Jesse Bard and Sammy walked into the store, and Sammy ran over to the twins.
“You never finished telling us about your fishing trip, Jesse,” Careen said.
“Wait a minute.” Aaron locked the front door and put up the closed sign. “Now we will not be interrupted.”
“Where was I last time? Oh, yeah. I told you I was on my first fishing trip with Captain Jack Kidd. We were supposed to be out for a week. The first day, we caught nothing. The second day, we did okay, but the third day, we hit a jackpot—a big load of shrimp. I would never have believed you could get so tired on a fishing boat. We worked nonstop for seven hours.
“After supper, I fell asleep before eight o’clock. At midnight, I woke up in my bunk. The guy next to me was snoring so hard that he could have woken the dead. In addition, he reeked of booze. I could have woken up just from the smell. I heard this singing and went to the eating area. The rest of the crew—except for the captain—was drunk and singing.
“Then it dawned on me! The boat was rocking more than any other time in three days. I slowly worked my way up to the captain’s deck, and Kidd was half drunk and steering—or hanging on to the steering wheel. He said, ‘Jesse, I’m glad to see you. Take this wheel and do as I say.’ He practically fell into the captain’s seat.
“I took that wheel and said, ‘Are we going to die?’ That’s how scared I was.
“No, no, we’ve been through worse than this. Those waves are only six to eight feet high.
“For the next six hours, I did as he said. ‘To the right, now to the left, okay hold it, we’ll easily ride over this one.’ At the end of that six hours, one of the crew showed up and took over for me. It took me six hours to get my fingers straightened out. That’s how tight I had been holding that wheel.
“When we got back to port, three days later, I found out Captain Kidd always had trouble filling out his crew because of drinking at sea. I never went out with him again. In fact, after that experience, I always checked first to see if a captain allowed drinking at sea. If he did, I would not go out with him.”
The twins were mesmerized by Jesse’s story.
“It’s kind of amazing you stuck with fishing after that first time,” Aaron said.
“You have to realize there wasn’t much else in those days one could make a living at here in Alaska. It’s almost five o’clock, and I’ve got to go.”
“I don’t think I would have gone out to sea after that first experience,” Aaron said.
“Me neither,” added Cassidy.
On November 15, Trina got a letter in the mail. It was addressed to Ms. Trina Brown. The return address read: Special Projects Group, US Army, Department of Defense, Washington DC. She had never received a letter from the Department of Defense. Tilly told her this would happen at some point, and she expected it. The letter said that Captain William Hughes would arrive on the November 21 to review the operation at Progress House and see how the four men were doing. The letter said he would arrive at nine o’clock to tour the facilities, review the logbooks, and interview the men and the staff.
He would provide his own transportation. The final sentence of the letter said that failure to cooperate with Captain Hughes would lead to termination of the grant. It needed to be reviewed and renewed every year.
After reading the letter, Trina thought, Why do government grants come with a subtle threat to cancel if … blah, blah, blah does or does not happen. Oh, well. We’re ready. Thank goodness Tilly always made it a point to insist on accurate and on-time paperwork. Trina had learned the habit back in Atlanta from Rose. They both insisted on it and must have learned it in the army. Trina felt they were actually fanatical about it, but it certainly was not a bad thing.
One of the activities the staff encouraged for the four was visits to the Juneau City library. It was something different to do. It was always fairly easy to get Al Notes and Sam Young to go. Al would search for books on history, and Sam would find books on numbers or calculations. The other two men were a different story. It was always difficult to get Tim Bolt to do anything besides listen to his radio or do anything outside his daily routine. With John Pensen, it wasn’t necessarily difficult to get him to go, but once there, he had to be watched constantly. The staff and the men knew the rules for going out to public places. The problem with John was not knowing the rules—it was following them.
There were really only two rules the men were told to follow in public. The first was not to bother people. The second was not to speak too loudly in public places, especially indoors—and especially a place like the library. The trouble with John was that he had to stop and talk to every person he passed. With men, he would stick out his hand to shake and say, “Hello, buddy. Hello, brother. Good to see you. Where have you been? You remember me? I’m John. I haven’t seen you for a long time.”
