The Peter Charles - 41. Chapter 41

The following week-end after Easter, we went fishing. Tony had finished my modifications, a freezer was installed in the Captain’s cabin next to the refrigerator. Although the fridge was the same size as the one in the galley, the freezer was twice as large. I was surprised when I checked the cabins. I wanted just one narrow bed in the space between the wall and the bunks, but Tony had a bunk bed there which was the same size as we had on the Scuffy. “I moved the bunk beds a little closer to the door, which allowed room for these bunk beds.”

“These are the same size as the ones we had on the Scuffy.”

“They should be, that’s where they came from, we had to make extra, but, waste not want not.” I was happy, the Scuffy was a special boat for me and now a little piece of it was still here with me. Glen and I shopped for the boat, we really stocked up on frozen dinners and vegetables. We had spaghetti, pizza’s, and chicken which we froze.

Nicky was going to take us out, Charles plotted the course, and then music to my ears, with all of the boys on board, “Anchor up, bow lines in, stern lines in”. We stopped at the fuel depot, filled the tanks and we headed out to fish. The boys were on the bow, they were anxious to be fishing again. “Anchor aweigh” was music to my ears and looking at the boys, it was music to their ears as well. It didn’t take long for the bow nets to be lowered. The stern nets needed bait and that came from left over food that the boys brought on board.

Nets down, our cooks began to prepare supper, and the boys began doing their homework. At the rate they were attacking it, I knew it wouldn’t take them long to finish. Glen and I watched the interaction between the boys, one would ask question or said that didn’t understand something, the boys who knew the answer or explanation would answer. I thought that this was good for Sammy, he didn’t have homework but he listened and asked questions.

Dinner was ready at six-thirty, the cooks cheated, it was chicken from Chicken Shack, they made up for it by having a homemade pie. Scott said it was from the apples they had gathered after our walk.

That night after the boys had gone to their cabins, Nicky and Jamie came and sat with us. We talked about college and them finding a room. Nicky said that they found a two room apartment that would work for them. “Well, I’m not going to give up on a place. Do you realize that this fall there will be four of you, Scott and Andy.” Travis has one more year and then there will be a group of boys leaving all at once. Glen and I sat down and figured out that in a few years there will be just Adam and Peter left at home.

The horn went off at four am, on schedule. Glen started to pull in the port net and I started on the starboard net. Soon we had helpers and then they had helpers, Glen and I went for coffee. “The boys have really taken over. Are we even needed anymore?”

“We’ll always be needed. They are growing up, accepting more responsibility, I’m proud of our boys.”

Scott and Travis had breakfast ready, I was glad we installed that grill, pancakes and sausages for breakfast. Hot chocolate for the boys or coffee, I noticed the older boys started to drink coffee with a lot of milk and a little sugar. I think they sipped Glen’s coffee because that is the way he drinks his, only not as much milk.

The boys took off to get a little more sleep. “Dad, Nicky let me steer the boat.”

“You did a good job Charles, this fall after Nicky and Jamie go to school, I’ll need you to continue piloting the boat. Who did the chart?”

“I did with Nicky’s help. He showed me the arc.” The arc is what determines where we fish. It’s drawn on the chart and that dictates the coordinates. We used it last year and it worked very well.

“I think we should pull the nets at ten am and then four and ten tonight. What do you think?”

“Good, we should tell the boys that those who help at ten do not need to get up at four in the morning.”

“Definitely, they need more than five hours sleep.”

The boys drifted up to the galley and by ten they were all there. Scott made hot chocolate for them, and warmed some buns left over from last nights dinner.

Glen and I started to pull the nets, it didn’t take long for us to be replaces by the boys. Charles took his crew to the stern, actually Charles didn’t need to go, Johnathan and Joseph with Rusty handled it very well.

As soon as the nets where on board, they’re emptied and dropped. The boys started to clean fish for the chests. The cleanings were taken to the stern to bait those nets. “That load wasn’t bad but we’d need a lot more like that to fill the holds.”

“Do we have to fill the holds? The boys have school on Monday and they should get a good nights sleep. If we stay too long, by the time we deliver our fish, it will be late.”

“No, there is nothing magical about getting the holds full. It would be nice from an income point but you’re right, the boys need to be awake and rested for school. Let’s plan on returning to dock at two, that will be the last pull.”

“We might want to pull the last net at noon. It’ll take us at least three hours to get back to the dock, then we have to unload the fish, get cleaned up and then deliver fish.”

“Okay, we can have lunch on the way back.”

The four o’clock pull was a lot better. The nets were full and it looked like if we continued we’d go back almost full tomorrow. The stern nets were okay, I wasn’t as concerned about those holds since we didn’t sell any shrimp or lobsters, but they do buy a lot of good will.

