Raising the Limit-Book 1 - 12. Chapter 12

Monday morning set the tone for how their routine was going to play out for the summer. David was up at five-thirty and through the shower by five forty-five. He made sure the kids were awake and starting to get their asses out of bed. They needed to be out of the house by six-thirty so he could make it into the office by seven-thirty. It sucked that he had to traipse from one side of the county to the other, but it couldn’t be helped.

He got the coffee going, both of his children had discovered the wonders of a caffeine jolt, which tripled the amount he usually made. Breakfast would be either cereal, fruit or yogurt, or any combination of the three. It was quick and easy, and best of all clean up was easy.

They made it out the door close to ontime and Lyssa whined when her brother called shotgun before she did. She was not the best morning person, even on the best day, taking after her father, and because it was her first day, her arms had been full with her gear. In addition to her new pants and boots she also had her helmet and a bag with extra clothes. Needless to say, she had been distracted and lost her chance at shotgun.

The ride was quiet and as they approached the farm David teased “You do remember how to tuck and roll don’t you Alleycat?”

He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw her stick her tongue out at him. He loved teasing her, especially in the mornings when her usually quick witted tongue was still in sleep mode.

He waved at Andi as he helped his daughter take her stuff over to the first barn. Andi was just heading out to her shift at the hospital.

Once Lyssa was dropped off he and Owen listened to music on the way to his office. Owen’s playlist was a mix of mostly indie rock, with a little bit of pop thrown in for good measure.

It took them a half hour to make their way across town and David said goodbye to Owen in the parking lot of the marina, wishing him good luck.

David enjoyed the quietness of his office first thing in the morning. He was usually one of the first ones there. His assistant didn’t start until eight-thirty, and many of the others didn’t come in until nine. He was able to get a lot done in that quiet hour. He sorted through email, made a list of what needed to be addressed, checked his calendar for meetings and such.

The Detroit project was nearly at the point where it would be a front burner project, taking up most of his time and attention, but for now he had a few other small projects to focus his attention on. His day went by quickly and he almost didn’t see when Owen showed up around three. Sean had bought him lunch and he had hung out with him for a little while after his shift ended. Owen liked watching his Dad work and he didn’t realize it, but David’s strong work ethic had rubbed off on him. Sean had sent David a text letting him know that Owen was going to work out great.

David wrapped things up at five o’clock and he and Owen decided to check out the gym first and then stop at one of the Chinese restaurants for dinner. Owen loved sushi, but didn’t get it very often as he was the only one of the Maine contingency who liked it. It wasn’t a favorite of David’s, but he didn’t mind it every once in a while. The restaurant would have plenty of other options. It wasn’t the healthiest food, but it was ok every once in a blue moon.

The fitness center wasn’t too far from David’s house. It wasn’t a chain franchise, but rather a locally owned place. It was clean and well kept, David liked what he saw. They had a month to month plan which was a little more expensive, but there were no sign up or cancellation fees. It would be perfect for Owen for the summer. As a birthday present David got him a package of twenty personal training sessions so he could work one on one with a certified trainer. Owen was stoked and actually hugged David. In public. David laughed and rolled his eyes. Lyssa was definitely more demonstrative with her affection so David took what he could get from Owen whenever it happened.

They settled into a routine for the next two weeks, Owen got a student bus pass and went straight to the gym after he got off work. Lyssa was in seventh heaven working with the younger kids teaching them basic horsemanship. Miles and Andi’s son Rance got a part time job in the evenings and he offered to drop Lyssa back off at David’s on the evenings that he was scheduled to work, alleviating some of the back and forth driving.

The two weeks before the twin’s birthday went by quickly. The kids both had jobs that had them moving around a lot and with Owen adding in workouts to his schedule four days a week, by the time they got home and had dinner, they didn’t have much energy left for too much else. The weekend after their first week of working saw them doing little more than lounging by the pool and napping. TC couldn’t even entice them into going to play mini-golf, which they both loved.

Their second week was a little better as they got used to working in the Florida heat and humidity. When Thursday rolled around, both Lyssa and Owen were much more animated, especially knowing that the next two nights were going to be spent on the open water. Owen had delivered the groceries that David had ordered online to TC’s boat after speaking with him about who was paying for what. They worked it out amicably. TC had given Owen the keys and permission to board without him there, so they were fully stocked for the weekend. David had agreed to be at the marina by eight, letting everyone sleep in for a little while.

