The Wild Goose

The Wild Goose is a story about a young man whose estranged father has unexpectedly died and left him a boat. It explores grief, resentment, regret, and our expectations of other people. It’s also an excuse for me to live on a boat, in a marina (even if it’s just make-believe).

In the story, Edward grapples with his resentment towards his dead father. A self-absorbed, pretentious college professor who routinely prioritized his own life over anyone else’s. The Wild Goose itself is a bar in the marina, named after John Wayne’s boat that once docked there. Edward meets the locals at the bar and begins a “no labels” relationship with the feisty bartender Abby. And finds a reluctant father figure who also carries his own remorse over the choices he made in his youth named Sam who teaches him about boating.

It's still a work in progress because it is so emotionally charged and also requires a lot of research because I don’t know the first thing about boats. The scene I’m sharing follows Edward and Abby’s first sexual encounter.