Ketchikan or Bust (Tom's Adventures in Alaska)

by Matthew Green

  Tom’s Adventures

  In Alaska

  Ketchikan

  Or Bust

  By Matthew Green

  I dedicate Ketchikan or Bust to Ron Hogue.

  Thank you for sharing your stories with me and

  for giving me permission to use some of their content in this book.

  You are truly a fascinating man and I feel blessed to have met you.

  Live long my friend!

  Matthew Green

  Chapter One

  Tom looks out the window as he sips his coffee. He revels at the serene beauty of the islands and the ocean below. Having seen the ugliness that the ocean can serve up, it’s comforting to observe it from the safety of land. He sits for a while enjoying the aroma of the coffee and staring at the seascape. His eyes strain to pick out the sea birds skimming the surface of the ocean a few blocks away. The islands are dotted with the checkerboard pattern left by the loggers that braved their steep slopes to harvest their trees. Tom smiles at the vista offered by the window, happy that he is able to see so much from this high vantage point.

  “Morning, Love,” Swan says as she kisses his neck. “You want some breakfast?”

  Tom looks up and smiles as he takes in Swans beauty. Her eyes glisten as she smiles at him. She smells freshly showered and her hair cascades around her shoulders.

  “Breakfast would be great!” Tom replies. “I hope you don’t mind that I made coffee. I didn’t wake you did I? After so many weeks on the boat, I don’t sleep well so I got up.”

  “Don’t explain, remember, my dad’s a fisherman. I’ve learned to sleep through the clatter and bangs of a man in the kitchen,” Swan says as she caresses Tom’s cheek. “How about some pancakes with salmon berry syrup?”

  Swan leaves Tom and slips behind the counter. She rattles bowls and pans in the cupboards and tosses several onto the counter. Tom turns from the window to watch the ensuing chaos as she whips flour into some milk and eggs. He smiles at her as much from desire as the flour that’s dusted her. He gets up to refill his coffee.

  “Sit down!” Swan demands. “You are a guest in my house! Let me know what you want and I’ll get it for you.”

  Tom ignores her demand and reaches across the counter for the coffee pot. She slaps his hand as he fills his cup.

  “Sorry Honey,” Tom says, looking her in the eye. “I don’t expect anyone to serve me.”

  Swan looks offended. “Don’t worry Tom, I don’t intend to serve you. I was just trying to be a gracious host.”

  Tom pats her ass, kisses her cheek and turns to go back to the table.

  “Since you don’t want to be served, get back here and help!” Swan says. “I’m all for having a man in the kitchen!”

  Tom heads back around the counter and reaches into the bowl to toss some flour in her face, but she beats him to it. They both laugh. He watches as she finishes mixing the batter and ladles it into the cast iron frying pan. The pancake sizzles in the pan, bubbles rising up, popping in its center.

  “There’s a jar of salmon berry syrup in the door of the fridge. I was making jam this year and it didn’t set.” Swan says.

  “What are salmon berries?” Tom asks.

  “They’re like a raspberry only bigger. They’re about the size of a quarter and they grow wild here. It’s tough to pick them because the thorns hurt and you have to watch out for bears. Bears go nuts for salmon berries when they’re trying to fatten up for winter.” Swan continues, “This year I set my bowl down for a few minutes and when I went back for it a big stinky bear had its snout right in it slurping up my berries. I hooted and hollered and threw a rock at it to chase it away. It kind of looked at me like it was saying sorry and trundled off up the hill to a different part of the patch. We picked berries together for most of the day!”

  Tom smiles at Swans story as he opens the fridge and scans the door to find the thin jam. He puts it on the table and turns to the kitchen for some plates to set the table. He rummages through the cupboards and finishes setting the table at the same time that Swan turns the heat off on the frying pan. She carries the pancakes to the table on the flipper and puts two on each plate. She sits across from him and they begin their first breakfast together.

  “You sure seem to know your way around my kitchen,” Swan says.

  “It’s funny; almost every woman sets up her kitchen the same. Once you learn the pattern, it’s pretty easy to find your way around,” Tom says with a smirk. The truth is that when he’d made coffee earlier he learned where everything was trying to find the stupid coffee filters. Who’d have thought to look for them in the freezer along with coffee?

  “Interesting,” Swan replies.

  Tom picks up his last pancake and rolls it like a tortilla. He mops up the leftover syrup with it and licks his fingers when he’s done. He looks across the table and smiles. Swan blows him a kiss and smiles as she takes another bite. He watches her eat her pancake with the scenery in the window as a backdrop. It makes him smile.

  “Great breakfast! I’m not sure which was better, the pancakes and syrup or the beautiful lady that shared them with me!” Tom says as he takes a sip of coffee. He looks at her over the rim of the cup waiting for her reaction.

  “Well, I think it’s both, but it’s mostly me!” Swan says with a coy smile. She licks her lips, they glisten.

  Tom laughs. “I thought that’s what you’d say.”

  “I hope you don’t have to rush off today. We need to return some of those shirts you bought yesterday and I’d love to spend some time with you!” Swan says.

