“My Henry has now been regulated to ‘My husband’s death,’ I mumbled.
“Oh, honey, I didn’t mean to demean Henry, but you’re still young. You have your whole life ahead of you. Do you plan to spend all that time alone?” she asked.
I knew she meant well, but I wasn’t too comfortable with myself for agreeing so fast when I talked to David.
“I guess not, but I’m not really alone. I have you and Larry, my friends, and the troop with Hobs. I need to take more time,” I said, poking my fork into the warm lasagna.
“And you can. You have almost six months to think about just being friends or something more.”
“He did seem like a nice person. He was easy to talk to. Oh, but there’s Bosloe and Cal, their feelings may get hurt,” I said, thinking of them.
“Oh, they’ll get over that. It’s not like you are serious with any of them. After all, has either of them asked you for your hand in marriage?” she questioned.
“Well, no.”
“See, you’re just making excuses.”
“David has a large family,” I said as I scooped up another forkful of the pasta. “What if they don’t like me?”
“Susan, I think you’re getting ahead of yourself. Now René called me to let me know she will be starting up another pottery class in two weeks. Concentrate on what you want to create,” she said, choosing another slice of pizza.
“You’re right. I’m probably making a mountain out of an ant hill,” I commented.
“Molehill, that’s molehill,” she said, giggling.
“Well hello, you two,” said a familiar voice.
I looked up and there was Lorilee Dawn.
“Are you coming or going? You can sit with us if you want,” I said.
“Oh, that’s all right. I’m leaving with my lunch. I hoped I helped you on your ship,” she said.
“You did, in more ways than one. Thank you.”
“Well, I’d better get back to my shop. I had an odd gentleman come in the other day, tall, skinny, and dressed poorly. He said he might have something I’d want to buy. He was coming back this afternoon.
“That wasn’t Finindaddle was it?” I asked.
“Oh, no, but this man could pass for his brother. Well, I’ll see you later.”
We waved goodbye and returned to finish our lunch.
“Oh, I saw in the paper, the Firth Mercantile will open this weekend. Shall we check them out?” Trisha asked.
“Of course. Did the paper say who the new owners are?” I asked.
“It did, but I don’t remember the names. The article did say the Ahlbergs in Idaho Falls did sell it to someone from Pocatello. At least, they are Idahoans.”
We ate until we were stuffed. I still had some lasagna left over. When the waitress returned with the tickets, I asked her for a box to take home.
Trisha looked around the restaurant while we waited for the food container and spotted another of our friends, Sally Montgomery with her youngest child.
We waved at her. She looked in our direction and headed toward us, holding a boxed pizza in her hands
“Well, hello, you two,” she said, grinning when she saw us.
She arrived at our booth about the same time our waitress brought over the to-go boxes.
“I’m just picking up dinner for tonight. So, Susan, how was your trip? I would love to travel, but with the kids, there’s no time. Were you scared of the ship leaking? And how about that man who kidnapped you?” she rattled on, giving me no time to answer in between her questions. I just smiled back at her.
“Fine, fine, he’s in jail,” I replied as Trisha filled up our take-home containers.
“Well, I have to go. Good seeing you again,” she said.
“Are you going to the next pottery class?” Trisha asked.
Sally hesitated and her smile faded a little.
“I don’t know. I wasn’t so good the last time.”
“But if you don’t practice, you won’t get better. Right, Susan?” she asked. I returned a nod.
“I suppose you are right. The kids would still be in school and this little one can stay with grandma. Wouldn’t that be nice, sweetie?” she asked her daughter.
The child looked at her mother and at us and then tugged at Sally’s skirt.
“Well, I must be going. See you two later,” she said and trotted toward the exit door with her child in tow.
“How many children does she have now?” I asked.
“Still four, but it does seem like there’s more when you visit her. I’m ready are you?” she asked.
“Yes, oh, we still have the grocery store to do,” I said as I picked up my remaining lasagna box along with Trisha’s two slices of pizza.
“That we do. Oh look, the sun is shining,” she said. “That’s a good omen, Susan.”
“May all my troubles be behind me, I always say.”
“I do too. Do you think the Hawaiian police will contact you again?”
“Maybe, but I don’t see why. There’s a lot of evidence of other misdeeds against that McCarthy fellow without my statement.”
We walked outside across the parking lot when we spotted the best part of the day.
“Look. There’s a rainbow in the east. There’s a rainbow in the east,” I said as we walked on the drying pavement toward her car.
The rainbow completed its half-circle spread across the front of the mountains. I wished happiness for all. As I drew my coat collar tight around my neck to keep out the cold wind, I stepped into Trisha’s car to head for the grocery.
—-
The End
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Epilogue
Scheduled to meet his lawyer this morning, McCarthy still injured from the fall and the subsequent knee surgery. The guard opened his cell. Vernon picked up his crutches and hobbled out into the prison hallway. At the visiting room’s the jailer guided him over to a chair in front of a small booth. His lawyer sat on the
