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| Thread: Of Moose and Men; The Gootch Goes to Canada |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 3 4 · «PREV / NEXT» |
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Consis
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Of Ruby
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posted April 18, 2006 11:36 PM |
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Ok, I'm Convinced . . .
You are definitely not Peacemaker.
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Roses Are Red And So Am I
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violent_flower
Promising
Supreme Hero
Almost there.
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posted April 19, 2006 02:10 AM |
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Quote:
You are definitely not Peacemaker.
What would make you think that I was Peacemaker? What I would really like to know is why the hell would Peacemaker falsify herself as someone else to make comments to his writings? What is it about my writing that even makes you think that I’m her? It has been made clear from her that I’m not up to specifications when it comes to my writing. I know that her education is off the charts and from what I hear she is very well rounded. I probably could never be worthy of even possessing the ladder that would allow me to touch her golden pedestal. I’m a friend of “Hemmingway’s” and a true fan of his work, all of his work. So now that we have cleared that up maybe I could post something that will not be construed, corrected, or demeaned. Peacemaker is a friend of his and he holds her in high regard; so let it be known that I'm not trying to offend her in anyway.
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The_Gootch
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Kneel Before Me Sons of HC!!
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posted April 19, 2006 05:27 AM |
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Day 6
I'm not sure what kind of good karma this ragtag group had accrued over the course of their lifetime but they must have been cashing it in. For the next morning was just as sunny, beautiful, cloudless, and still as the previous two days. I also considered the possibility that one of them was in good with his higher power and promised to make friends with him.
Breakfast was served. Arrangements and lunches were made. Coolers were stocked with beer. Gear was staged. And pairings were set.
James, Luke, and I decided to go back down to the bottom of the dam to see if the Walleye were there. I guess they liked to hang out there in the evening because we didn't even get a nibble.
And so we decided to go exploring, following the river downstream and trying to move past the rapids. We tried various spots but none seemed to work. We were travelling pretty light at this point, only carrying our poles and one rappella attached to our respective lines. We had no cooler and certainly no bucket.
For hours we plodded along. We came upon what seemed to be a summer home squirreled away from the rest of civilization and peered inside. It was a small red brick building. The lights were off but the sunlight afforded us an opportunity to peer inside. For it's size, it certainly was stocked with all sorts of things, from furniture to ottomans, to end tables, to coffee tables, to even a chess set. And all of it was arranged immaculately with not even the slightest hint of dust or grime on anything.
As we were leaving Luke snagged the rappella on his pole onto James' shorts. They laughed as they fruitlessly tried to ease the hooks out. For all their efforts, they were rewarded with more hooks sinking into the shorts. We had no wire cutters or dikes with us. The more I thought about it the more I realized that the intent on this journey was only to catch and release the fish--assuming that one of them had actually brought jaw spreaders. They laughed at their futility until Luke made this startling discovery.
"Dude! Those are my shorts!" he yelled.
"I know. Ain't it funny." responded James, laughing even harder.
"F*** you man! That ain't funny!" said Luke, visibly fuming.
I saw the conflict in his eyes. He would've loved nothing more than to tell his brother to free himself. But that was his only pole and his only lure. He had no other choice.
"Gonna have to yank it man. You f****** prick. You owe me a new pair of shorts." said Luke.
"Yeah yeah." said James, clearly thinking it was worth every penny. "Gimme a hand and let's just rip it out."
With that little drama over we continued on, holy shorts and all. So desperate were the brothers to cast they even tried to do so in a marsh. Nope. No fish.
We walked for a little over a mile and decided to turn around. Finding our way back was easy as we'd walked parallel to the water down a gravel road. Eventually we met up with Jeff, Jim, and Jeremiah. They too had decided to try their luck at the bottom of the dam and were just as successful as we'd been.
Jeremiah wanted to try something new and he invited me to go with him. I hadn't spent any time with him during this trip and figured I needed to. We hopped into a boat and drove off.
He parked the boat on a tiny island and bade me to get off. We lashed the boat to a felled, dead tree and disembarked. It was there that he gave me a tutorial on casting from shore.
I was impressed with both his knowledge and his self-assuredness. He made for a good teacher and I was a willing student. Without bombastic tales of sharks, marlins, and sturgeons he'd caught he made for amazing company.
"What kind of fish are we shooting for anyway?" I asked. "Walleye? Pike?"
"No." he replied. "Well, not usually. There are other fish that like to hang around islands, smallmouth being one of them."
Almost as if on cue, he caught one and showed me the differences between it and the other fish we'd been catching. It wasn't particularly big so he let it go.
I stepped to the other side of the island. It was at most forty feet long and twenty feet wide. Of course I had issues with my line getting caught in the foliage behind me. As a matter of fact, that's pretty much all I was doing. *Lean back, cock arm, cast line, oops!*
Jeremiah saw my struggles and offered to give up his spot, for which I was grateful. Free and clear I was able to get some pretty good distance on my casts. I experimented with casting using both hands but ultimately came to the conclusion that more power caused my accuracy to suffer exponentially.
