Sunday I commissioned Somethin’-To-Do-Bob to row out to my small sailboat and straighten it up a bit, general cleanup, that sort of thing. He knew what I meant. He knew which boat was mine. No problem.
I figured he could use the work and I’d get my boat squared away somewhat. I’d see how he does. It was just a trial job, but I didn’t tell him that. I guess he knew. Bob did odd repairs of the sort limited to clean up or light sanding. Seven dollars a day was the maximum he charged. That was enough for a bottle of beer and something to eat, whatever he ate.
He never wanted any more money in his possession. He waved off the offer for more saying he would get into trouble. I found that interesting. Ken told me later that Bob drank a bit. Okay. Well I’d see how his work goes. He'd start first thing today.
Boat people generally get going early, as I did. I waited past eight, made breakfast and cleaned up. Then a bit after nine that good weather Monday morning I began getting worried that Bob wouldn’t show up. Finally I saw him row out to my sailboat which was anchored out a few hundred yards off to the side of the harbor channel. The sun was out, the sky was blue, winds were calm. Another perfect California day.
Now the guy looks a shambles, a real wreck. You’d have to go long and hard to find a worse dressing, grubbier guy, but Bob had a child-like affability about him. While perpetually gentle and easy going, I really didn’t know how reliable he’d be as a worker, but there he was. I’d seen him doing work for other guys but didn’t know how he’d be.
I watched as he tied up along side my boat and felt relieved that he’d pick up and straighten up for me. It wouldn’t be much, but at least it would help.
While still home on board that morning there was some work in the city for me, so I prepared to leave. About a half hour later I left the houseboat, looked out into the channel and noticed Bob was still sitting in his row boat tied to mine and doing something in his boat. That was interesting. I shook my head and left for the city thinking that whatever Bob did out there would be some kind of improvement. I wondered how creative he’d be. This was the first time I had Bob do work for me and was anxious to see the results.
Two hours later, after noon sometime, I returned from the city and the first thing I saw when I checked out to my sailboat was that Bob’s row boat was still tied up out there and he was still sitting in it. It looked as if he were eating. Must have brought along something to eat.
I made my lunch and kept watch on him. From my galley I could look straight out there. I had some boat work of my own to do and all afternoon kept glancing out to see if Bob was making any progress. I never saw him on my boat. A little after four he untied his boat from mine and rowed back to the docks.
He didn’t come over to my houseboat and I didn’t go looking for him.
The next morning while I walked out to the boat yard toward my car I ran into Something-to-do-bob crawling out from under his overturned row boat he kept along side the back of the main boat repair building. He slept under his boat and was just getting up.
“Day’ja have?” he called out to me as I walked by.
I turned at the call. Bob was just getting on his feet, already fully dressed in his grubby, rubberized foul weather gear with dirty bare feet. He must have slept like that.
“What’s that, Bob?” I asked.
“Day’ja have?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you are saying,” I told him. It sounded like English, but the words...
“Day’ja have. What day do you have? What day is it?” He said.
I told him it was Tuesday and then he asked about money for the day before. I told him I saw him and that he never went on board my boat. Then he told me not to worry about paying him.
“Okay,” I said, “Say, I know you were out there. I saw you row out, and watched you in your boat. What were you doing out there all day?”
I couldn’t duplicate his speech so I’ll tell you that he explained that his I Ching book was out of order and he had to take it apart and re assemble it into an order proper for him. Then he told me I didn’t have to pay him for yesterday. We had already discussed this of course, but I told him fine, I wasn’t going to pay him, then I offered him some money anyway. He refused the cash. I said we could try the work again some other day and he nodded in agreement.
"How about today? Do you want to do it today?” I asked.
No, he said he had some things he had to do today. I accepted that answer. Some other day. We parted friends. Boat friends. That’s the way it goes. That’s life on the docks. That’s Somethin’-To-Do-Bob.
I figured he could use the work and I’d get my boat squared away somewhat. I’d see how he does. It was just a trial job, but I didn’t tell him that. I guess he knew. Bob did odd repairs of the sort limited to clean up or light sanding. Seven dollars a day was the maximum he charged. That was enough for a bottle of beer and something to eat, whatever he ate.
He never wanted any more money in his possession. He waved off the offer for more saying he would get into trouble. I found that interesting. Ken told me later that Bob drank a bit. Okay. Well I’d see how his work goes. He'd start first thing today.
Boat people generally get going early, as I did. I waited past eight, made breakfast and cleaned up. Then a bit after nine that good weather Monday morning I began getting worried that Bob wouldn’t show up. Finally I saw him row out to my sailboat which was anchored out a few hundred yards off to the side of the harbor channel. The sun was out, the sky was blue, winds were calm. Another perfect California day.
Now the guy looks a shambles, a real wreck. You’d have to go long and hard to find a worse dressing, grubbier guy, but Bob had a child-like affability about him. While perpetually gentle and easy going, I really didn’t know how reliable he’d be as a worker, but there he was. I’d seen him doing work for other guys but didn’t know how he’d be.
I watched as he tied up along side my boat and felt relieved that he’d pick up and straighten up for me. It wouldn’t be much, but at least it would help.
While still home on board that morning there was some work in the city for me, so I prepared to leave. About a half hour later I left the houseboat, looked out into the channel and noticed Bob was still sitting in his row boat tied to mine and doing something in his boat. That was interesting. I shook my head and left for the city thinking that whatever Bob did out there would be some kind of improvement. I wondered how creative he’d be. This was the first time I had Bob do work for me and was anxious to see the results.
Two hours later, after noon sometime, I returned from the city and the first thing I saw when I checked out to my sailboat was that Bob’s row boat was still tied up out there and he was still sitting in it. It looked as if he were eating. Must have brought along something to eat.
I made my lunch and kept watch on him. From my galley I could look straight out there. I had some boat work of my own to do and all afternoon kept glancing out to see if Bob was making any progress. I never saw him on my boat. A little after four he untied his boat from mine and rowed back to the docks.
He didn’t come over to my houseboat and I didn’t go looking for him.
The next morning while I walked out to the boat yard toward my car I ran into Something-to-do-bob crawling out from under his overturned row boat he kept along side the back of the main boat repair building. He slept under his boat and was just getting up.
“Day’ja have?” he called out to me as I walked by.
I turned at the call. Bob was just getting on his feet, already fully dressed in his grubby, rubberized foul weather gear with dirty bare feet. He must have slept like that.
“What’s that, Bob?” I asked.
“Day’ja have?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you are saying,” I told him. It sounded like English, but the words...
“Day’ja have. What day do you have? What day is it?” He said.
I told him it was Tuesday and then he asked about money for the day before. I told him I saw him and that he never went on board my boat. Then he told me not to worry about paying him.
“Okay,” I said, “Say, I know you were out there. I saw you row out, and watched you in your boat. What were you doing out there all day?”
I couldn’t duplicate his speech so I’ll tell you that he explained that his I Ching book was out of order and he had to take it apart and re assemble it into an order proper for him. Then he told me I didn’t have to pay him for yesterday. We had already discussed this of course, but I told him fine, I wasn’t going to pay him, then I offered him some money anyway. He refused the cash. I said we could try the work again some other day and he nodded in agreement.
"How about today? Do you want to do it today?” I asked.
No, he said he had some things he had to do today. I accepted that answer. Some other day. We parted friends. Boat friends. That’s the way it goes. That’s life on the docks. That’s Somethin’-To-Do-Bob.
1 comment:
Good story!
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