E: The Sea Jewel

The Sea Jewel
By David Ritchie

The old trawler swayed comfortably as it moved unhurriedly through the
jade
green water. Jamie Bonet nowhere else felt as good as he did at the
wheel of
The Sea Jewell. But, even so he had done so many times before going
through
Pole Pass required close attention. It looked like you could spit on
either shore as you went through in the middle, and the edges simmered
with the violence of the changing tide. It reminded Jamie of the final
gallon of swirling water leaving a bathtub.
Once through, Jamie turned the boat in a slow arc around the crab
pot
markers into the entrance of Deer Harbor, the westernmost inlet on
Orcas
Island. The harbor had high cliffs on the west side and hills of
evergreens to the east. Deer Harbor was homeport to The Sea
Jewell.
Jamie reduced the throttle and steered the boat between all the pesky
little boats at anchor. His berth was on the north side of the marina,
and the absence of wind made maneuvering easy. Pulling into his slip,
he put the engine in neutral and let the boat glide to the dock. He
tied the boat down, and then stepped over the toe rail back into the
cockpit. He ducked through the door into the cabin and switched the
engine off. As soon as the quiet wrapped him, he heard a fuss behind
him. He turned to see a bald eagle land atop a cedar just ashore from
his dock. Several Mallards lifted off in panic, and several coots swam
away hard, forming distinct 'vees' in the water with their wake.
Jamie sat in one of the old Adirondack chairs on the boat and opened
a
beer. After the beer he went below, picked up his shower bag,
fished
some quarters for a shower from his top drawer, and walked over to the
marina. After the shower, his thongs were heavy with water and made a
loud slap-slap sound as he walked back to the boat. That sound would
forever be the sound of summer to Jamie.
He opened another beer and leaned back to let the sun dry his hair.
This was time that was important to Jamie. Moments that allowed
composed recollection of the past. Of present. Of future.
The heat, the beer, sitting in the cockpit of The Sea Jewell, all
reminded him of the many hot days eating fresh crab with Julia, his
wife. But, since her death, only his dreams truly eased the pain
threshold between the 'have and the 'had' '. Then
the sun would rise and burn reality into him. Only now was he able to
return to the basic joys such as the smell of saltwater, and the sound
of the tides nosing the little stones on the beach.
**
Jamie had drifted off to sleep, but was startled awake by the loud
engines of a boat maneuvering near his berth. The sun was going down,
and it would soon be time to visit the Chinook Tavern. He stood up,
stretched, went below and changed into his Jimmy Buffet T-shirt, and
then flip-flopped down to the tavern.
As soon as Jamie entered, Freddie Barstow, the bartender shouted: "Ice
down a case of Alaska Amber, here comes a beer drinking machine!"
Jamie smiled at his friend and said "You know, I may just not want an
Alaskan this time. What do you think about that?"
Freddie rolled his eyes.
"You name it, big guy."
"Alaska Amber, please, barkeep."
Freddie laughed and gave him the beer he had already opened. This
was
not a new routine for them.
"What's up, dude?" asked Freddie.
"S.O.S."
"Yeah, I hear that."
"Meet anyone interesting today? You know, like girls. That's those
people
with little feet and who wear pantyhose?"
"Ha. Ha."
Freddie moved to pull some beer for others at the bar. However, he kept
one eye on Jamie. Jamie's head was down and he was staring at the bar.
Damn it.
The evening was busy for Freddie, but he told Jamie that he wanted to
talk
to him privately before he left. The evening slowed and they sat down
at a table
near the bar.
Freddie was grinning.
"I met someone, man."
"Really! That's great, pal. You're not exactly without 'someone' long
you
know, but I'm glad. What's her name?"
" Andrea. She's a writer. Cooking articles; stuff like that. For food
magazines
I think."
"Oh my God. You! With a creative type! I guess opposites do
attract."
"Hey. I'm a sensitive kinda guy!!"
"Just kiddin', buddy. I'm glad for you. Really. When do I get to meet
her?"
"Look, Jamie, the thing is, she has a friend."
The whole scene changed. Steel hard; white hot.
"Absolutely not." Jamie pushed his chair back to rise.
Freddie put his hands in out in front, palms towards Jamie.
"Ok, Ok. Sorry man. I just, uh? worry about you, you know."
"I know. " Goddamn it.
"Look, got an idea here. Tomorrow's Sunday. Weather's lookin' good.
Lets go
fishing. Take Andrea with us. Whatta you think?"
"Sure. That sounds like fun. What time do you want to leave?"
We'll be at The Sea Jewel about 9 - give or take half an hour - that
work for you?"
"OK. But Freddie. No friends. Understand? No friends, man"
The silence punctuated Julia's memory for both of them.
"No worries, mate" Said Freddie with his best Aussie imitation.
**
At ten 'til 8, Jamie was surprised to see Freddie and a woman coming
down
the walkway to the dock. His first glimpse of them was through the
steam from a cup of coffee he was sipping to ease the coolness of the
early morning. Surprised to see them, he stood and watched them. He
could see Freddie speak to several of the boat owners along the dock,
and from Freddie's animated body movement, it looked like he was taking
a ribbing about the woman. And really enjoying it.
