Lydia's Island #5
Teddy's Last Day Part 2
Teddy hooked the next buoy and pulled it in. His colors were light purple with navy blue crosses, a source of amusement for the other guys. Teddy didn’t mind. His buoys were easy to see, and that was what mattered. It had taken a long time to feel like one of the guys. For a long time he hadn’t felt qualified. They had spent their whole lives in this bay, and so had their fathers and grandfathers. Not only did Teddy not have much experience on the water, but he was also from away. He would never have made it out here if not for Ben.
He hooked the line to the winch and hauled in the next set of traps. A few lobsters in here, but they looked small. He got out the gauge and checked. A couple of keepers, just barely. He threw the other one back and put the keepers in the cooler.
After meeting Lydia, Teddy wanted to spend as much time here as possible. His cousin was pretty serious about his own Philhardt’s Landing girl, so the two of them rented a couple of rooms and worked at the lobster pound outside Charlie’s. Teddy had always been good at teaching himself, and that summer he studied the lobstermen from afar. He wanted to figure out everything about them, how they talked, how they moved, what they knew.
By the next summer, Ben got him a job as a stern man on Ronnie Comcheck’s boat, the Dora Eliza. Ronnie hadn’t been too friendly at first, but Teddy worked hard and kept quiet, and eventually Ronnie started telling him stories.
Teddy stopped for a minute to pour a capful of coffee from his thermos and look at the house on the island. The storm shutters were on over the front windows. The Adirondack chairs were under the deck and the picnic table was at the side of the house. The beach had a little debris on it, but nothing major. Pieces of a busted buoy, a length of frayed clothesline, some foam from under a wharf.
Teddy thought again about living there. He’d miss seeing the kids, that was one thing. It might be good for Coley if they sold the mainland house and pushed him out of the nest, but what about Miriam? She’d had a rough year, too, and he knew she couldn’t afford to pay anyone to take care of Hazel. Hazel would be in school next fall, though, and Taylor would be nine, maybe old enough to keep an eye on her after school.
The whalewatch boat left the pier. Teddy could hear it start up, and then the Lydia Lee rocked in its waves. Teddy automatically bent and straightened his knees to stay upright. Not many tourists going out today. Dicky Comcheck had told him they didn't see much of anything the day before, just a bunch of puffins and some seals. Dicky offered a money-back guarantee that his passengers would see whales, and he hated like hell to lose money. This weekend he'd probably make his last trips of the season. Dicky honked his horn and Teddy lifted an arm in greeting.
Teddy hooked the next buoy and pulled it in. His colors were light purple with navy blue crosses, a source of amusement for the other guys. Teddy didn’t mind. His buoys were easy to see, and that was what mattered. It had taken a long time to feel like one of the guys. For a long time he hadn’t felt qualified. They had spent their whole lives in this bay, and so had their fathers and grandfathers. Not only did Teddy not have much experience on the water, but he was also from away. He would never have made it out here if not for Ben.
He hooked the line to the winch and hauled in the next set of traps. A few lobsters in here, but they looked small. He got out the gauge and checked. A couple of keepers, just barely. He threw the other one back and put the keepers in the cooler.
After meeting Lydia, Teddy wanted to spend as much time here as possible. His cousin was pretty serious about his own Philhardt’s Landing girl, so the two of them rented a couple of rooms and worked at the lobster pound outside Charlie’s. Teddy had always been good at teaching himself, and that summer he studied the lobstermen from afar. He wanted to figure out everything about them, how they talked, how they moved, what they knew.
By the next summer, Ben got him a job as a stern man on Ronnie Comcheck’s boat, the Dora Eliza. Ronnie hadn’t been too friendly at first, but Teddy worked hard and kept quiet, and eventually Ronnie started telling him stories.
Teddy stopped for a minute to pour a capful of coffee from his thermos and look at the house on the island. The storm shutters were on over the front windows. The Adirondack chairs were under the deck and the picnic table was at the side of the house. The beach had a little debris on it, but nothing major. Pieces of a busted buoy, a length of frayed clothesline, some foam from under a wharf.
Teddy thought again about living there. He’d miss seeing the kids, that was one thing. It might be good for Coley if they sold the mainland house and pushed him out of the nest, but what about Miriam? She’d had a rough year, too, and he knew she couldn’t afford to pay anyone to take care of Hazel. Hazel would be in school next fall, though, and Taylor would be nine, maybe old enough to keep an eye on her after school.
The whalewatch boat left the pier. Teddy could hear it start up, and then the Lydia Lee rocked in its waves. Teddy automatically bent and straightened his knees to stay upright. Not many tourists going out today. Dicky Comcheck had told him they didn't see much of anything the day before, just a bunch of puffins and some seals. Dicky offered a money-back guarantee that his passengers would see whales, and he hated like hell to lose money. This weekend he'd probably make his last trips of the season. Dicky honked his horn and Teddy lifted an arm in greeting.
posted by Elizabeth Thorpe at 12:30 PM
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