"Permission to come aboard, Captain?" I asked, saluting as I started up the gangplank.
"Permission denied!" he yelled out. "What the hell do I have to do to get away from you, Randolph?"
I shook my head, "I like that! The man hasn't seen me in almost two years and this is the welcome I get? Good grief! "
"Our conversation on the phone the other day will do me just fine for another couple of years, thank you very much."
I boarded the vessel, plopping down in a deck chair that looked like it was waiting just for me...