»
Main Forums
»
Passions in Prose
»
Charlie's dog
| Passions in Prose |
|
Charlie's dog |
|
|
kayjay Member Elite
since 2002-06-24
Posts 2015Oregon |
Charlie’s Dog I was sitting in “My Office”, not an office, but the name of a bar, when a young sailor off my submarine wandered in. My Office had the best hamburgers in three counties and every one knew where you were when you said “If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my office.” The kid’s name was Torgerson, or ‘Torgy’ and he was always after me for stories about “Charlie.” Charlie Shepherd, the best friend a man could have, was been a First Class Torpedoman on our boat who’d died in a Torpedo Room fire last month. Charlie had saved Torgy’s life and the kid, who hardly knew him, couldn’t hear enough stories of the man. And a man he was, with dauntless courage, an insane way of finding trouble and pulling me along, and a charm with women that was amazing to see. But he was more, he was well read, knew the King James bible from his youth and was deadly serious about his job. But Lord, how that man could find trouble. “Hey, Slim,” Torgy called as he approached. This here’s “Ski” Markowski, a buddy from boot camp. “How you guys doin’? Good to meet you.” I shook “Ski’s” hand and waved at the bartender for a couple more glasses. “Hey, we don’t mean to drink your beer,” Torgy said, reaching for his billfold. “We’ll about ruin this one,” I said, “just grab the next one.” “I’ve been telling Ski about Charlie, Slim, but the stories sound better from you. You got another?” Torgy’s eyes blazed. Earl Torgeson was a big kid, nearly up to my six–two, with the blue eyes and blonde hair of his Nordic ancestors. Ski was shorter but wider in the shoulders. His dark Slavic features split into an anticipatory grin. “Did I ever tell you about the time Charlie took me to his home in Minnesota?” I tilted back my head and Torgy was signaling for another pitcher before I set my glass down. “Hey, I grew up in the Twin Cities.” Ski tossed in. I settled back. “Charlie was from a small town up near Brainerd. We’d gone there on leave for his sister’s wedding. I don’t know why she got married in January, but she did. The dang rice nearly froze in the air as we threw it. Lord, it was cold.” Ski nodded. “We used to play hockey till our socks froze off.” The next day, Sunday afternoon, we walked down near the Mississippi River. Now Charlie’s family had this big ol’ Black Lab named Max.” Must’ve gone better’n a 100 pounds.” “Big rascal,” Torgy chimed in. Another sailor who’d joined us nodded in agreement. “'C'mon,' said Charlie, 'let’s have some fun with Max.' So we slipped and slid down to the riverbank and got onto the deck around the family boat house. The sun was brilliant and the sky was that irides..whachamacallit blue you only see in snow country.” “Iri–what?” an old-timer who had wandered in barked . You read too much. Get on with the story.” “The river was frozen solid, of course. Charlie’d brought a baseball with him and lobbed it onto the ice and the dog would race out to get it. Well, the poor old dog would be do-si-doing like a square dancer, trying to turn as the ball bounced on the uneven surface. We laughed our butts off. Out in the river, oh maybe 25 or 30 yards was a small island. Charlie’s neighbors had had a floating bridge to it for the kids to hike over for camp outs, but it hadn’t been used in a while. It lay low, resting in or on the ice, I don’t know which.” A couple more shipmates came in and settled down. “Hey, we missed the first part, start over, Slim,” one called. I said, “This is about me and Charlie at his home, you’ll catch up. Well, Charlie’s arm was a bit warmed up by now and he threw one out, but it bounced funny and headed for this bridge with Max on the run. The dog leaped to catch the ball and as he landed, brittle ice broke under him. There must have been some eddy currents around that bridge, keeping the ice thin.” “Quick,” Charlie yelled, “get some rope from the boat house or we’ll lose Max. Tie it to a tree and follow me.” “I could see Max paddling in the icy water, trying to get on the bridge, but it broke under his weight. I ran and stumbled my way to the boat house, found some rope, realizing too late that Charlie expected this LA-raised kid to follow him onto the ice.” “Hey,” Ski contributed, “nothing to it. We ice-fished all the time.” “What did Charlie