When he passed a woman, he would say, “Hello, girl. How are you doing? My name is John. You remember me, right? You like me, don’t you? Are you married? If you get divorced, you call me, okay? You think about it, okay.”
Because John frequently did this, many of the staff would not take him to public places such as the library, theaters, or restaurants.
On Wednesday, after coming home from the library in the afternoon, Sam Young started a new theme to his questions for the others at Progress House. He still asked questions about numbers, but he started asking questions about God and what God can and cannot do.
The next day, after his library visit, Sam was talking with Tom Tittle, the staff person on duty. As they sat around the kitchen table, Sam said, “Do you think God could lie?”
“Why do you ask me that?” Tom asked.
“Because it’s a question I thought about when I was reading a library book last night.”
“What book was that?” asked Tim Bolt who was sitting with them.
“It was a book called About God.”
“Well, I don’t think God could lie,” said Tom. “What do you guys think? Could God lie?”
“I think He could if He wanted to, but I don’t believe He would,” said Tim. “He could because God can do anything He wants to do. If not, why should our prayers for help be answered, but since God is only good and holy, He would not lie even though He could.”
“I agree with Tim about God,” Al said as he sat down at the kitchen table. “He could lie, but He does not lie.”
Tom said, “I also agree with Tim that God could lie because He can do anything He wants to, but He would not lie; therefore, He could not lie.”
“All this talk is too deep for me,” John said. He had walked in with Al and left to cut some pictures out of magazines.
It was two forty-five, and Kay Higgins walked in to start at three o’clock. She talked to Tom a bit while he finished his paperwork, and they talked about how the day went. At three ten, Tom was out the door and on his way home. Kay signed in the logbook and started to make supper.
At three thirty, John came out of his room and asked if he could cook supper. When Kay told him the rules did not allow him to cook, he said, “Rules, rules, rules, that’s all we hear about! I wish the staff had some rules too.”
Of course they did, but that was not how John wanted to see it. John stomped off and said he was taking Rusty for a walk.
As Kay was making supper, Sam came into the kitchen and asked, “Do you believe God can help us solve any problem we might have, Kay?”
“Yes,” answered Kay. “But why do you ask me that question?”
“Oh, it was something I wondered about last night as I was reading a library book called About God. I began thinking about some things, and that was one of them.”
“What do you think, Al, or you, Tim?” Kay asked as they came back into the kitchen to watch her cook.
“I think He probably can since He can do just about anything He wants,” said Tim.
“Yes, I would agree with Tim,” added Al.
“What’s for supper?” asked Tim.
“I’m making chili, mashed potatoes, corn, and salad,” answered Kay.
At four thirty, she asked the three if they were ready for supper. All three said they were ready, and after they set the table, Kay served them supper.
On November 17, Trina brought in copies of the original grant proposal with instructions for everyone on the staff to review for the upcoming army review of Progress House.
Jesse Bard had not been in the store for a week, but when he and Sammy walked in that day, the twins stopped and went over to get Sammy. Aaron mentioned to Jesse how short the daylight hours were becoming, and Jesse said in a short time there would be only a couple hours of daylight each day because of Alaska’s position on the earth.
“What did Danny do when the hours got so short?” Aaron asked.
“Danny always cut back the hours because it didn’t pay to stay open.”
The twins had brought in some dog treats and asked Jesse if Sammy could have some.
When Jesse saw the size of them, he said, “Okay, but only two or three.” Turning back to Aaron, he said, “Danny and Jane always took their vacation in the winter months since business slowed down so much.”
Careen said, “Hey, Jesse, didn’t you tell us there was another fishing story where you got scared?”
“Yes, there was one,” answered Jesse.
“Tell us about it,” Cassidy said.
“Well, I’d been in fishing for two years at the time. I signed up to go for two weeks on a boat that was smaller than most. There was only the captain and two other crew members besides me. The captain was a skinny little fellow—maybe five feet two—but the guy had total control of that boat and his crew. I’ve never met another captain as focused or as disciplined as he was. I had found out that he paid more than any other captain in Juneau. I don’t know why he picked me out of a line of twelve men standing in front of him, but he did.