The day had drawn on and it was time to head in. As the cook, Jeremiah had been pretty zealous about getting dinner started in a timely manner, the lone exception being the day before.
Everyone else started to trickle in back to camp soon after fish were shoved into the oven. Isn't that how it is with us? My mom could bark my name and screech at the top of her lungs. But nothing got me running quicker back to the house than that oh so familiar smell of burnt cinnamon-raisin toasted cheese wafting through the early summer breeze.
While at the dinner table I remarked that I'd yet to see a bear or a moose.
"Moose are kinda touchy. You don't really want to be around them anyway." said Jeremiah. "They're big, stupid, and aggressive. As for the bears I've heard there are some wandering around the campsite. But if you want a guaranteed look at them Tony said to go to the local dump. They're all over the place there."
"I'm not all that keen about checking out local trash heaps." I said. "If I want that all I need to do is go south of the Mason-Dixon line."
After dinner I tried to start a fire using wood that we'd bought in bulk from Tony. Unfortunately, it looked like it had it had sat in still water. Just about every piece was half dry, half soaked. So instead of the roaring fire I'd envisioned I got a lot of smoke. To improvise, I started collecting kindling from around the campsite and used that. I thought maybe, just maybe, the two foot in diameter tree trunk could serve as a center piece and dry out from the fire around it.
After nightfall Jeff and Jim put fish into bins and buckets. I volunteered to help cart them to the fish house along with Luke. I'd never stepped foot inside one of them before. And after my experience there I intend to never again step foot into one.
To describe the smell as rank does no justice to the word rank. The air was indescribably foul. I quietly blanched and sought to get out of there as quickly as possible. But there was a problem.
The dogs had started barking and the interior light wrecked my night vision. I stepped outside and could only perceive the pitch black of the darkness. All the talk of bears had put me on edge. Why were the dogs barking just a few minutes ago? Did they know something I didn't? I tried to step forward and felt myself nearly paralyzed with fear. My sight was robbed of me and I desperately wanted it back. So I waited.
After a few minutes my vision improved. I stepped forward again, slowly and deliberately. I made myself move some thirty feet off the dock when I heard a clomping noise in the distance. It too moved deliberately. I couldn't tell if it was the shuffle of feet or paws capable of eviscerating me in a single blow. I froze and waited, hoping to get some answers to the bazillion questions racing through my fight-or-flight stricken mind.
The noise was moving steadily towards me. Dammit. I couldn't see a freaking thing and had no clue what it was. I started backing up towards the fish house. Once I felt the comfort of the wood of the dock I bolted straight for the fish house. I ran inside and latched the screen door. It seemed pretty flimsy and I considered who I'd throw into the path of whatever it was that was coming. Jeff seemed the likely choice. He'd lived a long life. Plus, he seemed the least capable of putting up a fight.
"Everything ok?" Jim asked.
"No." I said with an embarrassing, wide-eyed, deer-in-headlights look.
I tried to turn my focus away from the door and when Jeremiah's ugly mug popped into view, I nearly jumped out of my skin.
"Yeahhhh!" I shrieked.
I had to suffer the slings and arrows of laughter at my expense for being such a weenie. After a few minutes, the jokes subsided and Luke said he was ready to go back. He grabbed his flashlight and escorted me back to camp. James, having finished the dishes, was sitting on a chair by the fire sipping on a beer. Luke and I thought that was a pretty good idea and joined him.
Alas these days were so long. These young men, who on a good day might brag about being able to consume a case of Bud Light in a single sitting, retired back to their cabin, exhausted. I was feeling ancy and started drinking alone.
Jeremiah joined me shortly afterwards. Jeff and Jim, having finished the disgusting job of cleaning the fish, washed up and retired. And so it was just Jeremiah and myself enjoying the warmth of a fire that was keeping the north wind at bay.
He poked fun at me a bit more for acting like a Sally back over by the fish house. I chuckled sheepishly and took it. He talked a bit more about him and his brothers' adventures the day before at that lake and what kind of fishing could be expected there. And then he froze. And then he grew wide-eyed.
"Get up slowly." he said. "And don't look."
The hair on the back of my neck bristled. Was this a joke? Or was he serious? I did as he commanded.
"What is it?" I whispered.
"Momma bear and at least one cub." he whispered back. "S***! We forgot to run the trash. Ok. Move slowly towards the cabin. Seriously, no sudden moves."
I followed him the ten feet back to our cabin. Once we got inside we barred the door.
"I'm going to bed man. Don't be surprised if our trash is strewn all over the place in the morning." said Jeremiah, yawning.
I looked out the lone pane of glass the door had. I saw nothing. The campsite up to the fire was fairly illuminated as the outdoor cabin light hadn't been shut off. I was embarrassed about how I'd acted. I let my fear get the best of me. And I felt I needed to do something, to prove to myself I could shrug it off and conquer it.
