ARROW - 216. Chapter 216

“Are you going to hide your peanuts?”

“No. I’m going to divide them into bags for them.”

I watched as he got a sandwich bag for each of the boys. He started with two per bag, then he counted the nuts left over and added them. He repeated this process until all of the peanuts were distributed except two bags that were short a peanut. He took his two and added them to even out all of the bags.

“Pierre, you now don’t have any peanuts.” Smiling he headed to his room returning with two peanuts. I had forgotten about the bag of nuts in his room.

We read while waiting for the boys from school. The only girl in school now was Louise and according to the boys, she rules the lunchroom. I began to think of David and MaryAnn. David and MaryAnn graduated this year, David was attending Yale’s education program and MaryAnn has enrolled in Thiel College’s nursing program. Both did well in high school and I expect them to do well in college. MaryAnn wanted to live at Thiel reminding me of Richie. David was happy to stay home in fact I don’t think David will ever leave us. I had told Colin we needed to buy more land. I had a feeling that more houses would be built on the other side of the woods.

My reverie was disrupted when the boys and Louise returned from school. Then it became a contest, who would tell us what happened today at school. Toby walked out of the kitchen with one of Pierre’s peanut packages. Walking to Pierre he hugged him and said thanks. Looking at Pierre, he was smiling.

Now the other kids looked at Toby. He held up the bag of nuts. Then the noise level rose. “Where did you get that?”

Toby pointed to the kitchen. Then there was a mad rush, boys returned with their bags, hugging Pierre as Toby did.

A significant difference from the time when Pierre hid them.

Friday night we had dinner at the Home. The boys were excited about the fishing trip. I asked one of the girls who was feeding me if she wanted to go fishing. The face she made had everyone laughing.

Colin and Geno left early, Colin said he was going to bring the lunch wagon on deck. I told him to take the coolers too. I thought with the bus and three vans we would be okay.

Saturday morning, Pepe arrived with the kids from the Home. Ronnie brought the second bus. He had driven to the Home and brought the other bus. Now we only needed two vans. Our boys filled Pepe’s bus, the the rest boarded the bus Ronnie drove until it was full. Colin had Geno and 7 boys. I told him I would wait for the boys’s friends and follow in my van.

The buses no sooner left when two cars arrived. There was one boy who hadn’t gone on previous trips. His father handed me his permission slip and he boarded my van. The second car was driven by a woman, whom I recognized. Her son boarded my van.

“I wondered if I could go along on this fishing trip. It is all Mark talks about.”

Smiling, I pointed to my van. Pierre moved from the front to a seat behind me. The lady sat in front. I asked her if she wanted to fish or help me. She wanted to know what I did, I told her I managed the traps for shrimp and lobster. She said she would help me.

Arriving at the dock, I knew I’d need at least one new rod for Silas. So I bought two.

As we approached the boat you could hear the boys singing. “Do they always do that?”

“Yes, our Italian brothers started that several years ago.”

“Does my son sing that also?”

I pointed to him as he was singing with the rest.

Boarding the boat, the boys saluted the captain asking permission to board. When he saw the woman, he smiled and personally escorted her aboard.

It was interesting to watch the boys, they knew which chair was theirs. I introduced Colin to Mark’s mother. He asked her if she was going to fish.

“I have been allowed to help with the traps, whatever they are.”

Colin, being the gentleman, gave her the ambassador tour of the boat. It went like this, ’That is the front called the bow and that is the back called the stern.’

I started to laugh, if I didn’t know better, I’d thought Colin had something to drink.

All the boys strapped in, the captain blew the whistle and we were off.

It takes about an hour before we are close to the Captain’s route for today. I think one of these days we will be fishing off of Ireland. A toot on his horn, the boys knew fishing was on. Ronnie Charlie, Charles, and Colin started to bait the lines. I didn’t take Geno long to join them.

“Now we will see who the mermaid’s favorite is.”

She looked at me as if I had lost my mind. “The first fish caught by the boys is the one the mermaid favors. The song they sang was to let the mermaids know they were coming.” Then I laughed. “You certainly knew what a fisherman’s tale is, this is how they start,”

I started to set up my traps. “As soon as the first fish is caught, we can start setting the traps.”

I no sooner said that when I heard, help. It was Silas, he was the mermaid’s favorite. I couldn’t help but feel glad. This would be a moral booster for him. Colin and Ronnie helped him bring the fish in. It was a nice cod,

I walked up to him, “Nice fish. I guess the mermaids like you.” His smile and an arm hug was my response.

Then it seemed everyone was catching fish. Now I had bait for my traps.

Colin did something he hadn’t done before. He stabled the name of the boy on the tail of the fish.

The boys were having fun. Every once in a while they would start singing. They said the mermaids told them when the fishing was slow to sing and they would bring the fish to them. The strange thing was, it appeared to work. I think the captain took a lot of pleasure out of the boy's fishing. If the boys started to sing he would adjust the course.

Lunchtime, Colin sprung his surprise. No hot dogs but chicken legs. I felt sorry for him he hadn’t counted on the chicken bones. Now he needed plastic bags for the chicken bones and napkins the kids to use to hold the legs. Ronnie went below and came up with a tray of hotdogs. The chicken legs were placed back into the hot dog cart and the boy got a hotdog. Several of the older boys ate both the legs and the hotdog.

I pulled the first lobster trap. I had three lobsters, putting the rubber bands on their claws, and I put them in their cooler. Mark’s mother wanted to know what we did with them. I knew she would have liked to take one home.

“These lobsters will be used for Paella at the Home.”

Ronnie came to check what I had caught.

“Ronnie, explain to Mark’s mother what the chefs will do with these lobsters.” While Ronnie was explaining about the paella, I pulled the shrimp traps. They weren’t full but they were okay. I baited the traps and dropped them back into the water.

We continued to fish until about 4:30. Then we headed back in.

Arriving at the dock, the coolers with the fish were placed in Colin’s van except. one cooler with the fish was placed in my van. Charley took his cooler with his boy’s fish to his van . Charley helped Colin load his van which would go directly to the Home. The buses were loaded and they headed out. I had the lobsters and shrimp in my van plus the fish the boy's friends caught.

Mark’s mother wanted to know what we did with the lobster and shrimp. I told her on Monday the chefs will prepare paella for dinner. If she and her family would like to come they would be welcome. “We normally eat at 6:00 and since you helped with the traps you would be welcome.”

“Where do you have this dinner?”

“At the Home. Come to my home and you and your family can ride with us.”

By this time we were at the club. I sent Pierre and Gerry in to tell James we were there.

James and Peter came out and took the lobster and shrimp coolers. Billy came and took the one fish cooler which will be for dinner tomorrow.

I introduced Marks's mother to them. James invited her to lunch on Sunday.

Driving back home, everyone had left. I took the last cooler and told Mark to return it on Monday when his family comes for dinner. It contained two large fish and several handfuls of shrimp.

I waited until they left, then the boys and I headed for the Home.