Greg’s boat was a beauty. It was wooden, about 26 feet long, and the well-waxed mahogany gleamed in the sunlight. Although the boat was an older one, someone had lovingly babied it. There were padded benches along the sides of the top deck, and a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom below.
“This was my dad’s boat,” Greg said proudly. “I had to eat my words when I told him I would never have a motorized boat. I used to sail, but this boat is better now that Allison and I are co-captains.”
Greg helped the kids fasten their life jackets. Addy was relieved when he gave her one, too. The sea was calm, the sky blue, the breeze gentle; a dream of a day for boating. Is this what people who believe in God see as proof of his benevolence? Yet why does Allison have to suffer? Why does Greg have to stand by helplessly watching his little girl’s health decline? Addy raged. She looked over at Greg as he handled the boat so firmly and capably, and wanted so much to ask him what his take on God happened to be. She did not.
Only Greg knew that this boat ride held a surprise for the children … he was heading to Old Orchard Beach, the first and longstanding New England ocean side amusement park. The kids suddenly caught sight of the ferris wheel and looked at Greg with amazement.
“Are we going THERE?” Jimmy asked.
Greg replied, “We sure are, buddy. Do you think you’ll like it?”
Addy panicked. She didn’t have enough money with her to fund a day for her three children at an amusement park.
She turned to Greg to protest, but he said, “By the way, this day is on me. Allison and I are so happy to have made some new friends in Maine.”
Why is he so nice? Why is he such an angel? How could he be so benevolent when he was, after all, unlucky?
Their time at Old Orchard Beach whizzed by in a blissful blur. The seductive smells, sounds, and sights enraptured Addy, as they had done all those years ago at Sound View. Allison and Mary rode the carousel, trying to catch the golden ring. All of them went on the ferris wheel, high in the air with the ocean right below. Greg knocked down stacks of wooden milk bottles so that Allison and Mary could win Teddy bears, and the boys, American flags. They stuffed themselves on foot-long hot dogs, sticky red candy apples, and puffy pink cotton candy.
Addy pleaded with the God she did not trust to never let this day end. Please let us stay forever with Greg and Allison.
As the sun began to set, Greg said, “We have to start getting back.”
The kids groaned, but they were nice children who had already learned that all good things must eventually end. On the trip back to Webhannet River Marina, everyone was quiet. The sleepy children went down below and all plopped on the big bed. Addy sat next to Greg as he steered his boat. Had he stole a glance at her a time or two? Of course not… that was impossible. No matter how bad his luck, he was, after all, a triangle. He was just too handsome and perfect for her, and besides, he was probably an unquestioning Catholic like Lionel.
LIONEL. It would be just a matter of days until he came to pick them up. What would she do? How could she go with him? What if the kids told him about Greg?
Frightened, Addy thought of the cruelty she would suffer if Lionel knew she had spent time with a man. Then, she remembered her promise not to think of Lionel during the vacation. He could beat her as hard as he wanted. She had never kissed another man, and she wanted to kiss Greg. If she was going to be smacked around for doing nothing, why not enjoy herself?
Addy turned to Greg and smiled the coy smile that women use instinctively when flirting with a man, and he warmly drank it in.
Yes, Addy thought, I am going to kiss him.
The next morning Addy awakened with a feeling of dread. It’s Saturday. Lionel would be coming for them in a week. She wanted to spend every precious moment until then with Greg.
What an ass I am, she chided herself. How can I think a man like him would want to kiss me?
Self-loathing was one of her favorite pastimes. After all, she had lost both her parents, and then married the mental case, Lionel. She was plainly and simply an unlucky person trapped in hell.
As she rolled over on her side, Addy stopped thinking along that negative line for a moment.
Wait. Greg is unlucky. I know nothing about his parents, but fate handed him a set of losing cards … dying daughter, runaway wife ... Why wasn’t he morose and depressed like she was? He didn’t seem to feel sorry for himself at all.
The kids were awake, and Mary skipped into Addy’s room. Always quiet and polite, she said softly, “Mommy, can we have breakfast now?”
“Of course, sweetheart. How would you like blueberry muffins?”
Addy had brought along a container of baking mix so she could whip up muffins in a cinch. As she bustled around in the cheery kitchen, she felt grounded in the present … coffee perking, aroma of blueberry muffins drifting through the lovely home, and her precious children.
After breakfast, Addy waited longingly for a knock on the door, but it didn’t come. It was about ten o’clock, and the children wanted to go to the beach. Was Greg still here? Is something wrong? Is he even real?
Addy and the kids trudged along to Wells Beach. Maybe Greg would be at the beach, but he had not been there thus far. The sun was probably too hot for Allison’s fair skin. Addy spent a greater part of the afternoon reading on the blanket while the kids played in the water. What if she never saw Greg again?
By two o’clock, the sun was hotter than it had been all week. It was Saturday and even Wells Town Beach was crowded. Many of the sunbathers were speaking French. Greg had told her that Maine is a favored vacation spot for the French Canadians. Compared to the Atlantic coast of Canada, Maine’s water was tropical. In spite of her efforts to slather the kids with suntan lotion, all three looked red.
“Do you want to go back?” she called to them. Surprisingly, they said, “Yes.” She was relieved. Maybe Greg had stayed home today.
When she arrived back at the house, she noticed Greg’s beach wagon in the driveway and another car parked in front of his house. You idiot, Addy. He must have a girlfriend. How could he not? At that moment, she vowed to stop behaving like a lovesick schoolgirl. Addy and the children had lunch, and then the three kids actually went to their rooms to take naps. They were exhausted from the blistering sun.
Addy sat on the porch reading her latest “Good Housekeeping.” No Jane Austen today. Austen’s works were too romantic, and the last thing Addy needed right now was to read love stories. She thumbed through her magazine restlessly, distracted by the thought of the wagon in front of Greg’s house. She looked out and saw a lovely, tall, graceful woman taking things out of the car. How could I have ever been so stupid? Addy thought. How dare I think a man like Greg would find me attractive?
Astonishingly, the woman was heading toward Addy’s door. Addy vowed not to answer it, but the woman was persistent. Don’t be a baby. If Greg has a girlfriend, good for him. He deserved happiness. Addy slowly opened the door, and the woman smiled. “Hi. I’m Caroline, Greg’s sister.”
Greg’s SISTER! When would this miracle end?
Relieved, Addy said, “Please come in.”
Caroline sat on the sofa in the living room and said, “Greg tells me you have three children, but it’s so quiet in here. Addy laughed, “The kids are actually taking naps. The sun was unbearable today.”
Caroline agreed. “Today is a scorcher, but tomorrow is supposed to be much cooler.” Addy could see Caroline’s resemblance to Greg and instantly liked her. She was unassuming and appeared to be oblivious to her own beauty.
“I am so sorry that I couldn’t make it up here to watch Allison the day Greg had his interview. He told me you let Allison come over to your house, and I just wanted to thank you. What would he have done without you? We have had our cottage for years, but the people