Will arrives at the marina at 25 minutes past 6. He stows his gear on the boat so all he ever really brings with him are drinks and some food. It really all depends on what he will be doing while he is there. Today fishing with a friend warrants some beer, chips and some stuff to make sandwiches.
As he pulls the items he purchased from the trunk of his car he spots the owner of the boat slipped next to him. "Hey Paul, heading out today or just a day on the boat?" Will asked. "Oh, hey Will, nah just hangin today, wife's getting the friggin house all dolled up for some shower shit she has going on today, I do not want to get involved in that." he says. "She'll have me hanging some crepe crap from God knows where, so I hightailed it out of there nice and early." Paul tells Will.
"How about you?" Paul asks in kind. "Just doing some fishing with my business partner," Will says as he pulls out a case of beer from the trunk, and a bag of groceries. "You need a hand with that?" Paul offers. "Nah, but thanks, I'm good." Will responds.
The two walk together toward the docks. As Will arrives at the top of the stairs that lead down to the docks he spots Erick with his tackle box open, fiddling with one of his lures. As they approach Erick hears them coming. "Jesus Will, what took you so long enough, I been here for like half and hour, hey Paul." Erick spouts. "Hey Erick" Paul says."Well then you are the dumbass since I told you I would be here at 6:30." Will switching gears for a moment. "Hey Paul you want to come out with us, plenty of room and beer?" Will offers. "Thanks Will, but I am looking forward to just hanging and not thinking for awhile." Paul says. Will looks at him, "Interesting, that's pretty much what my partner here does most of the day." Will says. "Hey" Erick says looking at Will. "Erick did you forget anything?" Will says as he look over at Paul. "What I got all my gear, I got the bait"...Will looks at him and says..."and"..."And what?" Erick says. "Let's think for a moment, Will says, it has something to do with what I have in my hands." Erick checks Will out, and Will sees Erick's eyes open wide. "I'll be right back" Erick says. "And Houston we have lift off" Will says as he climbs onto the boat. Paul let's out a little laugh.
"What did he forget?" he asks Will. "The ice for the beer, I have a frig and all, but it will take forever for this shit to get cold." Will says. Paul laughs again and climbs aboard his own boat. "Well have a good one out there, it's suppose to be a beautiful day all day today." Paul says. "Thanks, and enjoy your alone time" Will says back.
Will heads below deck to put the food in the mini frig he has. The boat is a 32 foot cabin cruiser, with most of the amenities, but not all since when he bought it he barely had enough for the down payment. "It sleeps 4 comfortably 6 if he was really pressed. there is a small two burner stove, it has a head, but no shower, and a table that when folded down turns into part of a bed.
He has GPS, a radio that he has ever had to use, knock wood. It is there for emergencies and sometimes he likes to listen to the chatter and the coast guard reports so he knows if he should head in. "He took boating lessons for the fun of it and because he always loved the water and hoped to own his own boat someday. And he managed to cross that off his list of things he wanted. He always said that he could never live in the midwest because he couldn't be in a land locked state. He would miss the ocean way too much.
The bridge had two seats. One was the captains chair and the other was on the left hand side of it. The second seat was custom by the previous owner. It could be removed and placed on the deck for when you were doing big fish fishing. Will always thought it reminded him of the seat that Robert Shaw sat in when he hooked Jaws. To date he has never had to move the seat over to the hook up on the deck. He and Erick just brought out folding chairs to sit in when they fished. If one of them did actually hook a big one the other would just support the other one reeling it in.
"Permission to come aboard?" Erick yelled from the dock. Yeah, it was suppose to be protocol to ask before you set foot on someone elses boat, but Erick was the only one who actually abided by that rule. And in all honesty Will kind of like that. "Permission granted" Will yells back.
Two seconds later Erick was standing at the top of the stair leading down to the cabin holding 3 bags of ice. "Sorry about that man, don't know what I was thinking." Erick says regarding forgetting the ice. "It's cool we're just lucky that the marina store is open so early" Will says then continues. "You know where the cooler is, and I put the beer over there on the floor near the head." Will tells him.
Erick takes the four steps down to the cabin, then grabs the cooler and starts to rip into the bags of ice he got. Then dumping the contents into the cooler. "So how you doin?" Erick asked. "Whatta you mean?" Will asked. "Well you were pretty bummed about the papers yesterday, so I was just wondering if you were, you know, still down on yourself about it?" Erick asked. "You know, no, not really, I thought about it last night, and when I think of the shit she pulled on me, screw her, I just feel bad for the poor sucker that has to deal with that bitch now." "But hey she is off my hands now." Will says almost like he means it.
