Disclaimer: Dutch Harbor, the f/v Northwestern and any other boat or crew are real. I don't own them, know them or to my knowledge know that this has ever happened to them. Gina Hilden and the employees at the Mini Mart are my characters.

Barely Managing- Chapter 1

It was a busy morning at the only Dutch Harbour Mini Mart. The manager, Gina Hilden, was busily sorting out orders for the crab boats that were due to leave within the next few days. Since the store opening three years prior, the captains bought the boats cigarette order or anything else that they could not get from the grocery store from the Mini Mart.

As Gina sorted out the order for the Cornelia Marie the loud ring of the stores cordless phone echoed though the empty store.

"Hello, Dutch Harbour Mini Mart." she answered, wading around the boxes behind the counter. Her face brightened instantly when she heard the voice. "Yes Sig, your order is almost ready." She burst into laughter at his next words.

"Did you get a box of Kit Kat's for me?"

"Yes Sig, they are here. Your order will be ready in about five minutes if you wanted to swing by and pick it up."

"Junior should be around soon for it. I sent him out a while ago to pick up some things."

"Junior?" The name never sounded familiar to her. "Is he a new greenhorn?"

"Oh no, it's the greenhorn, Jake, from last year." She could hear him shift papers around, assuming he was trying to find the best grounds early. "You never got to meet him when you were gone last year."

Gina missed last years King Crab and Opilio Seasons due to her father being sick. She decided to head home to Seattle for a month to be with him. "I guess I'll get to meet him now."

"I guess so. Well, I better let you go." There was mumbling in the background. "Edgar is saying something about a leak in the hydraulics."

"I'll see you later. Tell Edgar not to sip on the fluid. I hear it's poisionous."

There was a laugh from Sig. "I'll tell him. See you later Gina!"

Gina put the phone down and started tossing more cartons of smokes into a box. The thud of the door opening and closing sounded though the store. She continued on putting the last of the order for the Northwestern away as the customer roamed the store.

"Hey." The customer had approached the counter. "I'm here for an order for the Northwestern."

"I just finished it." Gina turned around, looking up from her 5' 2" stature and locked eyes with the greenhorn for the first time. He was standing at the counter eyeing all of the boxes. She smiled extending her hand for a shake. "I'm Gina, the manager here."

Jake reached out and made contact with her hand. "I'm Jake, the new guy on the totem pole."

"I've heard, Sig told me you were coming for the order." She started piling up the five boxes filled with the Northwestern order onto the counter. "I was a little suspicious when He said he needed 7 cartons of Marlboro added to the order. It's not the usual thing."

"Yeah, that's my part of the order." He answered as he reached for his wallet. "I never saw you here when I came for the order before Opilio. New here?

"Nah, I've been here since the store opened." She looked down for a second, letting her audburn hair fall around her face. Her tone changed. "I went home for a while last year to see my dad for the last time."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Jake's words and face showed sadness. " I hope you're last moments together we great."

"Thank you." She smiled a little looking up into his blue eyes. "You're that only one who has said that."

Jake smiled back. "Here you have several fathers though. All the captains talk about you. Sig loves you to pieces and I'm sure all the captains feel the same way."

"Oh really?" Gina lifted a bag from behind the counter unto the stacked boxes. "I'm glad everyone feels that way. When this place first opened up, the captains and crews were the only real customers we had. I remember one day I was on the phone with the owner back in Seattle telling them that business wasn't the greatest." She started shifting though a box to the left of her for something as she continued. "Phil from the Cornelia Marie came in and hearing what I had said, promised he would keep this store open. Within a few days everyone in the community was coming here for smokes and snacks. I don't know how he did it, but he did."

By the end of the story Jake was eying the bag. "They'd do anything for anyone."

"Stop trying to snoop!" Gina grabbed the bag, tossed something from the box into the bag and tied the top. "Don't open this until you get to the boat. It's a surprise." She tossed the bag back over to Jake who barley caught it.

"If you say so..." He smiled back eyeing the boxes for a second. "Is this everything?"

"Yep. I think you guys all smoke too much." She looked at her order sheet quickly before ringing in the order. "I don't blame you guys though. That will be 876.73."

He handed Gina the work Visa to pay for the order. "I don't smoke too much unless I'm on the boat. It keeps me awake for hours and give my hands something to do between strings." Gina handed Jake the slip to sign and passed him back his receipt.

"Thanks." Jake smiled, handing back her pen and slip. "I better get going before Sig has my head. I still have stuff to do on the boat."

"Yeah, I still have to get a few more orders done before I leave this afternoon."

"How fun." Jake joked. "I hope you have a good time with that." Jake began piling boxes on top of each other to bring them to the truck. "We'll I'll get out of your way. See you later!" He called back from the door with the boxes.

"Bye!" Gina smiled and waved. She turned back to the boxes and gave a sigh. Gina went back to her work, sorting orders and serving customers until her eye caught something on the counter. "Of course he's leave the bag" she laughed. She tossed the bag by her belongings under the counter. In her mind the wheels turned. "Go home and rest or deliver the bag." she thought. "Bring the bag to the Northwestern." She decided.

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