Surf City Visited by a Stork

The brisk cold winds felt like needles to my skin.  I felt mad my budget did not include a wind breaker.  . My legs felt heavy, but I needed a change. I passed the  Sugar Shack and Main Street eateries on the way to the pier.. A cold northerly replaced Surf City's three month heat wave. I crossed Ocean and made it to the concrete pier.
  I began a fast walk, but not too fast. My body felt heavy today.  A crowd of people watched the surfers dare to catch a set of large nine foot  waves. I peered over the railings . The boards looked like dots waiting for a set of monster wave and send them dashing towards shore. Only the brave dared to catch a wave today...Why even a Father held his son in front of him as a roller  sent them crashing to shore. Yes it was a magical mountain-sea-day today. I began to jog and then run.  I could make out Long Beach and even the rolling hills of  Palos Verdes. Why I even could see Trump playing golf at his Terran-ea Resort.
   I rubbed my eyes. I could not believe the picture up ahead. Now at 76, I have seen just about everything there is to see. .But this?..No-way!. I rubbed my eyes some more. Yes,  it was a Stork begging for food. The large beak was covered with shades of orange. It could rotate its head from side to side just like a ping pong ball to make sure an enemy was not lurking.
    A fisherman walked over with a  Bonita slice and parked it inside its long curved horn. The Stork tried and tried to gullet it down.  It was a bit too big. But finally, Susie lifted her long beak and shuttled it down. She turned her head half-around, but not worried that a shark or whale would attack her. A crowd of about twenty circled Sue to take pictures, and Susie with a full stomach obliged. She even kissed one who got too close. Too bad I didn't have my camera.
Edith, my Mom, first told me about the Storks when she returned from the hospital in 1948. I remember it well at nine years of age.
   "George, I wish to introduce Louise to you. A Stork brought her last night  She is your new baby sister."
    My brother Mel and I must have kissed Louise's head too much. Hair never grew there for her first three years. I grew to hate her and even the Stork that brought her. She received all the attention while me and Mel received the left-overs.
    I never had to ask how babies arrived. I just new that when couples marry, they send a note to Santa and he ships a baby  air delivered by a Stork. 

    I continued to jog to the end of the pier and the well lighted Ruby's. I sat to listen to the sounds of the thirties. Ruby's installed speakers outside. I watched a young kid  watch a young kid throw a baby sting ray back into the waters.
    When I returned to jog back, to my surprise,  there were two long necks birds. I gave the name of the other Shelly. Storks often paired up when skimming the sea. But what brought them to the pier today?.
    The next day I found out. Wind gusts of fifty to sixty miles an hour lashed my apartment. I even took Tom's advise to buy a heater -- it was that cold!

  Nuts and Bolts for today: Sometimes it is better to remain inside until your troubles blow over, just like Sue and Shelly did. (Not finished).