Coquina Hotel - 13. Chapter 13

On the 5th day, I thought I saw a boat, but it was coming from a different direction. Then I heard the horn, and Jon was waving. By the time they docked, I was there waiting for them.

“When we got there, the boat they were selling was in bad shape. We were just about to leave when this older man said he would sell us his boat. So Sven and I checked it out. That is the boat we bought.”

“Why did he want to sell it?”

“He said he was getting too old to fish, and there wasn’t any money in taking people out to fish. So we bought the boat with one caveat, he came with the boat.”

“Captain Johns, this is the boss.”

“Captain Johns, welcome, my friends call me Roger. Jon, you need to show the Captain around.”

I watched as Jon and Sven showed Captain what I called Jon’s Beach. Captain Johns seemed to enjoy talking to the boys as Jon introduced him to his fishing crew.

Jon offered the Captain a room in the house. The Captain decided he would rather stay on the boat, that was his home before he sold the boat, and it will be his home now. He did come to Hotel for his meals, always accompanied by a few of the boys. He referred to them as his fishing crew.

Jon came in laughing one day, “What is so funny?”

“The Captain was telling the boys some weird stories. According to him, there is a sea creature that eats bad boys. The older boys laugh, but the younger ones are taking him seriously.”

“Jon, are you happy?”

“Yes, Roge, I’m very happy.”

Sleep came easy that night. In my dreams, I thanked everyone for the wonderful life I have. I especially thank my Maker for leading me to Jon.

—00—

The Hotel and Motel are still operating under new management.

On one of Jon and Roger’s trips to town, they saw two young boys in the group that surrounded them.

Jon had noticed two young boys standing at the back of the group of children. They were wearing dirty clothes and had a lost look on their faces. Jon estimated their age as 10 and 8. “Roge, check out the two boys at the far right.”

Looking where Jon told me to look, I saw the two boys. They had been crying, and the tears left a trail down their cheeks. A quick look at Jon, I made my way around the group toward the boys. As I approached them, they started to walk away slowly. I asked them to wait, they turned, and their sobs shook their little bodies. “Were sorry, mister, we will leave.”

“No, I won’t hurt you. I want to help you.” I took them by their hands and led them back to Jon. “Jon, I’m taking them back home. They need some of your Freyja’s cooking.”

I took them home, and when Freyja saw them, the tears were overshadowed by her smiles. I knew the boys had found a grandmother, and a grandmother found two grandsons.

Jon and I adopted these two young men, and after completing college, they became the new managers of the Hotel and Motel. They will inherit everything when Jon and I leave this earth.

Sven found one of the girls working in the kitchen with Diane very attractive; I wasn’t sure if her cooking skill or looks attracted him. They were married at the Hotel and now have two children, a boy named Sven and a girl named Clair after Sven’s wife.

The rain in our lives was the passing of Freyja. Jon and Sven said she would be happy in Valhalla. I knew we would meet up with her someday in the future. Until then, I’ll continue to snuggle in Jon’s arms.