riptide_asylum (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
riptide_asylum) wrote2013-08-30 10:51 am
riptide_asylum) wrote2013-08-30 10:51 am
Entry tags:
"Torch Song" (Sunfish, 1998)
Title: Torch Song
Rating: PG
Summary: Managing a marina is a lot more work than Cody thought it would be.
Cody put down the office phone with a sigh and made another notation in the maintenance log that sat on one corner of his desk. Chainlink fence, he wrote. Corner came unstuck after...
Well, after Mr Rutherford from Slip 7 backed his Oldsmobile into it after one too many purple hooters down at the Bait Shack. But one of the things Cody had learned about managing a marina was that tenants had an uncanny way of getting out of things. Especially things they might have to pay for.
Another thing he’d learned was that Nick still had a temper on him. Which was why Cody got to answer the phone.
Corner came unstuck after collision with foreign body. He penciled in the date afterwards, then his initials, even though the only ones who ever looked at the maintenance log were him and Nick, and if Nick couldn’t figure out who was leaving all these jobs for him to do by now, the marina was in worse shape than he thought.
And one look at the log and it was clear the marina was falling down around their ears.
Down in King Harbor, life had sure seemed a lot easier. Of course, the three of them were too busy chasing girls and catching fish to wonder who had to schedule propane deliveries or repair rotting ends of docks.
Frowning, Cody licked the end of his pencil and wrote in Slip 11: needs four (maybe?) boards replaced by end of gangplank, then initialed and dated that too.
It was funny, but Cody’d always figured managing a marina would be a lot like living in one, just maybe with more parties, and pretty girls. He hadn’t figured there’d be so much work involved.
“Cody, have you seen my welding torch? You’re not gonna believe what some jackass has done to the fence out by the parking lot.” The office door seemed to hurl itself out of the way as Nick came barging through. “It looks like someone rammed it or something.” Nick leaned over the desk and pulled the maintenance log toward him, squinting. Cody tactfully ignored the oily smudge Nick’s fingers left on the clean white page.
“‘Collision with foreign body’? Foreign body my ass, Cody. I bet it was 7 again. Someone oughta take that guy’s license before he kills more than just our fence.” Nick tossed aside the maintenance log and helped himself to a cup of coffee from the machine on the table next to the door. The coffee was always on and always strong. Because it was part of the office, technically it was supposed to be Cody’s responsibility, but Nick kept a stubborn grip on coffee both here and at home.
“Hey, Nick,” Cody leaned back in his chair. “Y’ever think we might be better off living somewhere else?”
“What? What are you talking about?” Nick drank his coffee as if it had personally offended him.
“I was just thinking, Nick. You remember when we lived down in King Harbor? Remember how we used to try to sneak aboard the Contessa, or the Contessa’s girls would sneak on board the Riptide? Or how we used to spend weekends fishing, or-- or surfing? Maybe we should go back to having a detective agency, Nick. That way we wouldn’t have to do all… this.” He gestured at the maintenance log.
Nick finished his coffee and set the whale mug down next to the machine. “Yeah, and remember how when we used to have a detective agency people used to shoot at us all the time. Look, Cody, if you wanna go fishing, just say the word and 7 can mow down all the fences he wants while we’re gone. What’s with you, anyhow?”
“Nothing, Nick, I was just thinking maybe this whole marina thing was, you know, maybe not as relaxing as we thought it might be.”
Nick perched on the edge of the desk and looked at Cody. “Has 4 been complaining about the Pomeranian from number 9 again? ‘Cause if that’s what this is about, I’ll go shit on her dock myself. I guarantee she won’t call you after that.”
“Nick!” Cody sat up in his chair. “I was just pointing out--”
“Okay, okay, look. I know what you’re saying, Cody. But c’mon, can you really picture us chasing Contessans? If we caught one, she’d probably just call the cops.” He went on as Cody opened his mouth to object. “Look, I have an idea. Let’s close the office early and head out for a long weekend, okay? We’ll head down to see Murray, and see if we can nab some fish along the way. And if anything happens while we’re gone, it’ll just have to stay happened until we get back. Okay, big guy?”
Cody brightened. “Yeah, Nick. That’d be great. After all, what good is being the bosses if we can’t give ourselves a little vacation every now and then, right?”
Nick clapped him on the shoulder. “You got it. Let’s close up, right after I fix the fence. Shouldn’t take more than a couple minutes. Now, have you seen my welding torch?”
“It’s back at the boat, Nick. You were using it to fix the engine cap. At least, that’s what you were planning on doing before we uh...” Cody felt himself blush.
“Oh yeah, I was, wasn’t I. And we did, didn’t we?” Nick’s grin widened.
Cody raked a hand through his hair, toes curling in his deck shoes at the memory. “We sure did.”
"What is it about you and that welding torch, anyway?"
Cody felt his blush deepen.
“Well, maybe that fence doesn’t need fixing as badly as I thought. I mean, if I’ve still got the engine cap to do.”
Cody was already reaching for the Back Later sign. He paused over it. “What time should I set it for?”
Nick grabbed a pen out of the holder on the desk and wrote MONDAY in capital letters across the clock face.
“Nick!”
“Unless you feel like the engine cap might take longer.”
But Cody was already up out of his chair. He grabbed his jacket off the hook next to the door and fished his keys out of one pocket. Nick slapped his ass on the way out the door and Cody did his best to look offended while simultaneously turning out the lights.