I stepped outside and listened. Nothing. I crept towards the chair I'd been sitting on and repositioned it so that I'd be facing the direction that Jeremiah had stared off into. Not only that but I moved it as close to the fire as I could withstand. Animals feared fire. That much I knew.
I sat down and waited. I peered again into the darkness, searching. I steadied my breathing and listened. I heard no sounds save the gentle rustling of leaves. And I sat in that chair for an hour and a half, white knuckled and waiting for a terror that never came.
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violent_flower
Promising
Supreme Hero
Almost there.
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posted April 20, 2006 05:12 AM |
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[It seemed pretty flimsy and I considered who I'd throw into the path of whatever it was that was coming. Jeff seemed the likely choice. He'd lived a long life. Plus, he seemed the least capable of putting up a fight)
Well I hope that I don’t live long around you for fear of being tossed in front of a flimsy door way. I was just in tears on that part. I can see the fear in your eyes, being out of your element and dealing with the prospect that a bear may find you attractive. Throwing your friend in front of the door was definitely a great alternative to you dieing. I’m not sure that going to a cabin in the woods with you would be in my best interest. I await the seventh day with great anticipation.
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Peacemaker
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Peacemaker = double entendre
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posted April 21, 2006 05:35 PM |
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{CRINGE}
(Posted before reading Gootch's last entry)
Oh my.
Violent flower, it appears I owe you an apology. Sometimes I pop off and make jokes and say things I would never in a million years think were offensive. I did not mean to demean your writing style in any way, just pointing out style differences -- mainly my excessive use of comma's, dashes and the like versus your prose in which you do not engage in that bad habit. Personally I found your writing style so moving I voted for a quality star for it.
I'm not a tea drinker and am no longer a student, but I was merely pointing out those differences for Consis' benefit, to illustrate that you and I are not the same person (Consis knows me pretty well and knows what my occupation is). And I can guarandamtee you, what I drink and do certainly do not put me any number of rungs "above" you.
Mainly I was kidding in my first post in response to yours, but I did have an eerie moment when I was reading yours because your thoughts were in many ways similar to my own. So it didn't surprise me that Consis originally thought I'd created an alter-ego. As for my tease about "begun," I've also been known to be fairly ruthless to the Gootch for his consistent misspelling of "becuase." It's all my mother's fault. She was an English teacher you see.
Please accept my sincere apology if my words were hurtful or upsetting in any way. I really didn't realize the situation yet. I've a feeling we'd be great friends if we were ever to meet in person. Hope I haven't screwed that up.
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Peacemaker
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Peacemaker = double entendre
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posted April 21, 2006 05:59 PM |
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-- ROFL
Quote:
I can see the fear in your eyes, being out of your element and dealing with the prospect that a bear may find you attractive.
Oh my God, the serendipity. I hadn't seen this post yet when I made the last one.
Have you two discussed Snowy yet? French Polar Bears perhaps????
Gootchie, maybe you should direct her to the Tavern.... 
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I have menopause and a handgun. Any questions?
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violent_flower
Promising
Supreme Hero
Almost there.
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posted April 22, 2006 01:01 AM |
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Please accept my sincere apology if my words were hurtful or upsetting in any way. I really didn't realize the situation yet. I've a feeling we'd be great friends if we were ever to meet in person. Hope I haven't screwed that up.
I was not offended to deeply by your remarks. I know what your occupation is and I appreciate the fact that you are a beautiful writer and talented in many different ways. I myself have not been blessed with the same education as you have but I’m currently working on it. I have no hard feelings toward you at all. I know how Gootch feels about you and that makes me even more receptive. He actually told me that we were invited to come to your home and I think that we need to take you up on that. I have been waiting to meet you and your husband and enjoy some wine. Please understand that my comment did hold some sarcasm to it. I hope that we can enjoy conversation and I can learn from you. You do realize that I have always wanted to be a lawyer and some day when my children move away, I will be in law school while attending culinary school on the side. Ok, maybe to far fetched but we can dream. We might be checking on plane tickets soon to see if it coincides with our budget. Until then all is well.
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Peacemaker
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Peacemaker = double entendre
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posted April 23, 2006 11:34 PM |
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Hail violent flower!
Just wanted you to know I got your message and all is well. Kind-of made me feel a bit ill that I might have gotten under your skin -- that's typically not my modus operandi, as the crowd around here will verify.
As for you two coming out here -- we're working on that -- there may be a slight space problem since we're having a "third guest" -- how does the weekend of May 27-28 sound? Now this is only tentative, but like I said, we're working on it....
Can't wait to meet you. The Gootch and I talked, and I told him I'd a feeling you and I would be off talking within minutes and the men would not see us for a while. It's already quite obvious to me we have a few things in common.... And stop going on about all you could "learn" from me -- LOL!!!! Trust me, my new friend, I've an awful lot to learn -- we all do from one another.
