When the offshore went down for about the fourth time in it's history, and I was in the job market, it chanced that a job came open on the CH ferry. Clyde Smith had gone on long term disability.
I applied for the position and was sucessful, much to my chagrin (later) I already was in posession of engineers certification, and after I was there for a while, I saw that it would be highly advantageous to have a masters certificate, so I wrote and passed that exam, much to the deep chagrin of certain residents of St. Mary's Municipality.....But this story is not about the politics of working on the worse job I ever had, it's all about getting even.
One morning after I had been there about two months, this guy drives on at the west side, heading east at 0600 hrs. Stranger. I went out to collect his fare, and rolling down the window he smiled, proffered a hundred dollar bill, and said benignly, " Sorry, that's the smallest I have."
We had a float of forty dollars or so, and at that early hour there was no way I could change it. And he knew it! So he rode the waves for free.
Came the next morning; same guy, same C note, same story.
He should have quit while he was ahead, because when I got off shift at noon that day, I went home had dinner, jumped in my truck and headed for the bank. The teller was amazed when I asked for one hundred dollars worth of nickels.
That night when I went on shift at mid night I had $99.50 in nickels in a nice white pillow case. Buddy drove on at ten to six as I was hoping he would and I went out to the driver's side window. Grinning sardonically, he held out the hundred. I gave him his ticket took the bill, and said, "Please wait, I have to go inside for your change." When I returned, I had the pillow case. " What's this.?" he said as I hoisted the the bag up to the window. " Your change, sir", I replied. " 99.50 in nickels. Hope you have a nice day!"
He had his fifty cents ready the next morning, I'm here to tell you that!!
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