Beautiful Pea-Green Boat

by Jeff Baker

It was late afternoon when Billy Delaware’s doorbell rang.

The man who stood there was six-foot-one, a little bit of a gut, red hair and beard that were going white. Billy could see the long shadows of the warn October afternoon and the fading green on his small boat on its trailer in front of the house.

“Hi, I’m Charles de Salle,” the bearded man said. “I saw your ad in the Eagle about the boat.”

“Oh, oh yeah,” Billy said. He remembered placing the ad and being surprised that nobody called about it.

“Are you sure you want to get rid of it?” Charles said. It’s in great shape.”

“Yeah,” Billy said. “I don’t use it anymore. My Brother and I used to go out on the lake on the weekend but he got married and moved and I’m kinda busy with work and all.”

“Damn shame to lose it,” Charles said. “I mean, it’s not the Nautilus or anything but it looks like a good serviceable boat.”

“Yeah, I know.” Billy said.

“Well, maybe you just need someone to help you with it,” Charles said.

He leaned over and kissed Billy full on the lips. After a moment of pure bliss, Billy started to laugh.

“That is NOT how it happened seventeen years ago!” Billy said.

“I wanted to ad-lib this year!” Charles said, laughing too.

“Okay, we’ll give you a Tony Award,” Billy said, kissing him again.

It was a sentimental thing, recreating the moment they had met. They started doing it after Charles had been living there two or three years on the anniversary. The irony of the whole thing was that Charles had bought Billy’s boat but when he moved in a year later he brought the boat with him and parked it in the same place in front of the house.

“Hey, what do you want do do for dinner?” Charles asked.

“What did we do on that first date?” Billy asked.

“Went out for coffee at Riverside Perk,” Charles said, laughing again. “And that’s when I asked you your name! I’d forgotten to!” They both laughed.

“Hey, it’s warm enough,” Billy said. “Let’s order that box of tacos from the taco place and eat them out in the boat.”

“Right in front of the house.” Charles said, kissing him. “Such a sweet, romantic man.”

On the wall beside the bookcase in the hallway of their cozy suburban home, framed and under glass was that original ad that Billy had placed seventeen years ago: Beautiful Pea-Green Boat.

—end—