Big Stuff, part 1
Some peanuts were being shipped overseas.
Plastic doesn't seal properly, so foil liners were added to the bags as a precautionary measure to keep the legumes away from the rough sea air. The deep red "GoNuts" emblem was printed on the front of all 1,300,000 bags being shipped. The bags were stuffed in boxes that were, in turn, packed into crates. They would be placed on trailers upon arrival at a port in the south of Portugal for deliveries throughout the country over the next week. The markets would be ready.
Captain Samuel Bickons kept precise records of the cargo on board the 400,000 ton ship, "Big Stuff". If anything was unaccounted for, he would personally take responsibility and immediately find a replacement. If no replacement could be found, he would pay for the lost item out of his own pocket. He was well liked and well respected among the ports and other ships. Everyone knew him by first name. He liked it that way.
Big Stuff and her crew had been out for fifteen days, but the crew Bickons had personally chosen kept morale up and spirits light. They were good people; honest people. They were family, and they treated each other as such. Everyone except for Turge.
One of the crew members' wives was expected to give birth over the next few days, so Turge was brought on as a fill-in. He knew it was only temporary and perhaps that's why he kept to himself. No one bothered him or interupted his solitude. Turge liked his affairs kept private, and it was noticeable. Bren tried asking him about home life one night in the galley, but Turge ignored the question. So, they let him be.
As private as he was, one thing about Turge was inescapably apparent. He talked to the peanuts.
It wasn't that he would utter small greetings to them, or check on their health with a simple, "Everyone okay?" That would have been dismissible. They all did that from time to time.
Turge carried out lengthy conversations, and not with the collective, but with individual bags. He knew he wouldn't have time to get to know them all and he made that apparent to the surrounding cargo of crate 1179. It housed the peanuts he spoke with most frequently. He would take the bags out, and stand there for hours talking and asking questions.
No one knew exactly what he spoke to them about. They were afraid that if they asked or got close enough to hear, he might stop. And they didn't want that; it was intriguing to watch from distant gangways or wherever they could find a good vantage point. Captain Bickons would have a crew member recheck the boxes that Turge had opened, ensuring correct numbers. Every bag was consistently accounted for so Bickons let it go. It was harmless, and it kept the crew entertained.
to be continued...
Plastic doesn't seal properly, so foil liners were added to the bags as a precautionary measure to keep the legumes away from the rough sea air. The deep red "GoNuts" emblem was printed on the front of all 1,300,000 bags being shipped. The bags were stuffed in boxes that were, in turn, packed into crates. They would be placed on trailers upon arrival at a port in the south of Portugal for deliveries throughout the country over the next week. The markets would be ready.
Captain Samuel Bickons kept precise records of the cargo on board the 400,000 ton ship, "Big Stuff". If anything was unaccounted for, he would personally take responsibility and immediately find a replacement. If no replacement could be found, he would pay for the lost item out of his own pocket. He was well liked and well respected among the ports and other ships. Everyone knew him by first name. He liked it that way.
Big Stuff and her crew had been out for fifteen days, but the crew Bickons had personally chosen kept morale up and spirits light. They were good people; honest people. They were family, and they treated each other as such. Everyone except for Turge.
One of the crew members' wives was expected to give birth over the next few days, so Turge was brought on as a fill-in. He knew it was only temporary and perhaps that's why he kept to himself. No one bothered him or interupted his solitude. Turge liked his affairs kept private, and it was noticeable. Bren tried asking him about home life one night in the galley, but Turge ignored the question. So, they let him be.
As private as he was, one thing about Turge was inescapably apparent. He talked to the peanuts.
It wasn't that he would utter small greetings to them, or check on their health with a simple, "Everyone okay?" That would have been dismissible. They all did that from time to time.
Turge carried out lengthy conversations, and not with the collective, but with individual bags. He knew he wouldn't have time to get to know them all and he made that apparent to the surrounding cargo of crate 1179. It housed the peanuts he spoke with most frequently. He would take the bags out, and stand there for hours talking and asking questions.
No one knew exactly what he spoke to them about. They were afraid that if they asked or got close enough to hear, he might stop. And they didn't want that; it was intriguing to watch from distant gangways or wherever they could find a good vantage point. Captain Bickons would have a crew member recheck the boxes that Turge had opened, ensuring correct numbers. Every bag was consistently accounted for so Bickons let it go. It was harmless, and it kept the crew entertained.
to be continued...
posted by Still Daddy at 12:46 PM
3 Comments:
Peanuts, eh? You better keep going with this, man, don't just leave us hanging. I'm curious how you will take a story that involves a ship, peanuts, a nice captain and a guy who talks to food. :-)
Yeah....I'm trying to follow and I just can't seem to do it.
You've left us hanging.. sooo.. on with the rest of the story.. where will this one take us? Did you happen to use family history in this one?? Since we come from a long line of "talk to ourselves" folks. Who else listens?
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