about that pay rise,†he considered briefly before hastily dismissing the idea as the realization set in that Doris was probably the only person crazy enough to employ him. It had been fifteen years now since she'd dragged him out of that bar in downtown Havana and sent him crashing face down into the gutter with one thunderous right hook*. Larry afforded himself a smile at the memory, rubbing the sandpaper that was his jaw as he licked the empty socket where the tooth had been with his whiskey soaked tongue. He and Doris had been friends and business partners ever since.
A couple of tugs on the safety line indicated a new request from the deep. He staggered back to his feet, placed his hands on his hips and arched his sagging body in an attempt to straighten out his heavily folded figure. Larry was certainly past his peak, and his peak really hadn't been anything more than a bump, but there was something about him that Doris valued. He was certainly cheap, but more importantly he was loyal and in a strange, whiskey-fueled way he was dependable. That in itself was vital for this line of employment
After a few minutes Larry retreated from the oxygen pump, wiping the stinging sweat from his eyes. Grabbing the ever present bottle, he tossed his head back and took a few thirsty swigs. “Wow," he croaked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "This stuff really hits the -â€. Larry was rudely interrupted by the billy club that came crashing down on the back of his skull. As he crumpled to the deck, the shadow of his assailant hovered over him menacingly.
“Oh boy,†sighed Larry's internal subconscious. “Out cold again.â€
*As covered in episode 2 - ‘Hullabaloo in Havana'
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