* * *
I was enjoying the summer holiday, despite the fact we were working, just being out in the fresh air was nice. Some days we worked in jumpers and other days it was a t-shirt and shorts, or just shorts if it was really warm. I liked Ship and I trusted him. Despite his funny way of talking and abrasive ways I could tell he liked us. Why else would he have stuck having us on his property all day every day for nearly two weeks solid? He obviously trusted us as well.
He never locked his front door when we were there, something Al had found out when desperate for a piss, and with no answer from a persistent knocking at the door he’d opened it and found the bathroom himself. Jasper still jumped up at us every morning when we arrived at the front gate, but he no longer barked. Like his owner he’d obviously decided we were trustworthy and not worth making too big a fuss over. With the boat scrubbing finished, Ship covered Daisy back over and assured us we would see her finished soon. We offered to help out but “Unfortunately,” as he put it, “neither of you has the experience in boat building required.”
The next few weeks were taken up by sweeping the workshop out, cutting the grass, weeding, cleaning his car, all the little jobs that needed doing. He gave us the occasional day off when his daughter would visit or he would go out for the day, we spent them on the backwaters in the canoe.
Ship came out to have a chat with us at the end of our fifth week of work.
“You know I haven’t got anything for you now, don’t you?” He pointed towards the pair of us with his pipe, before putting it back between his lips, lighting a match and puffing away.
So that was it then, an end to working at Ship’s. I was gutted, but then we did have to go back to school in a week.
He breathed out the old-fashioned smoke. “But you’ve done so well I’m going to take you out in the boat tomorrow. If you’d like to that is?”
“We’d love to,” Al replied. “In Daisy?”
“What do you think Boy?” he snorted. At his age he didn’t have the time to explain himself. If you didn’t understand that was your problem. The irony being that a no would have been easier for all of us.
“Which boat?” I asked.
“Oh dear boy you haven’t seen it have you?” He fetched a step ladder from beside the house and leaned it against the workshop. “Go on, have a look.”
Al went up first, coming down with twinkling eyes. “There’s another boat up there Lu.”
I climbed up and checked for myself, to make sure the pair of them weren’t lying. Upside down on the roof of the workshop was another boat, a small white dinghy with no roof.
“Is that a spare boat?” Al asked.
Ship laughed deeply from his gut, “It’s a tender. When Daisy is finally back in the water I will use it to get out to her.”
“What’s the tender’s name?” Al asked.
“I suppose she doesn’t have one, I never thought to give her a name. She deserves one though, if we’re going to take her out.”
“What about Jasper?” I suggested. “Like the dog.”
“Jasper isn’t much of a girl’s name,” Ship replied, “how about Jessica?”
Jessica was a good name for the boat, she looked like a Jessica. With a name agreed we carefully lifted her down onto her trailer, before parting company for the rest of the day. Having set a time that we would all meet the following morning, I was excited again about what was in store, I was still excited that night when I got into bed.
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