A Summer to Remember
1 It was the first week of Mike's summer vacation.
Mom and Dad told him that they needed to talk to
him. "Charlie hurt his foot and can't work for two
weeks," Dad said. Charlie was Dad's helper on the
fishing boat. Dad trapped crabs in cages and sold
them to stores.
2 Mom said, "dad thought you might be able to work
with him on the boat until Charlie's foot heals. We
know you had plans with your friends this
summer, but Dad really needs your help."
3 Mike thought about what his mom said. He knew Dad was busy and would really need the extra help. "Sure, Dad, I would love to work with you," Mike replied.
4 Dad and Mike left early the next morning. First, Mike put bait in the metal crab cages. When they reached the right spot, Dad and Mike threw the baited crab cages over the edge of the boat. "This is a tough job," Mike thought. He kept working, though, and did not stop until the last cage was in the water.
5 After an hour had passed, it was time to check the cages. They pulled the first one up into the boat. There was nothing, not one single crab. Mike's heart sank a little. However, as they pulled up the other cages, they found more and more crabs. Mike was so excited.
6 Dad was proud of Mike's hard work and had a special reward for him. "This time it is your turn to steer the boat back to shore." Dad had shown him how to do it before, and now Mike was able to show off what he learned. It was late afternoon by the time they returned home. Mom had dinner ready for them, but Mike was so tired he went straight to bed.
7 The next morning Mike's arms hurt from lifting the cages. He had such a good time with Dad, though, that he wanted to keep helping him. Once again, he came home very tired and half asleep. The two weeks passed, and Mike's aches and pains slowly went away. One day they saw Charlie standing on the docks, the place where boats are kept. "It looks like he's ready to come back to work," Dad said.
8 Mike stared at the boat. he enjoyed being out on the ocean and spending time with Dad. "May I come too?" he asked.
9 Dad looked surprised and said, "Sure, I would love for you to come along. Charlie, so you mind?"
10 Charlie grinned and said, "I'm always willing to have extra help."
11 They all jumped aboard the boat and headed off to the ocean. The rest of the summer would prove to be a great one for all three of them.