However, this story isn’t about the ship. Don’t worry I’ve got some stories to tell about the ship and all that we did, but this is about a really bizarre thing that happened on one of the islands we visited.
Our ports of call were St. Thomas, St. Maartin (that’s how they spell it) and Nassau.
So we’re on St. Thomas, one the Virgin Islands. We had walked around, shopped a little bit and had basically just been lazy. It ended up with the four of us, Melissa, Macy, Page (a friend we took with us) and me just sitting on the beach with hundreds of other people. We started getting hungry, so Melissa walked down the beach and found Thor.
Thor is a large, animated island resident who either works for one of the beach restaurants, or he simply makes money by looking crazy, taking people’s orders and playing waiter for tips. Either way, Thor has a very colorful personality that made eating on the beach much more fun than it usually is.
Anyway, the four of us, and the group next to us, both ordered from Thor. The group next to us had about six adults and their kids. They were ordering some pretty festive drinks and seemed to be having a pretty good time. I was a little jealous of the drinks, but I knew I had to somehow actually make it back to the ship, so I decided not enjoy one of their festive beverages.
Thor shows up, gives us our food and tells us he’ll be right back to collect the money. I get my money ready and start walking toward Thor and the festive drink group to pay. When suddenly, the guy from the festive drink group who is talking to Thor starts to look familiar. He had on dark sunglasses and that made it hard to be sure. That’s when I turned to Melissa.
“Look at the guy talking to Thor. Is that Tracy Ward?”
“No way…well, maybe.”
“Last time I saw Tracy he had hair, but I’ve seen him on Facebook, and it’s all gone now. So that could be him.”
At this point I yell, “TRACY!” He never stops talking to Thor.
“I guess not, it’s hard to tell with his sunglasses on.”
“Hugh, isn’t that Kathleen?”
It was at this point that I realized I had traveled thousands of miles from home, and was sitting on the beach next to my old buddy from my college days at Hardin-Simmons University, as well as, Seminary. We were actually headed to Tracey’s house back in 1990, when we were in the accident that changed my life forever. Come to think of it, Tracey is one of the few people who actually read this blog. Go figure?
Turns out it was Tracy Ward. We talked, laughed and hugged. Of course it never occurred to either one of us to take a picture, but the memory is all I need.
Turns out, if not for Thor’s loud “Hey! Look at me!” kind of personality, I may have never realized that I was soaking up the sun right next to my old friend.
Then we saw each other again at the airport as we were leaving Fort Lauderdale. Tracy got a picture of us on his iphone standing outside the airport. At least that was something.
Yep, it really is a small world…But I wouldn’t want to paint it.
Thor
2 comments:
You forgot to mention how fit and young I looked. That is why you thought it couldnt be me, right? I was just too ripped?
I was incredible to see you and your family. I sent you a couple of pictures, one from the airport and one from the beach that my friends took. Hope you got them.
You the man.
Tracy
Forget about it! You looked scrumptious! But my parents read this…I couldn’t go into how yummy you were if they’re going to read it.
But rest assure, your god-like form did not go unnoticed.
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