This was goingto be a long seven hours back to Rocky Harbour.
***
I’d fallenasleep along the way, a fact for which I was grateful. I couldn’tstand listening to John’s voice and feeling the tension emanatingfrom Mary. She was dying to bombard me with questions, that much Icould tell. I’d have to think of something to tell her, eventually.Something to placate her, to stop the endless questions I knewawaited me.
I was jostledawake when the car began travelingdown a bumpy road and I knew we were almost home. The sun had begunto set, and the outline of my house could be seen through the frontwindshield. My breath caught at the sight of it. Sheets of plywoodcovered the side facing the ocean, the side of the house that wasdestroyed during the tidal wave that stole me away.
“A few of yourcousins got together and put up the plywood, but there’s a lot ofwork to be done,” Mary told me and caught my eye in the rear-viewmirror, taunting me to give her answers. “What a strange thing, amassive wave like that only reaching as far as here. None of theneighbors even felt it.”
The car cameto a stop and John scrambled out to open my door. He offered hishand, but I ignored it and tried to hide the struggle of gettingout of the back seat myself.“Yeah, it must have happened after I… left.”
Mary stared atme from the other side of the car, her eyes barely clearing the topof it, but they bore into me, drilling for answers. “So, youweren’t here when this happened? Where did you go when youleft?” I could hear the disbelief in her tone.
“Maybe weshould let her rest,” John cut in, “Remember what the docsaid.”
Mary grumbledsomething under her breath and we entered the house. I expected amess, but the sight of the main floor shook me. Once soaked itemsand boxes stacked off to the side, now dry and warped from thewater that had found its way in. The musty scent of water damagehung heavy in the air. All the furniture had been pushed into thekitchen, leaving nowhere to sit downstairs. God, it felt likeanother lifetime since I’d been there.
“What’s thestate of mom’s office?” I asked desperately. “Did anything getwrecked?”
“No, seems tobe fine,” Mary replied and handed me a new key. “Aside from a fewboxes that got wet.” She paused thoughtfully, chewing on her bottom lip. “But I ‘magine you’ll begoing through most of it anyway, won’t you?”
My eyeswidened. There was an underlining tone to her words as if she somehow knew my plans to find away back. Her eyes searched deepinto mine, looking for confirmation of what she thought sheknew.
“I can helpwith that,” John cheerfully offered.
I cringed.“What do you mean? Aren’t you going back to Alberta?” I asked. “I’mhere, you found me. Mission complete.”
John wasnothing if not determined in hisways. Always was. He continued to plaster on the big, friendlysmile as he helped me out of the hospital-issued sweater. “Are youkidding? I’m not going anywhere. Not without you.”
I opened mymouth to protest but Mary beat me to it. “Get some rest, first.Worry about putting the house back together later.” She turned toleave but stopped at the door. “Oh, and your little cousin Samanthais reopening the bakery tomorrowif you want to venture over and talk to her. Now that you’re home,I don’t know what you want to do with it.”
My brainflipped through memories of my distant family. “Samantha? The onewho went to the same culinary school I did?”
“Yeah, she’s afancy pastry baker now,” Mary confirmed and shot me a grin, “Shecould do wonderful things with that bakery, Dianna. Don’t make hershut it down.”
“Iwouldn’t–”
Mary waved herhand. “We’ll talk tomorrow, get some rest.” She shut the doorbehind her, leaving me alone with John who was waiting like a puppyin the kitchen.
I walked overto him, my beloved plastic bag still clutched to my chest. I wasdying to scuttle off into a dark corner and go through itscontents.
“John,seriously. What are you doing here? You’re not my boyfriend.”
“I know, Iknow,” he admitted as a hand nervously rubbed the back of his neck.“But I was. I completely fucked this up. I can’t believe what ajerk I’d been, not appreciating what I had, what we had.” Hestepped closer and tried to take my bag again, a kind gesture, Iknew, but I still flinched and refused to let him have it. “Okay, Iget it. You’ve been through hell and back. I can’t even begin tounderstand what must have happened to you. But, please, let me behere. Let me help. I don’t want anything from you.”
My head shook,and tears welled in my eyes. Itwas all his fault. If he hadn’t cheated on me, I wouldn’t havestayed here. I wouldn’t have drunk too much rum and went through mymother’s things where I found the ship-in-a-bottle. But, then, howcould I possibly hate him for sending me down a path that broughtme to Henry?
“What can youpossibly do, John? What about your job?”
“I haven’ttaken a vacation in four years,” he told me. “They owe me this timeoff. I explained the situation, my boss understands.” I watched ashe began pulling the old leather sofa from its upturned position in the kitchen and dragged it intothe living room with ease. “I’ll sleep here.”
I moaned androlled my eyes before turning toward the stairs. “I’m going tobed.”
“Fine,” hecheerfully called out to me. “I’llbe right here if you need me! I’m not going anywhere,” and thenadded, after I failed to respond, “G’night!”
I hauled mylegs up each stair, taking my sweet time for that was all my bodyallowed. My energy was spent, and my wounded shoulder began tothrob as the recent dose of pain meds faded away. I entered my oldroom, boxes and junk still stacked everywhere, and cleared a spoton the bed where I let my body sink.
I rolled ontomy back, my good arm still wrapped around the plastic bag,