Friday morning David parked in the designated lot and Lyssa was practically skipping her way to the office where they were meeting TC. TC was there talking with Sean, who was holding a baby and a pretty blonde woman whom David assumed was his wife, holding another baby. Sure enough, Sean introduced his wife Jessie and proudly showed off his newborn twins, Kevin and Patrick.

TC introduced Lyssa who squealed at the two cute little babies. Sean explained that Jessie had stopped in for a quick visit after dropping their daughter off at a friend’s house for a morning playdate. They chatted for a few minutes before TC ushered them out of the office. He carried a cardboard box and wouldn’t tell anyone what was in. Definitely birthday related.

Lyssa and Owen were both somewhat familiar with boating. Both of them had friends back in Maine whose families owned boats and they usually were able to get a few weekends of decent boating in before and after their summers in Florida. Owen in particular had always loved being out on the water and if it wasn’t such an expensive hobby, David probably would have purchased his own pleasure craft. He really didn’t have the time, however, to devote to it.

David saw Lyssa’s eyes light up when she saw Triton’s Conch. Owen was already familiar with the vessel from delivering the groceries. TC welcomed them aboard and gave them both a quick tour.
“Can you show me what you do to get her ready?” Owen asked.

“Sure, I’ll give you the basic boating 101 lesson. C’mon up here.” TC said, inviting him to watch him go through his checklist. The blowers were turned on and TC took the time to explain to Owen the ins and outs of operating a boat. When everything was ready Owen helped David untie the lines tethering the boat to the dock and then he scampered back to watch TC maneuver the boat out into the channel. TC let Owen take the wheel and explained what markers to watch for as they made their way out into the Gulf of Mexico.

Once they were past all of the channel markers TC gave Owen the go ahead to push the throttle forward and get her up on plane. There was a light chop and TC explained to Owen how it was important to keep to a safe speed, depending upon the sea conditions. Owen listened intently as TC explained how his navigation system worked, pointing out the various features of the instrument.

David stayed in the shade facing aft, watching the shoreline shrink behind them. Lyssa had wisely left the skimpy bikinis at home and was wearing a cute tank top and short shorts over her bathing suit. David reminded her to reapply her sunscreen every hour. She had inherited his fair complexion, while Owen had gotten his mom’s somewhat darker color.

Lyssa was lying there soaking up some sun and looked over at David and smiled. She came over to sit next to her Dad and as she leaned against him she commented, “I really like him Dad. I think he’s good for you. Make sure you hang onto him, he’s special.”

David smiled, pleased that his daughter liked TC. He kissed the top of her head and replied “I’m glad Sweetie, TC and I will always be friends, that you don’t have to worry about. Just remember though, he and I have already decided that friends are as far as it goes between us. I do agree with you, however, he is special.”

“Why can’t it go any further Dad? You guys are perfect for each other, just because you’re both tops doesn’t mean you can’t work something out.” Lyssa stated.

David gathered his thoughts before replying to Lyssa’s statement. He wasn’t sure how to explain it to her without going into any details. He finally spoke and said “Alleycat, once you get your driver’s license picture yourself trying to buy a car. You can’t afford it on your own so your best friend Kendra offers to pay half and the title would be in both of your names. Now, you both own the car, but you both want to be the one to drive it, and let’s say Kendra has a fear of being a passenger so she feels like she has to drive all the time. You’re OK with being a passenger sometimes, but you want to be able to drive too. After a while if you let Kendra drive all of the time you’d start to resent her, wouldn’t you?”

Lyssa nodded and said, “I guess so. I just don’t understand why you can’t compromise.”

“We could Sweetie, but eventually it wouldn’t work anymore and it would undermine our friendship and we’d end up hurting one another. Neither of us want to see that happen. What we have now works, and someday one of us may find someone that matches our sexual needs as well as our emotional needs. TC has very specific traits that he looks for in a potential partner and so do I, unfortunately, neither of us matches the other.” David explained.

“Then you should find someone who fits you both and share him.” Lyssa declared.

David chuffed. His sixteen year old daughter was suggesting a threesome. On one hand he was surprised that she would think of something like that and on the other hand he was proud that she was so open and accepting of alternative lifestyles.

“Good suggestion, but people aren’t like puppies, you don’t share them. Besides, I don’t think either of us are ready to go that far. Our friendship works, we’re not going to mess with it.” he replied.

Lyssa seemed to know that the discussion was over and she got up to get them some water. David thanked her when she handed him a nice cold bottle. They sat next to each other and talked about how things were going at the farm. It seemed like only minutes had passed, but in reality they had been travelling nearly two hours.