As the bolt slid into place behind them, the phone on the desk began to ring, and ring. Cody couldn't bring himself to care.
Marina management was getting easier all the time.
Rating: PG
Summary: Managing a marina is a lot more work than Cody thought it would be.
Cody put down the office phone with a sigh and made another notation in the maintenance log that sat on one corner of his desk. Chainlink fence, he wrote. Corner came unstuck after...
Well, after Mr Rutherford from Slip 7 backed his Oldsmobile into it after one too many purple hooters down at the Bait Shack. But one of the things Cody had learned about managing a marina was that tenants had an uncanny way of getting out of things. Especially things they might have to pay for.
Another thing he’d learned was that Nick still had a temper on him. Which was why Cody got to answer the phone.
Corner came unstuck after collision with foreign body. He penciled in the date afterwards, then his initials, even though the only ones who ever looked at the maintenance log were him and Nick, and if Nick couldn’t figure out who was leaving all these jobs for him to do by now, the marina was in worse shape than he thought.
And one look at the log and it was clear the marina was falling down around their ears.
Down in King Harbor, life had sure seemed a lot easier. Of course, the three of them were too busy chasing girls and catching fish to wonder who had to schedule propane deliveries or repair rotting ends of docks.
Frowning, Cody licked the end of his pencil and wrote in Slip 11: needs four (maybe?) boards replaced by end of gangplank, then initialed and dated that too.
It was funny, but Cody’d always figured managing a marina would be a lot like living in one, just maybe with more parties, and pretty girls. He hadn’t figured there’d be so much work involved.
“Cody, have you seen my welding torch? You’re not gonna believe what some jackass has done to the fence out by the parking lot.” The office door seemed to hurl itself out of the way as Nick came barging through. “It looks like someone rammed it or something.” Nick leaned over the desk and pulled the maintenance log toward him, squinting. Cody tactfully ignored the oily smudge Nick’s fingers left on the clean white page.
“‘Collision with foreign body’? Foreign body my ass, Cody. I bet it was 7 again. Someone oughta take that guy’s license before he kills more than just our fence.” Nick tossed aside the maintenance log and helped himself to a cup of coffee from the machine on the table next to the door. The coffee was always on and always strong. Because it was part of the office, technically it was supposed to be Cody’s responsibility, but Nick kept a stubborn grip on coffee both here and at home.
“Hey, Nick,” Cody leaned back in his chair. “Y’ever think we might be better off living somewhere else?”
“What? What are you talking about?” Nick drank his coffee as if it had personally offended him.
“I was just thinking, Nick. You remember when we lived down in King Harbor? Remember how we used to try to sneak aboard the Contessa, or the Contessa’s girls would sneak on board the Riptide? Or how we used to spend weekends fishing, or-- or surfing? Maybe we should go back to having a detective agency, Nick. That way we wouldn’t have to do all… this.” He gestured at the maintenance log.
Nick finished his coffee and set the whale mug down next to the machine. “Yeah, and remember how when we used to have a detective agency people used to shoot at us all the time. Look, Cody, if you wanna go fishing, just say the word and 7 can mow down all the fences he wants while we’re gone. What’s with you, anyhow?”
“Nothing, Nick, I was just thinking maybe this whole marina thing was, you know, maybe not as relaxing as we thought it might be.”
Nick perched on the edge of the desk and looked at Cody. “Has 4 been complaining about the Pomeranian from number 9 again? ‘Cause if that’s what this is about, I’ll go shit on her dock myself. I guarantee she won’t call you after that.”
“Nick!” Cody sat up in his chair. “I was just pointing out--”
“Okay, okay, look. I know what you’re saying, Cody. But c’mon, can you really picture us chasing Contessans? If we caught one, she’d probably just call the cops.” He went on as Cody opened his mouth to object. “Look, I have an idea. Let’s close the office early and head out for a long weekend, okay? We’ll head down to see Murray, and see if we can nab some fish along the way. And if anything happens while we’re gone, it’ll just have to stay happened until we get back. Okay, big guy?”
Cody brightened. “Yeah, Nick. That’d be great. After all, what good is being the bosses if we can’t give ourselves a little vacation every now and then, right?”
Nick clapped him on the shoulder. “You got it. Let’s close up, right after I fix the fence. Shouldn’t take more than a couple minutes. Now, have you seen my welding torch?”
“It’s back at the boat, Nick. You were using it to fix the engine cap. At least, that’s what you were planning on doing before we uh...” Cody felt himself blush.
“Oh yeah, I was, wasn’t I. And we did, didn’t we?” Nick’s grin widened.
Cody raked a hand through his hair, toes curling in his deck shoes at the memory. “We sure did.”
"What is it about you and that welding torch, anyway?"
Cody felt his blush deepen.
“Well, maybe that fence doesn’t need fixing as badly as I thought. I mean, if I’ve still got the engine cap to do.”
Cody was already reaching for the Back Later sign. He paused over it. “What time should I set it for?”
Nick grabbed a pen out of the holder on the desk and wrote MONDAY in capital letters across the clock face.
“Nick!”
“Unless you feel like the engine cap might take longer.”
But Cody was already up out of his chair. He grabbed his jacket off the hook next to the door and fished his keys out of one pocket. Nick slapped his ass on the way out the door and Cody did his best to look offended while simultaneously turning out the lights.
As the bolt slid into place behind them, the phone on the desk began to ring, and ring. Cody couldn't bring himself to care.
Marina management was getting easier all the time.
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And it's like cowbell. I can't get enough. lol!
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