Chapter Twelve – Taking Bill on Eldie

Bill took a big breath in and let it out noisily. He glanced at his watch. Then, pretty much exactly on time, Gary’s ute came gently down the driveway. Bill promptly got up and walked outside.

“Morning, Bill.”

“Good morning to you too,” replied Bill as he pulled the ute door shut.

“It’s a stunning day to head out, I did a little loop over the hill on the way here to double-check,” said Gary, “couldn’t see any fish, but here’s hoping.”

“Good to hear it’s calm, I’m not sure about my sea legs, or sea stomach to be more accurate,” said Bill with a half-smile.

“Well, Bill. I never say no to some burly,” replied Gary.

Bill chuckled. “I really hope I can’t help out. By the way thanks for helping Matt out with some work on your farm. He seems to be loving it.”

“No problem at all,” replied Gary, “he’s become an asset very quickly. I’m delighted to have him around to help.” Gary drove slowly as usual and particularly so when they entered the marina car park. Bill found this a bit irritating and controlling. He looked out the window as they drove past empty parks only to end up further away from the boats than necessary.

“Got my lucky park,” said Gary, “we’re going to get some fish today!”

Bill looked out the side window and raised his eyebrows to himself. As they walked along the line of boats Bill saw Matt up ahead, Matt waved. Bill could not help but notice how happy he looked and waved back. Gary passed the things he was carrying over to Matt one by one. Matt put them away, opening and shutting the lockers with confidence. Gary stepped on the boat and turned to Bill. “Pass that here, buddy. When you’re ready, climb aboard.”

​Gary put his hand on Matt’s shoulder. “All set to go?”

“Yep,” replied Matt, “the motor’s warm and all checks are done. Just need you to let the bowline go.”

“Excellent, take a seat, Bill and we’ll cast off.”

Bill sat down and watched Matt confidently let the stern line go, push the back of the boat off the pile and call Gary to let the bowline go. Matt gently reversed out of the berth, swung the boat around, straightened up and confidently motored out of the marina. Gary stood next to Matt and pointed to a location on the chart. Bill could not hear what was said but saw Matt nod. Gary came and sat next to Bill. “Best autopilot I’ve ever had,” he said.

“I’m impressed, he’s really got the hang of this by the looks.”

“Sure has.”

Bill sat and watched Matt motor down the harbour. Matt was constantly looking about and checking the screens in front of him. He was most surprised to see Matt pick up the radio mic and make a trip report. Meanwhile, Gary had brought out two fishing rods and put them in rod holders, one on each side of the boat. “We’ll start trolling for kahawai as soon as we get out of the harbour,” said Gary, “if we’re burning diesel we may as well be fishing.” As they left the harbour the boat began to gently rise and fall with the motion of the sea. 

“Look at this, beautiful, we’re very lucky,” declared Gary as he looked around. “Clear skies and not a spot of wind. Let’s run some lures. If you’re comfortable with a rod, you can put that one out.”

Gary made himself comfortable on the side seat where he could see out the back of the boat. He felt the boat turn and looked up to Matt. “See some action?” he asked.

“Yep,” replied Matt, “not much, but worth a visit.”

“You good boy, good spotting,” said Gary. Gary smiled at Bill and gave him a thumbs up.

Bill nodded and stood up. “Hey, look over here.” Matt swung the boat a little further around and Gary stood up to take a look. Fish were breaking the surface of the water and birds flying their way.

“We’re about to be amongst it,” said Matt excitedly.

“Bill, grab that rod and bring it in a bit. Just so we don’t get our lines crossed,” said Gary.

Bill picked up the rod and started to wind it in. “Got one,” he shouted excitedly. Matt pulled back the throttle and put the boat into neutral. He headed to the back of the boat and pulled a landing net out of a locker.

“Once you retrieve that one you can come and get mine,” said Gary as he pulled a kahawai alongside the boat.

