Grandfather II - 10. Chapter 10

When they had finished filling my water and fuel tanks, they told me where to go to hook up for waste removal. “Captain, we need to move to the waste disposal pump to empty the wastewater tank.”

While I waited for the boys and Moe to return. I took the opportunity to notify Angelo about the wine shipments. I would check with him when I was back on the East coast. I need to set a price for the wine that is being shipped to the Cellar.

I heard the boys before I saw them. I hadn’t started supper yet and it was a good thing. They came back with enough tacos to feed an army. Moe just smiled.

“Billy, we met the boys from that boat. They were going to go to Scotland. Where’s Scotland?”

“Come, I’ll show you on the map. Here we are and here’s Scotland. We’ll be going there in a few months. I need to arrange to buy a special whiskey for my Cellar in New York.”

“Maybe we’ll see them again?”

“Maybe, but I doubt it. They probably go in the summer and we’ll probably go in the fall.”

Akela didn’t understand. “On the Island, you had the same temperature almost all of the time. On the East coast of the States, where I live, we have four different temperatures.” I took the opportunity to explain what the weather conditions were like and how we’d need different clothes for each weather condition. I wondered how the boys would react to snow and the cold. Maybe when it gets too cold, I’ll sail back to the Islands.

The next day, Moe told me I could go into the small town and purchase some fresh vegetables and fruit. “Since it will take us some time to get to Chile, you might want to conserve the food you have in the freezer. You can buy enough food here to last a few days.” That translates to 'more tacos.'

I took the boys and we spent a day walking around Mexico City. Did you ever have tacos for breakfast? We did, for breakfast and lunch. I did buy a lot of fruit, I was glad the boys were with me, they carried it back to Grandfather II.

Walking back, Akela was waving at some boys. “Billy, those boys are from the fishing boat.”

They were with two men, Akela waved and that started the boys waving and soon they were chatting with each other. This of course led to me being introduced to Kevin and Glen. While the boys were chatting, they asked about the Grandfather II. I offered a tour, which they accepted.

When Akela showed them Cabin 5 they saw the DVD set up. Then Cabin 5 had all of the boys as they watched a Disney DVD. That left me to entertain Kevin and Glen.

I offered a glass of wine, they refused. That surprised me, until Kevin mentioned that they do not drink alcohol beverages. “The only beer we drink is root beer.”

Over the next three hours, they told me their story and I told mine. I wondered if there isn’t someone or something that drives people who share a feeling of responsibility together. They felt that they have a deep and personal responsibility to the boys that they have come to love and regard them as their sons. I have come and loved the Island boys that are with me. I truly enjoyed the company of these two men.

I invited them to stay and have dinner with us. The only condition was that they would supply the seafood and the cooks to prepare it. I showed them my galley, they called two of the boys. “Billy, these are our chefs, these are my sons, Scott and Steve.”

The boys had a big smile when Kevin introduced them. They went and called Charles out of Cabin 5, and then took off. I made coffee for us and I had some fruit juice that Akela made from the fruit we had on the island. I still don’t know the name of that fruit, maybe one of these days Akela will tell me, if he knows.

I introduced Captain and Moe to Kevin and Glen. Kevin mentioned that he has taught the boys how to plot courses and to steer the Peter Charles. “My goal is for every boy in our family, which includes friends of our boys who regularly go fishing with us, to be able to plot our courses and to steer the Peter Charles.”

“We’re almost there. Kev, is there anyone who hasn’t been in our bridge?”

“I think they all have, but the youngest haven’t steered the Peter Charles, yet.”

That led into the discussion how we came up with the name for our ships. The more we talked, the more comfortable I became with them and I hoped they would feel the same. When the DVD was finished the boys came up on deck.

Akela assumed the role of host, and provided the boys with his juice, that is what he called the juice from the Island fruit. Scott, Steve and Charles returned with an ice chest, it had shrimp, lobster and wrapped in wax paper, fillets of some kind of fish.

Kevin explained what the fish was, we all knew the shrimp and lobster. I asked Akela to help the boys in the galley, which he was glad to do. I asked Moe to get the other two to help set up the table for dinner on the deck. What resulted, was a group effort.

“Akela mentioned you were heading to Scotland.”

“Yes, one of my sons is from Scotland so we are going there for a visit. I suspect this will be an annual trip. Where are you heading?”

“I’m heading for Chile, I import and sell wine. I heard they have a very fine red wine, that I’m interested in tasting. Most of my travels involve tasting and purchasing wine for resell. I own a Cellar in New York City, which caters to a very select clientele, by select, I mean those who can afford my wines.”

From that discussion, they told me what they do when they aren’t fishing. They may not be wine connoisseurs but we did have something in common, investments. Kevin mentioned working in investments, I told them about my father’s business and then I told them about my investment company. So now, it was what is your opinion about this company versus that company. We chatted about investments without noticing the time when Moe, started to move the tables.

“I lost track of the time, looks like dinner is about to be served.” I had two folding tables that I brought from Grandfather I, we used one of those on the end of the table from the salon.

Dinner was excellent. I over ate and I think for the first time so did Moe. “I envy you, Kevin and Glen, to have such excellent chefs. You're lucky to have this food every day.” They smiled and I caught the wink they gave Scott and Steve.

They said they were leaving in the morning heading for the Panama Canal. From there they will go north and cross over from Canada to Scotland. I told them we weren’t any hurry so we’ll probably leave after lunch.