She stood looking at me for a moment and then said, “I am sorry if I frightened you, Stanley. I could not sleep.” I turned myself around, returned the pistol to the safe and relocked it as I had found it. When I returned to Becky, she said, “Why are you up in the middle of the night?” I laughed and said, “I guess for the same reason you are.” I sat the coffee pot that I had retrieved from the table by the door on the workbench and poured a cup of coffee. I sat down on a crate beside the workbench and said, “I thought someone had broken into the boathouse when I found the lights on. Sorry about the pistol.” She walked over and stood in front of me. She said, “When you came in with the gun, I thought maybe you were still mad at me. I am glad to know you did not intend to shoot me.” I looked her in the eyes and said, “I am no longer mad at you, I just could not sleep.” She said, “When I went to bed last night, you still had not spoken more than twenty words to me all evening. I hope we can work this out. I have never seen you so angry with me.”
I stood up and walked past her to the coffee pot. After I poured another cup, I said, “Becky, I love you a lot, but you need to learn not to hit people when they are only teasing you. Often times, you do not play fair.” I picked up my folder and laptop and headed up the stairs to figure a way to mount the new lights I had ordered. As I worked, I saw Becky headed towards me. This time she was walking like a woman possessed. When she got to the top of the ladder, she stepped up onto the deck and said, “Husband, stand up and face me. I am not a child who needs a lesson on how to conduct herself. I have told you I am sorry for punching you, and it is time to forgive me or get the hell out of my boathouse and go back to New York without me.” She stood with her hands on her hips and began tapping the toe of her work boot on the deck. I walked up to her and said, “You have apologized for punching me, and I have forgiven you. However, I still have hurt feelings. I do not appreciate you treating me like some barroom asshole that just insulted you. I was only teasing you with my words, but you seem to take every bit of teasing as a personal insult.”
Now I was really pissed and decided that it was time to act like a man and walk away from the argument before I said words that I would later regret. I loved the girl and did not want to insult her, only make her understand that she had crossed the line yesterday. I also did not want her to punch me again, if she did, I might actually give her the spanking she deserved.
I headed down the ladder, attempting to avoid any further discussions until I cooled down. As my foot hit the first step of the ladder, she said, “Stanley, I love you and am trying to work this out. Please don’t walk away. You need to understand that I did not mean to hurt you physically or hurt your feelings. I love you with all my heart and soul. Please turn back around and talk to me so we can work this out.”
When I turned around, I saw one single tear run down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away with her finger. She stepped up close to me and said, “Yesterday was a wonderful day until I punched you. I wish I could take back the punch, but I cannot. I know that our relationship is now different after what I did and we can never go back; but I would like to try to work this out.” I looked her in the eyes and said, “This is not going to end our marriage, Becky. Our love for each other is not doomed; I am just telling you that you need to think before you hit people in anger, unless you intend to face the consequences. I will survive my hurt feeling, you will manage to get over this day, and we will go on. Just remember that friends do not hit friends in anger.”
I walked up to her and put my arms around her. She snuggled up close and hugged me. Then she stepped back and said, “Are you ready to go shopping. I have the list and the shopping emporium where we purchased many of the items for the Pacifica is open twenty-four hours a day. We could get some breakfast there?” I looked at my watch and it was quarter past three in the morning. I chuckled and said, “Why not. We cannot sleep anyways.”
When we walked into the sporting goods store, we found two large platform carts and began moving down the aisles, marking items off the list as we placed them on the cart. The store was mostly empty, only a few customers wondered the store; and they might have been security people for all we knew.
When we arrived at the electronics counter and began looking at sonar fish finder units, we were surprised at some of the latest models. They were complete units, with depth gauges, color displays with wide-angle cameras. One of the better units had the capability of using two cameras, one on each side of a boat so you could see everything around the vessel. The unit had the capability of putting the display screen into a split screen mode so both cameras would display on the screen.
As Becky scanned the QR code for the unit, we realized that the customer reviews were outstanding. Many of the people who had purchased the units were sports fisherman and guides. Since we had included mounting brackets in the hull, just behind the port and starboard windows, we would be able to see the cameras through the windows. As we checked the boxes to see what came with the unit, we discovered that each camera came with a mounting bracket that would work perfectly for our installation.
After further studying the booklet from the box, we discovered the unit had an adjustable depth gauge alarm. It would notify us if we dove to deep or rose to close to the surface. As Becky looked at me, I realized that the clerk had sat the equipment we had discussed up on the counter. Becky giggled as I began loading the boxes onto the cart. When I had finished loading the equipment, Becky looked at me and asked, “Did you bring your Visa card. I think this equipment is on you.” I laughed and said, “It is about time you start allowing me to contribute to this project.” Becky just rolled her eyes and started pushing her cart towards the camping equipment section of the store.