“He spoke in broken English because he was originally from Russia. Got in trouble with the authorities when he wouldn’t pay some bribe or something.”
“But you could understand him?” Aaron asked.
“Yes. The funny thing was the other two guys didn’t speak a word of English, but they were quite good at doing whatever the captain ordered.”
Careen asked, “What was the captain’s name? Do you remember?”
“Oh yes, his name was Shoresky, Leonard Shoresky. He came from a long-standing fishing family in Russia. He got in trouble with the authorities when he broke a tradition. The family always paid a bribe to get a special license, but Leonard had become a strong Christian and felt this was wrong so he wouldn’t do it.”
“You and he understood each other when you talked?” asked Aaron.
“Yes, we had no trouble communicating,” answered Jesse.
Cassidy said, “What happened to—”
The doorbell rang, and a small group of tourists walked in. This was Jesse’s clue that it was time to leave, and he and Sammy left to let the others tend to business.
November 17, 1952
Dear Rose,
John Pensen keeps finding ways to give the staff grief. This time, he went for a walk with Rusty, our dog. We had all this snow and freezing weather, and he was supposed to be back in one hour. Instead, he and Rusty were gone for three hours and came back soaking wet. Plus, we had all that snow everywhere. Natalie Rogan, our staff nurse, was going to quit because he scared her so much. She didn’t know if he was lost, hurt, or trying to run away?
One thing hasn’t changed, John is constantly arguing over rules.
Aaron’s friend, Jesse Bard, apparently has some good sea stories. The twins came home one night and just went on and on about him.
I wanted to tell you I received a letter from the US Army. They are coming to examine our facilities, our staff, and our logbooks. I’m a bit nervous about it, but I think we’ll do okay. I kind of wish Tilly would be here when they come.
Aaron has started looking for an apartment. Can’t blame him. I think he’d like a little more privacy.
I know this letter is short. It’s midnight here, and I better get some sleep.
Love from Alaska,
Trina
At five minutes to nine, Captain William Hughes knocked on the front door of Progress House. Everything was ready for his visit. The four men were clean and dressed up for the occasion. The staff was all present.
“Good morning. My name is Captain William Hughes. I am with a special unit of the United States Army. We are a very small group of men and women dedicated to finding better ways to take care of veterans coming back from combat. More specifically veterans who …”
He stopped and asked that the four men be taken to the Roxbury Place. They had not been taken earlier because Trina thought the captain might want to meet the four first.
Once they were out of the house, Captain Hughes said, “The reason I stopped where I did was so the vets would not hear me say that we are a group who specialize in veterans who are physically or mentally handicapped due to combat. You here at Progress House are only the second such unit in the country. When I said mentally handicapped at my first meeting at the other place, two veterans were so upset they charged at me and had to be restrained. I’m not here to offend anyone, and I’ve learned not to say certain things in front of them.”
After completing his introduction and meeting with the staff people, Captain Hughes went over a few changes Trina should make in the reports sent to Washington each week.
“You mean someone reads these reports?” asked Trina.
“Ms. Brown, we are a very small group in the army with not much clout. As a result of that, we have to stay on our toes and be very precise. Yes, four different people read your reports each week. So far, they have been excellent. Please keep it that way.”
Trina thought, I guess Tilly being so picky about facts and details paid off. Thanks, Tilly.
After meeting with the four veterans at Roxbury Place, Captain Hughes told Trina everything was looking good. “We at the army agency overlooking this project want you to know how much we appreciate your leadership here in Juneau. We’ve had to release two people at the other site already for not filing proper reports.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Trina said.
By three o’clock, Captain Hughes was headed back to Washington. Trina wrote a note of thanks to the staff, posted it on the bulletin board at Progress House, and headed home.
November 20, 1952
Dear Rose,
I’m just dropping you this quick note to tell you our army review went very well. Captain William Hughes was pleased.
You and Tilly teaching me to be precise and pay close attention to details helped. Thanks.