(What the hell HAS he been telling you anyways?!?!?!?)
Specifically, I want to compliment you again on your writing ability. You express yourself quite fluently and with eloquence; you relay emotion beautifully (all my humble opinion, of course). Apparently your expressive capacity hasn't suffered at all from any "lack" of classroom hours. In fact that just underscores the raw talent you apparently possess.
BTW -- thank you for graciously accepting my apologies. TALK SOON --
P.S. We'll have a talk on the side when you get here about trying culinary school and law school at the same time, unless you're independently wealthy, or a complete genuis, or a speed-reader, or all three.... (hee. hee. hee.)
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I have menopause and a handgun. Any questions?
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Consis
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Of Ruby
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posted April 24, 2006 03:18 PM |
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Now That We're All Finished Apologizing:
The word of the day is:
"guarandamtee"
LoL, I can't count the number of ways that I love you Peacemaker. I have returned from Arkansas only yesterday and come here to read this. I'm thinking, "There's a little bit of Arkansas in all of us!" 
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Roses Are RedAnd So Am I
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The_Gootch
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Kneel Before Me Sons of HC!!
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posted May 05, 2006 05:42 PM |
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Day 7 Part 1
The next morning I bounded out of bed. I had but one thing on my
mind. I wanted to know whether or not 400 pounds of death incarnate had truly passed within twenty feet of me the previous night. I figured I didn't need to be a Dunedain Ranger to be able to spot paw prints in gravelly earth. And yes I was pretty steamed when after poring over the ground some thirty minutes I couldn't find a single track.
Today was finally going to be the day we visited the legendary lake
the brothers had been to some 2 days prior. We flipped Luke's
boat (little nine footer that it was) on top of Jeff's and piled into
the little Chevy SUV.
I'd saved my irritation with Jeremiah for just this point and decided
to call him out.
"You ***hole! I nearly peed in my pants last night!" I yelled at him.
"Bwhahahahaha." was his only reply.
"The hell are you talking about?" asked Jim.
"After everyone went to bed last night Jeremiah and I were hanging out
by the fire." I started. "He told me he saw a momma bear up on that
ridge right next to the road. Well, I checked this morning. I didn't
see a damn thing. No sign of a bear. Nothing."
"Maybe it was one of'em smart bears." said Jim, not even skipping a
beat. "You know, the ones who carry a branch with'em to cover their
tracks."
We found the side road readily enough and drove for about four miles.
Jeremiah at found the side road and started driving down it. It was
Unpaved and rather bumpy. Six bodies in the vehicle did nothing for the damn thing's suspension so I got out and started walking with Luke and James.
We had two pruning saws between us. Already the rental had been
Roughed up (it was also brand spanking new) but I guess they didn't want to add anymore damage that could be prevented. We started hacking and sawing at branches and plants that could possibly smack the SUV. Needless to say the going was pretty slow. I didn't mind though. The day was still beautiful and warming to my soul. Periodically I'd check back on my distance to the vehicle. I'd taken a look at the saw in my hand and considered my chances versus a bear. Yep, I wanted to be real close to that Chevy.
After a few miles we found the staging area for the boats. There were
already a few campers there and we bade 'hello' to the inhabitants.
They were an older American couple on vacation and what seemed to be their grandchildren. We talked with them for a bit, asking about their campers. They told us that tents weren't a viable option in these parts because the bears would rip right through them.
It had been decided by Jeremiah and Jim that I'd be lent the use of
Jeff's chest waders. Christ. I put them on and immediately thought, "Three quarters green prophylactic and one quarter suspenders equaled one complete dork." James had a pair as well. We lowered ourselves into the water to receive the boats and lash them to some branches. I climbed into the nine footer with Jeremiah and Jeff. Jim and his sons were in the other one.
Jim's boat started sputtering almost immediately. He cursed, spat, and blamed Jeremiah for the issue. He pulled off the fuel hose, stared at it, grumbled to himself, swapped it out, and restarted the boat. The waters were pretty choppy and with all the gear that was stowed in my boat, we started taking on water. I had to move to the other one in order to lighten the load.
Jeremiah and Jeff took off as soon as I joined Jim and company. I turned back to ask Jim to gun it but he already had a gleam in his eye. He caught up with the other two and sent a torrent of water onto Jer's boat with his wake, all the while screaming, "Outta my way you ***holes! Get the **** outta my way!"
The boys and I cheered him on while leaving Jeremiah with a stunned, seething look. All that did was to make us laugh even harder.
We pulled up to a path. Everyone save James and myself disembarked
from the boats.
"Alright Logan, time to earn our paycheck." said James.
He gave me a quick rundown. There were rapids up ahead and we were
going to drag the boats through them. The others would walk the path and meet us on the other side. In theory that sounded pretty easy. About five minutes later I was thinking otherwise.
