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Wait For Us! – Friday Fictioneers

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Good Wednesday, dear Readers.  Hope your first day of Summer is filled with sunshine (for those of you in the northern hemisphere, that is) or at least, like me, with bits and spurts of sunshine between showers!  If you are in the southern hemisphere, hopefully your first day of winter is nice and mild.

We are once again gathered for a weekly 100-word story-telling session from folks all ’round the world.  Pretty darn cool, if you ask me.  And if you don’t, well that’s okay too.

Thank you to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for keeping all us ducks in a row and this week, thank you to Ted Strutz for a photo that brought me back a few years to an event that is quite a memorable one.  Sadly I can only give you bits and spurts but let me assure you, the longer version is a hoot and a half.  Hopefully this one still comes through as funny.

Should you wish to participate, then by all means, click on Rochelle’s name and get the hows and whys and if you just want to read more stories, then click on the blue frog.

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Copyright © Ted Strutz

Genre:  Remembery (yes, I decided to call it that)

Word count:  100 – always

Wait For Us!

After spending the day in Sint Maarten, we gave ourselves 60 minutes to return the Jeeps and make our way to the cruise ship.

Traffic jam!  In “downtown” Philipsburg?  Really?  Over the walkie-talkie, Sébastien said,  “If I make a move, will you follow?”

“Right”, said Mick, “Follow!  You’re crazy! We’re not even moving!”

“Just follow me!”

Movie-like, Sébastien, shifted to the left onto the sidewalk and drove past the traffic jam, pedestrians scattering in all directions.

We three families followed, dropped off the Jeeps and ran like crazy up the pier.

“Wait for us!!!” we yelled before the ship pulled away.

94 thoughts on “Wait For Us! – Friday Fictioneers”

  2. Hmm, since this is “Genre: Remembery” I am assuming that you were in one of those mad Jeeps making those poor pedestrians jump for safety (Yes, trying to make it sound as bad as possible ;)) For four or five years my parents spent three weeks every winter down there. i forget if it was the French or Dutch side. Whichever, they loved it.

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  5. Dear Dale,

    I hope you made it to the ship. After all of that it would’ve been a shame not to. I’m looking forward to the unedited version. (with four part harmony 😉 ). Well done and fun.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Rochelle,
      We did… by the skin of our teeth. The ship was due to leave at 4:30 and we sailed away at 4:45.
      Ahem.
      Lotsa love,
      Dale
      P.S. Yes, I will be sharing the full story!

      Liked by 1 person

    • Crazy. I can tell you we were taken quite aback at the situation! Never would have made it without my brother-in-law’s crazy idea…

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  7. Traffic seems to be getting worse everywhere, even in places you wouldn’t expect it. Glad you made it back to the ship in time!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Yikes! Now THAT’S a trip, all right. I got this image of people diving into ditches. Who were your drivers, Larry Moe and Curly?
    Now, if you want people driving like maniacs, you need to go to Israel. They do it while talking on cell phones.

    Five out of five “Make way for the Red Ball Express!” 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    • Oh there is more to the story, Russell… I did hang out – of a golf cart that was sent down the pier to pick us up!!!

      Like

  14. All that, and you still missed the ship. Sorry, have to laugh. It’s one thing, in all the time I did travel that I didn’t do – miss the ship, that is. Love how you told this, can picture the scene, and it as funny as it is insane, as it is dangerous. So glad no one was hurt.

    Liked by 1 person

      • Indeed. I took out a sidewalk once…in winter, downtown Columbus, Ohio on a very icey and slick day. A police cruiser in front of me lost control and started to spin. Evasive maneuvering had me missing people, parked cars, meters & poles to come to a gentle, slushy, sliding stop on the capitol lawn. All the officer said to me when he finally skated over to my car was “Damn, that was Damn good driving lady.”. No ticket, just a release to carefully slide back down to the street. And that is fact! 🙂 ❤

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  17. This was loads of fun and I’m sure it was quite an adrenaline rush in real life. Just a heads up, in your first line you have Sint instead of Saint.

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  18. Good you made it to the ship. That would have made running over the pedestrians worthwhile.

    Or maybe you need a disclaimer:
    No pedestrians were harmed during the making of this story 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  19. My first thought on the pic …. The car is about to drive into a Transformer ship.

    After reading the story, I read the comments … so this crazy tale happened? …. or should I ask did this tale of crazy people happen?

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Gosh! I know the feeling. I almost got left behind on an uninhabited island by a tourist boat and when I made it to the boat the rest of the passengers stood up and clapped. 😀 You told the story very humourously, I was almost there 🙂

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    • We got to the hot tub after that, big drink in hand and fellow hot tubbers sais ‘Hey, you hear these losers held up the ship?’ I held up my hand and said ‘that would be us…’ 😎😄

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  21. What a story, Dale. I also want to read the full unabridged story. I had an experience like that racing for a plane and my uncle sped over the railway crossing just as the boom gate was coming down.
    I am getting quite an education on island travel through this prompt. My flash was set crossing Bass Strait from Tasmania to Mainland Australia.
    Hope you’ve had a great week.
    xx Rowena

    Liked by 1 person

    • Now I really have to write it!
      That must have been wild – did your uncle hit the boom gate?
      Will be getting to yours later today!
      Have a great week-end!

      Like

  29. You’ve just written about one of my ngihtmares. We cruise a lot. I’m always concerned when we tour around whatever port we’re at that the ship is going to leave without us. 😳
    Fun way to write about a sometimes stressful situation. Sounde like a ‘Smoky and the Bandit’ episode. An enjoyable read, Dale.
    Isadora 😎

    Like

  33. I can imagine the faces when you saw the ferry disappear out of the harbour. Never for once think that traffic jam can’t happen, even in the smallest of place. Well, maybe on an island without any vehicles…

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  35. I guess it happens that cruise ships leave passengers behind, who don’t make it back after the day trip. What a predicament to be in?! A rather funny take on the prompt, which was delightful and refreshing, given that most of us headed a dark way.

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  36. This sounds like some of the motor rickshaws here in India but they’re careful not to hit pedestrians. They’ll get you there even if some sidewalk is involved. The first time I saw someone on a motorcycle on the sidewalk my mouth must have been hanging open. I think the police are cracking down though. Good writing, Dale. It sounded like one of those car chases in the movies. 😀 — Suzanne

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  37. In the past, they call this a close call in making the ferry. Now days, they call it terrorist, driving on the sidewalk. I like the old days when you were just trying to make the ferry.

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