Nan Rossiter - The Gin and Chowder Club

The two brothers sat together in the bleachers, drinking beer, watching the players warm up, and reveling in the wonderful freedom of the afternoon. They finished their first beer, and Isaac had just left to get a second round when their father and Nate arrived.

Asa stood to shake hands and offered to go get more drinks. Both men smiled at the idea. “Sounds good,” his father answered. He took off his sports coat, rolled up his sleeves, and handed Asa several bills. The two men sat down, and Asa retreated to the refreshment stand to find Isaac. A short time later, the boys returned with four foot-long hot dogs and four overflowing cups.

Isaac smiled. “It doesn’t get any better than this! Thanks, Uncle Nate!”

Asa nodded in agreement, taking a bite of his hot dog.

Samuel and Nate asked the boys how school was going and, after a while, broke off into a conversation of their own. Asa listened halfheartedly until he heard Samuel ask about Noelle. By this time, the ballpark had filled to near capacity, and it was difficult to hear Nate’s answer. Asa strained to listen.

“She’s fine. Did I tell you she took a full-time position at the hospital? Starting next week-” Nate was interrupted by cheering fans as the Red Sox came out onto the field. When the noise finally faded, he continued. “She’s out at the Cape right now. She was hoping the weather would be better.”

Asa’s heart raced. He thought of Noelle alone at the Cape house and could barely wrap his mind around the possibilities. Just then, Isaac elbowed him.

“Hey, Asa! Have you heard anything I just said?”

“Yup, I heard you,” Asa answered, his heart still pounding. “You said you need to use the john and get a refill-whenever you’re ready.” He followed his brother up the steps and tried to remember which classes he would miss.

The cloudy skies over Boston seemed to fit the mood of Red Sox fans that bittersweet afternoon. Their hero was retiring but not without one last hurrah. It was a good game, even though the Sox were trailing. Asa watched in awe as Ted Williams came up to the plate again. Then, there it was, a 1-1 pitch and the legend drove it 450 feet into the right centerfield seats. The crowd was on their feet as he rounded the bases after his 521 home run.

Finally, in the ninth inning, Ted Williams headed out to left field for the last time. He was immediately replaced by Carroll Hardy. At that moment, “MisTer ›Wonderful” retired, and the cheering fans were on their feet again. Asa felt tears stinging his eyes. He looked over at his father, smiling and clapping. He watched Nate cheering beside him, and then Nate caught his eye. With a smile, he winked and gave Asa a thumbs-up. Asa smiled, too, and again thought about how, even after the amazing gift of this day, he was capable of betraying Nate. The Sox rallied in the ninth for two more runs and beat the Orioles 5 to 4.

Samuel and Nate dropped the boys off at South Station. On the way, Samuel asked Asa if he had had a chance to read the book he had given him. Asa replied that he had finished it on the bus ride down. Then Samuel started to tell Nate about “the first book written by a new young talent.” As they pulled up in front of the historic station, Nate slipped each of the boys a folded bill. They thanked him and said they hoped to see him at Thanksgiving. Then they said good-bye to their father and promised to call soon.

Isaac’s bus was due to leave Boston earlier than the bus heading to Manchester. But Asa was eyeing the wooden schedule board for a different destination. He found what he was looking for: “Hyannis-5:45P.”

The boys found seats in the busy terminal while they waited for their buses. Asa was antsy, hoping that Isaac’s bus would be on time. If it wasn’t, he wouldn’t be able to carry out his plan. Finally, when Isaac got up to use the men’s room, Asa bolted to the ticket counter. Uncertain of the outcome, he unfolded the bill Nate had given him and, suppressing any sense of morality, purchased a ticket to Hyannis. When Isaac returned, his bus was boarding. Asa had his hands in his pockets and was standing near the door, looking out at the buses. The parking spot next to the Providence bus was still vacant, and Asa was relieved. He shook hands with his brother and then made a show of sitting back down to wait for the Manchester bus, not scheduled to depart until 6:10.

Soon after Isaac’s departure, a second bus pulled into the vacancy. Hanging in the top of the front window was a sign indicating that its destination was Hyannis. Hanging in the window of the bus beside it was a sign for Manchester. Asa looked at the two buses. He had tickets in his pocket for both of them, and he had only a few minutes to decide. Would she be happy to see me? He pictured the surprise on her face and felt her arms around him, and he thought about lying beside her again…

An hour later, Asa looked out at the boats on the canal as the bus crossed over the Bourne Bridge. On any summer Saturday, traffic onto the bridge would be backed up for miles, but on a Wednesday evening in September, there were almost no travelers. The sun was setting behind him, and the light gave a rosy cast to the tops of the trees. As the bus reached the Cape side, Asa’s heart filled with the comfortable warmth of being home. Less than a month ago, he had crossed this bridge with a heavy heart, but now, here he was, looking out again at the world of his childhood. It had not changed in his absence, it had only been faithfully waiting to welcome him back.

Asa stepped off the bus in Hyannis, slung his bag over his shoulder, zipped up his jacket, and started walking backward along Route 28. He had considered calling Noelle for a ride but had decided that that would take away from the surprise. So he put his thumb out, and before long, he was huddled in the back of a pickup truck with a big happy-go-lucky golden retriever. The driver and his two young sons were on their way home to Wellfleet and were willing to take Asa all the way to Orleans. When they arrived, Asa hopped down, gave his hand warmer one last scratch under his chin, thanked the driver, and turned to walk down the winding Beach Road.

More than once along the way, Asa second-guessed the decision he had made in the bus station. But now it was getting late-too late to change his mind-and he picked up his pace. The road was dark and lonely, much like the last time when he had driven down it alone. He pushed the painful memory aside and hoped that tonight would be different. As he walked up the sandy driveway, he could see the outline of the familiar old house and chimney. There were no lights on in the front, and Asa’s heart pounded in his chest and kept time with a throbbing in his temple. He walked around back and was thankful to see the back porch sparkling in the warm glow of Christmas lights. The window in the kitchen was also bright and welcoming.

Asa knocked quietly on the screen door-the last thing he wanted to do was frighten her. He waited, feeling foolish, and then knocked again. This time, she heard his knock and opened the kitchen door. She looked out, trying to see into the darkness through the screen.

“Hey,” Asa said softly.

Suddenly, Noelle realized who was standing on her back steps. “Oh, my! Asa, is that you?” She unlatched and pushed open the screen door, and he stepped onto the porch. She looked into his eyes, and a warm, genuine smile spread across her face. “I’m so glad to see you.”

He sank into her arms and closed his eyes in amazed relief.

They didn’t talk. She didn’t ask him how or why; she just held him. He could hear faint music coming from the record player in the living room. The smooth, sad voice of Nat King Cole drifted out to where they stood. She took his hand, and he followed her. There were embers glowing in the stone fireplace, and he watched as she leaned over to give them a stir and add more wood. The fire licked upward, and the amber light danced on the walls. Asa felt a chill in spite of its warmth.