Matt leaned over the side as Bill pulled his fish closer. Matt scooped it up and put it into a bin. Bill noticed that Matt had leather gloves on so he could safely hold the fish and retrieve the lure.

“Gosh, you guys are well organised,” said Bill.

Matt threw Bill’s lure back over the side of the boat. “Another fish please.”

“Must be that lucky car park, Matt,” said Gary with a grin.

Matt looked at Gary with a big smile.

“What’s the joke?” asked Bill, aware he was missing something.

“Gary parks somewhere different every time,” replied Matt, “but it’s always the lucky car park.” Once both fish were in the bin Matt scooped up a bucket of water, washed his hands and hopped back up on the skipper’s seat. “Ready to go?” he asked. Gary gave Matt a thumbs up and off they went again. Bill watched Gary expertly fillet the kahawai, wrap the fillets and put the fish frames in a bucket.

“I keep the frames for the chickens,” he explained.  As fast as the fish appeared they were gone. So Matt put them back on course for the fishing spot Gary had given him.

Bill heard the engine slow down and the gentle clunk of the motor being put into neutral.

“We’ve arrived,” said Matt.

“Okay, Matt. Well done,” said Gary as he looked over Matt’s shoulder at the various screens.

“I’ll drop the grapnel anchor. Meet me there with the burly.” Bill watched as Matt retrieved a netting bag from a bucket and carefully carried it over the side of the boat around to the bow where Gary waited. He saw Gary clip the bag to the chain and let the anchor go.

“We won’t need to set the anchor, Matt, there’s next to no wind. So you can turn the motor off.” Gary set about preparing three rods for bottom fishing.

“Anything I can do to help?” asked Bill.

“Yep, pull up some snapper!” joked Gary.

“I’ll do my best,” replied Bill smiling.

Gary called to Matt, “Hey buddy, would you please put the radio on, just quietly. Then pop out here. Make yourself comfortable, Bill and drop this entree when you’re ready,” said Gary as he passed a rod over.

“Matt please take these fillets, I’ve cut them up small and buzz them in the pan. Ask your Dad what else he would like on a bun and knock out some fish burgers. Are you good with that?” asked Gary.

“Sure am,” smiled Matt.

“Just tomato and lettuce with mine, thanks,” said Gary.

“Same for me thank you, Matt,” added Bill.

Gary waited for Matt to walk through to the galley, before turning to face Bill. “He’s a bloody good kid, Bill.” 

Bill did not respond, he sat very still, looking at Gary, but with no discernible emotion on his face. Gary continued. “But he seems a bit lost, a bit unsure of himself. Yet, when I spend a bit of time with him he brightens up.”

Bill looked down at his feet, he did not speak. “We’ve both lost children, Bill. Nothing’s harder. Nothing chills the soul like losing a child. But we have to move on and love the ones we’re left with. Now there’s something I must tell you.” Gary leaned forward and looked directly at Bill. “You’ve got a fish on.”

Bill turned around, sure enough, his rod was bent over and twitching strongly. Gary sat back as Bill started to lift and wind. “Well, you’ve got the gift today, Bill. That’s a keeper. A good snapper,” Gary observed as he retrieved the fish in the landing net. “There should be just enough time to sort this one out before our lunch is ready.”

Again Bill watched as Gary expertly filleted the fish and cut up the frame. “We’ll bait up after we’ve eaten, lunch tastes better that way,” said Gary with a big smile.

“Lunch is ready,” said Matt. “I forgot which one’s whose”.

“That’s easy to sort,” said Gary, “we’ll each eat half then swap.”

“I’m glad you washed your hands,” said Bill.

They all laughed together as Matt headed back to get his bun.

“Bill,” began Gary, “as an electrician you might be interested to know that I am toying with the idea of making the boat electric drive.”

“Really!”

“Yep, I’m still in the exploratory phase. But this motor is nearing the end of its life and I need to do something. I kinda like the idea of lifting out the motor and diesel tanks and going electric. Range is the issue that defeats boats like this it seems, but I don’t need much range. All I ever do is tootle around the bay and go fishing, and only when the weather is good. Imagine no more diesel or engine maintenance! I could fit a few solar panels on the roof and most weeks that would charge enough for the weekend running about.”