The soles of my waders were hard rubber. They had no freaking grip. I
struggled mightily against that rope, trying to pull my boat. The
algae, seaweed, or whatever the heck was on those rocks made me think I was a greased fat kid on a slip n' slide. On more than one occasion I lost my balance and dropped below the surface, immediately greeted with a torrent of water in my lungs and the waders themselves. Fifty yards was all I had to traverse; fifty lousy yards. James had no issues with his boat and ended up helping me tow mine. When we cleared them and I was finished coughing, sputtering, and cursing the gods I grew pretty red-faced from the embarrassment of having to be assisted.
We met the others. I ditched the waders and asked James how he made it look so easy.
"Dunno." he said. "Maybe cos' I had felt on my soles?"
"Yep." Jeremiah chimed in. "That's it."
We took the boats about another mile upstream before coming upon a
waterfall. We disembarked and proceeded to move gear about one hundred yards uphill. Jeff, being an old fart, didn't contribute much. And so it was up to the rest of us to haul three outboards, oars, the works. At least we didn't have to haul the boats. There were a few overturned at the top waiting for us.
There had been a buzz about the fuel hose. No one really liked the idea of having three bodies per boat. Jeremiah predicted quietly that his dad would try to give him the busted fuel line. Well he was right. And when his dad tried to give make him use it he blew up.
"I'm not taking that line dad." he said, his voice rising perceptibly.
"Take the damn line shut the hell up." said Jim.
"F*** you! I'm not taking that line. You busted that line you use
it." fumed Jeremiah.
"This is the line you're getting." said Jim. "And that's final."
"Then I'm going home tonight." said Jeremiah, his snowiness finally
coming out. "I'm packing up the SUV and taking Jeff and Logan with me."
"Great." I thought to myself. "All I need right now is to be lumped as part of this stupid stand he's taking."
"What's wrong with the line anyway?" I asked.
"O-Ring's wrecked." said Jim, temporarily taking his steely eyes off of his son.
"Yeah, because you put it on backwards!" sneered Jeremiah.
"You know. I might be able to fix it." I said.
"Eh?" said Jim and a few of the others.
"Sure. An O-Ring's an O-Ring. I used to repair Hydraulic pumps when I was in." I said. "All you need is at least a suitable substitute to get a good seal. It doesn't have to be perfect." I started thinking wistfully of all the times we jury-rigged gear to make it ready for issue. We called it 'shaisty maintenance'.
"You fix that line and I'll [perform sexual favors on you]." snarled
Jim. "Where you gonna get another O-Ring from?"
"The yellow and red birds." I said. "I heard you walking Luke and
James through the process of putting them together."
Jeremiah passed me a stainless steel utility knife. I pulled out the
tweezers, grabbed the birds, the line and got to work. The diameter
was perfect. Unfortunately the O-Rings the birds had were noticeably
skinnier. Drat. This might take some time. I yanked the busted one, inserted the new O-ring into the fuel line, passed it to Jim, and asked him to give it a whirl.
"Leaking fuel." he called out after a few moments.
"Pass it back here. I might be able to double them up." I pressed.
Unfortunately with the tools I had I wasn't able to squeeze another
ring into place.
After a few minutes Jim said we couldn't wait any longer and that we'd
only take two boats. Crestfallen that I couldn't be the hero, I nodded and apologized for wasting their time. Jeff, Jer, and I would be in a boat and Jim, James, and Luke would be in another.
Again I got to play the role of the spotter. The creek we were running was extremely narrow, not in terms of its width, but rather in terms of what was navigable. There were rocks to our left and our right and it was my job to make sure we didn't wreck a prop.
The creek opened up into a majestic, immense lake. I felt like Louis & Clark, sans Sacagawea of course, and wondered what Joanne was up to.
Clouds were coming in and the waters were rather choppy. We'd started
the day late and it was already pushing 5 o' clock.
There was no time for trolling. Jeremiah took Jeff and I to his lucky
rock, one that was some eighty feet from shore. It was barely big enough to handle the three of us. We started casting, making sure we weren't in anyone else's trajectory. While I didn't catch anything I did manage to snag and lose four rappellas on the rocks that were around us. Jeremiah caught a beaut of a fish and dumped it into the boat. But that was about it.
We spent about thirty minutes after that looking for the others.
After we found them there was a conference about whether we should start heading in. No one wanted to liked the prospect of packing up the Chevy in the dark and so we decided to start moving in.
Nerves were frazzled by this point. Bodies were wearied and it seemed to take forever for us move the gear down that dirt path. On the bright side, going with the rapids as opposed to against them was pretty damn fun.
We found the campsite where the Chevy was. The campers had a nice little fire going and grandpa was enjoying it with a cold can of Old Milwaukee in hand. After the boats were loaded Jim and Jeff started chatting him up, leaving the rest of us to take care of the gear.
It might have been because of fatigue but Luke for some reason decided to stick the poles into the back of the SUV and let them poke out the raised rear window. In general, the repack was pretty shoddy. I guess we were more tired than we thought.