The boat slowed down and then came to idle. TC instructed Owen on how to read the depth finder and which switch operated the anchor winch. Soon they were bobbing gently with the swells. TC had picked up a couple of new fishing rods and with the two they already had they were soon casting out from various spots on the boat.

Owen was the first one to get a hit. He reeled in King Mackerel that was about 15lbs. David snapped a picture of him and the fish before Owen released it back into the water. They had all decided that they would release anything caught unless it was a Wahoo or Tuna. Either of those would be dinner for the evening if one of them managed to catch one.

The afternoon passed pleasantly. They all managed to hook something, but no one managed to snag a Wahoo or Tuna. David was diligent about making sure everyone, including TC had adequate sunscreen and reapplied often. There was a nice breeze, but the sun was hotter than hell.

They had just about decided to pack it in for the afternoon and go swimming instead when Lyssa got one last hit. Her line reeled out rapidly as whatever had snatched her bait realized it was hooked. She followed David’s instructions, letting the line out a bit and then reeling in the slack. It soon became apparent that she had caught something big.

Having worked with horses for so long, Lyssa was stronger than most girls her age and size. She was petite, 5’2” and weighed right around 100lbs. She was well muscled and could toss a bale of hay around without too much effort. Fifteen minutes into her battle with the unknown fish the fatigue was starting to show.

TC stepped up behind her and helped hang onto the rod and keep reeling the fish in. Whatever it was didn’t want to be caught. It took the two of them another twenty minutes to get the beast close enough to the boat for them to identify it. Wahoo! Yes! There would be fresh fish for dinner tonight.

Owen let out a loud whoop when he saw the pretty blue scales along its dorsal side and like a raving lunatic he did his best imitation of Bruce, the shark from Finding Nemo and said “We’re having fish tonight!”

Lyssa was sweating and cursing up a storm by this time. She and TC finally got the damn thing close enough for David to grab the hook and snare it through the gills. He and Owen hauled it on board and Lyssa sat down hard on the deck, her arms and legs shaking from the sheer energy she had expended over the hour that it took to land the creature.

It was worth it. The fish was close to five feet in length and probably weighed close to ninety pounds. It was no wonder Lyssa was exhausted. TC was breathing pretty heavily too. The fish had put up a helluva fight. It didn’t take long before it stopped flopping and by then both Lyssa and TC had gotten their wind back.

Once Lyssa had recovered, it finally hit her that she had landed a fish almost as big as she was. She got all excited and did a little happy dance, being careful not to slip on the slick deck. TC helped her lift the fish’s head up so that David could take their picture. They pulled Owen in as well, making him part of their victory pose. He was proud of her for seeing it through from start to finish. The grin that she had in the picture stretched from ear to ear. The picture itself was fantastic. TC, Lyssa and Owen were all holding up the fish. The sunlight lit up the bright blue scales along its back and made the silver scales look like glitter. All three of them had huge smiles. David immediately made it into the background photo on his phone.

Lyssa wanted no part of gutting the fish so David told her that if she wanted to go for a quick swim, she better do it now, before they started gutting it. They were going to keep some of the fish parts to use for bait for tomorrow, but the blood and scales, and anything else they couldn’t eat or use as bait would get tossed overboard. In all likelihood it would attract at least a few sharks.

Lyssa and Owen stripped down to their suits and jumped off the diving platform on the back of the boat. They swam for about ten minutes before hauling themselves out of the water. TC didn’t bother, he said he’d shower after they finished gutting and filleting the fish. He and David made quick work of dissecting the creature, some of the meat was set aside for dinner and bait pieces were put in a bucket of ice and covered, then it went into a cooler that TC had set aside just for bait. The rest of the edible meat was wrapped up and put into the large freezer in the galley, TC would split it with David when they got back to shore. Everything else went overboard and the deck got hosed off with water from the holding tanks.

As the sun slanted toward the western horizon they all watched for any signs of some toothy visitors. Owen spotted the first dorsal fin as it broke through the surface about twenty feet from the starboard bow. He and Lyssa were sitting up on the bow on the pallets used for sunbathing. TC and David joined them as they watched the majestic creature slowly cruise around the boat looking for the source of the scent it had followed. It was a tiger shark about fifteen feet long, it’s body weaving side to side gracefully as it swam around.

