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A chuckle erupted against my will, just thinking about the scene I’d walked in on, that kid trying to get an octopus off his face while his mother screamed and Ryan ran for the broom. Thankfully, I’d been able to help, and the kid wasn’t hurt. “What about the plumbing incident?”
Ryan folded his arms. “They should put warnings on packages.”
“You didn’t think it would be a bad idea to flush a tin can down the toilet?”
“The trash can was full!” he shouted at me, just like he did the last time I asked him about it.
I didn’t bother to go into the fact that he could’ve taken the trash out or even balanced the trash on top. Ryan was his own person who saw the world in a unique way, and I would never understand him, not completely anyway. At least he was happier here than he had been on the fishing boat where he’d loved his job but hated his boss. “All right. I’m headed out. See you later?”
“Yeah, meet me at West Wharf,” he said with a nod.
I returned the nod and headed out. Meeting at the bar sounded like a good idea. If I didn’t catch that damn salmon today, I’d need a beer or two.
Outside, I made my way to the dock where my fishing boat,Seaside Shanty, awaited. Going out on the bay by myself had its pros and cons. While I enjoyed Ryan’s company, at least I wouldn’t be forced to talk about topics I didn’t want to think about today.
Once again, the breeze brushed my cheeks, bringing a haunting, imaginary laughter along with it.
Shaking my head, I cleared my thoughts and continued on my way, walking along the wooden planks on the way to my boat. To my left, the sound of irritated voices caught my attention. I turned my head to see an older couple on a smaller vessel, puzzling over the engine.
“Dag nab it,” the man said. “It just won’t start, Hazel.”
“We need to call that rental place and have them come and switch it out,” the woman said, her gray hair blowing in the wind.
I recognized the boat as a rental from a place down the shoreline a bit. Thinking they probably stopped here for supplies near the bait shop and other stores and couldn’t get the old clunker to start up again, I headed over. “Need a hand?”
They both turned to look at me, and I could tell they were suspicious. I couldn’t blame them. They were obviously from out of town and probably had been warned not to trust anyone on their travels, even though there wasn’t a soul in Sitka who would harm them. At least, not that I was aware of.
That probably didn’t include Charlie Moore, though, the guy who owned the cheap boat rental place and didn’t maintain his vessels well enough to keep his clients from getting stranded.
“Won’t start,” the gentleman told me.
“I know this boat.” I set my bait down on the dock and raised my eyebrows, asking permission to board, which I was granted. “It’s usually a loose wire in the transmission.”
“Oh, do you think you can help us?” the woman asked as I headed to the steering wheel. I’d helped a few people out with this particular problem and learned exactly where to punch the steering column to get the engine to turn.
“Yes, ma’am, I sure can,” I assured her. Giving the boat a hard love tap in the right place, I stepped over and cranked the engine. It turned over, and both of them cheered and hugged one another.
“Thank you so much!” the man exclaimed. “I was afraid I’d leave my blushing bride stranded on our fortieth wedding anniversary.”
His wife rested her hand on his chest. “Can you believe it? Seems like just yesterday Phil and I tied the knot.”
“Forty years? Wow.” I was impressed. Extending my hand, I congratulated both of them. “What advice do you give to people just starting out?”
Phil smiled at me. “Love her every day like it’s the first day, and you’ll be together forever, son,” he told me.
“And always let her win the arguments,” his wife added, and they both chuckled.
“That’s right. I learned real quick that Irene is always right.” Phil leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
“Thanks for the tips,” I told them. I started to go, but Phil reached out and put a hand on my shoulder.
“Thanks so much for your help, young man,” he said. It had been a long time since anyone had called me either son or young man, but then, I supposed, compared to him, it was fitting. “Just remember, when you meet the woman that drives you wild, you’ll know she’s the one. Don’t let her go.” He squeezed his wife tighter to his chest, and they looked lovingly into one another’s eyes.
I wanted to tell him I knew exactly what he meant. Thoughts of Kaylee came to mind. But instead, I said, “I’ll keep that in mind. Have a nice day.”
Irene shouted her thanks as well as I gathered my things and headed to my boat.
My day on the water went about as well as I’d expected—it sucked. Not only did I not catch that damn salmon, but all day, I kept thinking about the older couple and the advice they’d given me.