Lunch was pizza, which the boys enjoyed with their beer. Then the boys finished up their homework. The rest of the afternoon, the boys cleaned fish. Our holds may not be full, but the chests will be full. Charles was delighted with all of that bait. Scott said something to the boys, they smiled and went back to cleaning fish, only this time they filleted the fish. The bones were dropped over the stern railings. They passed the fillets to Scott, he smiled. “I think we’re going to have fish for supper tonight.”

“I wish Steve was here, he made those fish packets at the Wharf. They were good.”

“Don’t be surprised if Scott doesn’t make them. He and Steve talk a lot about cooking.” Scott announced supper was ready, the boys left to wash their hands. Glen and I followed.

“Have you checked the cabins?”

“No”

“Come and look” I opened the door to a cabin that didn’t have anything posted on the door. This meant no one was sleeping there. “I had Tony install these. Originally I just wanted a cot here, but he moved the bunks closer to the door, and installed these bunks.”

“They look familiar”

“They should be, these are the same size as the ones on Scuffy. In fact Cabin 2 and 3 have the original bunks from Scuffy.”

“You’re smiling.”

“I was thinking maybe we should sleep in Cabin 2 or 3, for old times sake.”

“We’d need Peter to sleep with us, I don’t think that would work.”

Laughing, “Yes, it wouldn’t work. Maybe some night we can sneak down here and sleep in our old bunk.”

Dinner was a surprise. The fillets were encased in a puff pastry that had the hint of lemon. Scott had prepared a sauce that he served over the pastry. It was delicious. The boys all gave him a rousing cheer, he blushed. I thought what fools his parents were, the kid is a fantastic painter and now a fantastic chef. He was beyond being just a cook.

Later that evening, Nicki, Jamie, Glen and I sat around the table, chatting. “Nicky, do you remember the night Scott was brought to our home?”

“Yes, I remember telling him he landed in a plot of four leaf clovers.”

“Yes, but I think he brought the clovers with him. The kid is a marvel, his painting and cooking for someone his age is beyond anyone’s expectations. His family is an example of stupid people who get their underwear all tangled up in their ass.” We laughed, “He did a great job on dinner tonight.”

“It’s a shame in a few years he’ll be leaving us to start a life on his own.”

“That’s life, all children leave sooner or later. But I don’t think he’ll forget us and I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t come for Sunday dinners.”

“If he does, you got to let us know.” We laughed, Scott’s cooking was getting a following.

At ten, Charles and Johnny came up to handle the stern nets, Glen and I handled the bow nets. We’d be going back after the noon pull, we wouldn’t be full, but we would have one hold full and the other hold about half.

Nets back in the water, we turned in. I told Charles and Johnny they didn’t need to come for the four am pull. They just smiled. “Want to bet that they’ll be there?”

“No way, I saw the look on Charles’s face. I’m anxious to see how the new nets work in the holds.”

“If they work like your design, it’ll be a snap to empty the holds.”

Breakfast was eggs and turkey bacon. Hot chocolate for the boys and coffee for anyone who wanted it. “Well, Shawn what do you think about fishing.”

“This isn’t fishing, there are no rods with worms hanging on a hook.”

“No, this is commercial fishing. There’s a difference in the way we fish commercially and the size of the fish. There are private boats that take customers out to sea to fish the way you think. The fish they catch are much bigger than the fish we catch. Although there are times when we catch a tuna, which are pretty big. Maybe on a holiday we can do that.”

He smiled, one of the boys started to talk about fishing from the docks. I knew it wouldn’t be too long before the boys would want to try it. I looked at Glen, he smiled like he had read my mind. Heading home, the boys gathered up their books and homework. Pulled the sheets and pillow cases, stuffed them in a canvas tote bag for the laundry. “You know we could save some money if we washed our sheets and pillow cases our selves.”

“It would take a long time and I don’t think there is any time. Our washer and dryer seem to be in use all the time. The boys wash their clothes as well as their sheets and pillow cases along with their bath towels.”

“Maybe we should look into a commercial washer and dryer.”

“Maybe we could get someone to do that for us.”

“What are you thinking?”

“John Adams said he would have five houses ready by the end of May, if Uncle and his friends move into these houses, Mary will have more rooms to rent. She said she is booked with three rooms and has been turning people away. If I offer to put in a commercial laundry, and if Robby’s mother works for her, she could do ours as well. What do you think?”

“I think that would be a great idea. Robby’s a good kid and that would bring his mom closer plus she wouldn’t have to work long hours.”

“I wonder if she owns her house or rents it?”

“You can ask Robby, he would know. What are you thinking?”

“I have five houses and four are taken, that leaves one.” Glen looked at me. He knew what I was thinking.

We did go back early on Sunday, we weren’t full. The shrimp and lobster holds were about normal for when we fished last year. I knew Mary at the Wharf would be glad to get shrimp and lobster again.

Docking, the cannery men came on board. Since this was the first time in the new year, we chatted a little. I showed them how the nets in the holds worked. It made it simpler and faster to unload the holds. As usual Glen and Nicky went to get the truck and car. Uncle was back selling fish, for me, we have returned to normality.