  “I’ll need to catch up with Captain Vic at some point this week to get paid. It might be a bit of a fight getting my money but I’m not going to worry about chasing him down right away. I told him that I was going to take a bit of a vacation. I need to recharge my batteries before we go out fishing again,” Tom says. “I was thinking about spending a quite a bit of time with you if you don’t mind company.”

  “You’d better start nagging him right now if you want to get paid, otherwise he might blow your money paying his bills. Boat owners get deep in hock and bill collectors watch the docks for their boats to come in. Sometimes they take the owners from the cannery to the bank just to make sure they get paid. You go see if he’s home while I clean up this mess.” Swan says.

  Tom nods and finishes his coffee in one quick gulp. He quickly kisses Swan and heads to the front door. Swan hugs him as he leaves and closes the door behind him. He stops and looks out over the islands and ocean below him. The sky is cloudless and blue from one horizon to the other. Dew clings to the grass and sparkles in the morning sun. Tom looks at the bushes across the road and sees an occasional red berry clinging to its branch. He watches a robin swoop into the bush and pluck a one. Tom crosses the road, picks one and tosses it into his mouth. He stands for a moment and enjoys the tartness of the berry before he heads down the hill to Vic’s house.

  Chapter Two

  Tom knocks on Vic’s door and steps back to look at the water flowing down the hill. It comes out of the brambles and follows the road down before disappearing beneath Vic’s truck. On the other side of the truck it follows the road down to the street below. Tom knocks again. He hears Vic swear just before the door opens.

  “What the fuck are you doing out here knocking on the damn door?” Vic grumbles. “I left it unlocked for you! I thought we agreed that you were staying here! If you’re going to live here don’t knock and wait for me to answer the damn door, ya dumb shit. Get your ass in here and roust up some grub!”

  Tom follows Vic into the little house. Vic slumps into a chair at the table and mumbles to hims
elf. Tom snatches the coffee pot off the stove and rinses it out before adding coffee to the perk basket. He fills the pot with water and lights a flame under it on the stove.

  “You look clean and the tub’s clean so I guess you were here for a little while last night.” Vic smirks at Tom. “I suppose you hooked up with the DQ girl last night and that’s why you’re dragging your ass in here so early. The DQ doesn’t open until 11:00. What happened, she kick your ass out?”

  “I figured you’d be up,” Tom says. “I thought you’d want to get the boat cleaned up right away so I came home right after I got up.”

  Tom fetches a bowl and a frying pan and makes Vic some pancakes. It seems fitting that his boss should eat the same thing he had, even if Tom’s breakfast was in better company. Vic rambles on about being tired and needing a bit more sleep but Tom knows that Vic had spent the better part of the night in the bars. Tom sets a plate in front of Vic and pours a coffee for each of them before sitting down at the postage stamp sized table.

  “You better eat son,” Vic commands. “We’ve got a big day!”

  “I already had breakfast. The same as you but with some salmon berry syrup,” Tom says. He sips at his coffee and watches Vic stuff half a pancake in his mouth.

  “I love salmon berry syrup! See if you can roust up a jar for me. Tell the DQ girl that I’ll make it worth her while!” Vic says while chewing the last of his pancake. “Let’s go.”

  Vic slides his plate into the sink, fills his coffee cup and heads out the door. Tom rinses the dishes, tops up his cup and follows. He slams the door and climbs into the passenger side of the pickup. He hunches down and leans against the window so that his head doesn’t smash into the dented in roof of the truck every time they hit a bump. Vic slides the truck down the steep grade and squeals the tires as he breaks into traffic. They cruise through town and Tom realizes that they are heading to the cannery.

  “I’m going to see if our salmon check is ready,” Vic says as the truck skids to a stop next to the cannery office. “You wait here.”

  Tom opens his door and leans against the hood of the truck while Vic marches into the cannery. Tom smiles as Vic leaps up the stairs. Tom turns around to watch the boats offload their catch. He notices a brailer disappear below the edge of the dock and walks over to watch the greenhorn in the boat fill it. Tom waves at the deckhand. He looks as miserable as Tom had been when he’d offloaded the Sunk N Burnt.

  “Come on kid, let’s roll!” Vic screams over the din of the cannery.

  Tom trots back to the little truck and hops in, banging his head on the door frame.

  “Did they have the check ready?” Tom asks.

  “First time in my life that they’ve had a check ready this fast,” Vic says with a smile. “Fuckers usually hang onto my money for a few days.”

  “Good, I need some cash,” Tom says. “I’ve got some things to pick up.”

  “That’s a lot of cash. I’d better hold onto it and keep it safe for you,” Vic says as he gives Tom a quick glance.

  “I don’t need you to try and do me any favors!” Tom says sternly. “I’ll go into the bank with you to make sure I get my share.”

  “The fuck you will, you just sit your ass in this truck and wait for me! I’ll bring you your money ya little fucker! Fucking Harley should have never helped you grow a set of balls!” Vic screams; his face matches his red hair.