As we rolled the two heavily loaded carts towards the checkout line, we went back to the list and made certain we had not missed anything. As we stood there, we both at the same time said, “Chamber pots.” A security guard standing near us began to laugh and said, “Aisle thirteen.” As we loaded two chamber pots with lids on the carts, we decided to take what we had purchased to the vehicle and then come back to shop for arctic wear and wet weather gear.
When we rolled the carts up to the checkout line, the girl giggled and said, “Must be a long term camping trip.” Becky smiled and said, “We are outfitting our new submarine. We plan to sail it through the Panama Canal and then up to New York.” The girl giggled again and said, “I kind of figured that by the items you purchased.”
As we loaded the equipment into the back of the van, we realized we should have brought a large truck. However, we did manage to get everything loaded. I had bags of stuff packed around me in the passenger seat, and Becky had one bag between her feet. She laughed as she tried to get her foot on the gas pedal, but she did manage.
Once we got to the boathouse with our purchases, Becky backed the vehicle up near the wall where we had begun stacking the items for the trip; it only took us a few minutes to unload. As we were about to head back to the store to purchase clothing, Becky said, “I have got to pee. Give me a minute.” When she returned, she kissed me and said, “Thanks for waiting. I was getting desperate.”
As we headed back towards the sporting goods store, we both discussed what we might need for foul weather in the North Atlantic. I had worked there a few times, but mostly during the warmer summer months. I really had no idea what real winter would be like out in the Atlantic. I finally pulled out my notepad and began making notes about the cloths I would purchase for a weekend camping trip in the forests north of New York, during winter. By the time we arrived, my list seemed relatively complete. We would not have room to carry a lot of clothing in the Pacifica-Two, so what we did purchase needed to be versatile and used in layers.
When we walked back into the store, it was half past six in the morning. When we walked past the checkout stands, the girl who checked us out earlier waved at us. I waved back with a smile and then felt a hand squeeze my side. I looked at Becky and she said, “Did I eve
r tell you how jealous I get whenever you ogle other women.” I said, “Becky, I was not ogling, I just waved back at her. She is young enough to be my grandchild.” Becky laughed and said, “And don’t you ever forget it.” I could not let this lie. I put my arm around my wife and said, “I did not realize were the jealous type. You should have explained that before we were married.” Becky stopped walking and said, “Would you have not married me if I had told you.” I looked at her and said, “I am just saying.” She doubled up her fist, but quickly released it and smiled.
As we walked along the aisles of clothing, I threw up my arms and said, “Becky, we are looking for cold weather clothing in a store located in California. I think we need to take a flight to Minnesota to find the clothing we are looking for.” Becky said, “I never considered that this huge store would only sell clothing suitable for warm weather and sunny beaches. I guess we need to go back home and order what we need from the Internet.” As we headed out of the store, Becky said, “I think we should go to the marina. They certainly must sell wet and dry suits. They certainly would have catalogues with all types of foul weather gear in them. They may even have some knowledge of what we are looking for.” I reached down and took hold of her hand. She giggled and said, “Does this mean we are friends again?” I looked at her and said, “We never stopped being friends. We just had a disagreement.”
When we stepped into the marina, the owner spotted Becky and headed in our direction. He had provided many thousands of dollars worth of equipment to Becky. After the introductions, Becky said, “My husband and I have had a new boat built and are now in the process of outfitting it. We will need wet weather gear that will keep us warm in the North Atlantic. We plan to sail our vessel through the Panama Canal and up to New York during the winter months. We will need something like dry suits to wear while standing watch out in the cold wet Atlantic Ocean.” The man laughed and said, “Well, where to start.”
He explained that the dry suit was the best answer to stay warm and dry in extremely cold weather. He said that most people could not live for more than a few minutes if they fell into the cold water of the Atlantic. A high quality dry suit could keep a person alive long enough for his rescuers to turn the boat around and get the victim back into the boat. He also explained about wearing proper layers. Becky smiled and walked over to a rack of synthetic underwear. She soon had picked out two outfits, and then selected some fleece underwear to wear over the first layer. The owner helped her find rubber footwear that would seal to the dry suit.
Once she had all her layers selected, the owner said, “Now comes the fun part. You get to put on all the layers in the dressing room and come back out here so we can fit the dry suit over all the layers. If we don’t, you will constantly be fighting to remain comfortable. The idea is to be as comfortable as possible so you wear the gear whenever there is a chance you might take a dip in the cold water. Your life depends on your cold weather survival gear.” Becky giggled and asked, “Have I picked enough layers, or do I need one more?” The owner said, “I personally would recommend you put one more layer of fleece underwear on under the dry suit. You can always take a layer or two off, but the suit needs to be large enough to accommodate all the layers you might need.”
Becky giggled; picked up all of the clothing she had selected and headed off to the changing room. When she stepped out a few minutes later, she got a whistle from one of the mechanics who had just stepped into the sales area. She turned to him and bowed. The owner stepped up to her and said, “Raise your arms over your head and see if the clothing is too tight.” Becky said, “You guys just want to see my profile in these tight clothes.”