As they neared the boat, Jamie raised his coffee cup in salute and
grinned.
Freddie responded with a hand salute.
"Permission to come aboard?"
"Granted"
Freddie briefed Andrea on how to step up over the rail and board the
boat.
"Don't worry. My dad was a sailing nut. I've been on a lot of boats
and
stepped over lots of rails, my boy!" She said.
"My boy!" Freddie said clutching his chest and feigning hurt
feelings.
She grinned, and Jamie laughed. And to top it off, Freddie caught his
heel boarding the boat and tripped. Now the other two were really into
it.
This woman is beautiful, and has a great sense of humor.
He started the engine and let it warm up a few minutes.
"Hey, Freddie, think you can cast off the lines without getting tangled
up
in 'em?"
"Well, I can see that the two of you wouldn't mourn my loss if I
did!"
"Be careful, old pal, it's hard to get good bartenders out here!" Said
Jamie.
"Cute. Really cute, old buddy"
"Hey, at least I said 'good'."
The three of them were on the fly bridge as they left the harbor. The
winds
were down and the water was flat. There are many beautiful
islands
in the San Juan's, and no matter where you looked you could see them.
And
the marine life was so varied you couldn't be sure what you would
come
across.
Jamie turned the boat into the pass between Orcas Island and Jones
Island,
and headed through Speiden Channel on the way to the Haro Strait.
Haro
Strait was one of the large bodies of saltwater that separated the
United States and
Canada. It was also where the several resident pods of Orcas made their
year
round home.
Once into the strait, it would take them about half an hour to reach
the
lighthouse on San Juan Island. Offshore about 100 feet from the
lighthouse
is a kelp bed, and this is where Jamie fishes for cod, and in season,
the
salmon run just a bit further out from shore.
About 300 yards before the lighthouse, Jamie put the boat in neutral,
put cut-plug
herring on the fishing lines as bait, and dropped the lines into the
water.
Then he slightly increased the boat speed to troll the lines to see if
there were any early salmon.
Reaching the lighthouse, Jamie again put the boat in neutral and let
the herring
drop to the bottom for cod. Within seconds Freddie had a tug and was
howling like
an idiot.
"Fish on! Fish on!" Freddie shouted.
Jamie, up on the flybridge, maneuvered the boat to keep Freddie's line
from
snapping in the strong current.
"What can I do to help!" said Andrea excitedly.
"Get the net out for me, will you?" asked Freddie, pointing at the
lazerette.
Andrea retrieved the net, and stood excitedly behind Freddie.
"Man, this is a big one! Look at the bend in the rod!"
From his vantage point, Jamie could see them working together to get
that
fish in. He envied the relationship.
When Freddie finally worked the fish to the surface you could see it
was a
small cod fighting like a big one. Probably one to two pounds.
Freddie
grinned and Andrea laughed. She leaned over and lightly kissed him
on
the cheek. It was at that moment Jamie felt the first pluck of jealousy
he'd felt in a long time.
Just then a huge Pacific cod came out from underneath the boat and took
the
little cod on Freddie's line. It was so fast and hard that Freddie
almost
dropped the rod and reel.
At first, Freddie thought the line had been wrapped around the
propeller and
gave a glance at Jamie on the fly bridge. Jamie held his hands wide
apart
with an astonished look, meaning 'a really big one'.
It took about ten minutes of work to boat the big cod. Freddie
and
Andrea with ecstatic; hugging and slapping hands. Jamie tried not to
look envious.
He was a little ashamed of looking at his buddy's girlfriend like that.
After they cleaned the fish, cut it into fillets, and put it on ice in
the cooler, Jamie moved the boat farther from the shore and cut the
engine to drift in the tranquil water.
"Man! Did you see it when that thing hit the line! Must've weighed at
least
sixty pounds."
Andrea and Jamie rolled their eyes at each other.
"Closer to thirty if you ask me." Said Jamie
"Pal, I'll make sure no one asks you!" laughed Freddie.
The three sat in the cockpit in the sun drinking beer and eating chips
and salsa. Freddie had fallen asleep.
"Well, Andrea, I'm glad you came along. Freddie and I haven't had
a
woman on one of our fishing trips for, well... a long time. Seems now
like that was a mistake. "
Jamie was not successful in making the statement sound casual.
You're welcome aboard anytime." Jamie said.
"Thanks, Jamie. Freddie's a good guy, and I like his company. And
yours,
too."
"Thanks."
They looked away quickly each time their eyes met.
The two of them talked about the water, the fish, and almost anything
that
wasn't personal. But Jamie could feel the attraction was mutual.
"Wake up, you good-for-nothing!" said Jamie to Freddie.
"Good for nothing! Who is the master fisherman here? Who brought home
the
bacon on this trip?"
"Ok, ok, you got me this time." Laughed Jamie.
"Boys, boys!"
Freddie gathered the fishing gear to clean and stow while Andrea
cleaned the
deck and galley. Jamie climbed behind the wheel to begin the trip
home.
