SEBASTIAN — Twelve-year-old Nicholas Soltysik was surprised and saddened when late last month someone slipped into his backyard near the river in Sebastian and stole the little rowboat that was his pride and joy.
He and his dad, Steven Soltysik, had worked hard to spruce it up, and he couldn’t understand why someone would do something so mean. Soltysik did his best to explain to Nicholas that sometimes people just do bad things. But, thanks to the kindness of a stranger, the story has a happy ending.
Sebastian resident Dominic “Dom” Civetta, who owns Dom’s Technical, Inc., read the Sebastian River News story about Nicholas and his stolen boat, and how he and his dad had worked together getting it seaworthy.
“I had this jon boat just sitting by the side of my house,” Civetta said. “I had picked it up a couple of years ago and hadn’t been using it. I was going to sell it and then I saw the story and I remembered when I was a kid I had a boat and I know how I would have felt if it got stolen.”
So Civetta called Soltysik and told him he’d like to give the boat to Nicholas.
Soltysik was deeply touched. “It is just wonderful to know there are people out there with no motive except to help someone. He didn’t know us from Adam. It was one of those instances when something good comes from something bad. I said to Nicholas, ‘How cool is this guy!’ Nicholas was overjoyed! We already got a cushion for it and painted it. And Dom gave us the trolling motor as well. What a blessing. We’re just an average family, doing the best we can, and this little neighborhood really came together. We gave him (Civetta) some homemade brownies.“
When he found out he had been given another boat, Nicholas, a sixth grader at Sebastian River Middle School, says “That someone would do that – he could have sold it for money and instead, he gave it to me. I was really shocked … and really, really grateful!”
About the person who stole his boat, Nicholas says he was sad and upset at the time, ”but I’m not mad at the person anymore. I’ve forgiven him. “
By now, Nicholas figures his buddies have heard the good news. “I told Logan and I’m sure he’s told the other guys.” He’s looking forward to getting back out on the river with them as soon as the weather cooperates. “Maybe we can get it into the water soon. There’s more room in this boat. We can take it to our fishing spot, near the house. The backyard is a little upstream.”
He explains that, because of the no-wake rule on the St. Sebastian River, he’ll be cautious about using the motor and will still do a lot of rowing.
For his part, Civetta , who has grown children and six grandkids, simply says, “I’m just happy I could make things a little nicer.”
