The Fisherman's Daughter

Recently, Thea had noticed how many things she had in common with the Sea Siren. They both were strong and sturdy on the outside, but weak and weary from years of corrosion. She observed this, yet again, as she approached the boat she knew all too well. With her father accompanying her, they both made their way to the captain’s quarters. On board and up a flight of stairs they went, their footsteps sounding in tandem. Once they reached the pilothouse, her father took seat in his rightful position - the large captain’s chair that sat in the middle of the room, directly in front of the large window.

Thea examined Arttu has he went about his tasks. The sprawl of maps, names, numbers, weather forecasts and the lot, with which she was familiar, lay in front of him. It was like a foreign language. The language her father spoke fluently, Thea only fathomed nearly half of it. She was sure that if she could peek into her father’s dreams, all she would see was a duplication of these things. As she watched him work and think, she felt that proud feeling surge over her again.

Her father was her mentor; she had always looked up to him. She had always been “daddy’s little girl,” whether he was present or not. In fact, she still was. However, now, she was all grown up. Being in that particular place with her father again, had made her realize all those reasons why she looked up to him. His drive and hard work was something to be admired. Moreover, while he was often preoccupied with work, he still found plenty of time to be a decent person and a great father. He always made it to important events and, even if he was away fishing, he always took the time out of his busy day to wish his only daughter the happiest birthday ever. Thea also figured that was why the two of them were so close - because Thea was his only daughter. Her mother had told her that he had wanted a daughter and that when he got one, he bore the expression of a truly happy man.

Arttu proceeded about his work and only looked up when he noticed Thea’s silence. “Is there something wrong, Thea?” he asked, concerned.

“No. I’m just watching,” she explained.

He gave her a look meant to question whether she was telling the truth or not. “Well, if you’re looking for something to do, I’m sure I could find something for you.”

“If there’s something you need me to do, I’d be happy to do it,” she answered.

He thought for a moment. “Hmm. We’re nearly out of coffee on the ship. Perhaps you could walk to the store down the road and get some,” he offered.

“Sure, dad,” she replied, getting up from her seat slowly. She grabbed her heavy coat and quickly voyaged back into the crisp autumn air.

The walk back to the ship was a cold one. Thea was chilled to the bone and shaking, with a large tin can of coffee in tow. For early October, the weather was frightfully cold. Though she knew she should expect this sort of weather for Alaska, she was never quite prepared to take the trip up to Dutch Harbor to say farewell to her father. Not just because of the obvious reason of having to wish her father and his crew good luck, but to have to bear the rough seasons they experienced. This, being nearly the coldest one.

Thea approached the vessel with a dedication of sorts - a dedication to the warmth of her father’s small room. As she briskly walked the rest of the way, she thought to herself that she should’ve known to wear more layers. She began to think that the walk, in which she took her time, was not such a bright idea. As the ship came into view, so did something else. A man merely fifty feet in front of her was slowing to a stop as he approached the boat. He had an air about him that she found to be vaguely familiar. As she drew nearer to him, she became more curious as to who he was. He stood there on the dock for a moment, taking a final drag on his cigarette. When he was through, he flicked the still-burning butt into the water and turned to face Thea as she began boarding the ship.

“Thea, is that you?” She turned to him. He was squinting, in effort of recognition. His piercing blue eyes scanned her face. As soon as she saw his face, she remembered exactly who he was.

“Hey, Jake. I haven’t seen you in while,” she replied, nonchalantly.

“No kidding!” he said excitedly. Almost instantaneously, he changed his tone to a more concerned quality. “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been alright. Not looking forward to the next few days though.”

“I hear that,” he said softly, glancing out to the sea that would become his home for the next few months.

She looked down to the ground, feeling his nervousness emanate from him and infect her. She tried to think of something to quickly ease the nerves. “How is your family? I haven’t heard anything from you guys in a while.”

Apparently, the topic didn’t alleviate the anxiety. He turned to her and let out a woeful sigh, answering, “Dad isn’t doing too well. He’s been in and out of the hospital. But we’re doing as best as we can.”

Thea bit her lip and winced. She admitted to herself that she had a way of making bad situations more awkward. “I’m sorry to hear that. I guess if you need someone to talk to, I’m always a phone call away.”

Jake gave a faint smile. “Thanks, Thea. I’ll remember that.”

After a few minutes of silence, her father appeared, breaking the quiet. “There you are, Thea. I was just about to go check up on you. You’ve been gone for a while.”

“Sorry. I was just taking my time, and catching up with Jake.”

He nodded. “Well, good. But I’m sorry to say, your mom just called me and said she needs your help back at the house.” He rolled his eyes. He knew her mom’s neediness too well. Thea smiled at the thought. “I know, you haven’t been out long, but it would be nice if you could help out with whatever she may need.”

“Yeah, sure,” she replied, handing the coffee over to her father. As he thanked her, she pulled her coat close and began to walk back into town. Until she felt someone following her. She quickly stopped and turned around. There, she found Jake, immediately behind her.

“Can I walk you home?” Jake asked, standing there awkwardly.

Thea bobbed her head in agreement and they both headed towards her home, quietly chatting about everything that had happened in the time between meetings. As they eventually approached her small, seasonal home, they said their parting words and shared a meaningful embrace. Thea noticed her mother’s figure in the window. The look she bore made Thea think back to their previous conversation. Sonja’s eyes and the smirk that danced on her lips screamed nothing but “I told you so.”