John Casey - Compass Rose

Then she was alone again, sliding off the crest of her anger into the trough. She thought of calling Phoebe, but Phoebe was in a tizzy over Eddie and Walt’s going at each other. And even if Phoebe was smart about real estate, Mr. Aldrich cast a spell on her. Mary Scanlon was more down-to-earth about Mr. Aldrich, but even if it was her day off, she’d be up to something with her new boyfriend.

Spring was getting into everyone’s bones but hers.

She wished that Deirdre O’Malley didn’t set her teeth on edge. If Deirdre wasn’t so impossible, she could’ve helped with all this; nobody said she didn’t have brains. Maybe Deirdre would grow out of being stuck on herself.

May called Elsie. She said, “I was just wondering if you talked to your brother-in-law. He came by—”

“No, but I just talked to Sally. She’s worried sick. How long has Spartina been out?”

“Five days.”

“Jack Junior was supposed to send a radio message; Sally made him promise.”

“Well, Dick doesn’t like to get on the radio till he’s homeward bound. Doesn’t want the other boats knowing just where he’s working.”

“I suppose I could tell her that. She just asked Jack to call the Coast Guard station, but he said to wait. What did he say when he came by?”

“That wasn’t today, it was a while back. About mortgages and the like.”

“Oh.” Elsie paused. “So you’re not calling about … Okay, I see. And you’re right, that’s probably something to worry about, but just now Jack and Sally are on the subject of Jack Junior. And you’re right, I did say I’d do something, and I will. I suppose I could tell Sally you’re not worried. And about Dick not using his radio. You don’t know if there could be a storm out there that we don’t know about here? I mean, they’re out, what, two hundred, three hundred miles?”

“That’s where the shelf drops off, but Dick gets out there and follows the edge. Or he could take a detour if he thinks he might spot a swordfish. If Sally needs to keep busy, she could call Captain Teixeira. He’s at home, but Bom Sonho is out, so he’d know what the weather’s doing.” May immediately regretted saying “If Sally needs to keep busy.” She remembered standing right where she was now with this same phone in her hand when she heard about Charlie. She said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said—”

“No, I understand. And you’re right. Sally would be better off talking to Captain Teixeira. All she’s doing now is getting furious at Jack. I mean, Jack pretty much ordered Jack Junior to do this. Jack’s got a thick hide, but she might say something sharp enough … And then if it turns out nothing’s wrong, he’ll be insufferable. God, family life.”

May liked Elsie’s voice, liked that last sigh. She wondered what it would be like to have Elsie as a friend, worrying about her the way she worried about her sister. And they could talk about Rose. May thought she’d always be grateful to Phoebe for driving her to Boston, but when Phoebe zigged and zagged she wasn’t as good at it as Elsie. And Elsie didn’t need as much help about how things worked. Phoebe came back to herself more often, all that talk about some old beau. And then posing for Mr. Salviatti’s statue. May felt guilty. She’d call Phoebe right after this, see how Phoebe was doing with Eddie and Walt.

“Look,” Elsie said. “I’d better get back to Sally. I haven’t forgotten about Jack and what he might be up to. I’ll give you a call. And maybe we’ll see each other at Rose’s play. You’re awfully good to go three times. I’m afraid I had a little fit after the first night. Did Rose say anything?”

“No. It seemed to me she was fine. You’d have thought it might go to her head, but she was just as steady as if she’d been doing it all her life. The second night was just as good. She was, I don’t know, bouncier. You know how she acted the maid’s part — kind of sharp-tongued and sassy? The second night was more like sweet and sassy. She sounded like Mary Scanlon when she sings those Irish songs and puts on her brogue.”

“You mean when Rose was talking? She did it in an Irish accent?”

“Just when she was pretending to be the maid. When she was being herself — I mean, herself in the play — she sounded even swankier. Like Mr. Aldrich if he were a girl.”

Elsie laughed. She said, “Now, there’s a picture.”

May hadn’t meant to be funny, but she was pleased she got Elsie to laugh.

After that phone call May went out to the garden again. She pulled weeds until she filled a bushel basket; she made a hole in the compost pile and buried the weeds deep enough so their roots would be too hot to do anything but rot into black earth. She didn’t know the science of it, not exactly how the microbes made the old leaves and the green weeds and garbage so hot, but she knew how to manage it, get it working so it dissolved not just her vegetable peels but eggshells and fish bones — and even some of Dick’s bait when it got too rotten — into crumbly soil that smelled sweet.

When Tom showed up May was still out in the garden. He said, “I’ve been trying to call.” Then he just stood there, sliding his hands on the top of his pant legs. He finally said, “Charlie’s coming over; I called him and he’s coming over.”

May said, “What for?” There was a dazzle of light in her eyes when she jerked her head.

Tom said, “It’s probably going to be all right. Bom Sonho’s on her way, and it’s still light. The Coast Guard got a fix on the distress signal. Bom Sonho ’s closest; she’ll get there faster than the Coast Guard. They’re pretty far out. Captain Teixeira’s on the radio with Bom Sonho . They were hauling pots when the Coast Guard radioed to see if anyone was close. They just cut the line and put a buoy on it. They’re on their way.”

“What happened?”

“They don’t know. That’s the thing, Spartina got on the mayday frequency — but when Bom Sonho switched to their working frequency, nothing. Charlie told me there’s an EPRB on the dory — he said what it stands for, emergency position something. Maybe RB is radio beacon. Charlie knows.”

“How cold is it out there? The water?”

“Yeah, I asked Charlie that. He says it depends where the Gulf Stream is today. But they’ve got the dory. They’ve got survival suits. And look — it could just be they’ve lost power or fouled their rudder. Charlie said they can set off the EPRB and it doesn’t mean they abandoned ship.”

“Let’s go inside.” May knew Dick wouldn’t send a distress signal if the engine quit. He’d be below working on it for a long time before he sent a distress signal.

When they got to the kitchen, Tom said, “Captain Teixeira says I can bring you over, be right there while he’s on his radio.”

“I should get Rose,” May said. “Do you know where Rose is? I just talked to Elsie on the phone. It didn’t sound like Rose was there.”

“Elsie’s with her sister,” Tom said. “They just got to the dock; that’s where I talked to Captain Teixeira. I don’t know how they know — Captain Teixeira, maybe. He and Elsie are pretty tight. They went into Captain Teixeira’s radio shack.”

May thought it would be like a circus over there. Dick would hate it if he found out.

Charlie’s car pulled in. May went onto the front porch. She said, “Tom told me. You better go listen in with Captain Teixeira. Call me as soon as you know something. Tom, you can go with him or you can stay here. I’d just as soon be here, where I can keep busy.”

She’d said those very words not two hours ago, and now they were a judgment on her.

Tom looked uncertain. May said, “Or here’s what you could do. You go on up to Rose’s school. I think they’re using the auditorium to get the Sawtooth show ready. Rose’d like it if you’re with her.”