A couple of more fins popped up and the tiger was joined by two bull sharks. Lyssa and Owen caught a few pictures, but mostly they watched the creatures, fascinated by their movements. Eventually the sharks lost interest when no easy meal showed up. TC went down to shower off the grime and David joined him. It was an extremely tight fit, but they had fun rubbing up against each other trying to get clean. They had to make it quick so as not to waste too much water.

Once they were dried off and dressed, TC fired up the portable propane grill and David and Owen fixed a salad and some rice pilaf. Lyssa set the table and set each place with a bottle of water.

There was nothing quite like the taste of fresh fish. TC had seared the tender meat and seasoned it lightly with a mix of spices that he had found at a gourmet store. Together with the salad and rice it was a delicious meal. They were finished not long before the sun set at eight-thirty so they left the dishes to go up on deck and watch the day fade away. The western sky was beautifully painted in oranges, yellows and reds.

As the yellow orb got closer to the dark blue water David said “Listen for it.”

Both his kids smiled, halfway still believing that if you listened closely enough you could hear the sun hiss as it hit the water. They all watched as the sun sank below the horizon and the skies started to fade to blues and purples. They stayed out on deck, watching the stars come out. This far away from the light pollution along the coast afforded them the opportunity to see the vastness of what lay beyond their own planet.

By eleven o’clock they were all in a stupor, lulled by the gentle rocking of the boat and the soft, warm breeze. David had to nudge TC to get him to move so they could get to bed. Everyone was tired from being out in the sun all day. They all managed to get teeth brushed and use the head. TC turned on the air conditioning in the cabin. If the breeze died down overnight it would get stuffy quickly. He rarely used it during the day, but he liked to be comfortable sleeping and hated to get too hot. He and David slipped into lightweight sleep shorts, keeping themselves decent while the kids were on board. They all slept well that night.

Saturday, the twins’ actual birthday dawned sunny and warm. They spent the entire day swimming, fishing and lounging around, not necessarily in that order. Owen and TC both caught good sized groupers and they kept them for dinner. TC had Owen help him clean and fillet the fish when the kid asked if he could help. They ate dinner a little earlier than the previous day and once again the meal was delicious.

After dinner they went up onto the deck to watch the sunset again. They still had an hour or so to go and TC disappeared back down into the cabin. When he came back up he was holding a half sheet cake blazing with sixteen candles. It was decorated with balloons and had ‘Happy Birthday Wonder Twins” He had overheard David calling them that on more than one occasion. David was happy that TC had taken the time to get a cake. It just showed one more way how thoughtful he was.

The twins blew out the candles and thanked TC for the cake. He had picked it up from Publix on his way to the marina yesterday morning and they had sealed the box well. Keeping it in the fridge had kept it fresh. Publix really did have the best cakes.

Owen decided to sleep out on the deck under the stars.There was a bench seat along the back of the boat that was long enough to fit his tall frame. He had been a little squished in the bed on the cabin wall the previous night. He took a lightweight blanket in case it got cool and threw a sheet over the leather seat, tucking it in all around.

Sometime in the middle of the night David and TC were woken up by the kids poking their toes and whispering, “Dad! TC! Wake up!”

David bolted upright and still half asleep automatically asked “What’s wrong?” even as his half asleep body was getting off the bed. TC was only a second or two behind him.

“Nothing’s wrong, but you gotta come see this, hurry up, but be quiet!” Owen whispered.

They followed the kids out onto the deck which was now lit up by moonlight. The moonrise wasn’t until after midnight and the full orb had just crested over the horizon. It was a gorgeous orangy red and looked enormous. It reflected enough light from the sun to make it nearly as bright as daylight. It had come up over the front of the boat and Lyssa scampered up to the sunbathing cushions and motioned for them to join her. As they crawled onto the front of the boat TC and David then noticed the dolphins that were playing in the moonlight off the port bow.

TC scooted up behind David so that David could lean back against his chest and TC could rest his chin on David’s shoulder. They silently watched the dolphins play and put on a show for them. The beautiful creatures leaped out of the water, cartwheeling and spinning for the pure enjoyment of it, not because they were trained to and would be rewarded with food. Two of them came up to the bow and looked up at the humans watching them. They all were sure that somehow the dolphins knew that they were letting the two legged creatures have a glimpse into their lives by choice.

David didn’t find out until much later that Lyssa snapped a picture of him and TC, with the giant full moon behind them casting them somewhat into silhouette, their features still visible, but softened by their own shadow. She had still managed to capture the look that was on both of their faces. In the background, fully lit by moonlight were two dolphins leaping out of the sea, water cascading off their bodies.

