The twins sat happily under the umbrella on the sand as Smiley engaged the two in a very long winded Māori fable; the twins reacted by mostly giggling at the expressions he made as he retold the ancient story. Woody had promised Tracey he would spend lots of quality time with the twins but the waves were just looking too good. And there came Smiley to the rescue
“Hey Woody! Something’s come up!” Smiler (Smiley) had waved at him running up Piranha Bay shore
“Yeah, mate, and great call and timing—check out those waves! You reckon you might watch the little surfers for me while I catch some?”
“No, we’ve got huge orders now coming in with those solar panels—have you seen George?”
“Ahh, no worries, mate—let me just catch a few and you watch these two and I’ll burn right through those orders, thanks mate!” without hesitation or a moments reflection, Woody accepted the allegorical gift horse, grabbed his board and leapt for the ocean leaving Smiley scratching his head but settling down next to the twins in the sand.
By now, Smiler was used Woody’s ways and Smiler was no better at being distracted off task as the twins were really so entertaining. It was hard to say which of the two the twins more resembled as they both had a look of both Tracey and Woody, and a funny habit of stripping off their clothes. This thought made Smiler chuckle recalling that was how their parents met; on the nudie beach
Today was back to school, Tracey being the principal couldn’t look after the twins and they weren’t at the stage of day care just yet (that is Tracey and Woody were not), so Smiler and his lady nurse friend had somehow taken on the role and with unmasked annoyance and rolled eyes Smiler’s lady nurse friend said she wasn’t knitting booties to voice her protest in her subtle way.
Lost in thought staring at the waves Smiler was taken by surprise as a wet surfer slap landed on his back when Woody returned, shocking the islander out of his dreamy thoughts.
“Woody!”
“Scared ya mate! —naw just me!—what a surf—you know I saw a penguin out there, I swear, it was just coasting along and—“
“Woody— I just had a thought —“
“Oh yeah, just the one or is this like —“
“George!”
“What about George?”
“George and Katie….”
“Yeah what about them?”
“Katie and Zack…..”
“Uhh yeah ….but they’re like—“
“George and Fiona…..”
Woody scratched his face scruff thoughtfully,
“I see where you’re going with this, but they all —“
“I saw Zack leaving—“
Woody abruptly stopped him,
“now Smiley, you know how I feel about gossip, if you’re about to tell me how he was just sneaking out Katie’s window I don’t wanna know, ok—cos like, that would kill the great vibe I am on from that surf, so don’t go there, ok?”
“No I’m just saying, it was that dinner party, I think those two would have had a better chance—“
“I know you like to say how George helped me and Trace talk it through and all but we shouldn’t be poking our noses in this, besides, I heard Shake may be a thing again—but that’s not gossip because of who I heard it from!” with a whiplash motion, Woody then landed another wet slap on Smiler’s back
“Shay and Ike?”
But already Woody was halfway down the beach with Amy on his shoulders and little Andy stumbling beside him learning to test his legs
