The Boathouse writers, number two

132 Pages·1992·17.166 MB·English

by  Boathouse Writers

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The Boathouse Writers
Number Two
1992
Published By:
The Boathouse Writers
1120 McCormick St.
Green Bay, WI 54301
Copyright© 1992
All rights reserved
Typeset By: Accuracy Typesetting and lmagesetting
Printed By: Van Lanen Printing
Green Bay, WI
Cover Reproduction from 1881 -Brown County Plat Map
Special Thanks to Linda and Angie Kimps
Published in part with financial support from:
John and Clare Miller Foundation
The Stone Tower Associates
Jess Miller Productions
John Wall Enterprises
The Mudford Group
CONTENTS
Big Ed and the Powers of Intuition .......................................................... 5
James P. Moran
Wolves; The Wife: On Parenting ...•...................................................... I 8
Deborah Robbins
Cowichan Bay ..................•.......................................................... 22
Tom Churchill
Excerpt from Old News ..............•..................................................... 23
Frances FitzGerald
For Me; Lost Child; Child's Song; A Prayer ................................................ 26
Christine Seroogy
Burled ..................................................................................... 30
Karen Matzke
from Brother's and Sister's ................................................................. 35
Tom Churchill
Yes ls Beller Than No ..................................................................... 4 l
Dee Sweet
What They Will Remember; Pahoto's J~ock Pile ........................................... 46
Rainy-Day Dreaming; Muta/is Mutandis .................................................. 49
Michael Harry Reetz
The President's Cake ....................................................................... 50
Kathy Gokey
Peshtigo -The River of the Wild Goose .................................................... 58
Deborah Robbins
Beware of Flying ..........................•................................................ 62
Patricia Oerozier
No Charge ................................................................................. 67
Kristine Lendved
Symphonic Clash .......................................................................... 74
Michael D. Wright
Conservative .....................•......................................................... 75
Estella Lauter
Dead Dostoyevsky ......................................................................... 77
Frances FitzGerald
Labor Day ........................................................................•........ 80
Lori Renard
The Drawing; The Sparrows; Snow Flc1/ws ........................................•........ 98
Patrick Moran
/\ Drink of Water ..........................................••............................. 101
Anne Kasuboski
Clear Sky Woman; Harry the Hose (circa 1940) ......................................... 108
Spinning in the Hollow (Dani's Poem) ................................................... l I l
Michael Harry Reetz
From Chestnut to Pearl ................................................................... l 12
James P. Moran
The Effect of Weather on the Rosewater Family .......................................... 124
Kathy Gokey
This, the second book by the Boathouse Writers,
is an achievement in continuity. The writers
presented here may have regional lies,
but we hope our voices transcend those borders.
]. Moran
BIG ED AND THE POWERS OF INTUITION
Jim Moran
"Hey Keith you wanna catch that, man? Grab me a beer on your way."
I pulled Lwo cans from the fridge and threw one in the living room. I
picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Howdy, is this the Keith Williams residence?"
"Speakin'."
"Welt, how are you Mr. Williams? This is Clarence Powell calling from
Dallas, Texas. How's everything up there in '\Nescawnsin', tonight?"
I popped my beer and sat on the kitchen counter. "I'm fine, Clarence, how
are you?"
"Jes dandy. Say, I suppose the weather's getting kinda cool up there these
days, huh?"
"Oh, about sixty-five today, not too bad." I wondered if he had magazines
to sell or something.
"Sixry-five, oh boy. It's still ninety down here. Leaves Startin' to turn, I
imagine?"
"Yeah, they're turning all right." I looked out the window to make sure but
it was too dark. Seemed like a long call to make just for a weather report.
"Ah hear it's pretty up there this time oi year, Keith."
"Yes," I said, "yes it is." He had a pleasant twangy voice, and if he was
willing to ramble I figured it was his dime. "Lotta real nice colors, yes sir. Leaves
turn down there, Clarence?"
"Naw, not really. Cools off some, though. You been livin' up there a long
time, Keith?"
Now we were getting to it. Time shared condos? IRA's?
"Yes, all my life, Clarence."
"Yah, that's what I heard. Keith, I'm with the Mid-West Milk Producers
Company. We make milking equipment for twenty states. Got six locations in
the country. I hear you know milking equipment pretly well."
Whoa! Milking equipment? A half-gallon carton was all the milking
equipment I knew. What the hell? Maybe it was a survey.
"Sure, I know lots about milking equipment, Clarence. What do you want
to know?" I took a long drink and put my feet up on the kitchen table.
"Ha ha, that's the spirit, Keith. You still work for that little dairy in your
neck of the woods, Happy Holsteins?"
"Uh, no no. I left there a while back." Suddenly this did not seem like the
kind of survey I was meant to get involved with. I decided to slide off the hook.
"I got into my brother's construction business. He needed the help and I uh,
well I switched."
5
Jim Moran
"Family first, that's a wonderful trait, Keith. Very unselfish of you. I heard
you really made things go at Holsteins. Too bad you had to leave. What's a fella
to do, eh? Do you miss it?"
"Oh yes, terribly. Well, not too bad. I mean I'm happy."
I pulled out the phone book and flipped to the W's. Funny how you never
look up your own name. My roommate Dale walked in pointing at the receiver,
eyebrows raised. I covered the mouthpiece and whispered, "Shut up and get me
