Chapter 38: Interlude: Four

Seventeenth day, Tenth Moon, 247 AC

"There! Hold 'er there!"

I took the nail out of my mouth with my free hand and put it in position with the other hand I was using to hold the plank in place. I quickly picked up my hammer with my free hand and sent it home.

Perfect!

I walked around the boat and examined the lines. Good curve, planks are snug against each other, and nice and smooth. I patted the siding in happiness.

I looked over to my boys, who were laid out on the ground after a hard day's work.

"Alright boys, head on home t' your ma. Clean up before you go inside, or your ma'll get 'ya good."

His boys all nodded before trudging off. Good lads and will make good shipwrights just like their pa when they're older. Too scared of their ma though, not that I blame 'em.

I closed the workshop and started to make my way to the tavern. The Fishing Village only had one tavern, and it was nothing special, but it was ours.

I spotted a few young men flirting with some young women on my way and thought of my boys. They had yet to find out the joys of women, even though I and my friends had at their age. Their ma likely scared 'em straight.

I chuckled at the thought. Fierce woman, my wife. Fierce and passionate. A beautiful mix.

I entered the tavern and let the noise wash over me. It was dimly lit, with the fireplace on the far wall providing most of the light. The air was heavy with smoke and the smell of beer. I spotted my friends and made my way over.

"Arren! Over here!" My friend, Bron, yelled to me.

"Oi, there he is! 'Bout time!" The other man beside Bron, my friend Jaxar, said.

"Quit your bellyachin' 'ya slobs," I shouted back.

I pulled up to the table that they had for themselves and sat on the old and beat up bench. The table was worn, scratched and stained, but it was mercifully clean today.

The serving wench wandered over and brought me a mug of mead, and deftly moved out of the way of Jaxar's wandering hands.

"Jaxar 'ye big lump. Your wife is gonna kill you one day, with those hands o' yours," I said.

He shrugged. "Ain't nothing to it. She knows I ain't like that. I just like t' compare, is all. Ya know, that way I can tell the truth when I say my wife has the best in town!"

Bron and I laughed. "It's all for her then?" Bron choked out in between laughs.

"Course it is!" Jaxar said with an exaggerated wink. "'Yer all married now, 'ye should know this! Bah, 'ye all were helpless with the girls when we was boys, no different now. No wonder why I became a man first!"

Bron looked indignant. "Oi!" He said. "It was like two days, not even! And you had t' pay!"

Jaxar shrugged unconcernedly. "First is first."

Jaxar, Bron and I had all grown up together since our childhood homes were next to each other. They were both fishermen, like most of the village, while I was a shipwright, like my family had been for generations.

"Did either o' ya hear that Rodrick was back in town?" I asked.

They both shook their heads. "Nah," replied Bron. "Was busy working my catch all day." Jaxar indicated the same.

I shrugged. "Was wondering if he had any more stories about Redbridge."

"Bah!" Exclaimed Bron. "'Ye know those are all just shit. He's a storyteller, 'cause he'll always get a cup mead or two out o' it."

"No!" I denied. "Ain't like that. Rodrick is good folk."

Just then, the door to the tavern opened again and Rodrick entered. I waved at him, and he began to make his way over to us.

"'ello boys. How's the drinks?"

Bron had an annoyed look on his face, as he always did when Rodrick called them boys. "Good," I replied. "How was the road?"

"Blah, long and weary. I'm starting t' get too old t' be going back 'n forth so much. Good t' see my daughter though." I nodded in sympathy. I did not envy him, having a child getting married in a far-off town, even if it was as interesting as Redbridge.

"Any troubles?" Jaxar asked.

Rodrick made a so-so gesture. "Not much. On the way back though, I 'ad some trouble buying grain from my usual farmers. Old Tom and Jerry were going at it again. Tom didn't want t' sell anything t' me this time, and Jerry called him a fool, so they started arguing again. Tom wanted t' do a half-plant instead o' selling, 'cause he thinks winter is coming soon."

"What's a half-plant?" I asked.

"Eh? A half-plant is when a farmer plants another load o' grain instead of selling it. Usually plant on their fallow field halfway through the season and try t' get another harvest before winter. Trouble is timing it, 'cause the fallow field won't give as much grain as usual, and if winter don't hit then you wasted the grain."

"Bah!" exclaimed Bron. "Enough talk o' farmers. Tell us one o' your made-up stories o' Redbridge. Arren over 'ere was mooning o'er 'em earlier!"

"Was not!" I retorted. "I was just wondering, was all."

Jaxar just laughed into his cup.

Rodrick cleared his throat. "Well, things are going good up there. My daughter is happy. But! They did make a new kind of fish paste!"

"Fish paste?" Jaxar asked.

"Aye. It's real interestin'. Sells for a lot more than regular fish. Couldn't get 'em to tell me how t' make it though."

Jaxar looked interested. "How much more we talkin'?"

Rodrick took a sip of mead and shrugged. "Not sure for the future. But I got about twice the coin than if it had been just fish."

Jaxar and Bron's jaws dropped.

Bron said indignantly, "Oi! 'Yer having us on!" He turned to me and said, "See! Told 'ye he's always full o' shit! No one pays twice for fish! No one!"

Rodrick frowned. "Watch 'yer mouth there, boy. I ain't no liar. The paste was worth good coin."

I leaned in a bit and said, "Think you could get that recipe off 'em?"

"Mayhaps in a few years. I'll try next summer. They might not want t' give it up." He leaned into the table a bit, nodded wisely and continued loudly, "Remember boys, not all that glitters is gold! The boys up at Redbridge know that!"

With that, Rodrick drank the last of his beer and slammed the empty cup on the table. "Well boys, I'm off t' see the wife. Take care now, you hear?"

After he left the tavern, Bron said angrily, "Full o' shit I tell 'ye!" He looked right at me and said, "Don't go filling 'yer head with that nonsense, 'ye hear? Twice the coin my ass." He shook his head. "Only thing he said that wasn't full o' shit was the last bit. I'm off t' see my wife too. See you on the morrow, men."

Jaxar laughed quietly as Bron left. Rodrick had always gotten Bron in a pissy mood.

"Well," Jaxar said. "That's a good enough time as any t' go home too. Haven't, uh, been with the wife since this morning, if 'ye know what I mean."

I just shook my head in mockery. "Always tryn' find another way t' say it. If you ain't careful though, 'ye gonna have another mouth t' feed."

"Nah, me eldest is gonna marry next moon and move out. One less mouth t' feed, so I can get another one."

I laughed. "Me 'n Salna are done with more kids. Too much work. We've been blessed t' have so many still with us."

Jaxar nodded and said his goodbyes. After he left, I swirled the last of my mead in my cup. All that talk got me thinking. It had been a few days, since he and Salna had gone at it. Maybe he ought to pull her aside tonight? Once and a while, ought t' not get 'em a child.

With a new-found desire, I drained the last of my mead and headed home.