Chapter 11: The Beginning of the Rest of our Lives

Robert Samuel Hamelin was born very early on the morning of July 1^st, Canada Day. He weighed in at 7lbs 5ozs and exhibited a dark head of hair and a healthy set of lungs. I had hoped for a son, but knew I would welcome either son or daughter. The gods had chosen to bless us with a son and the family name was now no longer in danger of dying out. I had been with Ardele through the mercifully short time after her water broke and when her contractions began near midnight.

When they brought him to us in the hospital room, I could see the look on Ardele's face was one of both love and delight. We had a healthy son, and when they came home in a day or so, my fatherhood would formally begin.

Right after the birth, I called Mother, waking her from a sound sleep, but rejoicing with me at the birth of a new life, a new Hamelin. She arrived less than an hour later, almost as excited as I was with our new arrival.

We had deliberately not booked any charters for the first two weeks of July so that I would be able to be with Ardele when her time came. Actually, it came ten days earlier than expected. When my wife and son were released from the hospital, we would be heading to the apartment for a couple of days to make sure we were ready to travel, then the drive to Campbell River, checking into the double motel room we had reserved for the two months. Mother would be staying with us in the second room.

My introduction to fatherhood was quite a shock. Ardele was breast feeding and that meant her getting up at all hours of the night to feed little Bobby. It took a toll on our sleep, but gradually she adjusted, and as she did, so did I. I was told mothers had ears for the smallest sounds from their newborns, but I found that I must have the same myself. The slightest squeak from our son and I was awake, wondering if he was all right. Mother thought it was quite funny. Ardele just wrapped her arms around me, kissed me, and told me how much she loved me. She was convinced I was going to be a great father.

Summer on the B.C. coast usually begins in early-to-mid July and can last through September. Last year, it began on July 9^th and lasted into early October, a summer with almost continuous sunshine and little rain. The forest fire hazard was high through August until October when the fall rains returned.

This year, summer came in little pieces in June, then broke full-on in mid-July, just after we had arrived in Campbell River. The temperatures are always moderated by the presence of the water, and there are very few places in this country that are more comfortable than our coast in summer. It looked as though we would have another long, warm, sunny period for our charters.

We had rented a crib and playpen for Bobby, although he wasn't yet at the crawling stage. We bought the latest and greatest car seat for him, as well as a travel bassinette for the boat. We took him out as a test to see how he liked it, and within fifteen minutes he was fast asleep. It was little different in the SUV. He apparently could sleep almost anywhere, unless he was hungry. That was his mother's job.

I learned to change diapers, including the stinky, yucky brown ones, and did so willingly. I wanted to contribute whatever I could to help Del as we adjusted to parenthood. Discovering that Bobby liked the boat was a big benefit to my wife. She could get out and enjoy the outdoors once again and we spent a fair number of days cruising between charters with just the four of us. Mother was now a constant on Del's Choice, including the charters.

Ernie Tillman was back for a second season and dropped by shortly after we arrived. Dean and Brent had brought our boat up from Vancouver and he was over to see if I was there. Dean filled him in on the recent events since we had last seen him. He hadn't been able to make the wedding as he was visiting some friends in California at the time. He was delighted to hear that Ardele had given us a son and that all of us would be here for the summer.

I don't think we had been in the motel for more than a couple of hours when there was a knock on the door. Ernie stood there with a big bunch of roses and a grin as I welcomed him into the room.

"These are for Ardele," he said, "and congratulations to both of you on your wedding and your new son. You must be very happy."

"Thank you, Ernie," Ardele said, kissing his cheek. "They're lovely. Sit down and visit for a while. Bobby is asleep in his crib if you want to take a peek."

Ernie walked quietly over to the crib and looked on the little guy, peacefully unaware of the visitor.

"Wow, Pat, a son. How about that."

"Yeah," I agreed. "It's a bonus."

It was at that moment that there was a light knock on the adjoining door and Mother peeked in.

"Mom, come in and meet a friend and fellow charter operator. Ernie, this is my mother, Sarah Seaton. Mom, meet Ernie Tillman."

I'm not sure if Ardele noticed or not, but I did. Ernie's eyes locked onto my mother and she seemed to mesmerise him before he gathered his wits and took her hand gently in greeting.

"Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Seaton."

"Please, it's Sarah," she said, and I could almost swear she blushed.

Now my mother had been around Tom Thompson for several months and both Del and I had wondered if there wasn't something happening there. However, the look that I saw on her face and what seemed to pass between Ernie and her at their first meeting was entirely different.

"How's business, Ernie," I asked after an awkward silence.

"Great, Pat, and I owe you a lot for that. First of all, I got a couple of good deckhands for the summer just as you suggested. I had more candidates than I could handle, so I had to scramble to choose two I liked. I think I've made a couple of good choices."

"Good to hear," I nodded. "They can make you--or break you if they aren't right. I've been lucky so far with good guys."

"Yeah, well your help last summer got me some business, and that got me some more business. It seems like your name is golden around here," he grinned.

"That's always good to hear," Ardele said. "You and Pat think alike. Look after the customers and they'll look after you. Word of mouth is always the best advertising."

"You got that right," Ernie said enthusiastically. "I'm not totally booked, but pretty close and if there are any last minute opportunities, I might be able to fit them in."

"Just the way you want it, Ernie," I said. "We booked a little light this summer because of the new baby, but Mom has signed on as our newest deckhand, so we've got lots of help both with the boat and the baby. Better yet, it looks like Bobby is going to be a pretty good sailor, too."

I offered Ernie a beer and he accepted, while Mother surprised me and declined a wine and asked for a beer, as well. She chose to sit near Ernie and when Bobby began to fuss and let Del know it was time for a feeding, they struck up their own conversations while I prepared to change our baby and Del prepared to do the rest.

"Did you see the look that passed between your mother and Ernie?" Del whispered.

"Yeah. What do you make of that?"

"I don't know. Something was going on, that's for sure."

I got on with the business of cleaning up Bobby's business and walked back into the living area.

"I'm just going down to see Ernie's boat. I won't be long," Mother announced.

"No rush, everything's under control here," I grinned.

How about that. I walked back to where Del was nursing our son and let her know the latest developments. I got a knowing smile in return. Knowing what, I wasn't so sure.

"Did you know that Ernie has his own plane?" Mother asked at supper that evening.

"No," I said. "I knew he was a pilot, but I didn't know he had a plane."

"He bought it last winter. It's a float plane ... a Cessna something. He's going to take me up to show me around the area."

Mother was trying very had to make this sound like it was no big deal and wasn't quite pulling it off.

"That's nice," Ardele said. "It's very beautiful from the air on a clear day."

"I want to get some good shots with my Nikon if I can," my mother continued. "Apparently, I can open the window a bit if I need to."

"Don't fall out," I quipped.

"Don't worry, I plan to have my seat belt fastened very snugly when I'm aboard."

I looked at Ardele and waggled my eyebrows when I thought Mother wasn't looking. That got me a barely suppressed snicker.

Our first charter was Friday, July 19^th, a party of six made up of three couples. It was a sightseeing charter with fishing as an afterthought. I had Dean back with me as deckhand this summer while Brent Dagg replaced Peter Masters. Peter had graduated and was now working full time for an outfitter and guide up north. Brent fit in well, but then I wasn't surprised. I had Dean interview him since they had to work closely together.