A houseboat. Finegan Fine

kind a life would a kid have, trying to learn

to talk and all, where none do any talking? . .

I keep thinking, mehbe, mehbe we should go back

there and check, ya know?

Joey nods.

And no copperhead snakes there either.

Both Finegan and Joey laugh and grin at each other. Joey picks up his

book and starts reading “Moby Dick”, chapter one.

134

Homecoming

Finegan is sitting cross-legged atop the roof of his houseboat, a map

spread out on his lap. He is pondering. Joey’s head pops up on one

side. Finegan says,

Seems to me it was about here . .

Finegan waves his hand in the direction of the open water where the

dawn is breaking.

But the land ashore looks different.

Joey climbs up on the rooftop and turns 360° around. He says,

The water rose since we been here last. . . I

think we were a bit more this direction.

Joey is pointing down along the shoreline, to his right as he faces the

shoreline. He says,

Mehbe so. . . I’ll go out to deep water and you

look afar out there. .

Finegan is pointing out into deep water, where they expect to find the

seamstress’s island.

______________________________

Finegan is peddling away, almost out of sight of the shoreline, but

moving parallel to the shoreline. Joey is atop the houseboat roof, hand

shielding his eyes from the Sun, which is rising over the open water,

peering out into deep water for any sighting of the island. Suddenly

Joey is animated, pointing with one arm and calling back over his

shoulder to Finegan.

I see it! I think I do. Ahead and to the right.

______________________________

The houseboat is approaching the island where the seamstress and the

other deaf/mutes lived, working with sheep and wool and gardening at

the Institute for the Deaf. The island looks smaller than when visited

last, over a year ago. The water level has risen. But the buildings,

which were atop the hill, are still above water. No sheep can be seen

grazing on what is now a limited grass area around the remnants of the

main Institute buildings.

The seamstress, carrying a bundle in her arms, can be seen running down

the slope toward the spot where the houseboat will be mooring. There is

a rowboat with oars pulled onto the shoreline there also. Finegan is

walking across the gangplank toward the seamstress, who is standing on

the shore. The seamstress is smiling broadly, very happy, with tears in

135

her eyes. She holds the bundle forward slightly, with both hands. A

four-month-old baby girl is in the bundle, looking up at her mother and

waving her free arm a bit. Finegan is choked up.

Oh my . .

The baby suddenly jerks its head in Finegan’s direction, looking

startled. Finegan smiles and looks at the seamstress.

It can hear! . . Ah, not an it . . a boy or a

girl?

The seamstress is placing the baby girl into Finegan’s arms. She points

to the baby and then to herself, meaning, a girl. Finegan is all

smiles, goggling and cooing to the baby, who is cooing and blowing

bubbles in kind.

A deaf man is walking down the path, carrying a suitcase and a bundle

of cloth diapers. He has a smile on his face also. He begins telling

Finegan the story, in sign language. He puts the suitcase and bundle of

diapers down, and motions in a sweep from the hilltop to land,

indicating that everyone moved to the mainland. He points to the water

then raises his hand slowly, indicating that the water kept rising.

The deaf seamstress, seeing that Finegan is looking over her shoulder

steadily, only now becomes aware that the deaf man has arrived. She

turns to watch his story too. The deaf man points to the seamstress,

then frowns and crosses his arms, shaking his head in the negative,

meaning that she had refused to go. He points to Finegan, then to the

seamstress again, holding his hand over his eyes and scanning the

horizon, indicating that she was waiting for Finegan to return. Finegan

says,

Well, we’re here now, and not leaving until she

comes along.

Joey has come round behind Finegan, a big smile on his face too, and

picks up the suitcase and bundle of diapers, taking them onboard. The

deaf man points to the rowboat nearby, then points to himself, then a

sweeping gesture from the mainland to the seamstress, then opening his

arms to encompass her and himself swooshing back toward the mainland.

He is relaying that he came for her. Finegan smiles affectionately one

last time at his baby girl, then hands her back to her mother, stepping

toward the rowboat.

We’ll take this along.

Finegan points to the deaf man, indicating with a wave of his arm that