A Nook and Cranny Story – Four – A Stern Wheeler

Here is part four of the Nooks and Crannies stories, I hope you like it.  I have created a category so these are easier to find.  Just click here: Link to Nooks and Crannies, and it will bring you to a list of the different chapters (stories) and the posts that describe how this got started. Enjoy…

– DV

Four – A Stern Wheeler

Serving food on the PB Magilicutty was a job.  It was an easy job for a high school senior.  The pay was dismal, but so were most jobs for high school seniors these days.  The PB Magillicutty was a restored paddle boat kept in working order when it was luckily enough to have the right couple “inherit” it: the “little steam boat that could.”  That was what Sue and Vee called it.

Jack kept the old thing running.  His wife, Jillian, kept up the business end of the little steamer.  Jack and Jill.  A couple having names like that could either be a boon or a bust for a relationship.  For this couple, it had been a bit of both.

Jack, the shimmering visage of a mythical young man, at least to Vee, was a business man by trade, Vee wasn’t sure exactly what kind of business. What Vee was getting more sure of was her own amazement and attention of the transformation that occurred within Jack, the one that happened once he exchanged the expensive tailored suit for the grease monkey thin white shirt, finely worn jeans, and shiny layer of sweat that he wore when he checked over and adjusted the steam engine. Vee noticed a similar transformation that Jill went through but it didn’t seem as much of one in contrast.  Jill’s transformation was into a pseudo-Victorian dress, that would show her “proper” till her short whistle that showed her approval of Jack’s sweaty visage gave her away.  The attraction between the two was hard to miss as they often snuck peeks at each other.  A large part of the fun of the job for Vee was seeing those two interact, although she would never say why.  There was something in Jill taking on the persona of a Victorian business woman, and Jack the lowly steam engine attendant.

Weekend nights were the busiest on the Magilicutty, dinner and drinks, a once a month murder mystery.  Weekdays they served the retirement and birthday parties, when Jill could arrange them.  The little steam boat that could generally attracted romantic types. Romantic types were by far the easiest to serve, at least Vee thought so.

“I’m gonna grab a cig, wanna come out.”  Sue was just getting the preparations ready before the night’s murder mystery.

“Yeah, sure. Let me grab my sweater,”  Vee went over to near the engine room to pick up her sweater.  The voices she heard from the next room reminded her that it was about the first of the month.

“The deal was that we took over the boat and paid you the money each month and you’d just keep out of our business.” Vee heard the strain in Jack’s voice. A strain that she heard a couple times too many now. 

“Jack, let me talk to my father.” Jill said quietly.  Vee heard the door open and close.

“I knew you should have never married him.  He is just a lazy bum.”  Frank Cutter had no love for Jack, but not so much because Jack was no good, but probably because no one was good enough for his little girl.  Frank a retired police officer, and a welcome part of the community, had changed after Jillian’s mother was killed.  Oddly enough, his gentle caring was known throughout the community, except for the words that often came out when he spoke to Jack and Jill about the boat.  Much like the transformation of Jack and Jillian as they changed into their alter ego’s on the Macgillicutty, so did Frank.

“Franklin B. Cutter!” Jillian raised her voice for the first time, saying the name as if was releasing a spell that would drop a lightning bolt from the sky. “I will not have you talk to my husband like that.”

“It doesn’t serve you well to invoke the person of your mother.” Vee heard the old man now drop his voice.

“God help me father, you should be glad mother that can’t hear you.”

The door opened from the engine room as Vee quickly grabbed up her sweater.  She saw Frank Cutter’s face as he past her.  Her face reddened as she watched him leave.  She slowly followed to join Sue past the gang way and up a bit, where the soon to be patrons would not notice the smoke from the cigarettes.  Vee put her hands deep within her pockets, the night was beginning to get cold.  A thought came to Vee’s mind about Frank, she had wondered if that it was seeing the vision of his departed wife in Jillian that was the reason Frank made these meetings so difficult for them all.  Jill kept an old picture of her mother in the office on the boat, and the likeness was immediate.

Sue was already smoking as Vee joined her.  Vee didn’t much like smoking, she put her hands in her pockets, felt something, and pulled a card out of her pocket to see what it was.

“What’s that?” Sue said  asked at Vee. Vee only remembering John’s card as she took it from her pocket. Sue grabbed the card from Vee’s hand.

“Hey.” Vee said weakly, still feeling a little stunned from the scene that had played out inside the boat.

“Let’s see,” it was typical of Sue to make those loud noises and quick motions that would typically annoy the participant.  Vee immune to most things Sue made her a good friend.  “John Marks” Sue read the card, “you know, i have always wanted to take guitar lessons.” Sue’s mouth generally worked faster than any other of her body parts. Vee watched the card in Sue’s hand.  “Yeah, ever since I was a kid.  I have a guitar you know?”

Vee nodded.  She had seen the Sue’s guitar.  The back of the guitar was a wood beautiful butter and mahogany. To see the back of the guitar first was to only cause shock when viewing the front.  The front of the guitar had been “re-finished” in a way that just didn’t quite match up with the back.

“It was my dad’s guitar. I refinished it for him as a project.”  Vee nodded, she had heard the story before. “It had all these fine cracks in the finish in the front.  Well, I think it looks much better now.”  Sue now took a puff from her cigarette, “It was weird, but my mom and dad had a fight that day.”

“When you gave him the guitar?”

“Yeah, my mom told me that it was because he wanted me to have lessons and she didn’t think we had enough money.” Sue scratched her head.

“Did you get lessons?” Vee watched as she saw Jack returning to the boat.

“I did.  For a little while.  Then I joined band.”  Sue flipped the card over. “Hey this says one free lesson.”  Vee heard the words and felt her teeth clench a little. “Were you going to use this?”

“I thought about it actually.” Vee taking in a breath now knowing it was no use.

“Can I have it?” Sue said, “Come on, you don’t even like Mr. Marks.”  Vee wondered how much one lesson would cost.  It had been a week since John gave her that card in the park, and she had actually thought about calling the number.   She t
hought about her aunt, she would save up for it.  “Sure.”

Sue smiled a big smile and gave Vee a quick hug.  “I owe you one.”  Vee saw the look on Sue’s face as she said that and it somehow made it all better.

Vee looked down to see the Murder Mystery guests starting to walk up the gang plank. “We better get going.  it’s show time.”