Moe Szyslak steadied himself on the bow of Surly Mermaid his trusty old fishing boat that he inherited from a deceased uncle four years ago. It was early in the morning off the Florida Keys, the waves were calm and a light wind was blowing from the north. The perfect day to go fishing, but not in Moe's mind, usually he was sleeping in around this time, getting up around eleven to set up his bar and grill for the locals who came in for some afternoon relaxation. But thanks to his assistant Mick Talbot, that wasn't going to happen today. In fact, rising to the late morning sun had been out of the question for a few weeks now thanks to Mick finally getting what he wanted out of his band.
So at the moment, Moe was stuck out on the Caribbean while Mick stayed on land nearby waiting for a call to come in about whether or not he was going to play somewhere tonight. Moe of course crossed his fingers that he wouldn't, if he did he would be working solo again trying to get everyone's orders in and making the perfect beverage for those who loved Moe's specialties at his bar. He could hire Mick's sister Jenna, but she had enough to deal with as it is with cleaning up after guests in the hotel just down the waterway. In truth, he needed help, his business was slowly booming and some evenings he was known to get a big crowd in his little bar and grill that he had inherited from his uncle.
Well the land he inherited, it was a small spot right up against the water and when his uncle died four years ago. It happened right around the time he was getting ready to attend Swigmore University, a prestigious bartending school that he had his sights on since sophomore year of high school, he always wanted to be a well to do bartender and attending Swigmore would help his chances with that. Then his uncle passed on only a month before graduation, so as a graduation present, his parents brought him down to Key West to see the small parcel of land, house, and boat that Moe inherited from his uncle. He quickly fell in love with the place and instead of making his parents deal with tuition and helping him with student loans; he moved to his uncle's property and built a bar. He opened it Tuesdays through Saturdays from two until eleven; sometimes later if the night was hopping. Closed on Sundays and Mondays to let himself and Mick have some time off, even though he loved doing it, he needed a break every now and again.
Moe could not believe he agreed on taking what his uncle had left him in his will. His uncle's death was not too unexpected, his uncle lived in the Florida Keys for many years, living the life like the narrator in The Old Man and the Sea, always fishing for those sailfish. And it was sailfish that finished him off in the end, rather brutally too and a thought that was hard to get out of one's mind once it slid itself in there. Moe of course shook it off as best he could as he cast a line into the water. This was of course Mick's job, he was the one who was supposed to catch snapper or tarpon or even the occasional marlin for the bar's main course. But here he was, the owner of his own joint, catching the fish of the day hopefully before noon.
But of course this idea of just sitting on the boat in the early morning fishing wasn't too bad of a thing. The sea was calm and water was clear and sparkling enough to see the bottom of. Quite a few times while fishing, he would catch a glimpse of an occasional shark swimming past. Once he actually caught one and served a memorable special for three days. The regulars loved it and demanded more, but Moe said it had been quite a fight and he hoped to never do it again, not after nearly slicing his hands thanks to the shark's rough skin. And a few more times, dolphins would visit, they would swim by in a curious fashion and explore around him for a few minutes, sometimes eating his bait on the line or his fish he was reeling in but Moe did not mind, he actually found those creatures interesting. He just wished he could sleep in longer.
That Mick, always hunting for a great opportunity to land a major gig to play his music with his band The Key Minors. Most of the music was inspired by his idol Jimmy Buffett and once the great performer was actually in the crowd cheering him on. He hoped to actually one day work with the man, something Moe dreaded, if that happened, then Mick wouldn't be around much at all and sooner or later he would have to give up and find a replacement. Mick was such a good assistant though; it would be hard to replace him. But he did need help that was for damn sure, not only was he the owner of the bar but he also made drinks, cooked the meals and served the food to the customers, that was why Mick was important to have. For some reason trying to find help on the island was hard, no one seemed to want to work. Moe would not blame them though, Key West was the place to relax and forget all your troubles.
But of course because of Mick's situation, Moe was a bit worried and troubled by this, he really needed to think about getting more help and soon. If he did that he hoped someone would answer his call faster this time. It actually took him two months to find Mick and he was actually dropping by to see his sister when he stopped to look at Moe's bar and saw the help wanted sign. But ever since, Mick was sort of a mover, he liked to sing and play his guitar, which he sometimes did at the bar with his other band mates, and thanks to that, other people wanted him to play in their place too.
