Fox Bay, British Columbia, Canada
lay on his bed, head spinning. Whether it was the wine or the prospects of fulfilling his dreams, he couldn’t tell. The smile that bent across his face was so big and unnatural, it hurt. He laughed in a tangled release of chuckles. If someone had been passing by, it might have sounded like he was crying. It wasn’t far from that, an uncontrolled outpouring of emotions. One of only a few times in his life, he allowed such raw emotion to erupt. Weather all things with sobriety. A distant lesson raised into his head. The flood of the happy hormones coursing through his body had to stop. He opened the fridge and took a bottle of spring water. One sip and his high faded, and he turned off the flood of laughter.
Sailing alone at sea—where he belonged. A simple delivery job and a promise of so much more. A job sailing a boat… this yacht was more than he could ask for. It would be another small step on his journey as a professional sailor. Olin said, “Leave in two days. Take the GalaxSea to San Diego for some custom work on her sound system.” He sat back on the bed. Ten thousand dollars, plus expenses and a ticket back to Seattle. More after that." A proper job, doing what he loved and getting paid. Ava will help you if you run into any trouble.
Trouble? His uncle used to say, “Henry Trouble Gunn. Kid, trouble is your middle name.” Then he’d ruffle Hank’s hair and give him a wink. He stopped saying that as Hank grew poorly into adolescence. It wasn’t funny when it was true. Childhood memories worked like a fast-acting drug to destroy those happy hormones. He grabbed a book, held it for a second, and stacked it on another. He watched the lamplight through the water bottle. Pushups? Water in face? Both? Olin wanted to blow his mind, and it worked. Things change so fast. He picked another book off the shelf and thought, books don’t change. The blue and black cover read Kurt Vonnegut, Galapagos, a novel. He opened the book, small words in italics on an otherwise blank page. On the page where dedications usually find themselves, he read, “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” — ANNE FRANK (1929-1944)
Was Olin good at heart? With or without Olin’s kindness, Hank would have taken the job. The best option might be to run away, but he signed the contract and shook hands with Olin Ou, one of the world’s leading tech innovators. A simple, yes, and his life changes course. So much depends on so little. An introduction to a Navy recruiter, and he spends years in the military, a sarcastic comment to a girlfriend and he ends up alone, an ill-timed quip about bleeding out and he’s on the run. Another swig of water helped. It did not fill him with sobriety but close. Tired, he pushed the books just enough to roll over on his right side and closed his eyes.