As Becky slid into the first dry suit, she soon realized it was too small. The second suit seemed just right and when she raised her arms over her head, she felt comfortable. The owner then helped her to insure the gaskets fit correctly and found her a hood and proper gloves. Once she was covered from head to toe, I said, “You look like a seal, all warm and comfortable.” The owner said, “Becky, I know you are very warm right now, but do you feel as if you could wear this for a full day if you needed to.” Becky said she could live with this suit. The owner laughed and said, “That is what the dry suit is intended to do, keep you alive.”
The owner did not have enough underwear for Becky to have a second set, but he placed the items into the computer to order later today. Then it was my turn to try on my layers and be fit for a dry suit. I had already selected my layers and placed them on the counter so all I had to do was try them on in the dressing room. Once I had the suit on, I realized how warm I would be, even in the cold Atlantic, but also realized that if I fell overboard, even this clothing might not be enough to save my life.
By the time we filled our shopping list and prepared to pay for our purchases, we had spent a little over two thousand dollars. The marina stocked the Johnny Ray battery clips I needed and some marine grade wire and flexible tubing to protect the wire I needed to run all over the vessel. I also purchase some watertight switches for the cabin lighting and exterior lights, and then found pushbutton switches for operating the propulsion motors and plane motors. My list of electrical equipment was slowly shrinking. I had already ordered the propulsion motors, along with the dive/steering plane motors. They would arrive via UPS within three days. The exterior lights and mounting hardware had already arrived and were now waiting in the boathouse for me to install them.
Once we loaded up our purchases and were on our way back home, Becky’s cell phone rang; Fred was calling to find out where in the hell Becky was hiding. I heard her giggle and say, “We are on our way home. Do you remember the security code you used the last time you did work for me?” I heard Becky give Fred permission to enter the boathouse and begin work. She also asked him to open the roll up door so they could drive into the boathouse with their latest purchases. Once she hung up, she said, “I probably should not trust Fred and Robert with access codes, but he seems to be very reliable and trustworthy. I trust him with everything I have except for my vagina.” I turned to look at her and realized she had a smile from ear to ear. I did not say anything, but she finally said, “That comment was in retaliation for you making me jealous when you waved at that beautiful cashier at the sporting goods store.” I said, “I did not mean to make you jealous. The woman waved at us and I returned the gesture. I am sorry if I angered you, again.”
As I pulled into the boathouse and backed up near the wall where we were stacking our purchases, Becky put her hand on my shoulder and said, “I am sorry that I am so very jealous over you. I have loved you for many years and now that we are married, I fear I might lose you. I fight those fears every day; please forgive me for my fears.” I leaned over and kissed Becky hard on the lips.
As we unloaded the vehicle, Fred walked over to us and said, “The lumber yard will be delivering the final materials for the project in a couple hours. I now need to discuss how you want the wood finished. I seem to have missed your thoughts on that subject.” Becky said, “I loved the finish that you supplied to me for the Pacifica. I was able to get the results I wanted with just one coat. Can we do something similar with this vessel? The clear finish showed the beauty of the wood, but provided a finish that was easily cleaned with a damp cloth.” Fred smiled and said, “I am certain the finish we used is still available. Did you save one of the containers or shall I look up the information from my invoices?” Becky said, “That problem is easy to resolve.” She stepped over to the workbench and dug around on the bottom shelf. As she found what she was looking for, she handed the container to Fred. He smiled and said, “I will call and get the finish sent over on today’s shipment.”
As Fred started to walk away, Becky called him back. She said, “I am standing here looking at two replacement sailing planes and two diving/steering planes. They all need a permanent home inside the cabin of the Pacifica-Two. I never thought much about it, but I cannot just toss them in a corner, they need a good home. Could you add a ca
binet just large enough to hold the planes, maybe up over the propulsion motors? I know of no other place to put them. If you have other ideas as you build the woodwork, please let me know.”
As Fred returned to his job, Becky said, “This extra planes may never be used, but if we did damage one, we would be hard pressed to continue the journey without stopping to have another one fabricated. We should have had spares on the Pacifica, also.”
Chapter 27 – Moving Into Our New Home
Becky and I had waited three days after Fred and Robert completed applying the varnish to the woodwork. The odor had been unbelievable. It seemed that the manufacturer had changed the formula for the finish or Becky and I had simply forgotten how horrible the odor really was. We had kept all the doors around the boathouse open and had fans over the hatch door to move as much fresh air into the vessel as possible. Even though Fred and Robert wore respirators, we could not envision the respirator filters completely filtering the fumes. Fred said that the fumes were not as bad as they first applied the finish; only when it began to dry did it acquire the horrendous odor. Never the less, Becky and I feared for them and did everything in our power to keep a constant flow of fresh air moving into and out of the cabin of the Pacifica-Two.
SS Pacifica Page 32