What a life! Of course he often thought about his friends in Springfield, Barney Gumble and Homer Simpson especially. Those two were good friends with him in his younger years before he left; luckily he still stayed in contact with them from time to time. Sometimes he even wondered if they would like coming down and helping him out, but they seemed to be happy at the bowling alley. He would pay them more though that was for damn sure. Of course that all depended on what Mick was doing and he knew he would find out in a few hours. At the moment, there was a tug on his line.
Moe stood still as he watched his fishing pole remain steady for a brief moment before the he felt a tug on the line as the fishing pole bent down into the water. Something was definitely on it! Holding on as tightly as he could, Moe began to real the line in, letting it slack from time to time so as not to break it. If he did, a whole fish would be lost and so would fifteen minutes of his time as he tried to put a new line back together. For a good five minutes he fought with the fish, it never broke to the surface until Moe finally felt the line go slack. The fish was tiring already, that was good.
He began to reel it in faster now; the fish still fought, though not as valiantly, he did not need to let the line slack as the fish finally came into view and splashed at the surface. It didn't look too big, and he wasn't sure what kind it was yet, all he knew was that it was still big enough to feed perhaps three people. A good cash flow but not enough for an entire evening. Still he reeled it in as he grabbed his net that was sitting beside him. Finally the fish was right next to the boat, slapping and jumping as it tried its best to free itself one last time, but to no avail. It finally found its way into Moe's net as he hauled it onto the boat.
"Weren't much of a fighter were you?" Moe said as he set the net down to see what he had caught. It didn't take him long to figure out what it was, the long pointed snout with the red coloring made it easy to recognize as a Vermilion Snapper. "I bet some of the guys would love to have ya for dinner."
Moe took the hook out of the snapper's mouth and carefully moved him over to the holding tank a few feet away before making his way back to the fishing line and baiting it again for the next fish. He was right about one thing too; the snapper was only good for maybe three or four people. On a really good night, he was known to get upwards of three hundred guests asking for some good drinks and a few would want a good meal. It was a small amount compared to the bigger places, but he had a small bar on the small plot of land. He was happy with that, he did not want it any other way. Those who had been out on the water all day, catching fish and having a great time, they deserved something properly cooked. He had cooked the fisherman's catch too and it always came out delicious, but for those who did not get a bite or were just more interested in beer, they came and enjoyed their time. It was still all the more reason why Moe was fishing and once he finally got the bait on the line, he cast it out hoping to catch something bigger but just as tasty.
Moe finished fishing a little after noon and quickly made his way back to the dock where Mick was waiting for him on the edge of it, his feet dangling in the water like some crazy eight year old. Moe straightened his boat on the dock before throwing a rope at Mick who tied it off.
"How was fishing this morning?" Mick asked.
"Eh not too shabby, caught ten snapper, five tarpon and three grouper. Almost had a shark on the line but he got away before I could tug too hard," Moe replied as he handed Mick the heavy basket full of fish.
"So I am guessing the grouper will be of limited supply tonight?" Mick asked.
"Yeah, first come first serve really, probably should raise the price up a little since that's all I got," Moe said as he jumped off the boat and helped carry the catch over to the bar.
"Yeah that makes sense, and I was able to go out and get you some extra lemons, I noticed you were nearly out of those," Mick said.
"Oh good, does that mean you got the call?" Moe asked.
Mick turned to Moe nervously, he actually been dreading to get this question; it was good news for him, but bad news for Moe. He knew Moe would not take it lightly but he had to tell the truth.
"Yeah I got the call," Mick replied.
"…and?" Moe said after a long pause.
Mick set the catch down next to the bar entrance while Moe unlocked the door, hoping to come up with how he should break the news to his friend. "Well…the thing is Moe…I uh…leave in a month."
Mick was staring out at the ocean when he said it but as soon as he finished, he heard the keys fall to the sandy floor. He turned back at Moe who had not bothered to pick up the keys but was now staring at Mick with a look that seemed both upset yet happy for him at the same time.
"How long will you be gone?" Moe asked as he picked up the keys.
"See that's the thing, depends on how well we do, shortest would be six months, the longest…well let's just say it might take me places," Mick replied.
"So you're telling me that I am going to have to find a replacement?" Moe asked.
"Yeah…" Mick replied.
He looked back at Moe, he seemed to be taking it okay, but he knew on the inside that the guy he was helping was not going to handle him leaving very well. He kept things from going too crazy, he knew how to make the drinks, make really good special seasoning for the french fries that went with the fish and just kept the place entertained. No this was definitely not going to be an easy separation, Mick of course did feel bad, but his dream was to always play in a band and he was finally getting that wish. If only he could find a way to also help Moe through the process, maybe find a replacement for him.
