A purchase that was all wet
- Laura Moore: Housebroken
- November 25, 2024
- 470
Many years ago when we were young and a bit foolish, Taller Half came down with a virulent case of “boat fever” after a tour of a friend’s new vessel.
Males are very susceptible to this ailment, though females are by no means immune. I found those visits interesting but had no urge to buy a boat.
“Boat fever” can be acutely painful, especially to the checkbook, but before I knew it, our checkbook was in pain and we had bought one.
Because we didn’t live on a lake, a rather big boat was living on our driveway. The next week was spent cleaning, waxing and showering that new possession with little goodies: life preservers, anchors, compasses, awnings, buoys and, of course, a vinyl cover. Heaven forbid that rain should get our beautiful boat wet!
All our neighbors began arriving to view our new expense, or rather, our new treasure. I could see the beginnings of the “fever” in several of our male neighbors. Christened “ARESoonParted” after a fool and his money, the boat was soon towed up to the lake for its maiden voyage.
Being out on the water away from the marina made me very nervous. Taller Half was thrilled and loved revving the engines and racing out onto the lake. When he did that, I got increasingly jittery. By the time we returned to the marina, I was almost in tears and feeling very sick.
Taller Half was shocked at my reaction, as was I. We went out on the water one more
time before I had to admit the boating life was not for me. After several trips without me, Taller Half decided to sell the boat and invest in something we could enjoy together.
The day he sold that boat was the second happiest day of my husband’s life — the first being the day he bought it.
Out of the kindness of his heart and the money recovered when the sale went through, Taller Half found the perfect replacement — a camping trailer that could be towed behind our car. It was a wonderful choice our family enjoyed for several years.