[log in to unmask] wrote: > > THE WAY IT IS > > There was this male engineer, on a cruise ship in the Caribbean for the > first time. It was wonderful, the experience of his life. He was being > waited on hand and foot. But, it did not last. A hurricane came up > unexpectedly and the ship went down almost instantly. > > The man found himself, he knew not how, swept up on the shore of an island. > There was nothing else anywhere to be seen. No person, no supplies, > nothing. The man looked around. There were some bananas and coconuts, but > that was it. He was desperate, and forlorn, but decided to make the best > of it. So for the next four months he ate bananas, drank coconut juice, and > mostly looked to the sea mightily for a ship to come to his rescue. > > One day, as he was lying on the beach, stroking his beard, and looking for > a ship, he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Could it be > true? Was it a ship? No! From around the corner of the island came this > rowboat. In it was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen, or at least > had seen in 4 months. She was tall, tanned, and her blond hair flowing in > the sea breeze gave her an almost ethereal quality. She spotted him as he > was waving and yelling and screaming to get her attention, and rowed her > boat towards him. > > In disbelief, he asked, "Where did you come from? How did you get here"? > > She answered, "I rowed from the other side of the island. I landed on this > island when my cruise ship sank." > > "Amazing", he said, "I didn't know anyone else had survived. How many of > you are there? Where, did you get the rowboat? You must have been really > lucky to have a rowboat wash up with you?" > > "It is only me", she said, "and the rowboat didn't wash up with me. > Nothing did." > > "Well then", said the man, "how did you get the rowboat?" > > "I made the rowboat out of raw material that I found on the island," > replied the woman. "The oars were whittled from gum tree branches. I wove > the tree." > > "But, but," asked the man, "what about tools and hardware? How did you do > that?" > > "Oh, no problem," replied the woman, "on the south side of the island there > is a very unusual strata of alluvial rock exposed. I found that if I fired > it to a certain temperature in my kiln, it melted into forgeable ductile > iron. I used that for tools, and used the tools to make the hardware. But > enough of that," she said. "Where do you live?" > > At last the man was forced to confess that he had been sleeping on the > beach. "Well, let's row over to my place, she said." So they both got > into the rowboat and left for her side of island. > > The woman easily rowed them around to a wharf that led to the approach to > her place. She tied up the rowboat with a beautifully woven hemp rope. > They walked up a stone walk and around a palm tree. There stood an > exquisite bungalow, painted in blue and white. > > "It's not much," she said, "but I call it home. Sit down please. Would > you like to have a drink?" > > "No," said the man, "one more coconut juice and I'll throw up." > > "It won't be coconut juice," the woman replied, "I have a still. How about > a Pina Colada?" > > Trying to hide his continued amazement, the man accepted, and they sat down > on her couch to talk. > > After a while, when they had exchanged their stories, the woman asked, > "Tell me, have you always had a beard?" > > "No", the man replied, "I was clean shaven all of my life, and even on the > cruise ship." > > "Well if you would like to shave, there is a man's razor upstairs in the > cabinet in the bathroom." So, the man, astounded beyond cognition, went > upstairs to the bathroom. Sure enough, there in the cabinet was a razor > made from a bone handle, two shells honed to a hollow ground edge were > fastened on to its end inside of a swivel mechanism. The man shaved, > showered and went back down stairs. > > "You look great," said the woman, "I think I will go up and slip into > something more comfortable." And she did. > > The man continued to sip his Pina Colada. After a short time, the woman > returned wearing fig leafs, strategically positioned, and smelling faintly > of gardenia. > > "Tell me," she asked, "we have both been out here for a very long time with > no companionship. You know what I mean. Have you been lonely? Is there > anything that you really miss? Something that all men and woman need. > Something that it would be really nice to have right now." > > "Yes there is," the man replied, as he moved closer to the woman while > fixing a winsome gaze upon her, "Tell me ... do you happen to have an > Internet connection?" Sounds like the guy has his priorities in order to me!! -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * On the Suncoast of Florida * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Teamwork divides the effort and multiplies the effect." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~