"You want me to ask Jenna if she wants to help you?" asked Mick.
"Nah she's got enough to deal with cleaning up after all those people, I wish I should have taken the warning when you told me you knew how to play the guitar well. Now I just got to think about how I should start the hiring process and how I should get good people. You know how hard it is to get good people, some just sit there and do nothing watching you slave and others want all the glory to themselves as they steal all the money from ya. It's just not easy working in a bar all by yourself, especially one that gets good money like this. I don't want to close it down because I don't have enough help."
"I'm really sorry about this Moe," Mick said while Moe began to pace back and forth in the little office where they kept the safe and extra cookbooks in case someone wanted them to make a very interesting recipe.
"Eh just get out of my sight for an hour while I figure things out," Moe replied as he sat down on a nearby chair and took out a cigar.
Mick said nothing but quietly left the room, he hoped that Moe would be okay finding a replacement. Finding Mick was a one and a million shot at getting an honest employee who came in when he was supposed to and rarely never showed up without warning Moe in advance. Of course that had been happening a lot now lately thanks to the new gigs, this was just a job to help him get enough money to get started, but now he felt bad for leaving. He did love this job and he would hate to have to go away from it for a while but he also knew that what he was doing would give him more money and maybe even a future.
Moe sat quietly on his chair, puffing his cigar and thinking about what to do now that he was going to be down one person. He knew it would be hard to work alone; his business had gotten busier since he first started now that many people told others about his place. In fact, since he had Mick, he always felt that a third person should also be there to help since both of them worked their butt off to ensure quality service and on busy nights it was tough to get the meal on time. He didn't want to close the bar because of lack of employment, he wanted to do well, he did not want to return to Springfield, if he ever did, with his tail between his legs. Of course most of his friends were in Springfield and he often missed being in contact with them, well Barney and Homer at least. Lenny and Carl were just side friends. But then a thought occurred to him, would Barney and Homer want to come down and help him?
It sounded like a good idea, those two always made the day more interesting and he always felt good after chatting with them on the phone. But like he had thought about before, would they be willing to give up their jobs at the bowling alley and come work for him? They had lived in Springfield all their life; rarely did they leave the place. Of course he lived in Springfield all his life before coming down here, it was almost an adventure really, he had no idea how long he would be living down here, maybe a few years, maybe until he died. He had no idea; he just needed to think of what to do soon before it was too late.
It was now nearing six o'clock in the evening and tonight was quieter than usual. Moe believed it was because it was Tuesday night and everyone was out doing something more important. He was alright with that though; his mind was elsewhere about what to do with help. At the moment Mick was playing music on his guitar for some guests who were enjoying the bloody mary he had served to them. So he was sitting alone at the bar, wiping it down and listening to the music. For some reason he felt the urge to call Barney and Homer, but for some reason he sensed that they would not be home, they might be at work. But then again, it couldn't help to try, he wasn't busy and no one would mind him calling a friend to chat. He went over to the corner of his bar and began dialing. It rang three times before he finally heard someone pick up the phone.
"Hello?" The voice on the other line said, a voice he had not heard before. Was this a wrong number?
"Uhhh…I think I have the wrong number," Moe said nervously.
"Well that really depends, who are you looking for?" The voice replied on the other line.
"…Is there… a Barney Gumble or a Homer… Simpson available?" Moe asked.
"Oh there was…but I stole their wallets and took over their house," the voice said.
Moe was speechless for a moment, this guy had to be joking but how in the world could he get past all this. Should he laugh or should he hang up?
"I'm just messing with you, don't worry I wouldn't do anything like that. No they are at work but I would be happy to take a message," the voice said.
"Tell them that their buddy Moe called, I have an offer that they may like to take," Moe said.
"Ooh like the godfather huh?" The voice asked.
"Not really, I don't get stabby or anything, and who in the world am I talking to anyway?" Moe asked.
"Oh I am Barney and Homer's other roommate Roger, I work with them, I just wasn't working today," Roger replied.
"Oh well nice talking with you Roger, please give them that message though okay, this is kind of important," Moe replied.
"No problem, I promise the message will be given the moment they walk into the door," Roger said cheerfully before hanging up the phone, leaving Moe just as bewildered as ever.
