Page 19 of F*ck You

“Pay is ten dollars an hour for cleaning, fifteen if you help give tours to tourists, and twenty if you work during parties. If you work hard and you stick around, you might get a raise. Those who don’t stick around don’t get a raise, simple as that. I don’t do paperwork here, it’s all paid under the table until I hire you on officially. You show up and work, you get paid that day or the next. If you don’t show up when you are supposed to, don’t bother coming back. Got it?”

I nodded, ready to pull a whale’s tooth if it meant staying here. Sure, the pay sucked, but getting paid every day? I couldn’t beat that. If I was lucky, I would get in on some parties real soon.

“Cleaning supplies are in a closet down those stairs, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find. Mop the deck and clean everything you can. I expect it should take around four hours and I’ll be back at that time to check on things.”

“You’re leaving?” Figures, I hadn’t even technically started yet, and I’d already scared the boss away.

“I have some errands to run, and you showed up at a good time. Now, I do have one rule. Do not, and I repeat, do not take the boat anywhere without my permission. Ideally you shouldn’t take it anywhere without me on it, but that engine is not to run unless I’m on deck.”

I did an awkward salute and immediately regretted the strange motion. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. I’ll see you in a few hours.” He walked past me and headed off the boat.

“Wait, what do I call you? You don’t even know my name.”

“Call me Mr. Rhodes.”

He was gone before I could yell my name to him. “Friendly fella,” I muttered under my breath, and shoved the mop into the bucket of soap and water and got to work.

The hours wore on and I almost quit about five times, but I kept going. I saw things I couldn’t describe, and more things I never wanted to see again. Somehow, I managed to avoid vomiting, which was beginning to feel like it was all I did around here.

The water in the bucket needed to be changed more times than I could count. It was hard to see all the people walking by, laughing and eating ice cream, while I was stuck doing this grunt work, but I kept reminding myself it would be worth it. If I could make some money, then I could laugh and eat ice cream too.

I lifted the bottom of my shirt to wipe the sweat from my face as I finished up the last of what I could find to clean. This was a disgusting job, and I’d seen things I wished I hadn’t. But if I actually got paid today, then it would be worth it. Ten bucks an hour for four hours, I would be set. Maybe I’d even stop at one of the shops on the way back and get something to celebrate. A souvenir, chocolate, a drink, maybe food.

Turning around, I stood there in awe. Out in the ocean, dolphins repeatedly jumped out of the water as they swam. My jaw dropped as I watched the spectacle, entranced by the magic of the sea.

It was such a cool sight to see, and I ached to go out there and view more of it up close. Maybe someday I could work a tour day here if I didn’t get fired on the first day. Hell, I was really looking forward to surfing tomorrow even more now.

Footsteps padded along the dock toward the boat, and I spun around to see the visitor. A grin curved my lips when I saw Mr. Rhodes reappearing after nearly four hours, and I ran forward to greet him.

He scanned the deck and then disappeared below, and I tried not to let his silence get to me as I followed. I held my breath as he ran a finger over the table surface to check for dust.

After inspecting the downstairs, he let out a whistle. “I honestly didn’t expect you to do it, but you did.”

“Uh, thanks?”

He chuckled and held out a hand for mine, and we shook. “Welcome aboard. I’ll see you again tomorrow around the same time. Leave your phone number before you go.” He pulled out a wad of cash and handed me four tens, which I shoved into my denim shorts pocket with an extra wide grin.

“You got it.” I left the boat with a squeal and heard him chuckle behind me. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

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