We sat and talked with grandpa for a few minutes. He wasn't too old, most likely under 65. He'd been a firefighter for 20 years and retired back in '84, living off his pension. He and his wife came to this place every year. They used to stay two weeks but he said she'd get so bored they decided to cut it down to one week. He also warned us that drinking on the boats was illegal and that Wardens had high-tech binoculars that could zoom in on you from a great distance. They also had jet boats at their disposal to catch lawbreakers, so don't even think about trying to outrun them. He felt strongly that Canucks, as he called them, were given a free pass on this law but that Americans were ticketed pretty religiously.
After awhile we said our goodbyes and our good lucks. I didn't look forward to sitting on someone else's lap again so I volunteered to crawl into the back where the fishing poles were. Unfortunately they were cocked at an angle. I did what I could to straighten them out but my god there were a lot of them. They kept hitting tree branches and other plants as we were driving back on that unpaved road and were getting seriously jacked up.
We got back to camp and everyone else piled out of the SUV. Jeff immediately went to the back but instead of letting me out he tried to find his fishing poles amidst the jumble. I waited patiently for him to find them and when he finally freed them he took them back to our cabin, leaving me stuck in the back. This didn't go unnoticed by the others.
Luke started muttering under his breath and let me out, apologizing. Jeremiah and Jim were nowhere to be seen. I got out and stretched, muttering back at Luke that it was no big deal. I started piling wood to make a fire when I heard loud voices emanating from Jim's cabin. Jeremiah stormed out and seemed to be beside himself.
"If dad thinks he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants he's got another thing coming." he said to no one in particular. "I'm going to teach him a lesson. Let's see if he likes his boat wrecked." With that he started walking towards the docks and towards his father's boat.
I stared dumbfounded at him and looked at Luke and James.
"I don't think he'll do it." I said, my voice ringing hollow.
"You don't know Jeremiah then." the other two said, desperately bounding after him.
EDIT: Note to self: Don't save to Microsoft Notepad. I can't seem to get rid of the goofy spacing.
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violent_flower
Promising
Supreme Hero
Almost there.
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posted May 05, 2006 11:57 PM |
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A “Cliffhanger” does not describe my free falling self at this moment. Here it is, white knuckled and just waiting for Jer to go and get some C-4 and blow this john boat sky high. Then I scroll down, with my face about two inches from the screen that is about to leave me. I find the boys hurdling after him to prevent this complete disaster that is about to take place. What happens next, do you go after him as well? I can’t stand this; I want the choice whether I should be left three thousand feet in the air with a doubt as to whether my shoot will open. I can’t wait a week; this must be completed soon, at least day seven. When I go purchase a work of art it does not come to me in sections, it comes to me as a whole. This is testing the last minuet string of sanity that I have left at this point. Ok, a glass of Chardonnay and I will be accepting.
By the way, I had this vision of the bear with a grin on his face as he swept away his obvious paw prints. All this and he is peaking in the window laughing at you as you are huddled in the corner struck with fear. Laughter has taken me over.
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Peacemaker
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Peacemaker = double entendre
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posted June 30, 2006 08:52 PM |
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Hey, You!!!
Get your jockstrap-of-holding over here and finish this story!!!!
--- Do I have to fly out there and hold a frying pan over your head or something???
(You know me well enough to know I might just make good on the threat...)
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I have menopause and a handgun. Any questions?
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Dingo
Responsible
Legendary Hero
God of Dark SPAM
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posted December 07, 2006 05:16 AM |
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Just read through all of this, remarkable writing. Best story I've nonfiction story I've come across in HC. Patiently waiting for more  .
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The Above Post/Thread/Idea Is CopyRighted by, The Dingo Corp.
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violent_flower
Promising
Supreme Hero
Almost there.
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posted December 07, 2006 10:09 PM |
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Hey Dingo, you will have to stand behind the rest of us who eagerly wait the seventh day. Grueling isn’t it?
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Learn how to duck and weave because I will throw truth at you all day!
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the_gootch
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Kneel Before Me Sons of HC!!
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posted January 03, 2007 08:39 PM |
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Day 7--Part 2
I craned my neck in the direction of the water, futilely hoping to get a glimpse of the fight that had ensued. The exterior lights of the cabins destroyed my night vision though. So I had to rely on my other senses.
There was no sound of bones popping, metal rending, or water splashing. All I could hear were the incomprehensible sounds of angry voices. Talking was good though. More talking meant less bodily harm.
Unbeknownst to me, Jim had stepped out of his cabin and too was staring down at the water with intense interest. It was his boat that was at stake after all. After a few minutes I heard the voices getting closer. It seemed they, Luke and James, had managed to talk Jeremiah down.
I saw them coming into view. Jeremiah was at the fore with his younger brothers flanking him, still jawing at him. He would periodically turn his head back and jaw in return. That was when his father decided to weigh in.
"Jeremiah." Jim said sternly. "You are going some place you can't come back from."
