The Boat (05)--Summer, Autumn 1968,

As soon as he got back to his apartment, he wrote a letter to the address shown on the flyer. Following the example set by the employment agency, he rewrote his resume, omitting any reference to his advanced degree.

When he finished, he inserted the letter into an envelope, sealed it, and mailed it immediately, because he had the envelopes and stamps right in a paper bag which was in his car all the time.

 With extra care, he varnished the boat. Even though the instructions only called for two coats, he gave it a third layer.

     At 5 am, the morning after he finished the varnishing, he hurried to the garage. He could hardly wait to get the boat into the water. In the dim light, the body of the boat reflected light. Was it the paint was still wet or because it dried? He touched the surface and checked his finger. Nothing!

     He stepped back a few steps to admire his boat.

     It suddenly hit him that his boat was so much bigger than his little car. How was he going to get his boat to the water?

     Silently, he sat in the garage looking at the boat and his problems from all angles. Outside, it gradually became lighter.

     Finally, he decided that he should check the yellow pages for car rental agencies. He found one in a neighboring town.

The good-hearted super, his tall nine-year-old son, and Li, all three struggled together to lift the boat onto the top of the rented car. The young boy clapped his hands in glee and repeatedly saying "Good luck. I wish you the best of the luck with the boat."

Li, with the boat tied to the rental car, drove along the shore of Lake Cayuga. Finally, his hand-made craft would launch into the water. He dove for many miles around the lake before he sensed that something wasn't right. Each time he found a place suitable for launching his boat, there was also a sign of some sort saying "Private Property. No trespassing."

The shading trees lined lakeshore road, and its green lawns looked as if they were velvety emerald embroidery in front of the attractive houses dotting the lakeside. It was a twentieth-century paradise. How peaceful the countryside was. What a prosperous society!

Too bad that he was an unemployed Chinaman, driving a rented car loaded down with a homemade boat.

   Li had been driving for more than an hour: the air in the car got warmer and stuffier. His hands were hot and sticky, and his shirt was soaking wet.

Along his calf, the sweat was dripping onto the rental car's floor.

Finally, he spotted a launching ramp without a sign indicating it was private. Many cars, engines idling, were lined up waiting for their turn to put their boats into the water. Li let out a big sigh as he drove his rented car slowly to the end of the line.

At the top of the ramp, from the doorway of a small security shack, a uniformed security guard walked over to Li and asked for his ID card. Li handed his NY State Drivers License to the guard, who took the license back to the shack. Shortly after that, the guard returned to tell Li, "Sorry, only residents are permitted to use this ramp. If you want to launch your boat, you'll have to go to Utica. They do allow non-residents to use their launching facilities."

Li sat in the car, eyeing each boat as they launched into the clear, crystal water. Gentle waves flew, in seamless succession, off into the distance, where boats floated peacefully. The lake stretched endlessly. Above the sky was a beautiful, bright blue, with fluffy white clouds drifting by softly.

Soaking wet with perspiration, he drove in the direction the guard pointed.

Conditions inside the car were even worse than before. His left leg started to tremble. He felt frail, probably because he hadn't eaten anything since last night.

    Utica! With no trouble, he found the boat ramp. At the top, there was a sign.

    “Residents – Free

     Non-residents - $5.00”

     Reluctantly, he took $5.00 out of his thin wallet and gave it to the friendly Dock Attendant. The man was accommodating and even assisted Li in carrying the boat off the car. It's not an easy job because the homemade craft was heavy and there were no hand-holds. Suddenly, the ship slipped and fell onto the cement. 

A large section of paint chipped off the bottom of the boat. Li stared at the chip for a long time. He studied the scrapped spot for an equally long time.

Luckily the boat floated. There was no leak. The Dock Attendant held the boat while Li parked his car. He returned and thanked the Attendant, who hurried away to help another fisherman. Li jumped into the ship full of anticipation, causing it to rock so violently that he fell onto the wooden bench at the bottom of the craft.

     Meanwhile, a large cabin cruiser thundered past, raising a large wake, tossing the small rowboat lost its equilibrium. Two large speed boats cause a double wake, wave after wave, one higher than the other. The ship was caught in the turbulence and moved powerlessly into deeper water, out of sight of the launching area. Li had no chance to get up to get his bearings.

     The bow of the boat hit something hard and heavy. Thunk. Now what?

     It is stuck on a sand bar!

     The sky spun around his head. The earth turned topsy-turvy.

     Bla.

     He threw up!

     The waves increased in intensity as the evening breeze came over the lake, drove the boat more in-depth into the sand. Li attempted to use the oar to free the vessel; the oar is too short and too slender.

     He looked around. To the left was water, water, water….endless. Far off, many boats were motoring back and forth. On the right side, he could see the shore with its houses and trees. But they appeared to be quite far away.

     Certainly too far for him to swim.

He sat, pondering his fate. The sunset, putting on a display of color more beautiful than he had seen in a long time.

Quickly now, it got darker. No boats were in sight.

Darker and colder, the evening star blinked coldly. More stars appeared, twinkling, wanting to help but unable.

Li felt colder and colder and started to shake. The evening got damp. Drops of moisture settled on his face and body. The dampness penetrates to the marrow. He made his body as small as possible as a protective measure, almost rolling it into a ball.

    He got drowsier and drowsier.

(To Be Continued)