Love from Alaska,
Trina
Careen and Cassidy were cleaning shelves after school on a Tuesday, and Aaron was checking inventory when a middle-aged man and woman walked in. They looked too similar to be husband and wife.
“Hello, are you two related?” asked Aaron.
“We’re brother and sister,” answered the woman. “Is Danny around?”
“Danny died last summer. My name is Aaron Mueller. I’m the new owner. May I help you?”
The couple wasn’t sure. They said they’d been coming in for ten years and getting Danny’s help with antiques. He always told them what was valuable and what was not, how to clean them, and how to take care of them. They told Aaron they depended on Danny and asked what they were going to do now.
“Sorry, I’m new at this. I miss Danny more than you might think, but he died on the Fourth of July at a picnic. I bought the store last summer. Danny was going to teach me everything about this business, but then he died.”
They were displaying no confidence in Aaron, and after looking around for a good twenty minutes, Aaron heard the man whisper, “Let’s go. There’s two black girls working here, and I suspect from his name he’s Jewish.” Five minutes later, they left.
As they walked out the front door, Jesse Bard held the door for them.
Aaron was going to ask Jesse if he knew them and mention their comment about a Jewish man and black girls, but he decided against it. He thought, What good would it do? The twins and I have experienced this before and have to just ignore them.
“Good afternoon to all of you,” Jesse said as he let Sammy go to the girls.
“And good afternoon to you, Jesse,” Aaron said. “Since it’s close to four o’clock, I’m going to lock the front door. You can tell us about the Russian captain.”
“Okay, where was I?” said Jesse. “I don’t know why the captain picked me, but he did. Anyway, we headed out to one of the captain’s favorite fishing areas, but he took a different route than he normally took to get there. Suddenly, on the third day out, we saw a group of great white sharks mingling in the water. We were on deck, and some of the sharks went berserk. We watched as eight of them looked like they were charging us. Ten minutes later, all eight were banging on our boat, which was made of wood. Two of them jumped out of the water like they were trying to get on the deck. I wasn’t concerned until I saw the looks on the faces of the other two crew men. They were obviously scared and talking in Russian. Even though I didn’t understand the words, I could tell by their anxiety and the tone of their voices that they were scared. Captain Shoresky thought we had crossed a breeding ground, making the sharks feel threatened. I know this may sound silly, but to us, it sure didn’t seem silly. The eight sharks kept hammering the boat for forty minutes.”
“Were you scared, Jesse?” asked Cassidy.
“Absolutely, I was as scared as any of them,” said Jesse. “I don’t like it when I can’t see land.”
Aaron said, “Jesse, how is that possible since you spent all those years fishing?”
“It’s called bills,” Jesse said. “I had to make a living, like it or not. Besides, it was a good living, and I could always work as much as I wanted. So I just learned to live with it.”
Careen and Cassidy sat listening as if in a trance, not moving except to pet Sammy.
“Wow, I think I would have really been scared on that wooden boat,” Careen said.
“Me too,” added Cassidy.
“Did you ever go out fishing with Captain Shoresky after that?” Aaron asked.
“No,” answered Jesse. “The problem with Captain Shoresky was the time at sea. The money was good, but the time out to sea was too long. Two weeks was his shortest run. Most times, he was out three, four, or five weeks straight. My wife and I didn’t like that much time apart.”
It was an occurrence that happened every week. Sam Young would go on one of his I-have-a-question gigs.
On Wednesday mornings, Trina was at Progress House by eight to help with breakfast. She was making pancakes.
Bill Farley, another staff member, was making toast and setting the table. He also was setting out juices for the guys, both orange and grape.
Sam said, “Hey, Bill. Do you know the last names of the first three presidents of the United States?”
Bill said, “I didn’t understand what you asked me. Can you repeat it please?”
“Do you know the last names of the first three presidents of the United States?” Sam said slowly.
“Washington, Adams, and Jefferson,” answered Bill Farley.
Al Notes and Tim Bolt walked into the kitchen.
“Okay, Bill,” said Sam. “Of the first ten presidents, what was the last name of the father and son who were both president?”
“Adams!” Tim blurted out.
Sam gave him a mean look and said, “Why did you say that, you rat?”