He really still is bothered a bit about it. He is kind of humiliated that she thought of him as trash that she could use to piss her parents off with. But he knew that that was just her opinion of him and screw that. But as many times as he said that it still hadn't sunk in."Ya got that right, it's her loss." Erick continued. "And hey her dad did us a solid with helping us grow our client list, so something good came out of it." "What's the saying make lemonade." Erick said. "Yeah something like that." Will said not bothering to correct Erick because he knew he was really trying to be supportive and he loved him for that.
If Erick was nothing else he was someone Will could call at 3 in the morning when he was low or just needed to talk. And Erick would never make Will feel like he was imposing on him. He would just engage like it was noon time. And to Will that was the true measure of a friend.
"So what do you say we get this SS Minnow on the open sea?" Will says. Erick looks at Will while he, Erick, is putting the last two bottles of beer he can fit into the ice filled cooler. "Really dude, the SS Minnow, unless you have Ginger or Marianne on board to play with I would forgo the SS Minnow shit." "Remember 3 hour tour never came back...not a good thought, and I don't know shit about how to build a radio out of coconuts." Erick says jokingly. Will looks at him..."Yeah well if we had Ginger and Marianne on board, I get Marianne she was a total cutie, you can have Ginger, she was more you type." Will says laughing. "Oh really nice Will, what are you saying I am only attracted to the ditzy beautiful type?" Will looks at him with if the shoe fits look.
"You want to break them out, what is it your 3 wedding albums" "You got your Ms Boobs USA, then you have your, Ms Booty with and ass you could stare at for hours but once she opens her mouth you want to hide from her." "And then you have your last charmer, what was her claim to fame, or right she could suck the tailpipe off the end of a 57 chevy and pull the engine block with it." "Yeah she was a charmer, Will says. "I'm guessing you got so much head from her because you didn't want her to talk." Will adds. Erick clutches his chest in fake shock. "That really hurt me Will, just because none of them could spell cat even if you spotted them the c and the t, that doesn't mean they weren't good people." Erick says. Will stare at him waiting for the finishing line. "Yeah, okay you're right, but the head the last one could give you, was worthy of a whole page in Penthouse forum."
Will backs out of the slip and heads out to the open sea.
"So whatta you figure same place as usual?" Will asks. "Nah, Erick says, lets go someplace else, we never have any luck there anyway." Will looks at him, "You never have any luck there, I always strike it there." Will corrects him. "Yeah that's what I said, I never have any luck there, duh." Erick says sarcastically.
Will checks the charts. Erick grabs the mic for the radio. "Breaker one nine, breaker one nine, anyone out there know of any good fishing spots, come back." Will grabs the mic out of Erick's hand. "What's the matter with you, we're on a boat, not driving some semi down the friggin highway, jeez" Will says as he hooks the mic back up in it holder. Erick looks at him, "What I thought that shit was like universal." Erick says. Will has to laughs because of how stupid his theory was. "Look, new rule, no touching, the radio, comprende?" Will says."Well excuuuussssseeee me Mr, Don't Play With My Toys." Erick says. "Sorryyyyyyyy." Will breaks out laughing, and then Erick joins in.
They drop anchor and get their gear ready. Erick already having the jump on Will with his time doing his shit on the dock and while Will was getting them to their spot. He cast his line, pulls up a chair folding chair, grab a beer and sits down and waits. "What's taking you so long Captain Hook?" Erick pokes Will with. "Well maybe if you learn out to operate a boat I could get my shit together before we get to the spot, but no, I have do it all while you are fucking around getting your pole all ready." Erick just grins at Will. "Prick" Will says.
"So when are you going to get back out there?" Erick asks. "Out where?" Will responds. "Back out dating, and shit." "Holy crap Erick, the inks not even dry on my divorce papers yet and you want me out trolling for pussy." Will says. "That's not what I mean Will and you know it." Erick say. "You've been alone for too long." "This divorce has been in the works for what 6 months?" "That was time you could have been going out meeting people, getting a few dates under you belt, and you know I don't mean sexually so don't go there." "But you haven't even been trying Will, I am worried about you." Erick says.
"Thanks Erick, I know what you mean...but If I am to be honest, I sort of don't have any interest in it right now." Will admits. Erick turns to Will and says "What, no interest in a relationship, or no interest in even dating, or no interest in getting laid, you know just a hook up." Will looks out at the ocean, "Well I guess I am saying no interest in all of them." "Jesus Will did she turn you into a eunuch before she left you?" "Sorry man that's just not normal." "You need to get back on that saddle, or in this case get into that pussy, you have to start to live again, and you aren't Will, and now you're telling me you're not even interested anymore." Erick says. "I didn't say anymore, I meant just not right now, right now I am not interested in getting involved, even for a casual lay." Erick sit there in silence for a few minutes. "Okay Will, I will let you be this way for awhile but if it goes on for too long then I am going to force you to do something." "Hell I will hire you a fucking hooker, just so you can get laid." "Maybe once you remember what it feels like you will want more." "And you'd do that too, I know." Will says. "You bet your ass I will." Erick replies.