It was now nine in the evening, there was no busy rush tonight and the few people who were at his bar were quietly sitting there drinking their beers, martini's and gins. It was a very slow night leaving Moe to think about Homer and Barney, wondering if his two friends got the message that he needed to speak with them. It was hard to tell if that Roger kid was reliable or not. Hopefully he was, he did not want to try and call hundreds of times only to find that his two friends were working yet again.
But his thoughts were soon interrupted when his phone rang. Of course since he was in deep thought the sudden noise made him jump a few inches. But he quickly regained his composure and picked up the phone. He was relieved when the voice on the other end belonged to Barney.
"Moe, I was told you called," Barney said as soon as Moe picked up.
"I sure did Barn, glad to hear you got the message because I'm hoping you and Homer can help," Moe replied.
"Well I hope we can as long as it's not too expensive," Barney replied.
"Oh don't worry you'll actually get money out of this. I know it's a bit of a stretch to ask but would you and Homer be interested in working with me down here in Key West? My assistant is leaving soon for a music gig and I got nobody to help me keep the place running. All you need to do is serve food and drinks and catch the day's fish from my boat," Moe said quickly and seriously.
There was a long pause on the other end of the line; he knew Barney was not asking Homer because he could not hear whispering. It was as if Barney was calling the shots. "Oh dear, give up the bowling alley for a bar, I really don't know Moe, let me ask Homer."
Moe held the phone while he heard Barney call Homer over to where he was talking on the phone. Both whispering low enough that he could not hear what they were saying. It wasn't long before he heard Roger's voice join in, and he wondered what would happen to Roger if they did end up saying yes. Things were now getting a bit interesting.
Finally after a few minutes of waiting and nearly falling asleep from boredom, Barney returned but not with an answer.
"Can we call you back?" Barney asked.
"Sure thing, and just to let you guys know, if you do decide, you will have a place to stay, I got room in my beach house," Moe said.
"Okay thanks," Barney said and hung up the phone.
Homer was sitting in a nearby chair, leaning on the table looking very thoughtful yet worried at the same time. Roger was standing nearby wondering now what was to become of him if his two friends decided to leave for sunny Florida.
"Moe just said he had room at his house if we are interested, but I am not going to do it unless we all agree since he did ask for you too Homer," Barney said as he hung up the phone.
"I know, I just don't know if I want to leave the bowling alley," Homer replied.
"I know, all three of us have some memorable moments there, of course working in a bar in Key West, that sounds really fascinating. I mean think about it, the sun, and the surf," Barney said.
Homer scratched his chin, thinking about what Barney had said it sounded great but he had lived in Springfield all his life, would he really want to leave home to help a friend in need thousands of miles away? His father of course would not mind, but what about Al? Would he be okay losing his best customers? It would take him a while to find a replacement especially if all three of them had left with only him to man the place. Of course business had been slow lately so maybe he would do okay by himself.
"And don't forget besides sun and surf, there's also the ladies," Roger smiled.
Homer and Barney both raised an eyebrow. Perhaps they could get lucky in that tropical paradise. And another great thing about living there, they would not have to worry about rent, something that always put a dent in their paycheck even though Roger had now been with them for two months.
"You know a change of scenery does sound kind of nice, we have been following the same routine for a while now," Barney said.
Homer thought for just a few more seconds before finally responding. "You know what it does sound great, but what about your uncle?"
"He actually handled the place by himself for half a year before Roger came along," Barney said.
"Yeah the poor guy was getting a bit flustered by then and of course your friend Moe did not invite me so maybe I won't be going with you," Roger replied.
"We'll ask," said Barney.
"Yeah, you need a change in scenery too, besides if we hate it we can always come back here," Homer said.
"…So it's a yes then?" Barney asked.
Homer and Roger both nodded.
And without further delay, Barney picked the phone back up and called Moe back. Little did they know that they were answering the call to an amazing adventure that would change their lives in many different ways for many years to come.
A/N: Well that last part was sort of meh but I still had fun with it especially the beginning. Kinda felt like I was on the boat with him. Any way I've been noticing a lot of reviews lately where you guys ask if Marge is going to be in the next chapter. Well I want to be honest and say no, not until chapter 15 or 16. Homer is more prominent now and you will see Marge more in later chapters. I would put her in the next chapter but it would only be about her time at school and that just sounds really boring to me. So for now you are stuck with Homer until Marge and Artie are done with school, unless I or someone else comes up with an interesting idea then maybe that will change, but so far not at the moment. But hopefully now that Moe is here I got your attention. hee hee.
Any way that's all for now, please review when you can, have a nice week. Hopefully I will update this fast again.