A Life Afloat (Maybe)

Chapter 10

Making his way home from Alec's cottage. Pete spent a lot of his time thinking about his friends' position. From a carefree, very happy family life, full of love and caring into a world where everything one knows and loves, is being turned upside down. It must be a truly frightening, and in some ways, soul-destroying experience. Trying to understand how someone you have loved and cherished all your life. Is disappearing before your eyes and there is nothing you can do about it. Not only soul destroying, but it must also be terrifying. Once again, talking to himself, he mused that he did not think that he would be strong enough, to cope with the mental turmoil that Alec must be going through. That deepened the respect that he had for his new friend although he had known Alec for a couple of weeks, he felt as if he had known him for many years.

Arriving at his 'van, Pete wondered whether he should catch up on some domestic chores. That he had failed to complete during the last few, for him, exciting days. The most outstanding chore was the one that he liked least this time of year. The dreaded launderette, should he go this evening or leave it until the morning oh! How he hated it, such a long time sitting there doing nothing. Apart from watching his dirty clothes go around and round, as he was not meeting Alec until early tomorrow afternoon. He chickened out and pushed the launderette out of his mind.

Deciding to have his evening meal a little early, one of his lazy ones, chilled breaded Haddock from the local supermarket. All he had to do was heat the oven, throw the fish onto a baking tray. 'Whang' it into the oven and wait for the prescribed time. Shovel it down his throat, such a simple and lazy way of life. But he was on his own and it was what he was used to it. He could put up with it, as it gave him the time he needed for more important things. While he was waiting, he dragged out his laptop, found his portable Wi-Fi and set it up. While his dinner was cooking, his laptop was an old beast, but it suited his need. A bit of internet searching and family contact, other than that, he used it mainly for his writing. Using his favourite search engine, he read a few pages about 'dementia'. So that he could at least appear. To hold a decent conversation about it should Alec bring up the subject, he made a few notes, an 'aide memoir' sort of thing. Ping, dinner was ready.

Not wanting to delay his evening studies, his plate empty before he realised it. It was simple, in the sink, a splash of liquid soap with some hot water. They could soak until he was ready to finish off the process. Chores were not his favourite occupation. Thankfully. He returned to his laptop and started going through his notes from earlier in the day. Studying them, comparing them, to the information on the website. 'Lordy! Lordy! Lordy! There was much more on these web pages than what he had written. In his notes that he began to doubt his abilities, wondering if he really was making a very big mistake. Carrying on with his studies, apart from the general information that Alec had given him. Parts of a boat, its sails and those Points of sail things. The wind, together with some relative sailing terms. Now he was confronted by Morse code, Phonetic Alphabet, Semaphore and Signal Flags. Buoys covering Channels, Direction, Wrecks, IALA Systems, Cardinal Marks, Navigation and lots about the weather, after seeing all of this, he really did begin to wonder whether he really was sailor material.

To allow his mind a little rest, Pete decided it was time to finish up washing his dirty dishes. Making a final cup of tea, while washing and drying the dishes, his mind seemed to calm down. Then, he settled down once more, with the notes that he had made. Together with those that he had jotted down while reading through those frightening web pages. Over the next hour or so, he read through his notes, and became more familiar with the terms and phrases used by the sailing fraternity, the less bemused and confused he became. It appears now that his mind was becoming used to these alien words and terms the more understanding of them, he had and with the understanding came clarity. All he had to do has become certain in his mind. That he really did have what it took to become a sailor. Even if it was only a weekend sailor, and crewman for his friend. Feeling far more content than he had been earlier in the evening, he completed his normal evening task. Converting the van's rear sitting area into his bedroom, stripped and crawled under his duvet and slowly drifted off into a deep and restful night's sleep.

Rolling out of bed, it was all action for him this morning, he'd overslept, it was turned six thirty and he had those nasty chores to do today because he had chickened out yesterday evening and chosen the quiet life rather than the boring, a quick sluice down with cold water soon got one moving, a hot shave later in the morning would do him, before he went to meet Alec would be the time to do it, sorting through his dirty clothes and linen he piled them into his rucksack, checking the time, he decided that he had time for a quick breakfast, cereals would do today, of course, he also had to have another cup of tea, his day would not move on at all if he failed to have at least three cups of the reviving liquid before his day really began, although he drank coffee with others if they were drinking the stuff, he far preferred tea, that done, it was off to the launderette, making sure he had his notes with him so that he could continue his studies while trying not to get dizzy watching his washing go round and round and round, using his poor old bike instead of walking, it took him no time at all to reach his destination, lucky he thought, I seem to have timed it right this time, no one here apart from the owner, who acted as a general factotum, trying to keep the place clean and tidy whilst the users tried to make it as messy as possible, muttering a quick 'Good morning' he threw his clothes and bedding into the machine, filled the appropriate places with washing powder, fed his coins into the greedy machines slots, stood back and watched as it rumbled into action, satisfied he took a seat as far away from the owner as he could, not wanting to be drawn into banal conversations just for the sake of it and buried his nose in his notes, in no time at all it seemed, a gruff bellowed, 'your machines finished, hurry up, people are waiting', shocked out of his world, he put down his notes and noticed that apart from the owner there was no one waiting, ' Ha! Ha! Very funny' he muttered, taking his washing out of the machine, tossing it into the tumble dryer. He had considered hanging it out on a line, at his 'van but decided against because the weather looked a little unsettled. Better safe than sorry was his thought, as he put more of his coins into one of the ever-greedy machines. Another forty minutes of waiting then another twenty folding and repacking his rucksack. With a parting 'thank you', it was back on his bike, off to his 'van as quick as he could. Once there, a quick sort out and storing of his gear saw him ready for the hot wash and shave he had promised himself. Not a luxury but still pleasant and confidence building he thought. Mid-day ablutions complete he made a quick flask of hot coffee for the afternoon. Decided that he would get a couple of those Cornish Pasties, from the local baker as he passed by. Time to go he told himself, he hopped onto his trusty bike once, made his way round to the boatyard to meet Alec with far more excitement than he had anticipated.