**
After they tied the boat up, Jamie walked them to shore. He was not
happy
that they - Andrea, were leaving. He wanted to talk to her more. He
felt that old sting as he watched her and Freddie walk away arm in arm,
whispering.
Suddenly, Freddie turned.
"Hey, dude, meet us for dinner tonight at the Longboat?"
"Sure. What time?"
"Seven-thirty ok with both of you?"
Both nodded.
When Jamie arrived at the restaurant the other two were waiting at a
table
for him.
"Hi, you two."
"Let's eat!" said Freddie.
Andrea smiled at Jamie.
They all had salmon, wine, and no dessert. After small talk at dinner,
they decided to go over to the Chinook Tavern for a while. The Longboat
is only about a block from the bar, and as the trio reached the front
door Freddie told them he needed to run a quick errand and would join
them in about half an hour.
Jamie and Andrea sat at one of the small tables in the bar. They told
the
waitress they just wanted two amber ales and that they were waiting for
Freddie to
join them. The table was small and their feet were touching.
"It was a good dinner."
"It sure was."
"I enjoyed the fishing trip today. What a blast seeing Freddie's face
when
that big cod took the little one." She said.
Jamie smiled and started to speak as the waitress sat the ale and
iced
glasses down in front of them. Then when he did not say anything,
Andrea
spoke up.
"What's the chances of a girl getting a day out on 'The Sea Jewel' for
a
picnic and looking for the orca's?"
"Well, when Freddie gets back lets..." he started.
"Jamie. I mean? just me."
He looked away, afraid she could read his thoughts. He just wanted to
shout 'Is tomorrow too soon!' But he didn't. Before he could say
anything she placed her hand on his.
"Look ? Andrea."
"Jamie, please don't pretend you don't feel it, too. I'm not
blind."
"Ok. Yes. I do feel it. But, Freddie is more than a friend..."
"He's a friend of mine, too. Let me handle it with him. Believe me it
won't
be a problem."
"Let me catch my breath here. I haven't been with anyone in a long
time. Ok?"
"It's all right. Really. I understand."
The waitress came over and told them Freddie had called and he would
not be
able to join them, and that he would see them tomorrow.
The two of them finished the ale in an awkward stillness.
"Well, I guess its time to go home, huh." She said.
"Been a long day. I guess so."
Outside the door, she pulled him to her face and kissed him on the
lips. It
was like being caught in a sudden squall.
"Don't tell me you didn't like that!"
"Oh, I did. I did."
Silence.
"Andrea, I'm not going to do this. I'm just not ready. And,
besides,
Freddie..."
"I told you..."
"No. I just can't right now. I'm really sorry."
Turning to leave, he said "Take care. I hope all works out with
Freddy."
He walked towards the docks without looking back.
**
Andrea watched Jamie walk towards the docks. She could see that his
gait was
awkward from the alcohol at the bar, but she didn't worry. He
disappeared
behind the other boats; she turned and saw someone emerging from
the
shadows. She was relieved to see it was Freddie. She crossed to him
and
placed her arms around him.
"Oh, Freddie, it didn't work. He doesn't feel he can respond to me
without
hurting you. And he won't do that."
"Damn, cuz, he acted like he really liked you!"
"He does. He just feels like he would be betraying you if he was with
me. I
know he wants to."
"Should we just fess up and tell him?"
"That I'm your cousin and that you're playing cupid? Are you kidding!
You
know Jamie. Both of us might lose him that way."
"Ok. Well, hell. It's late. Let's just go to bed and think about it.
Coffee in the morning?"
She was more uneasy than sleepy.
"Sure. Eight ok?"
"Yep. See ya."
Andrea sat on the bench in the little garden next to the tavern.
**
Jamie did not look back after walking away from Andrea. He didn't want
to
see the look on her face, or that she, too, had just turned and walked
away.
The winds were light; the night serene. He could see The Sea Jewel at
the far end of the pier. The closer he got the more he questioned his
judgment concerning Andrea. No, not with Freddie involved.
As he stepped across to the toe rail to board the boat, Jamie's foot
slipped. He fell forward hitting his head on the rail. He was unable to
catch himself and fell into the water between the boat and the dock.
The alcohol combined with the stunning blow and he briefly struggled,
but was unable to recover. He floated face down, and his body sank just
beneath the surface of the water.
There was no sound. Just a sense of ease. No panic. No pain. Possibly
an eerie sense of release.
Time passed.
Then a hand grabbed his shirt and another hand grabbed him by the
hair.
He was only vaguely aware of it and was unable to help in getting
himself onto the dock. The hands turned him over onto his stomach.
He
struggled a little.
"Be still! I want to pump out whatever saltwater you swallowed."
Jamie tried to speak but only slobbered saltwater.
After a few minutes, Jamie was turned onto his back. His eyes stung.
The world slowly returned, and he sat up with help. He was slightly
embarrassed to see there were several people on the dock
watching.
He finally looked up at his rescuer.
"God, Andrea, it's good to see you."