While Max and Bob work at preparing us all a meal. Ann and I have "Rope class." I teach her how to tie eight different knots... The Bow line knot, the square knot, the cleat hitch, the clove hitch, the rolling hitch, the figure 8, the single sheet bend, and 2 half hitches.
By the time our meal was ready, Ann had successfully tied each of the knots... but was more than ready for any excuse to put away the ropes for a while! "If I ever had aspirations of becoming a pirate... having to learn all of those knots, has killed that dream!" she teased.
"Just keep practicing them and you will soon know how to tie them without even thinking about it, and you will also know when you need to use each one."
"Yeah, when we left St Joe... I was clueless about ropes, knots, and shit. But Rick is a great teacher, and if he has to resort to "and the rabbit runs around the tree and into the hole" to describe the steps of tying a knot... he is patient enough to do that...which makes it so much easier to learn... or at least it did for me!" Bob explains
"Let's Eat!" Max calls out "My belly is convinced that my throat has been cut...been so long since I sent anything its way!"
As we enjoy our meal, Ann asks "So how much further do we travel before we start working our way west"
"Well, from where we are right now...we will continue on the NJICW until we get to the Manasquan Inlet... then its 20 miles of open water until we get to Sandy Hook Harbor...then about another 20 until we get to New York Harbor and the Hudson"
"Once we are on the Hudson...its about 130 miles...give or take a few until we get to the Erie canal"
"When we get to New York, will we be able to see the Statue of Liberty?" Bob asks excitedly
"Yes, I will make sure that we do! I've never got to see it, other than in pictures...and I kind of look at it as the unofficial halfway point on this journey. So, I wouldn't miss this opportunity for the world!"
"COOL!" Exclaimed Bob.
"The sooner we can move on through there...the better I will like it" says Max "I'm not a fan of big cities... nothing but concrete and smog and far too many people, for my liking!"
"I honestly think that you may be surprised by what you will see when we get there" Ann comments "Yes, the New York metro area is a huge place and there is LOTS of concrete and smog and a lot of people. But that is the "made for tv" version of New York that most people think of, when someone mentions New York. While I do prefer to live in a less populated area... My husband and I used to drive to New York occasionally on business...and we would venture down to Broadway and catch a show or something. We even went for long walks in Central Park...which was a lot of fun. Just had to be aware of your surroundings at all times, was the only drawback."
"I'll reserve my judgement on it until after I have seen it. But as a general rule... give me a choice between being elbow to elbow with a large crowd of people; or spend a day in a swamp, up to my knees in brackish water, with snakes and gators all around me. I'll choose the swamp over the people... I would certainly feel a lot safer!"
"There are dangers all around you, no matter where you go. Big City or Muggy Swamp... it's all about what you are most familiar with, that determines how much you feel about your personal safety." I say "It's not so much about the danger, because that is all around you no matter where you go or what you do. It's the "unknown" that tends to make your poop get slick. You know just enough to be aware of potential for danger...but you are not familiar enough with the area to know exactly WHAT those dangers actually are!"
We all pitch in to clear the table and get the galley cleaned up.
Max and I go up top to enjoy the evening breeze and have a beer. Ann and Bob join us, and I mention to Bob "Have you noticed anything that we have missed since you and I left St Joseph?"
"No" she replied "I can't think of anything at all, that we have missed."
"My point exactly!" I say.
She looks at me with a puzzled look on her face...
"WINTER!" I say, "You and I have been traveling together for a little over a year...and we have not had to experience the snow and ice and frigid cold of a midwestern winter!"
"Hey! You 're right! We went from spring to summer to a few days of fall like weather... then back to summer when we got to Florida, then spring again all up the east coast...and here we are back to early summer like weather! Awesome!" she said, as she did a little "happy dance" for emphasis.
Ann asked, "Do you guys need another beer?"
"Don't make a special trip, but if you are going below deck anyway, yeah we could use another round" I say. Max nods his head in agreement.
Ann goes below deck and returns to the foot of the steps with a couple of cold beers which she sets on the top step as she motions for Bob to come get them.
