Tac awoke suddenly after dreaming about a giant octopus that took over Brook Harbor. Its tentacles and suction cups were hovering its body in a sort of bravery as it climbed over the southeast mountains. Two helicopters were surrounding the monster after almost knocking one out of the sky. Tac was sweating but smiled after realizing how ridiculous it was. It was weird growing up near the ocean. Tac sat up, ran his fingers through his overgrown beach bum hairdo, which was touching his upper back already, and proceeded to make breakfast. It was Monday and he had work at 10 am, so he usually ate breakfast and sat around fully changed, until time came. He was to drive to the marina after work at around 5 pm. He wanted the gig so bad, you could see it in the way he conducted himself. Tac headed off to work at Brook Harbor Hardware and worked the day as a competent employee. His first task was troubleshooting a broken faucet. Tac's mechanical skills could be seen as second-to-none just being present as he fixed things. It took him five minutes, found the right part, took out the old part, and screwed it all together. The man was delighted and told Tac he had never seen anyone fix something so fast.
"Yep, just a cracked ball valve and a rusty cam. The parts will be 7.50, and the labor, just gimme ten bucks and we'll call it even."
"Oh my, here's twenty. Keep the change. And, oh boy, you have such a great skill. I will tell all my friends to come by," the elderly man said as he took his bag.
Tac went about his usual day, fixing little problems, cleaning the store, and checking people out. As it was nearing his clock out, he started dancing in the aisles with his broom, making his coworker Lambert laugh, who was the store's bookkeeper and deliver driver. The boss, a sixty year old, skinny veteran of the army, did logistics mostly, deliveries, and would stop by the store throughout the day. He had an ectomorphic body but an oversized waistline. He barked when he talked. His name was even aggressive; Tanner Bolicki, previously known as Sargent Bolicki. He called via two way communications to Tac's radio and demanded, "Tac, hey. We have to go. I have plenty things to do. You can work overtime? Margerette is coming in late. I cannot mess this up. I have another package to deliver."
Tac slowed in his excitement and picked up the walkie talkie and said, "yuhp. Got it. I can stay."
"That's great Tac muh boy. That's why I like you. Ok. Meet me around back. We have a pallet of power tools out here."
Tac went on and did his job with almost no intention of getting to the marina by 5 to meet Vinny. Lambert was observing Tac as Tac was looking relatively somber, and said to Tac, "Go ahead. I'll cover for you, bro. Margerette owe's me bigtime for all those times she came in late. I'll make sure that the boss doesn't know you left right away. I'll call Margerette to get here now. Go for it."
"What? You're my hero Lambert! Thanks a ton. I really wanted to get to that gig today for sure."
"No problem, Tac." Tac went on his way, rushed out the door and walked swiftly toward his car, hopped in, and sped off the lot. He arrived at the marina just in time. Most boaters at the marina closed up shop around 6. This meant they went into their cabins from whatever they were doing on deck. Tac walked down the pier in his work clothes and reached The Blue Horizon, which towered over him as he looked around the captains seat for Vinny. Tac called for Vinny, "Sir, you there." Vinny stuck his head threw an open circular window from the cabin near the front of the ship. "Tac, I'm glad you could make it. Go to the back. I'll let you on through the rear."
"Sounds great." The two met, and talked about Tac's boat experience, eventually making their way to the engine room. Vinny and Tac walked into a small one hundred and fifty square foot space and Vinny gave Tac an amused face. "So Tac… What do ya know about these?" This was Tac's chance to prove he really knew what he was doing. He gave it his best shot.
"Absolutely, sir. That's the generator right there next to the fuel filters, looks like about 10,000 liters, 4,000 HP, two Cat 8 cylinder diesel engine's with low pressure fuel injection, which is beautiful, and it all looks really nice. There's the stabilizer. I've never got to work with this type of setup much, but I can definitely manage."
"Are you forgetting something? Can ya make out the fuel consumption?"
Sure, probably two hundred liters per hour I might guess."
"That's amazing Tac. Almost. About two-fifty. I can go almost two thousand miles nonstop."
"That's so far. Where have you been?"
"I've taken the horizon all over the world. I traversed the Atlantic last year, but that's not something that I can keep doing at my age. There's upkeep and navigation, dispatch, and a whole host of things I must pay attention to for those journeys. Well, Tac, you're definitely as knowledgeable as they say you are. What do ya say I start you out as a deck hand? Are you working at the hardware store still?"
"I sure am. What do you have in mind?"
"Throughout the week, it would be great if you could stop by maybe before and after work. How much are you making now?"
"I'm making about ten bucks an hour at the the store. I get commission from repairs, too. That brings in a few hundred a month."
"I'll tell ya what. I'll give you a base salary of a thousand per month and you can keep your job. If you ever decide to leave, I can match your work salary, plus the base pay."
"What? I'm in shock. I can't thank you enough! It would be a pleasure, sir. Thank you for the opportunity. I always wanted to be a part of a real boat operation."
"Absolutely. Most of the service issues will deal with refueling, environmental control, washing, a little bit of diving, as well as computer tests I run about once a week. Usually the problems are small, but engine issues do occur. I have taken the boat to her last days, so it can be seen, heard, and felt, but she still toots like a beauty." That day, Tac went home feeling like a real man for once. After all of his hard work and his good deeds, he has landed his first dream job as a part time deck hand on a hundred foot luxury yacht. It was a day to remember. It was Tac growing up.