The dolphins played for a while, letting the humans watch, until the moon had risen to a point where it seemed like a normal size again. The four of them watched as the graceful mammals swam father and farther away. The whole thing had been magical and was something that none of them would ever forget.

Quietly they said goodnight and David thanked the kids for waking them up. He wouldn’t have missed this for the world. It was a perfect way to end the kid’s birthday.

All of them slept in that morning, Owen had come back into the cabin after the dolphin encounter. In the light of day both kids were exuberant in their excitement recalling the rare treat they had witnessed. TC and David made breakfast, scrambled eggs, pancakes and bacon. While they ate they decided to head back for shore. Two days of fishing was plenty for all of them. They also had enough fish in the freezer to last for a while.

TC let Owen pilot the boat back to shore, making him plot the course manually first. TC had given him lessons on navigating and wanted him to learn not to always rely on the GPS system. Owen had expressed an interest in the Coast Guard Academy during one of their discussions over the weekend and David promised to help him look into what he would need to do. The twins were going to be starting their junior year and David knew that Owen would need to keep up with his grades and extracurricular activities.

They took their time getting back to dry land and it was just after lunch when Owen spotted the markers for the channel that would get them back to the marina. He was putting his lessons to good use. TC took over as they entered the marina itself and safely docked the boat. During the ride back David and Lyssa had packed up everything that was coming off the boat.

Everyone pitched in hauling their stuff to the car and Owen helped TC hose off the boat. Once they were off the dock and on dry land each one of them felt the effects of being on the open water for three days. It felt like the ground was moving underneath them. It reminded TC a little of the earthquake in California, only much gentler.

The kids thanked TC profusely for a fantastic weekend and both of them gave him huge hugs. They both said it was the best birthday weekend they had ever had. TC was practically glowing at the praise. David reminded him about the get together at his place the next weekend for the Fourth of July.

“How many people are going to be there?” TC asked.

“It’s usually about thirty people, but this year is going to be smaller. My boss and his brood can’t make it, Gio and Zander are out of the country on vacation and some of the kid’s friends have other stuff they’re doing or they’re out of town, so I think we’re down to about fifteen or sixteen altogether, why?” David replied.

“If it’s going to be a small group why don’t we watch the fireworks from Triton’s Conch? I can technically accommodate up to twenty people, but I’d rather keep it under that, so fifteen is a good number. We won’t have to fight for a spot on the beach and by the time we get back to the marina the traffic will have eased.” TC offered.

“That would be awesome! Are you sure?” David asked.

“Yup, it’ll be fun.” answered TC.

“I’ll let the gang know, we can plan on grilling and eating earlier to give us time to get over to the marina and find parking.” said David.

“We can use my spot at the condo and I’ll see if there are any visitor spots still available to reserve.” TC replied. “We’ll figure it out.”

David gave TC a huge bear hug and a searing kiss, thanking him for making the kid’s birthday weekend so special.

The following weekend was another weekend of non-stop fun. David ended up with fourteen people at his house, TC, Miles and his family, Terry and Michelle and four of the kid’s friends. The kids spent most of the afternoon in the pool, the adults watching from the shade of the lanai. David grilled chicken and steaks and everyone else had contributed to the edible offerings. There was more than enough food to go around, even with eight teenagers in the mix.

They left for the marina right after they ate. It was going to be a busy place and TC wanted to get out into the open water early so they could anchor not too far offshore. Miles had driven their old minivan that had been handed down to Rance and could seat seven. Terry had a huge Suburban so he was able to fit the rest of the gang in his vehicle for the short ride to the marina. They parked Mile’s van in TC’s spot at his condo and Terry ended up using David’s parking pass for the lot at his office building. Everyone met at the marina office to follow TC to the boat, which was a big hit. TC allowed Owen to pilot her through the channel and then took over when they passed the last marker.

TC hugged the shore and headed south. Siesta Key always put on a great display, but the waters offshore would be crowded. TC managed to find a spot about 200 yards from the beach. They all watched Mother Nature do her thing and paint the sky with another beautiful Florida sunset. At nine o’five the first flash of light burst through the air and for a half an hour they all oohed and ahhed at the bright display.

Getting back to the marina took a little while, boats were lined up waiting their turns to get through the narrow neck. It was midnight by the time they got back to David’s house and everyone headed home except TC. Once in bed, David was more than enthusiastic showing him exactly how much he appreciated everything that he had done.