“But …”
“We’ll pick up frozen waffles at the store.”
“I wanted pancakes …”
“There’s no need for you two to leave, sir,” says Ceepak, picking up a napkin to dab at his lips.
“Well, I sure don’t want to sit here eating breakfast with Big Brother’s nose up my butt.”
He means Ceepak and me. We are the police state. The big, bad butt-sniffers.
“Then you are in luck,” says Ceepak. “My partner and I were just leaving. Danny?”
“I’ve got this one.” I lay some bills on the table, enough to pay for everything we would’ve eaten if, you know, we had ever ordered anything besides coffee.
“Have a good day.” Ceepak gives the father and son a crisp two-finger salute off his right brow.
Little Christopher salutes right back.
Super Man and I leave the building.
Yes. When you work with John Ceepak, sometimes you miss a meal.
“Sorry about that,” says Ceepak as we head toward the Boardwalk.
“No biggee. That poor kid needed somebody to stand up for him.”
“Indeed he did.”
It’s not even noon yet, but I can already smell the Italian sausages, green peppers, and onions sizzling on a greasy grill somewhere up ahead. My stomach gurgles so loudly, it sounds like I swallowed a demonic alien.
“Perhaps we can grab a quick bite at one of the boardwalk eateries,” suggests Ceepak.
“That’ll work,” I say. Curly fries, cheesesteaks, and funnel cakes-all part of a complete, nutritional breakfast.
We climb up the steep steps to Pier Two.
“There’s a Jumbo Jimmy’s cheesesteak place on the other side of Ye Olde Mill,” I say.
Ye Olde Mill is probably the oldest ride in all of Sea Haven. Not even a hurricane could knock it out business. A water wheel churns up turquoise blue water to make a gently flowing current that sends small boats drifting slooooowly down a lazy stream that’s maybe six inches deep.
Since the scenery is pretty lame-like department-store window displays done by lazy gnomes-and the lighting is extremely dim, guys and girls in their tiny two-seater boats don’t really have much choice but to start cuddling and canoodling in what has been unofficially called The Tunnel Of Love since 1949.