$40,000 in a Day

*** $40,000 a day ***
-Boston, Massachusetts
(#StorytellingSalemStory #999,983 out of 1mil:)

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So I’ve been travelin’ across the country—
Town to town,
City to city,
State to state;
Sittin’ down in random locations—
Across this nation—with a whiteboard in my haaaand~ I’ve been askin’ ppllllll:

“What’s,
Yor,
Story?”

And when I was down in Boston, Massachusetts, a broad-shouldered fellah in a Celtics-Champs-cap- stopped on by; saw what was scribbled on my sign, and gave me a squinty-eyed-look- like he’d been waitin’ to let this tale off the hook. He leaned in and said:

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We set out ‘fore dawn, ‘round three or so,
Boatin’ east outta Gloustah, slow.
Fog thick as chowda, sea cold as sin,
Me an’ Big Benny, fishin’ again.

Target was bluefin, fat an’ fast,
They run deep waters, fight to the last.
We’d hauled in four, then I heard the zing!—
The reel spun wild like a demon’s string.

Benny grabbed it, hollerin’ loud,
‘THIS ONE’S A TITAN, SWEAR TO THE CROWD!’
Line shot taut like a steel-bound rope,
Wrapped his leg—he slipped, no hope.

Man went over, hit the tide—
Line round his ankle, eyes real wide.
Boat jerked sideways, damn near flipped,
I dove for the winch—my hands got ripped.

He was thrashin’, screamin’, ‘CUT THE LINE!’
But that’s ten-thousand bucks o’ tuna on mine!
Still—I ain’t losin’ Benny to a fish,
No matter how rich, no matter how swish.

I grabbed the gaff, swung wide an’ low,
Hooked the rail, braced for the throw.
Winch jammed tight, line screamin’ red—
I thought for a tick Benny was dead.

But then—snap!—the fish let go,
Benny surfaced, coughin’ wild n slow.
I hauled ‘im in like a goddamn log,
He puked on deck, said ‘Buy me a dawg.’

We laughed so hard we near passed out,
Right there driftin’ off the trawlin’ route.
Didn’t land that beast, no sir—not then,
But we made it home— with a four-tuna-win.

& now? noww? nowww?
I can still go fishin’ with:
Big Benny—
once again.”

⸻

Then he dusted his coat, gave a crooked smile, and said:
“Thanks for listening”
Tipped his cap with a nod,
& walked off down the wharf.

And there I sat, holdin’ my whiteboard—askin’ ppl:
“What’s,
Yor,
Story?”
waitin’ for the next fish to swim my waaaay~

⸻

(#StorytellingSalemStory #999,983)