another beer. I'll tell you later."
"Ever think of getting back into the business, Keith?"
Williams. I knew there was a shit-load. Here it is: Williams - Keith and
Jenny, 4855 Zander Road. Christ, that was way out near-
" Keith?"
"Yeah? Oh! Yes, l mean sure I think about it, Clarence, but I got a good
job here with my brother."
Dale kicked my leg. "You ain't got a brother. You ain't even got a job.''
I smiled and raised my middle finger.
"Keith, I'm gonna be straight with you, son. We're looking for a plant
supervisor down here. We think you got a shot at 'er. Could you be talked out of
that construction company for the right money?"
"I'd have to think about that, Clarence. How'd you hear about me,
anyway?"
"Milk Producers Monthly magazine. That article a few months back on
how fast you guys install machinery at farms. I know you were runnin' that
outfit at Happy Holsteins. See' my boss, Big Ed Groves works on intuition lotsa
times. An' it works. Hell, I've seen him look at a guy and say, "that's it." Now
we'd want you to run a plant for about sixty men. Shit, Keith you could start at
fifty grand a year. Could you handle sixty men?"
1 had been holding my breath while he talked and I let out a long sigh. "I
don't know, Clarence. l really haven't run a crew anywhere near that big. I
wouldn't want to bite off too much."
Dale shook his head and walked out of the room.
"Hey, don't be modest Keith. You'd get some trainin'. Just come clown here
and intervievv. I think we can change your mind."
"J'm not sure. I guess 1'111 kinda settled here. I never been to Texas before."
"l-1111mm111."
This was weird. I couldn't find a job in two months, and this sucker won't
let me not take one. This Keith Vvilliams guy must have been impressive. I
hoped I wasn't screvvin' him over too bad.
"If you never been to Texas, how do you know ya won't love it? Huh
Keith? Am I. right?" he yelled.
6
Jim Moran
"Well, right, I guess."
"You married, Keith?"
"No."
"Ahal Got a house?"
"Nope."
He sounded overjoyed. "There ya are, son. You ain't settled. We'll fly you
down here Friday. Meet Big Ed. You can see the town, have a nice dinner and
make up your mind. Can you say no to that?"
He was excited. Hell, I was excited. NO\·Vw hat vvould I say? He had some
good points. Assuming I was Keith Williams of Happy Holsteins. there was no
reason not to go. A bold and wild plan was forming in my brain. One detail
remained.
"Say, Clarence, you didn't see me in that January issue of Milk Producers
where I was sittin' on that cow, did you?"
"Huh. No, why?" he laughed.
"Oh. I was a little embarrassed about that. It was from the Christmas parry
and I'd had a few."
"Oh, who cares? No, to tell the truth, we don't know what you look like. If
you come you'll have to give me a description."
Bingo!
"Clarence?"
"Yes, son?"
"If you're will in', I'll give 'er a try."
"Hey, I knew you'd come through. Keith," Clarence bellowed. "Just give us
a chance and I know you'll take the job."
"Now I'm only sayin' I'll come down, Clarence. I can't promise nothin'."
If that wasn't an understatement. This could be the shortest interview on
record. But hell with it. That was the point, and I could use a vacation, even a
short one. Clarence told me what flight I would take and the other particulars,
and after assuring me I wasn't making a mistake, we said our goodbyes and
hung up. I hoped he wouldn't be too disappointed. I wondered what kind of
motel I would be staying in.
"What the hell are you getting into?" Dale asked me as 1 sat on the couch.
"These guys want me to go to Dallas, so I'm goin'," I replied.
"And do what?"
"Make milking equipment or something, I guess. I tried sayin' no, but
Clarence wouldn't let me."
"Clarence will stick your ass in jail for impersonating someone else, man.
You don't know diddly about milking machines."
7
Jim Moran
"So I blow the interview, get a free meal and a night out in Dallas. I can
bullshit through a couple of hours. Give me a ride to the airport Friday noon,
okay? Hope my suit's clean. 1'11 need a tie, Dale."
Dale laughed. "You're nuts, Keith. They'll hang you if they find out. If they
do, I don't know nothing about it." He waved a finger at me.
"Ha, makes two of us. They won't find out. God, Dale, they want Keith
Williams, I'm Keith Williams. I tried saying no. It'll be a trip." I rubbed my
hands together. "I wonder where the Cowboy's Cheerleaders hang out?"
I picked up my boarding pass at the United window and we walked down
the corridor to the gates. I drank two beers on the way to the airport.
Dale walked alongside. "You can back out, you know. I'll bet they kill you
for this."
"Knock it off, Dale. J said I'd go. I'm going. It'll be great. I spent yesterday
at my cousin Earl's farm."
"And what did you learn?''
"Oh, Earl's dog had pups. Will you pick me up tomorrow afternoon?"
"Call first. They'll probably only give you one call."
"Sure."
"Here's your gate, Keith."
"Ah yes. I'll bring you a cowboy hat."
We shook hands. He backed away waving and grinning.
1 headed up the tunnel to the plane. Glancing at people around me I
wondered of any of them were going to an interview pretending to be someone
else. No, forget that. Don't think about that. It's just a joke. I would simply, "not
work out." I would be friendly and vague, unsure, overbearing. God, those were
my strong points.
I handed the stewardess my ticket and found my seat. A window, alright. I
put my bag overhead, took off my coat and sat down. I even had a briefcase.
There wasn't much in it but it looked nice. Big exec. I smiled. I was used to a
leather pouch and a hammer.
I really had taken some notes at Earl's. They were pretty sketchy but 1
could get by. I mean, I couldn't be a total ass. I just wanted them to end up
smiling politely at me and saying to each other, "he wouldn't have worked, we
tried."
Man, what was I doing? This was crazy. When would we take off? I
loosened my tie. Where is the drink cart? Clarence was to meet me at the
airport. Some supper club-lounge combo called the Admirals Club. I hoped the
food was good. I-le sure sounded happy. This would be easy. I could always do
8