"How could you say those things about him dad?" Jeremiah said exasperatedly, momentarily taking his attention away from his brothers. "He's a Christian! He always goes to church! He never swears! What has he ever done to you?!"
"The man is useless Jeremiah. He's lazy. He doesn't carry his weight." Jim said
"He's almost seventy years old dad!" Jeremiah exploded.
"Jeremiah, will you shut up!" Luke hissed.
"Quiet down Jeremiah!" James said in support of his older brother. "We've got neighbors."
Jeremiah, defiant to the end, only raised his voice even louder. "No!! I won't quiet down! What're you gonna do!? Hit me!?"
"I swear to god Jeremiah, if you don't shut up I'm gonna beat the f*** out of you!" said Luke.
Both of the brothers advanced on Jeremiah, who was sitting on the stairs to our cabin. I stood still in a paralytic sense of awe at what was going to be one of the most well deserved a**-whoopings I had ever seen in my life.
"Go ahead.! Hit me you barbarians! Go ahead! I dare you! I'll call the cops on you so fast!" Jeremiah screeched with the same tone of a cornered dog.
"Jeremiah, just shut the f*** up!" hissed James. "I don't want to hit you but you seriously need to shut the f*** up!"
There was a pause. And then after many tense moments, Jeremiah let out a sigh. It was only then that the pack started returning to normal. Jim retired inside. And the younger sons started talking with Jeremiah. They hit upon a range of topics. But there was one particular one of note.
"You two didn't have it nearly as hard as I did." Jeremiah said. "When dad's business was failing he used to beat the s*** outta me."
"We know." Luke and James said. "Dad always said that was one of his biggest regrets though. He was sorry about it. He knows he laid it on harder on you."
"Did you know he broke my arm when I was 3?" Jeremiah asked. "He threw me against a wall and broke my arm. How do you get past that?"
"I don't know if he did that." Luke said.
"Well he did." Jeremiah said. "I still have the memories."
"Logan, I got the last round. Why don't you go and get the next?" James said.
"Sure" I said. "Beam and Cokes?"
"Yeah." said James. "We're outta beer."
I walked to the other cabin, leaving the three siblings to hash out their differences.
Once inside, I started mixing my drink. The kitchen was small with an open doorway to the lone bedroom. The bedroom had two beds, with only a small area to walk in between. If I went straight through that walkway I would've ended up in the bathroom. Jim was already in bed.
"Helluva night." I said.
"Yeah." he said.
What's with your boy?" I laughed. "Is he usually like this?"
"He's been like that for a long time now." he said.
"Right now he's talking about when you broke his arm." I said.
"When did I do that?" he asked challengingly.
"He says you threw him against a brick wall when he was three." I said. I felt like something of a snitch. I was able to justify it because I don't like to hold liars in confidence. They lose that respect with me.
I turned to peer into the bedroom. Jim was sitting up. His glasses were off for the first time I could remember. And so for the first time I was able to get a good look at him.
The light that shone through the room reminded me of a film noir flick. Have of his face was shrouded in darkness and the other half was brightly lit from the light emanating from the kitchen.
"When he was fourteen I let him go to Florida to go stay with his grandmother for the summer." he said softly with a twisted smile. "She...she didn't have any use for men. Anyway, he came back different. You don't see my other sons like him. I told my wife never again would any of them be allowed to go see her. I don't know what she did. All I know is that summer I lost my boy."
I was struck with the sudden sadness in his eyes. He was looking not at me but some thirteen years into the past, reliving the end of that summer. I felt a bit awkward recognizing this in him and wanted to change the subject. I didn't think I had the right to be a part of whatever it was he was reliving.
"You know. I told the other two I didn't think Jeremiah would bust your boat." I said a bit sheepishly.
"You're wrong." Jim said.
"I guess so." I said. "The other two pointed that out to me. How come? How do you know he's capable?"
Jim's sad eyes gave way to irritated eyes.
"Did he ever tell you about one of his girlfriends, Katy?" he asked.
"Katy, Katy, the name rings a bell." I said. "I honestly don't know what to believe with him anymore though."
"Yeah, you and the rest of the world." he said. "So he's living with Katy in her condominium, leeching off of her. They break up and he comes in and trashes it. I mean, he pulled out the appliances and sold them. He broke doors. He poured concrete into her toilet. I gave him twenty grand to help keep him out of jail."
"Wow. He never told me that." I said. "Good lord. Wait. There's something else I wanted to ask you."
"What is it?" he asked.
"What happened with your lighting company? Why did it go under? Jeremiah said his mom messed things up with horrific accounting."
"He said that?" Jim said with a sneer. "No. My wife didn't do that. Jeremiah bled the company dry with his spending."
My heart dropped. I was a part of a start up company and Jeremiah was our CFO. Not only did he tell the owner all these lies but I distinctly remember Rocco mentioning how he'd given Jeremiah a twenty thousand dollar loan to help him out with some legal trouble.
"You know, the guys sent me in here to go get them some drinks. They're probably wondering what the hell happened to me." I said.
