Misery is a Choice

The night before we left on our epic Father’s Day fishing excursion, our crew (Mark, myself, my parents John and Pam) dropped anchor in front of the John Hancock Building, thinking it would be fun to sleep downtown and watch sunrise as we sailed for South Haven in the morning. We cleaned up the kitchen, turned out the lights, hunkered down, and then…

Slosh slosh slosh – a moment of calm – slosh slosh slosh – clang clang clang - clinking of glasses in the cupboards as they were thrown side to side – moment of calm – slosh slosh slosh –

I would fall asleep for the still moment, only to be jerked awake by the next hit. It wasn't the calm, soothing rocking of the rolling seas; it was a downright assault.

“I don’t think I can sleep like this,” I told Mark.

“Me neither.”

Slosh slosh slosh.

“Are my parents asleep?”

“I think so.”

Clang clang clang.

“We’re getting echo waves off shore,” Mark said.

Slosh slosh slosh.

“Do you want to go back to Belmont Harbor?” he asked.

“No. It’s too much trouble. If my parents are sleeping, I can get through it, too.”

“I’ll go start the engine. You stay here.”

I lay in bed – slosh slosh slosh – clang clang clang – calm – slosh slosh slosh – as Mark started up the engine. I heard Dad go up top and the two of them pulling up the anchor. I was so tired I didn’t even both to get up and help. We rocked our way back to Belmont Harbor, and the last thing I remember was the stillness of being tied to the dock, and then sleep.

The next morning, the sun was high over the horizon by the time we got up. “I’d never been so glad as when I heard Mark start that engine,” my Mom told us while the coffee brewed. “I thought for sure I was going to upchuck.” Mark and Dad relayed the madness that went on while the two of us stayed in bed; the coolers being thrown from side to side, and both of them crawling across the deck so as not to lose their balance.

Nobody was earning any badges for enduring unnecessary hardship on this excursion. By 10 o’clock, we were cruising across calm waters to South Haven.