liquor with eager agility and handled the sales untiringly as if there was nothing else in the world as important, while someone strummed a banjo and women danced and sang. Laughter, smiles, and music reigned over a sense of avid determination. This was a place of business after all, but the most jubilant of businesses. Maybe it was the lure of wealth, the excitement of breaking the law, the glory of success.
For a few long moments it was as if she’d left her body and was hovering somewhere above the water looking down on this pandemonium, peering down on a play acted out by newly redeemed people. If that were true, then who or what was the redeemer? She found she didn’t care. She loved all of these people now as she had never loved people before. What was happening to her? She was shocked to find that she wanted to belong here, she wanted to be a part of it. She had joined their fray, their slinky and illustrious private club, and she breathed deeply in elation. She rubbed her upper arms to make sure it wasn’t a dream, that she was really experiencing that unbelievable sight and huge tide of emotion.
She made herself go below deck to check that the engine stayed dry, but she wanted to know everything that was happening above. She could hear Dutch order three hundred Johnnie Walker Black, two hundred of Dewar’s, and a hundred of Booth’s High & Dry, then others she couldn’t remember. She had no idea what kind of liquor Dutch was ordering, and it hit her how sheltered a life she had led so far. Silver had kept her and Bea away from anything like this.
All was well with the engine, so she peered up from below to watch the action. Dutch paid by pitching his money—a roll of large-denomination bills held by a rubber band. The men on board were so busy with loading and keeping the boats coming and going that they didn’t even count it. Even in this shady business there was a code of ethics. Dutch told her that other boats didn’t even require payment in advance; instead, they let the contact boat captains pay the next time they came out.
Before they began loading, the crew of the Eva Marie threw down a mattress for the crew of the Wonder to place on the deck against breakage. Crew on board the big rum boat tossed the bags over without taking the time to aim carefully. It took another hour for Rudy and Dutch to load 750 cases—burlap sacks holding six straw-wrapped bottles each—from the deck into the holds.
“My first time out,” Dutch said to Frieda, who was now helping load the cases into the boat, proving to Dutch that she could indeed do more than just engine work, “I smashed fifteen cases.”
Even with the mattress a few cases ended up broken, but the boat slowly filled, and the Wonder began to settle lower and lower into the sea, until they were only about a foot above the water. Rudy told her the most popular liquor types were scotch whiskey, French brandy, and Cuban or other West Indian rums, but buyers on shore had a taste for everything. Scotch had a particularly swanky allure.
Throughout the loading process, Frieda kept checking the engine compartment, which was supposed to be watertight. Throughout the loading process, Frieda kept checking the engine compartment, which was supposed to be watertight. She had covered it with a canvas tarp just in case and listened and smelled for any signs of overheating or any unusual noises. The swells amounted only to low rollers that night, and the two boats rubbed against each other just occasionally, the fenders groaning under the pressure and the wooden sides of the old Eva Marie creaking.
Everything was going smoothly. She was doing her job. Although she had only just begun, the idea that this could ever be taken from her was unfathomable. If it was possible to fall in love with a job, she had done it at first sight. Here she was out on the water doing work that was a perfect fit for her strengths and desires. Could such happiness come out of the
For a few long moments it was as if she’d left her body and was hovering somewhere above the water looking down on this pandemonium, peering down on a play acted out by newly redeemed people. If that were true, then who or what was the redeemer? She found she didn’t care. She loved all of these people now as she had never loved people before. What was happening to her? She was shocked to find that she wanted to belong here, she wanted to be a part of it. She had joined their fray, their slinky and illustrious private club, and she breathed deeply in elation. She rubbed her upper arms to make sure it wasn’t a dream, that she was really experiencing that unbelievable sight and huge tide of emotion.
She made herself go below deck to check that the engine stayed dry, but she wanted to know everything that was happening above. She could hear Dutch order three hundred Johnnie Walker Black, two hundred of Dewar’s, and a hundred of Booth’s High & Dry, then others she couldn’t remember. She had no idea what kind of liquor Dutch was ordering, and it hit her how sheltered a life she had led so far. Silver had kept her and Bea away from anything like this.
All was well with the engine, so she peered up from below to watch the action. Dutch paid by pitching his money—a roll of large-denomination bills held by a rubber band. The men on board were so busy with loading and keeping the boats coming and going that they didn’t even count it. Even in this shady business there was a code of ethics. Dutch told her that other boats didn’t even require payment in advance; instead, they let the contact boat captains pay the next time they came out.
Before they began loading, the crew of the Eva Marie threw down a mattress for the crew of the Wonder to place on the deck against breakage. Crew on board the big rum boat tossed the bags over without taking the time to aim carefully. It took another hour for Rudy and Dutch to load 750 cases—burlap sacks holding six straw-wrapped bottles each—from the deck into the holds.
“My first time out,” Dutch said to Frieda, who was now helping load the cases into the boat, proving to Dutch that she could indeed do more than just engine work, “I smashed fifteen cases.”
Even with the mattress a few cases ended up broken, but the boat slowly filled, and the Wonder began to settle lower and lower into the sea, until they were only about a foot above the water. Rudy told her the most popular liquor types were scotch whiskey, French brandy, and Cuban or other West Indian rums, but buyers on shore had a taste for everything. Scotch had a particularly swanky allure.
Throughout the loading process, Frieda kept checking the engine compartment, which was supposed to be watertight. Throughout the loading process, Frieda kept checking the engine compartment, which was supposed to be watertight. She had covered it with a canvas tarp just in case and listened and smelled for any signs of overheating or any unusual noises. The swells amounted only to low rollers that night, and the two boats rubbed against each other just occasionally, the fenders groaning under the pressure and the wooden sides of the old Eva Marie creaking.
Everything was going smoothly. She was doing her job. Although she had only just begun, the idea that this could ever be taken from her was unfathomable. If it was possible to fall in love with a job, she had done it at first sight. Here she was out on the water doing work that was a perfect fit for her strengths and desires. Could such happiness come out of the
Similar Books