“What would the motor look like? Would you switch to an outboard?” asked Bill.

“Probably not an outboard. There are some great looking sail drive options for yachts, something around the five to ten kilowatt output should be fine. Just thinking.”

“Wow,” said Bill, “that would be quite a project.”

“Yep,” replied Gary, “and a whole lotta fun. Matt could help me.”

“Okay,” said Matt excitedly.

“You could learn a lot of engineering with a project like that, Matt. Fancy having that under your belt before you go to university!” said Gary.

“Are you going to university, Matt?” asked Bill in a joking way.

“Yep,” replied Matt matter of factly, “I’m going to be a mechatronics engineer.”

“Okay,” Bill replied in a surprised tone.

“Fantastic lunch, Matt, let’s get some lines down.” With that, Gary set about baiting up three lines. “Last one to hook a fish does the dishes,” joked Gary. “Bill’s already in the clear.”

Matt sat back and listened to Bill and Gary chat. Bill was very interested in the electric drive and he was clearly surprised how much Gary knew about it and how far through the planning he was. But, he did not know Gary was an engineer. Bill was also surprised to hear how many times Matt had been out on the boat and that he was learning to free dive. Gary asked Matt to explain to Bill what he had been doing on the farm. Matt could see from Bill’s expression that he was not only surprised, but he was also impressed.

“Gosh,” Bill said, “maybe I should ask Matt to do some more around the house!”

“How about a woodshed by the back fence?” asked Gary. “Seems like there’s some space there and plenty of sunlight. We could load it up now so the wood dries over summer. Wouldn’t cost much, we could use timber from the farm.”

“Sure,” said Bill, “if it’s not too much bother.”

“No bother for me, Matt will do it,” said Gary, “it would be a great project for him. What do you reckon, Matt?”

“Sure,” Matt replied excitedly. Matt sat back again and let Bill and Gary talk. This was a very good outcome he thought. He would get to do something useful. He didn’t care that he had no idea how to build a woodshed, Gary would help him. It did not take long to hook some more fish and as usual, Gary explained when enough was enough.

“We’ll pick up the others next time when they are a bit bigger,” he said.

“Matt, it turns out you’re on dishes. I’ll pull up the anchor and we’ll tootle back.”

Again Matt confidently took charge of starting the motor and driving the boat back toward the marina. Bill and Gary settled down at the back of the boat and enjoyed the warmth of the sun through the cool breeze.

“When our kids are young,” said Gary, “the trick is to live for them, not in spite of them. Once we have kids they’re our life. Our life needs to sit on the bookshelf for a while. As they get older we don’t live for our kids, we live with our kids. But never through our kids. Does that make sense to you?”

Bill was silent. “Where was this going?” he wondered. He nodded.

“Matt’s ready for living with. He’s a delightful young man, and he is a young man. He’s no longer a kid. He’s ready to learn to love life, discover his dreams and to get confidence in his future. He should be waking up every day and jumping out of his skin with joy because life is so full of promise.” Gary paused for a moment, looking out to sea. “When I first met Matt he looked crushed. School was crap for him, he was, possibly still is, being bullied. He had no hope in his life, Bill.” Gary turned to look at Bill. “He’s a treasure. Just look at what he’s done today. I can be his friend, his karate teacher, his mentor. But I cannot be his father. I know things have been tough since Simon died. It’s not my business to pry and I won’t. But something’s not right at home. If I can help, I will help. But being a father is up to you.”

Bill looked out to sea, he turned to look at Gary and opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. Bill took a couple of short, hurried breaths and looked down. He sobbed gently. Gary moved to sit next to Bill. “Swing your legs around and face out the back, mate,” said Gary quietly. As Bill turned around Gary put his hand over his shoulder. “It’s okay, mate. You’re a good man, things have been tough.”

