With a little help from our friends

There are lots of things I’m not good at, but high on that list is asking for and accepting help. When you live on this island though, you better learn. On the mainland, if you have a few bucks to your name, you can generally get yourself out of most messes. Whether a failed supper means that takeout is in order or a dead battery requires a service call, paying a simple bill will solve most problems. Over here though, money isn’t much good. Your skills will get you much further. You own an excavator? Perfect. You’re an electrician? Awesome.

As a child, my father, who was a jack of all trades, looked after most everything over here for us, whether it was repairs at the cottage or maintenance of the vehicles. When dad died, we suddenly realized that although we often were involved by “helping”, we didn’t pay nearly enough attention to why we were doing whatever task we were assigned, or to the larger job itself. We figured out what we could, and everyone on the island was very supportive in helping my mom remain over here. Luckily, my mom could bake which helped get her out of some jams. Meanwhile, there are more lawyers than one would ever need on this little island so my bartering abilities are negligible. In fact, I’m more apt to be called upon to pipe for something. I’m a First Responder for our fire department and I try to help out by doing some dishes at community events or selling some tickets, but my value over here is pretty minimal. If it’s daylight and not too windy, I suppose during the boating season I could get you to the mainland in a pinch.

This year marks ten years since Dad passed. In the time since, Rob had made his way to the island and was making a name for himself as a particular helpful and handy fellow. He became mom’s neighbour and she regularly relied on him to change her propane tanks or get her out of the odd bind. So when I showed up with a massive turkey and we were looking to fill the final spot at the table, mom extended an invitation to Rob. Not that she didn’t enjoy his company, but Rob loves to eat as much as anyone I know and she figured if she kept feeding him, he’d be sure to be around to help.

I’m pretty sure she wasn’t expecting the two of us to fall in love. I actually tried to dissuade her from inviting him that day. I knew Rob’s family very well, but I didn’t really know Rob; his younger brother Chris was closer to my age. I was enjoying a few drinks that day and after supper I decided a swim was in order. Only Rob took me up on the invitation. I later learned he was a former lifeguard and regularly spent part of his evenings swimming at the East End.

Two and a half years later, we find ourselves living here together and the list of people who make that possible extends beyond the island. From Rob’s brother maintaining our mainland house to my assistant quickly getting a set of headphones on the plane to me after the beagles were briefly left unattended, the list of people I owe favours too is longer than this island. This week though, we relied on a particularly large group of people.

Last fall, while most of the newbies were hoarding food, Ed was busy stockpiling spare appliances. I might have cracked one too many jokes about this, so Karma decided to cause our stove to malfunction. Maybe we could have got the winter out of it, we always could have stolen Kay’s, but when Ed decided to make a rare winter run to the mainland the opportunity was too good to pass up so a new propane stove was in order for us. We also squeezed in a large grocery order thanks to mom, some M & M goodies compliments of Lindsay, and a pile of back up liquor thanks to Mike and Nancy.

I’ve crossed the Strait in some poor conditions, when you feel like a dinky being tossed around, so seeing Rob take off in that little boat was not the most comfortable of feelings, although a nearby Coast Guard icebreaker that just happened to be in the neighbourhood did provide some reassurance. Once the trip was over, the collective sigh of relief was audible, on both sides of the Strait I’m sure.

While the boys ventured to the mainland, I had hurried off the other direction to meet the plane. Indy and Ava were due for their vaccinations this week, so together with Ed and Sarah, we split on a flight to have a winter visit from Dr. Brenda, who has a place here. She faithfully provided their shots so the puppies didn’t have to leave their island either.

Once back on the island, Ros installed the stove with assistance from Stretch and Al, while all I could do was supply some cocktails to celebrate. Stretch returned later to recalibrate the oven, while Rob offered him a part he needed from “Rob’s Hardware Store”.

I’d like to say we’ll stop being a nuisance to our loved ones now, but I know better. I already have my best friend on standby to give me an injection I need in a few weeks. To everyone who is helping us make this dream come true, whichever side of the Strait you may be on, thank you!