The Gin and Chowder Club

wherever and whoever,
Great is death… Sure as life holds all parts together,
death holds all parts together. ’ ”

Asa smiled and joined in.

“ ‘Sure as the stars return again
after they merge in the light,
death is great as life. ’ ”

They laughed, and it almost seemed like before…

12

For the next two weeks, it rained on Asa’s day off from working at the coast guard station. In past summers, the weather would never have kept him from visiting Noelle, but now he felt as if he needed a reason to stop by. He filled his time with reading and even did some writing, all the while wishing that the weather would cooperate so he could return to work on the house.

When the sun was shining, time passed quickly. His days were filled with morning runs, ocean swims, and working at the coast guard station. His evenings were filled with occasional outings with friends or relaxing at home with Sarah. He would never admit it, but he missed Isaac and was glad when, on Friday afternoons, Isaac and their father returned from Boston.

Isaac had settled into his own routine, too, not just one of working in the shop but also that of maintaining two relationships. Asa would just shake his head when Isaac returned to the Cape house and would immediately call Jen to make plans. He knew that Isaac was spending most of his free time in Boston with a girl named Kate.

“It’s going to catch up with you,” Asa warned.

“It’s not like I’m married,” Isaac would reply.

On Saturday morning, Samuel was making French toast when Asa returned from his run. With an empty eggshell dripping from his hand, he looked up. “Hey, I keep meaning to ask you-how’s that extra project coming?”

Asa shook his head. “Well, if you mean painting Uncle Nate’s house, not very well. It seems to rain every time I have a day off.” He paused thoughtfully. “In fact, if it’s going to be nice today, maybe I’ll try to go over.”

Samuel washed his hands and reached for the whisk. “Hmmm… I don’t know if today would be good. You can check with your mother, but I’m quite sure that they are having the group over tonight, and if they’re anything like us, they’ll be spending the day getting ready.”

Asa sat down on a stool with his ice water. “Well, at the rate I’m going, it’s never going to get done.”

“Maybe Isaac would be willing to stay out here one week to help you.”

“I doubt it.” Asa shook his head. “He’s got too many extracurricular activities.”

Samuel chuckled. “You’re right about that.” He dipped a piece of bread into the egg mixture and laid it on the hot griddle. “What about you-do you have any extracurricular activities?”

Asa absently wiped the moisture off the outside of his glass and thought about Noelle. He pictured her reaching for the plates and remembered how her shirt had pulled up, exposing her tan skin. Samuel looked up when his son didn’t answer, and Asa just shook his head.

“Not… not really,” he stammered.

“Well, you’re welcome to stop by tonight-that’s if you don’t have something better going on.”

“Maybe,” Asa replied. “Although, I’m sure Isaac will have something better goin’ on.”

Samuel cut two pieces of the French toast diagonally in half and layered them on a plate. He reached into the cabinet for the sifter, sprinkled confectioner’s sugar on top, and slid the plate toward Asa.

“Mmmm… thanks.”

Asa stood to pour a cup of coffee, and Samuel looked surprised.

“Coffee?”

Just then, Sarah came into the kitchen, still dressed in her bathrobe. She reached for her favorite cup, held it out for Asa to fill, and confirmed that the gathering was indeed at Nate and Noelle’s that evening.

13

More than anything, Asa wanted to see Noelle, but he wanted to see her alone, not in a crowd, so he was uncertain about stopping by.

In the end, Isaac decided for him. “Of course we’ll stop by. Uncle Nate’s chowder is almost as good as Dad’s- and maybe we can sneak a cocktail.”

That evening, after Samuel and Sarah had left for the party, Asa came inside to take a shower. On his way, he opened the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. His father wouldn’t notice. He never did. Asa looked over at Martha stretched out on the cool linoleum floor. He reached into the freezer for an ice cube and slid it over to her; she chomped away happily as he opened his bottle and headed up the stairs. Isaac had already showered and was talking on the phone. Asa heard bits and pieces of the conversation but couldn’t make out who was on the line. He turned on the water, took a long drink, and got undressed. Then he pulled back the shower curtain, reached for his beer bottle, and got in. He put the beer on the back shelf, let the cool water run down over his head and back, and heard Isaac come into the bathroom.

“Well, that was Kate. She wants to come out one weekend.”

Asa chuckled. “Someday you’ll learn!”

“Maybe… but for now, I just have to figure out how to keep that from happening. By the way, Jen is on her way over. She’s going to drive her car down to Uncle Nate’s so we can head out whenever we want.”

“You mean, so you don’t have to hang out with me.”

“You got it.”

“Thanks a lot.”

“No problem-someday you’ll know what it’s like!”

Asa could not understand how Isaac could string along two girls. He said he loved them both, that they were different, but Asa was still not convinced that a person could truly love another-and be unfaithful. Then again, wasn’t that what Noelle was doing? He quickly washed, dried, wrapped a towel around his waist, and went to his room. He opened his dresser drawer and looked for his faded blue polo. His drawer was full of blue shirts since Sarah loved him in blue, but the one he was looking for wasn’t there. He looked in the hamper and found it. He sniffed it, and it seemed okay, but when he pulled it on, he saw there was a stain on the chest. He pulled it off again and went to his closet. There were several pressed shirts, but he picked a wrinkled white-and- blue-checked button-down. Sarah would frown, he knew, but he liked this shirt. Maybe he should iron it… No, he hated ironing. He’d just tell her that the wrinkled look was in. He pulled on his shorts and finished his beer just as Jen’s Corvair pulled into the driveway.

Isaac called up the stairs, and Asa headed down. His brother was out on the porch with Jen. He had helped