Cape May

The Other Side of Heaven

When we got to Cape May it was dark and Gabby and me bolted out of the car to see how many frogs we could catch. Besides the farting contests, as kids, we always were in competition as to how many frogs we could catch down in Cape May. We hadn't done that in years, but because of our newly found reconciliation last night, we felt like kids again. She didn't want to be mad at me any more than I wanted her to be mad at me. There was a huge pond behind the house where all kinds of wild things lived and there were huge bullfrogs that lived there. Frogs only come out at night, so we knew we had to do it then and there. One bullfrog was worth two regular frogs and so we darted out the car like a bat out of hell because we knew that once they knew we were there, they'd all disappear into the murky waters.

However, mommy did not care for any of that, and she called us back with a voice that left no question that there was not going to be any frogs that night.

"Bobbee, Gabee, get back here!

The next day was beautiful. The weather channel said it was going to be 82 degrees. Wow, that was hot for early May. Mommy made sure we went there the weekend before Memorial Day so as to have some quite time. Memorial Day weekend is like a zoo down in Cape May. Grandma thought it'd be nice to go to the beach after breakfast and just relax since it would be nice and empty.

We walked over to a place called the Lobsters Claw for breakfast. It was right across from the beach and would be open all day long in the summertime. It was one of our favorite places to eat in Cape May and we could easily walk to it from our house. Although it was not the Memorial Day weekend, the place was quite full. We sat by the huge windows so we could watch the people go by. Although grandma and mommy said they didn't, they did. They would watch people go by and start talking about them.

"Look at that woman, she got four kids in tow, she shouldn't be wearing that bathing suit. Her ass is spilling all out of it."

Or,

Ooooo, look at that pretty girl with that ugly guy. You know......"

And they'd spend the entire time talking about people walking by. I guess it is kinda fun doing that.

I ordered my favorite dish, Southern style cheesy eggs with bacon and their hot muffins slathered with sausage gravy. Gabby ordered what Gabby always orders, chicken fingers and French fries. Even when we would come here for dinner, she would order chicken fingers and fries or a cheeseburger with fries. Mommy would get exasperated with her.

"Gabby, this is a seafood restaurant, you can have chicken fingers and hamburgers anytime and anywhere you want. Order a fish, shrimp, a lobster or something for chrissake!"

Our breakfast came and I dug into it as if I hadn't eaten in weeks. There was always something about sausage gravy that drove me crazy. That was part of what I liked coming down to Cape May. Mommy let us order things we normally would not eat at home. As always, I reached over, stealth like and stole one of Gabby's chicken fingers before she could react. I always did that, so I don't understand how she wasn't more on guard for it.

'MOMMY, Bobby, took my chicken fingers!!"

"Bobby, give your sister back her chicken finger!"

And I did, but not before talking a bite out of it as I always do.

"I don't want it now after you bit into it." She exclaims with a face of disgust as she throws it back onto my plate, as if my biting it would impart some horrible disease onto her.

"Who knows what kind of germs you got, specially after kissing that sleazy Patty what's her name."

I let that one go. I wasn't going to be baited into an argument with her. We just got over being mad at each other. But I could still tease her. I was also surprised mommy or grandma didn't say anything about me kissing who ever.