  “You’re right, I’d better wait in the truck to make sure you don’t sneak out the back and drive off with my cash,” Tom says, smiling at Vic.

  “Damn you Oogee, it seems like you’ve figured me out,” Vic says. “I should write you a check, that way I have proof that I paid you.”

  “Cash will do just fine! I’ll write you a receipt if it makes you feel better. You know that I can’t cash a check until I get a bank account. By then you’ll have spent my money. I’ll take cash today, thank you!” Tom says firmly.

  Vic skids into the curb at the bank and the truck lurches hard. Tom bumps his head on the roof as the truck rocks back and forth. Vic jumps out of the truck and storms into the bank. The bank door swings open again. He walks humbly back to the truck and leans in through the window.

  “It’d help if I took the fucking check.” Vic says as he snatches the check off of the dash.” He walks up the steps back into the bank.

  Tom leans back and watches seagulls pick through the trash in a dumpster looking for an easy meal. He smiles as he thinks that he might have been in there digging with them if Vic hadn’t hired him. The gulls fight over every scrap they find, stealing from each other just like humans do- it’s quite comical. Tom looks at the signs on the storefronts up and down the street to see if there is someplace to find the things he wants to buy. He spots a chandler up the street from the bank and makes a mental note of its location so that he can come back to it when Vic’s done with him. The bank door opens and Vic walks to the truck with a disgusted look on his face. He gets in the truck and thrusts an envelope to Tom.

  “There’s your share! I know you’re going to talk to Harley so I didn’t short you,” Vic states bluntly. “Fuckin bank was waiting for me and scooped my account clean once the check hit it. I had to fight with the manager to get him to put back your crew shares. We got things straightened out but I’m going to need to go out fishing for every opening if I’m going to make it through the winter without them seizing my boats.”

  Tom sits and fingers through the money in the envelope. He counts off ninety seven one hundred dollar bills. He’s made almost eleven thousand dollars in the short time he’s worked for Captain Vic. The wad of cash almost makes being a grunt worthwhile. Tom pulls it out of the envelope and fans the cash like a deck of cards.

  “Put that in your pocket before I take it back. You need to keep that kind of cash out of sight or someone will roll you for it. It’s not even safe in the bank, them fuckers will figure out a way to steal it from you if you’re not careful. Find a safe place and hide it,” Vic says with disgust in his voice.

  “Can we stop at the chandlery?” Tom asks as Vic pulls away from the curb. “I’d like to buy some rain gear.”

  “I’ll drop you off, I can’t go in there anymore because I owe them fucker’s money! They told me not to set foot in there again unless I’ve to the money to clear my account. A lousy couple of hundred bucks and now I have to get stuff for my boat from the mainland. You can find your own way back to the house. I’m going to go pay bills and the rest of the crew,” Vic says, obviously pissed off about having to do the right thing. “And if you’re going to come home in the middle of the night, DON’T FUCKING KNOCK!”

  Tom hops out of the truck and walks into the chandlery. A string of brass bells ring over his head as the door opens. He steps in and the spring loaded door slams behind him. Tom stands in the entrance and looks around. The little shop is filled to the brim with sundry items. Tom loves stores like this and knows that he’ll enjoy checking out everything in the store.

  “Get out! We don’t serve your kind in here!” the man standing at the counter shouts.

  Tom stands inside the door for a moment in shock. He looks the man up and down and sizes him up before he walks confidently up the aisle to the counter.

  “What do you mean my kind?” Tom asks.

  “I watched you get out of Vic’s truck. He sent you in here to try and put some more stuff on his account, didn’t he? He doesn’t pay his bills so he’s not welcome here, neither are you. Just march back out that door!” the man commands.

  “So exactly how much does he owe you?” Tom asks. “And….. if I’m going to pay cash does that mean that my cash isn’t any good here?”

  “You pay cash, you can stay,” the man says. “He owes us two hundred and eighty dollars, has for five years.”

  Tom reads the name on the man’s shirt. “So Jack, what’s it going to take to clear his name?”

  “You heard me, two hundred and eighty dollars,” Jack replies.

  “That money is as
good as gone at this point, Jack. How much to clear his account so that he can come back on a cash basis?” Tom asks in a calm voice.

  Jack looks Tom up and down and scratches his beard. He’s silent for a minute, shaking his head while he thinks.

  “So he sent you in here to try and barter his debt down?” Jack asks.

  “No! I want to shop here and I want to be treated with respect. If it costs me a couple of hundred bucks to be treated with respect, it’s a small price to pay.,” Tom states frankly. “To be honest, I couldn’t give two shits about Vic’s standing here! I’m just not going to let you or anyone else refuse me service because of what he’s done!”

  Jack walks over to Tom and grasps his shoulder. “Son, I’ll tell you what, you’ve already got my respect and can come in here whenever you want. I don’t expect you to pay off Vic’s debt but if you want to square it up, how about two hundred even.”

  Tom picks two hundred from his wallet and holds it out to Jack. “I want a receipt in Vic’s name and no mention of who paid the bill. Send him a statement stating it’s paid in full. So, can you show me some good rain gear and deck boots?”