do?” Torgy’s eyes danced. “I tied a bowline around a cottonwood and looked at the ice. I was thinking, he’s got my butt in a sling again,” I said, pausing to wet my whistle, “ and that damned idiot Charlie dove in after the dog.” “Jeez, no lie?” came the collective words. “No lie.” I said. “I don’t know how long hypothermia takes but I figured we didn’t have much time. Your body only has to drop a couple of degrees and you’re shivering. Three degrees and your hands don’t work so good.” I looked up to the somber faces. “Think about that when we’re at sea.” “So what’d you do?” the barkeep, now entranced, spoke up. “I hauled my tail out on the ice, waiting for it to crack under me.” I could feel my feel slide as I told the tale. “It seemed like a long ways, but then I was heaving the loops of rope to Charlie who’d grabbed the splashing, struggling dog.” “'Get him on the ice,' he yelled, 'and toss it back. Move it, Slim!'” "I could hear the chattering teeth in his speech. I got the dog up and he promptly shook out, getting me nearly as wet as he was. Charlie had used a bowline, the world’s greatest knot, and I got it undone and ready to toss to Charlie. Don’t you know that dog went to the edge of the ice and started barking? The fool thought it was a game.” “'Max, come!' came a shout from the shore." “Charlie’s dad had seen the ruckus and come down to help. The dog took off, half sliding. The wind had come up as it will up there, and I couldn’t get the rope to fall right.” “Remember, Slim” Charlie called, “if you don’t get me out, my wake is on you!” “I guess that motivated me, ‘cuz I laid the loops of line just upwind of him and he grabbed on. ’Get a loop on you’, I shouted over the whistling wind. It seemed like all afternoon must have passed by now. He passed it under his arms, but his fingers wouldn’t work to tie the knot.” “Did you go in after him?” I looked up to see the group had grown, but I wasn’t sure who had spoken. “You got it, buddy, in I went. Charlie’s dad had come out and just took charge. ‘I’ll pull him out,' he said, 'and then you, but you have to get the line on him.’ He gave me a sharp look." I stopped, looking at the rapt faces, to think about how a brief moment of fun had brought us so close to the edge so quickly. There was no sound in that bar that smelled like all bars; the faces looked like all faces that look at near tragedy. “I went in and we both got out, cold, wet and shivering. Charlie’s dad was an old logger, strong as an ox. I don’t know what might’ve happened if he hadn’t had his head together.” I pulled at my beer. “Sometimes, you just never know when your number is up,” Pete Nichols, a newly rated chief petty officer offered. “There you go, Torgy, that is just the way it happened and that was Charlie.” |
||
| © Copyright 2005 Ken Julkowski - All Rights Reserved | |||
Midnitesun
since 2001-05-18
Posts 28647Gaia |
Ken, you are an incredibly good story teller. Wow, my hands went numb for a minute as I slipped through that ice..... |
||
|
Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
I was right there with you, Ken! Very spell binding tale!! Well done!  |
||
|
Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
I have a feeling there's a book in this...and among military men, and all the women Charlie captivated you'd have a winner on your hands. So, start racking up the Charlie stories [or I'll send Torgy back] and I'm sure there were a couple of other memorable men out there ... write 'em up! [Read, "git 'er done!] |
||
|
kayjay Member Elite
since 2002-06-24
Posts 2015Oregon |
Thank you all for your kind comments. I do think "Charlie" may have a second life. Certainly, submarine sailors are zany characters. Ken Through rubble and trouble and dark of night |
||
|
miscellanea Member Elite
since 2004-06-24
Posts 4060OH |
Enjoyed your colorful dialogue and description. Loved this line! The dang rice nearly froze in the air as we threw it. Lord, it was cold.” I can see and feel it now! miscellanea |
||
|
Enchantress Member Empyrean
since 2001-08-14
Posts 35113Canada eh. |
Ken, I do believe your forte' is in story telling. You have a way of pulling the reader in, holding them captive and wanting more.. and I do hope there is more!! I agree with Karilea...write them down and publish!! Hugs~Nancy |
||
|
|
⇧ top of page ⇧ |
|
| All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format. | ||
