Their evenings go something like she broils hamburger patties in the oven and serves them with toast and green beans from a bag. The countertops are low so she can reach them. They eat in front of the television and he wonders to her whatever happened to Cronkite, and after they’ve eaten he washes up and hangs the plates and forks and glasses in a wire rack by the sink.
He drives them into town and parks the van by the side-door service entrance at the little bar they like and he can lower Lorraine to the sidewalk where she can just roll right in. He sits at the bar and drinks whiskey and talks to anyone and everyone who walks through the door while the video keno rings and dings from the next room. I need more money, says Lorraine. Are you winning? Why would I need more money if I was winning, and she rolls back to the redblue glow of the small town casino.
How ’bout you, he says. What do you do? You like that? What you’re doing? You know you always think you gotta keep doing what you’re doing but really you can do whatever you want. You get stuck in a rut sometimes but you can do whatever you want. Tami, let me buy these boys a beer.
I fished, you know, he says. Moved out to a boat when I was 16, did it ever since. Puget Sound, mostly, but Alaska, too. Salmon, mostly, but some dogfish. Used to catch them just to get rid of ’em. Best you could get was ten cents a pound up at Mullies by Bellingham then that place burned down and you couldn’t sell ’em at all. Tami, another, if you please.
They gave me a boat, you know. Told the company man I want a boat. He said what makes you think I’d give you a boat? I told him nothing, but now you know I want one. So one day Karl called and had a boat for me, but no crew, so I did what I could. Not one of them boys had been out of Whatcom County. Karl said Fred that’s no crew, right in front of these these boys faces, so I bet him $300 right there on the spot we’d be one of the top 10 boats on the Sound.
Now, Karl wasn’t all wrong. I never thought we’d win that bet but the boys needed at the time, you know? And we were not a great crew. We weren’t bad, sure, but great? No. Not even all that good, really. But goddamn were we lucky. I never seen such luck. The craziest things – one day the engines broke down so we couldn’t get to where the run was hot and we had to just drop our nets where we were. Pulled the biggest haul of the summer.
And wouldn’t you know it we won that bet. I said Karl you remember the bet we made right here in this room? And he said he might remember something, yeah, and so I told him that’s great, pay the boys their $300, and walked out. Luckiest crew I ever saw. And you know I’ll take lucky over good any day, but the trick is knowing that lucky ain’t the same as good. Lotta guys get that mixed up.
Tami, could I have another, he says. That’s eight now. You cutting me off, he says. Just slowing you down. You still gotta get Lorraine back home. In a minute, then.
And in a minute Lorraine says I’m out, and me too says Fred. Tami, I guess I’ll pay with plastic. Ha! Never saw that before, did you? I guess not, Fred, but get her home now. I’ll be back, he says. I know you will, and I’ll be here.
Queue the Outrage
For the last couple of days I've mulled over what this post might be about, and found, perhaps with a bit of chagrin, that I ... Read more
Birthdays: Our Shittiest Tradition
Ok so birthdays - can we just not? What are we getting at with birthday parties, really? Celebrating the fact that we were born? Literally ... Read more