It Takes Two

For every Marco Beach Boy or Girl there is a beginning. The beginnings always vary but some of the best narratives and lessons in life come from our melting pot community. Islander living is always inspiring because of the diverse group of individuals that make up our American and international neighbors. Many of our chronicles come from our childhood, but most of the beginnings that bring us over the bridge often come from far away.

During the 1970’s, the Mackle brothers and the Deltona Cooperation that were developing modern Marco placed advertising in the Frankfurt International Airport in Germany and also in the London Heathrow Airport in England. There were sundrenched photos of Marco Beach and the emerald Gulf of Mexico and for many that was enough to kindle an imaginary spark and change the lives of a generation. 

There were parents from Germany traveling with children to begin a new life. During the overseas flight, there were stories of living in the islands like the Swiss Family Robinson and the endless possibilities that were waiting in the future.

There were also families from England traveling with children who learned the tales of Robinson Caruso and Treasure Island, and like their distant cousins from Deutschland, they also found nourishment and value with traditional family anecdotes. 

Long journeys contain lessons never to be lost, and when that epiphany does arrive and we all remember the moment of crossing over the bridge and finding our new lives, the special moments from the journey can truly be the foundations of our new beginnings. 

When daddy announced the annual vacation was heading toward a new place in Florida, everyone was thrilled with the idea of travel and the discovery of a tropical island. As usual when traveling on Florida vacations, the car was completely full with everything from snacks to suitcases. We were traveling from the Cumberland Mountains of East Tennessee and driving to the Gulf of Mexico where - as everyone knew - anything was possible.

After the first hour of driving and the excitement of departure was beginning to diminish, one of the broad and beautiful Tennessee valleys opened on our left. In the descending foreground of the unfolding valley, fortified steel guardrails were in place to protect motorists traveling up the mountain, but on our right, a shear wall of towering rock rose above the two-lane highway where US-127 was carved out from the side of an Appalachian mountain.

As the winding highway continued down the mountain, our ears popped with the rapid decrease in altitude. After almost every winding curve, our ears popped again and there was a bright yellow road sign that announced: “Watch for Falling Rock.”

After three of the same bright yellow signs came up around three sharp curves, daddy broke the ear-popping silence of the drive. “Son,” daddy began, “Do you know what those signs are for?”

After a pause, I moved up from the back and perched my chin on the front seat by daddy’s shoulder. Everything about daddy’s driving was exciting. When the winding road was clear daddy would cross over the median lines like a racecar driver and take in every detail around us. When daddy began to ask questions there was always an adventure waiting at the other end.

After a moment to consider that daddy’s questions were always full of surprises I began, “I guess that some of the rocks could fall from the top of the mountain and land on the road.”

“No sir,” daddy announced. “That’s not it. These signs are from a long time ago. It’s the story of a brave young Cherokee named Falling Rock. Long ago, there were Cherokee folks living in these mountains and like everybody else, they learned that it takes two to get most things done.”

After another descending curve, another pop in the ears, and another sign advised to watch out for Falling Rock daddy continued. “Falling Rock was a great young man and the pride of his people. But he became twice as strong when he met and married his beautiful Cherokee wife Willow.” Suddenly daddy glanced over his shoulder, “Do you know why that is son?”

After a moment of silence from my perch on the seat daddy answered his own question. “That’s because it takes two to make a life. It takes two to do almost everything important.”

“But what about the signs?” I asked. “The signs that say watch out for Falling Rock?”

“That’s where the story gets sad. One winter, long before Falling Rock and Willow could drive to Florida for a winter vacation, a terrible mountain snow storm came while Falling Rock was away from home hunting. When Willow wasn’t with him, he was not as strong and he must have gotten lost. He never came home. That’s why Willow and her grandchildren put up the big yellow signs that say: ‘“Watch for Falling Rock.”’

When daddy finished, I clapped him on the shoulder. “You made that up!” I insisted. When I looked over to mama for confirmation, she shook her head and smiled. “The story of Falling Rock and Willow was from a longtime ago,” she said. “But it does give us the lesson that it takes two in life to make everyone stronger.”

After we wound down the mountainside and past the big cliffs where we were watching for Falling Rock, the base of the valley opened before us. When we were on a new straightaway and heading south for Florida, a pickup truck behind us decided we were going too slow. This was unusual because daddy always drove like a racecar driver. When the pickup passed, I realized daddy had slowed down on purpose. As the bright red pickup passed ahead and pulled out in front, we could see two passengers in the cab sitting side by side.

When the passengers in the pickup were past, daddy pulled up behind them so we had a clear view. “Son,” daddy asked, “do you know why that boy and that girl are sitting so close together in that pickup?”

My response was shy. “Because they are boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“No son,” daddy answered. “It’s because it takes two to drive that truck.”

Tom Williams is a Marco Islander and the author of two books: “Lost and Found” and “Surrounded by Thunder - The Story of Darrell Loan and the Rocket Men.” Both books are available on Kindle and Nook.