“Just to pull your chain. You and your dumb questions? That’s why!”
John walked in and said, “That’s why, what?”
“None of your business,” said Tim.
John said, “You know those rules are just for us. The ones the staff doesn’t have to follow!”
“Bill, do you think God can lie?” asked Sam.
“Well, if He’s really God, He can do anything.” answered Bill, “I guess He could lie, but if He’s all good and loving as I’ve been taught, He could not lie. If He lied, He could not be God. So no, He cannot lie.”
“Okay, Bill. Do you think there could be a problem He cannot solve?” asked Sam.
“No,” answered Bill. “If He’s really God, there is not a problem he cannot solve.”
Bill suggested they go to Roxbury Place to play some pool. Bill told them he would keep score to avoid any fights.
They all agreed that it was a good idea.
Al wanted to be sure Bill kept score honestly.
Tim and Sam agreed that Bill had to keep score honestly.
“We’re mentally handicapped—not dumb!” Tim said.
Bill Farley blushed a little and thought, Man, these guys don’t miss a trick. Did Tim say what I thought I heard him say? We’re mentally handicapped—not dumb? He did say that.
When they arrived at Roxbury Place an hour later, Bill said, “To start, Al and Sam will be a team against Tim and John. Then we’ll switch, and Al and Tim will play against Sam and John. Finally, Al and John will play against Sam and Tim. After this, I’ll add up the scores for each one of you. This will tell who scored the best, okay?”
“And who made up these rules?” asked John.
“They’re not rules,” said Bill Farley. “It’s just a way to all play and keep score. Do you have a better plan, John?”
“Yes, I do,” said John. “We play for ourselves and keep our own scores, and then when we’re done, we’ll know who did the best.”
Al said, “I told Bill the only way I’ll play is if he keeps score.”
“That’s true,” added Sam.
“Okay, let’s just forget about my idea, okay,” said John. “Forget about it!”
Halfway into the first game, they heard a fire truck coming down the street. It sounded like it was coming right to Roxbury Place.
They ran outside and saw black smoke coming out of a second-floor window just six doors down from Roxbury Place. John and Al ran toward the smoke to see if they could help. The instincts they had learned in the army took over.
Bill Farley and the other two men came running out of the building just seconds after John and Al started running toward the smoking building. The smoking building was a fairly new wooden structure. There was a barbershop on the first floor and two small apartments on the second floor.
When John and Al got to the smoking building, ten people were waiting for the firemen. Al asked if anyone was still inside. Being informed that no one was inside, they joined the other onlookers.
When the firemen arrived a minute later, they were told the fire was in the bedroom of an apartment in the back of the building. It took them fifteen minutes to put it out. The cause of the fire was a young man who was smoking in bed.
“I guess I dozed off because I woke up, and my covers were on fire,” he said. “I tried to put it out, but I couldn’t. Since I have no phone, I ran down to the barbershop to call the fire department.”
As Bill Farley and the other men walked back to Roxbury Place, they started talking about fires they’d seen.
Sam said, “When I was a little boy, I think around six or seven, a house on our street caught fire. It burned so fast it couldn’t be saved. It stood there half burned almost a year until the city called it a safety hazard and down it came. No one ever built another house on that property. I don’t know why.”
“The first fire I saw was when I was fifteen,” Tim said. “We were living in the country on a small lake. On Thanksgiving morning, my two brothers and I were throwing a football around in our front yard. My younger brother, Matt, saw it first. He told us to look up in the sky. There was a huge cloud of smoke. We were curious and walked up to see what it was. When we rounded a bend in the road, an old farmhouse was on fire. We went to school with the kids who lived there, but they were visiting relatives for the holiday. By the time the volunteer fire department got there, the house was almost completely burned. However, the insurance company inspectors determined the fire was deliberately set and would not pay for it.”
Al said, “Just before I joined the army, I was visiting my cousin in Salem, Ohio, and I saw my first fire up close. Almost everyone who lived there would buy doughnuts, cakes, and pies at Wood’s Family Bakery. The second day of my visit, my aunt sent my cousins and me to get an apple pie for dessert.