They sat in silence for a long time. At one stage Matt looked over to see what for him was a most extraordinary sight. One adult man comforting another. Matt could see that Bill’s head was hanging down and he was sobbing. Gary was looking out to sea and just letting things be. As he had once explained to Matt, sometimes this is all you could do.

“The great news, Bill,” began Gary, “is that Matt is getting quite the team around him. There’s Dylan, there’s Art, who’s a teacher at his next school, there’s Ricky who he does karate with sometimes. He’s a couple of years older and is at Matt’s next school. There’s me, Heather of course and all the animals at the farm, especially Bess the dog and Dexter the goat. Matt has a dream now, to be an engineer. There’s a reason to go to school for the first time in his life. Matt’s smart and has a great sense of humour.”

“But home’s crap,” interjected Bill.

“I’m not saying that,” replied Gary.

“Home is crap, Gary. It’s a sad and pathetic fact. Home is crap.”

“I was crap, Bill. Some still think I am and I have to live with this. But I made a change which took a big bucket of determination and persistence. You know the story.”

Bill nodded. “It must have been rough.”

“Yes, it was rough. But it was my own fault. I’m not blaming anyone. Not anymore at least.” Gary rubbed Bill’s shoulder. “Let’s agree to work together to make things as good as we can for Matt. No blame, no recriminations, no looking back. Let’s just focus on how we can work as a team to give him the best chance. Let’s live with him and enjoy the ride.”

Bill nodded.

“I’ll let you think.” Gary walked over to Matt. “How are we going, buddy,” he asked.

“All good, I’m just about to radio in.”

Gary put his hand on Matt’s shoulder and quietly said, “It’s been a very good day, Matt. A very good day.”

Bill watched Matt and Gary berth the boat. Just like before Matt was in charge and very gently nudged the boat into the berth. As soon as the boat was tied up Matt set about doing all the checks and locking up the boat. Indeed, he was a young man.

“We’ll drop some fish off to Art,” said Gary as they walked to the ute. “Won’t take a minute. By the way, we sure picked a lucky parking spot! You better note that one down with the others, Matt.” Matt looked at Bill and smiled. Bill smiled while rolling his eyes. Again Gary drove slowly out of the car park. This time Bill did not feel frustrated. He was coming to see Gary in a very different light. A thinker, a caring adult and not the uncaring brute he had imagined. When they arrived at Art’s house Gary passed Matt two packages from the chilly bin. “Run inside, Matt,” said Gary, “tell Art this one’s snapper and this one’s tarakihi.”

Matt ran in and returned with Art in tow. “Hi, Gary. Thank you so much,” said Art.

“You are most welcome. Art, have you met Bill?” asked Gary.

“No, I have not. Very nice to meet you, Bill,” said Art as they shook hands through the window. “I almost feel the need to apologise for stealing your son.”

“Thank you for having him,” replied Bill, “he clearly loves coming here.”

“No problem at all, catch you again,” said Art.

“Gotta go, Art. Just a drive-by today,” said Gary. Gary gently reversed out of the driveway tooted the horn and slowly drove down the road.

“Just drop us off here, Gary, that will be fine,” offered Bill as they approached the end of the driveway.

“Are you sure?” asked Gary.

“Certainly. Thank you again for a great day, that was the most fun I’ve had in a while.”

“Anytime, Bill, I head out most weeks. Here take these, I’m sure Matt will help you eat them.”

“Thank you, Gary,” said Bill as he shook Gary’s hand. “Thank you.”

“Anything, anytime. I mean it,” replied Gary.

Bill nodded. He knew Gary meant it. As Bill and Matt walked down the drive Bill put his hand on Matt’s shoulder. “I’m very proud of you, Matt. You really surprised me today,” said Bill.

Matt said nothing, he did not know what to say, but he smiled. A big smile.

“A mechatronics engineer, well. I had better get you started on some electrical things then.”

“Yep,” replied Matt, “that would be great.”