Bob and Ann whisper something to each other...Bob nods her head in agreement... brings the two beers to Max and I and says "I'm going to go help Ann with something" then scurries off down below deck.
Max and I drain the last few drops from our first beers and crack open the cold ones. "Man, oh man! These are going down so smooth and easy, you could easily get yourself into trouble, if you don't watch out!" Max says.
"Got that right!" I say as I pull out my cell phone to check for any new messages.
About halfway down my emails...I see one from my attorney back in Kansas City.
"Just thought I would bring you up to date, on all that has been going on.
As of today's date, your wife has agreed to the terms we offered her for a divorce settlement. Of course, she wanted the moon and wanted it served to her on a solid gold platter.
But after we presented her with photographic/video evidence of her ongoing affair...and mentioned that we were prepared to drag this thing out in court for as long as it takes. She decided to listen to what we had to say.
She has agreed to accept the house and its furnishings as her part of the settlement. She has also agreed to allow a moving team of our choice, to remove from the premises all of the item's that you listed as being solely your property...tools family heirlooms etc. I will send you PDF copies of all the documents that need to be signed. You can do the veri-sign thing and we can get them submitted to the court. Once the judge looks them over and sees that it is an amicable agreement to divorce by both parties...he will grant your divorce...and you, my friend will be a free man once again!
Also wanted to mention your son and daughter. Your son has moved into a condo, owned by the woman he has been sleeping with. It appears that she is supplying the "Love nest" and providing him with a generous allowance...in exchange for his sexual services! So, about the only thing that has changed with him... is his address!
We did approach your daughter and explained your feelings about her and her relationship. Although she is very happy to know that you still love her and understand about her sexuality. She feels that this may not be the right time in her life, for you and her to renew a father daughter relationship. She says that she is not entirely sure of a lot of things right now...and DOES want to begin anew with you...once she has figured out a few things on her own. She said, "For once, I want to try to solve my own problems first, before I go running to daddy for help!"
Last but certainly not least, our guys have a bit of information about your deckhand Max's wife and his children. They have not found exactly where the wife is....but apparently, she is being treated for severe psychiatric problems. Both of the kids are safe and living with her parents...and have been ever since they left Arkansas! So, that story they were telling the husband about not knowing where any of them were...was a bold-faced lie. WHY they felt the need to lie to the man about his wife and kids...we do not know yet, but the guys are still on the case, checking a few more leads.
"Well Max, it appears that I have some good news for you!"
"Really? About what?" he questions.
"My attorney has informed me, that the guys we put on the case to find your wife and kids...have been successful! They know EXACTLY where both of the kids are...and they are both safe and being well cared for. Your wife, however, is apparently being treated in a psychiatric hospital somewhere...location unknown at this time!"
"Oh my god! This is WONDERFUL news! Details....I need details!"
"I will call my attorney tomorrow and let you talk to him about all of the particulars of the case. But apparently when your wife left and took the kids... she went back home to her parents...and that is where the kids have been all along!
"SON OF A BITCH! So, they fucking lied to me! They had my kids all this time and told me they had no clue where they are and were just as worried about them as I was! Well, fuck me raw! I need to get on a plane and get my ass back there ASAP to find out what the fuck is going on!"
"Okay, before we jump the gun here... We know that your wife is being cared for somewhere. Our guys are following leads trying to find out where. Your kids are being cared for by their grandparents...and they are safe from harm. So, let's wait until you have talked to my attorney...see what your best options are...before we do anything hasty. At this point, if your wife was having mental issues...it is hard telling what she may have told her parents about you! They may very well be trying to protect the kids FROM you... and going there right now...might do a lot more harm than good. If they know you are trying to take the kids from them...they may shuffle them off to another relative or to another location...or do a disappearing act of their own. So, my suggestion is to just relax...bide your time...let the investigators do their work...and go at this logically, reasonably and rationally...once we know all the facts!"
"I know what you are saying is right... can feel it way down deep in my gut. But being patient is one quality that I have always lacked. Just going to have to learn to take it day by day... relax and enjoy life... and see how it all plays out in the end!"
"Couldn't have said it better myself....took me the better part of my life to learn that lesson...and here you just about have it mastered at half my age!"