“Well, my two cousins were troublemakers from the day they were born, and they took me a back way to the bakery. As we were going through people’s backyards, they showed me a German shepherd they’d been teasing for weeks. This dog was on a chain, and as soon as he saw my cousins, he started barking at them and trying to break loose. The dog was angry because they would throw little pebbles at him. When an old man came out of the house and yelled at us, my cousins told me to run. All three of us ran the rest of the way to the bakery. When we rounded the corner of North Street, we stopped because we saw two fire trucks and eight firemen trying to put out a fire at the bakery. Flames were coming out of that building.”
John Pensen had never really seen a substantial fire before he was in the army in World War II. After a month in Europe, he woke up one night to a huge explosion. An ammunition depot blew up just one mile from where he was sleeping. He and three others walked down to see it. Flames were shooting two hundred feet into the sky. “It was something to see.”
John turned around and went back to talk to a fireman. “How are you doing, buddy?”
“Okay. Now please move back, sir,” said the fireman.
“John, stay with us.” Bill tried to get John to leave the fireman alone, but John paid no attention.
“My name is John. Do you remember me? How did the fire start? The kitchen?”
The fireman tried to get John to back off twice, and then he called the sheriff’s deputy.
The deputy went straight to John and said, “Mister, join your friends—or you’re going to be arrested!”
John wouldn’t stop. “What did I do? I just want to help.” John tried to pick up the fire hose, but the deputy pulled on John’s arm to get him out of the way. John did not like this and took a swing at the deputy.
Bill thought, Wrong thing to do, John!
Too late! A second deputy came over, put handcuffs on John, and said, “You’re under arrest.”
Bill and the other guys just watched as they put John in a police car. They didn’t know what else to do. As soon as John was taken away, Bill took the others back to Roxbury Place to get a few things and then headed to Progress House.
Trina was looking out the window and immediately noticed John was not there. What now? This man is going to drive us all nuts.
Bill said, “John is in jail. Trina, I’m sorry to bring you this trouble. We were having such a good day. We were all doing so good at pool. We were going to switch partners until each of us had played against the three others. We were going to count it as one full game. I kept the scores with no fudging. When we went outside, because of the sirens, John just took off. He would not listen.”
“I’m not surprised. That’s a typical John Pensen move,” Trina said. “He always thinks he can break the rules. Oh, yes—rules he claims the staff doesn’t have to follow.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” said Bill. “I almost didn’t join this group when I read the proposal, the grant, and the regulations.”
“You know what? I think I’m going to let him sit overnight in jail,” Trina said. “Maybe it will teach him a lesson.”
“You’re dreaming, Trina,” Bill said. “That won’t change John. Some habits are so ingrained that it would take Superman to change them. And John is no Superman when it comes to changing his ways. Being like this is just one of his habits. This is just John.”
“You’re probably right, Bill.” Trina shrugged. “I’m still going to let him sit in jail until morning.”
When Trina walked into the sheriff’s office the next day, the first person she met was Sheriff Bill Finley.
Sheriff Finley said, “Mrs. Brown, what are you doing here? Did you ever get that house deal worked out?”
“Oh, yes,” answered Trina. “Aaron agreed to let me buy the house because of my girls. He’s still with us until he finds the right apartment.”
“And what can I do for you this morning?”
Trina explained everything to Sheriff.
After reviewing the deputy’s report of the incident, Bill said, “I see from the report that he never touched the deputy. He swung, but he missed. I’ll tell you what. I’ll let it go this time. I’ll clear it with the judge, but I will not be able to do it a second time. The next time he swings at a deputy, he’ll spend seven nights in jail.”
“I understand. Thank you,” Trina said.
On the way back to Progress House, John said, “How come you didn’t come and get me last night or earlier this morning?”
Trina thought, I was hoping it might teach you a lesson that you can’t always do whatever you want to. That was pretty dumb swinging at a deputy like that. I thought you were smarter than that. Not really. “The reason I didn’t come sooner was because I was working on the papers.”
“What papers?” John asked.
“The papers to send you back to the veterans’ hospital,” Trina said. “Maybe you just don’t belong here.”