I held Caleb, stuffed into his life jacket, while Karen carried his bags of supplies as we stepped aboard the pontoon boat/ferry for the 50-yard crossing from Essex Island Marina to the mainland. You could skip a rock across that stretch of water without much effort.
Veteran Safe Harbor employee Capt. Tom looked at Connor, who was staring at him shyly.
“Hey, you want to drive?” he asked a sheepish Connor.
A smile spread across Connor’s face as he nodded.
Calmly, Capt. Tom instructed Connor on which way to turn the wheel as he bumped the outboard in and out of gear.
“Now, here’s what we’re going to do next. We’re going to head straight for that dock over there. You know where we need to go—you’ve been there. Can you see it?”
“Yeah,” Connor said, his smile growing with each passing yard.
As we idled up to the dock, we all cheered. Connor jumped in the air to give Capt. Tom a high five.
After running a couple of errands, we started walking back to the ferry to return to the marina. Connor asked me if he could drive again.
“Only if Capt. Tom offers,” I replied.
“OK,” he said confidently. We walked a couple hundred feet before he asked, “What does offer mean?”
Sure enough, Tom offered again and patiently guided the ferry while Connor regaled him with a story that lacked a plot or punchline. They wrapped up the ride with another enthusiastic high five. Despite a near seven-decade age gap, it was clear a friendship was forming.
In total, Connor drove with Capt. Tom for about 90 seconds each way. Since that day, he’s been telling everyone that he wants to be a boat captain.
Now, I should mention that in previous months, he’s also wanted to become a firefighter, a coach, and a chef (but only at home with his mom). But what if—what if one day he really does decide to pursue such a career? I guess it just goes to show: it only takes seconds for an act of kindness to make a lasting impression.
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