Larry worked for me on my clam dredge the 'Vicky Mary'. Larry had a mustache. On the cold days leaning over the conveyor grabbing clams right and left and tossing them back between his legs to be counted and bagged later, snot would build up on his mustache. One day a very small fish came up the conveyor. Larry grabbed up the fish stuck it head first into his mouth. He was a sight Larry was. Snot on his mustache and the poor little fish tail flopping helplessly about. Often I remember Larry like that. And I smile and tear up.

Larry was a pool shark too. He taught my children to shoot pool. They became very good at the game.

Sometimes I would let Larry Captain my Vicky Mary. But Larry was kind of rough with my fifteen thousand dollar investment so I put him back to crewing. Larry worked with me dredging clams in Little River, in the Santee Delta and in the salt creeks and ditches behind Sullivan's Island.

It was at Sullivan's Island that Larry and I parted company. Larry made some unkind remarks concerning my family. In the heat of my anger I fired Larry.

Some days went by and I reconsidered. I went to Larry's cottage where he lived alone. I sat in the living room with Larry. It was a mess dirty dishes ashtrays beer cans scattered about. I tell Larry "Larry, come on back to work. We can put what was behind us." Larry tells me he is going to the mountains for a few days skiing. "See you when you get back then Larry."

Larry did not go skiing. Instead he parked his car in back of the cottage. He hooked his vacuum cleaner hose to the exhaust and fed it through the rear window of his car window. It was a terrible job Larry did. Sloppy work. Everything held in place with duct tape.

Damn it Larry! Why didn't you tell me?

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