The Boat

Don’t wait for your ship to come in — swim out to it.

~Author Unknown

I was driving to an appointment with my grief counselor, and in my foggy state, I turned left instead of right. I didn’t drive very far before I realized my mistake. While looking for a place to turn around, I drove past a boat on the side of the road with a For Sale sign. I had a fleeting thought that my son and I would have really enjoyed the boat.

He and I had loved being out on the water. We became certified as scuba divers when he was just thirteen and then re-certified when he turned sixteen. We loved to go fishing, kayaking, canoeing, sailing, snorkeling and scuba diving. We also liked going to an island near Tampa Bay to look for sharks’ teeth.

I found a place to turn around and didn’t think anymore about the boat. That night, though, my son came back to me in a dream.

He told me to buy the boat that I had seen. He was very specific about what he wanted me to do with the boat: provide boating trips to veterans, military service members and families who had endured the death of a warrior. He wanted me to take them to some of his favorite places in the bay and on various rivers in the area.

The dream woke me, but I was happy about having the dream. It was comforting to see him and hear his voice.

The next morning, over coffee, I told my mother about the dream. We both had a chuckle over the thought of me being a boat captain.

That night, I was awakened by the same dream. I had been diagnosed with PTSD, and it was very important that I got a good night’s sleep so being awakened by the dream wasn’t good.

For the next two nights, I had the dream again. My PTSD symptoms intensified due to lack of sleep.

On the fifth night when I was awakened by the dream I sat up in bed. I looked up to heaven and said, “Corey, please, please, please, don’t make me buy this boat. You know why we always used to joke about them being called boats… ‘Break Out Another Thousand!’ ”

After a few hours, I was finally able to drift back to sleep. The next morning, my mother asked if I had had the dream again.

I told her, “Yes, and if I don’t get a good night’s sleep soon, I don’t know what I am going to do.”

She suggested I call the doctor and schedule an appointment to see him. In the meantime, she told me to drive back to where the boat had been parked to see if it was still there. “If the boat is gone, maybe your dreams will stop. If the boat is still there, it sounds like it is going to be way out of your price range since you only have about $2,500. Maybe knowing you can’t afford it will stop the dreams.”

I was willing to try anything. After calling the doctor’s office, I jumped in my car and drove back to where I had seen the boat. It was still there. I pulled in to take a closer look at the For Sale sign. There was no price listed, just a phone number. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed the number.

A man answered. “Hello.”

“Hi,” I said. “I’m calling about your boat. What can you tell me about it? Does it run?”

I asked a few more questions, and then the man said, “Lady, are you calling for your husband?”

“No,” I answered. “I’m getting divorced.”

“Well, have you ever owned a boat before?” he asked.

“No,” I replied.

“Well, do you mind if I ask why you are interested in buying a boat?”

The question caught me off guard. My mind whirled. What do I say? Do I tell him the truth? He will think I am crazy. Think, think, think… What can I tell him that will sound reasonable? I heard myself say, “It’s a little complicated. Just tell me this: How much do you want for the boat?”

“Five thousand dollars for the boat and $2,000 for the trailer.”

“Thank you for your time,” I said. “That is way out of my price range. I’m sorry I bothered you.”

I started to hang up the phone when I heard, “Lady, wait. Hey, lady, wait.”

“Yes?” I questioned.

“You never did tell me why you wanted the boat.” I sighed. I didn’t think he would be able to send the people with the straitjackets after me, so I ’fessed up. “To tell you the truth, my son was killed in Afghanistan on September 20th, and he has been coming to me in a dream. He is very insistent that I buy a boat and provide boating trips to veterans, military service members and families who have experienced the pain of losing a warrior.”

There was silence for a moment. Then I heard him say, “Lady, I am a veteran, and if that is why you want to buy the boat, I will sell it to you, trailer and all, for $2,000.”

Wow, that’s great! I thought. Then I began to wonder what was wrong with the boat. After all, he had just dropped the price by $5,000. “I am interested,” I said, “but would you mind if I brought a boat mechanic friend of mine by tomorrow so he can look the boat over?”

“Sure,” he said. “What time would you like to meet?”

“How about 2 p.m.?” I asked.

“Okay, see you then,” he replied.

The next day, my mechanic friend and I went to look at the boat. Jeff gave it a good once-over and pulled me aside. “Buy the boat,” he whispered to me.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yes, buy the boat. I will donate my time to get it running. I think it just needs a good tune-up. I will bring you receipts for plugs and a fuel filter. If, after I get it running, you decide that you don’t want it, I will reimburse you for the parts you have purchased plus give you $2,500 for the boat. You have nothing to lose. You will make $500 on the deal.”

So, we left with the boat. Two weeks later, I conducted my first boating trip for a group of five veterans.

These boating trips led me on a journey to found a nonprofit organization called “My Warrior’s Place.” It has totally changed my life.

— Kelly Kowall —