"Yeah. You're probably right." Jim said. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight." I replied.
I left the cabin and found the boys huddled together. James was sitting next to Jeremiah and Luke was squatting down. This was a stark contrast to the way they were looming over him when they were getting ready to pounce.
"So you see Jeremiah." James said. "Dad swears all the time because that's the job. You hear it all the time on the sites. He tells someone, you know, 'Hey you motherf*****! Go grab that pile of motherf****** pile of bricks and get to f****** work!' That's just the way he talks. And he ain't gonna change. But you shouldn't be all embarrassed or offended by it."
"Interesting." I thought to myself. "When was the last time I was embarrassed by a parent? The time when my mom went out in her t-shirt and underwear to buy us kids some ice cream? Yeah. That was pretty embarrassing."
"You're right." Jeremiah said.
"So Jeff doesn't swear." Luke said. "Big whoopty-doo. Did you what he did the first thing when he got out of the car? He went right for his fishing pole. He didn't even let Logan out. That's what pissed me off. That's just selfish man."
"You're right." Jeremiah said.
"James is right though." Luke said. "In his line of work, dad's gotta swear. It's just what construction workers do."
At this point it seemed like they were beating a dead horse. Jeremiah said he was going to go in and go to bed. After all, he said, he's gotta make breakfast in the morning.
I handed the other two their drinks. We pounded them and excused ourselves. The day had been exhausting and this last muster of conflict was particularly wearying after the adrenaline had worn off.
I went inside and moved to get changed into my sweats. Jeremiah was himself about to crawl into bed.
"I'm sorry you had to be a part of that." Jeremiah said. "Guess my family's a bit messed up."
I wanted to tell him that no, he was messed up. But then, for some inexplicable reason, I had one of my own flashbacks.
I was in Pensacola. Chris was on the bed sitting and hunched over. I was laying next to her with the most striking sense of helplessness. I was looking at her face. It was completely contorted and twisted. Her soul was wracked with the worst combination of guilt and rage I'd ever experienced.
"You don't understand!" she sobbed. "You don't understand!"
"What don't I understand?" I implored.
"I killed her! I killed her!" she cried. "She told me the last time I spoke to her that she wouldn't be around forever and she didn't want us to be this way! I didn't care! I didn't care! I told her I never wanted to see her again! I told her I hated her! Logan! Do you understand!? I told her all these things! I told her what a horrible mother she was! And that I wished she was dead!"
"I remember." I said helplessly. "The two of you were fighting."
"And now I can't take it back!" she said, burying her hands in her face.
I came back to the present and my eyes narrowed.
I thought to myself, "Jeremiah, your father won't be around forever. And it just might happen when you least expect it. It just might come before you have a chance to prepare for it. And there is nothing you can do to change that. What will you do? Will you be just like Chris? Will you become even crazier and more hateful because what you feel is the singular reason for the pain in your life will no longer be around to bear the brunt of your resentment? Will you carry that badge of anger with you for the rest of your days because you couldn't grow up and find an understanding with your father?"
I wanted to tell him these things and more. Instead, I took the coward's way out, mumbled goodnight, and stole myself to sleep.
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Peacemaker
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Peacemaker = double entendre
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posted January 05, 2007 11:47 PM |
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Keep going!
(Got your e-mail, so I thought I'd check in...)
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I have menopause and a handgun. Any questions?
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violent_flower
Promising
Supreme Hero
Almost there.
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posted January 06, 2007 05:52 PM |
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The time has come for us all to bask in the pleasures of your writing once more. I have had a fading ring of anticipation floating about me while stuck in the waiting for the seventh day. Now it comes and it as beautiful as I hoped it would be.
The bitterness that a child can hold, the utter lack of recognizing the hurtful words that we can transfer to another; to someone we are forced to love and honor. After the third reading my mind finally gathered the reason why it has taken you so long to put this in physical words. All that resentment that he held was the same as your wife held for herself and her disregard for the shortness of life when it came to her mother. It translates into a present time as you hold your own anger and bitterness for the years you spent trying to mend something with rotten material and a dull needle.
I hope the next days can flow more easily for you and you have gained new respect for wasted time and time that is wasting. May your journeys through your writing do more than touch those that read it, may they open you up to new paths not crawled and potential unseen.
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Learn how to duck and weave because I will throw truth at you all day!
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The_Gootch
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Kneel Before Me Sons of HC!!
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posted January 07, 2007 08:54 AM |
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God baby. You're gonna make the faucets leaky.
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Consis
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Of Ruby
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posted January 07, 2007 03:03 PM |
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The_Gootch,
Quote:
Can't hold onto anger forever
I thank God for it everyday.
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Roses Are RedAnd So Am I
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conan
Responsible
Supreme Hero
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posted January 08, 2007 06:21 PM |
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I can't beleive he actually continued this!
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Your life as it has been is over. From this time forward, you will service.... us. - Star Trek TNG
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