Chapter 26
Perry was back from Raleigh when I arrived from my errands. It took me two trips to get all my groceries up the stairs and he didn’t come over to help, like he usually did. Was this to be the end, I wondered? I still had over month left of vacation. I put away my groceries, debating on whether to stay or not on the island. I could head west towards the mountains, for an extremely different landscape. I might find a mountain man who will sweep me off my feet and take me to his cabin at the top of a lonely mountain.
It was late afternoon, around 5 pm. I didn’t feel like staying at the Irish and harping on what would or won’t happen with Perry. Time would settle it for us. Wade wouldn’t be here until 7 or after, so I decided to go for a drive. I didn’t pause to change out of my sundress. I grabbed my car keys and ran down the stairs, straight into Perry.
“Whoa, woman, watch your step.” He said, steadying me on my feet.
“Oh I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking.” I was breathless, mainly from his touch. The wild dash down the stairs was a contributing factor, too.
“Running off to meet your fiancé?” Perry snidely asked.
“I’m not engaged anymore. And I haven’t been for months now.” I could feel an ire rising and if I weren’t careful it would over power me. On the defensive, I placed my hands defiantly on my hips.
“So you say! Your fiancé and I had a long talk before you came to the phone. He seems to think otherwise.” Perry strode over to his truck.
I let the bullets fly. “Who are you to put me on trial and judge me before listening to my defense? What happened to the American belief of innocent until proven guilty? You haven’t taken a second to let me explain. Instead you run off.”
“Yes, just like you did, according to him. He said that he had no idea why you left him, as far as he knew you needed some time to mend from an accident. He said that you were upset with him and left to punish him.”
“Yes, I ran away from David and from a few other issues that I couldn’t face at that time. But the rest of what he said is a lie. I took off his engagement ring the day I got out of the hospital. After years of living in emotional stress, I ran. My crime, I know! Guess what, Perry? I’m paying for it right now.”
“So very elegantly stated, Miss Kerrigan. The writer in you flourishes with passion, doesn’t she? I refuse to be a summer fling for you to write into a novel at your whim. I thought you were different, but I can see I was wrong.”
A bitter laugh from me silenced him. “Oh you can play the martyr if you like, Perry. I’ve watched your ex-wife sniffing around you for almost a week and have I jumped to conclusions? Not once!”
He interrupted, “Leave Melinda out of this. I don’t appreciate the fact that Nova was liberal with my affairs. It isn’t anyone’s business but mine.” He opened the door to his truck. “Wade called and said he would be later than planned. He suggested that I be there to hear your ‘story.’” He put an extra emphasis on that word. “Tell him I had to go to the gym to take care of some paperwork. I’m behind on a few things that need my attention.” He leapt into the truck, put the vehicle in reverse and sped away without a second glance.
I tried to keep in mind what Nova said about Perry’s way of dealing with hurt, but it didn’t ease my heart any. I decided to go for a walk instead of driving anywhere. I hid my keys under the driver’s seat of my car and headed for the beach. When I got to the end of the pier by the boathouse I couldn’t decide if I should go north or south. Standing there, as the wind coming off the ocean blew my sundress hem I realized that I was already alone. I turned my back on the deserted section of beach and walked south, towards the condos and cottages that decorated the seascape.
Leisurely, I strolled for almost an hour barefooted, swinging my sandals in my hand. Sometimes I would walk in the warm dry sand, letting the grains tickle my feet and winching when a hidden seashell poked the bottom of my tender foot. When I crossed over to the wet sand cool from the surf, my feet would tingle from the contrasting sensations. I counted the houses as I walked past. Some were full of laughing inhabitants while others were quiet and dark. When I walked by people on the beach, I would smile and greet them, making noncommittal comments about the weather. Would they marvel at my acting skills, if they knew my heart was breaking?
I ambled down the beach until I grew tired. Finding a quiet spot away from the tumbling tide, I sat down in the sand. Not far away I could see the fishing pier, lined with silhouettes of people tossing their fishing lines over the sides of the pier’s railing. If I were an artist I could capture the postcard picturesque vision around me. But I couldn’t, though people have said that I paint with words.
I relaxed until I thought of going back to the Pirate. When I thought of telling my “story” to Perry and Wade, I found that I was at a loss. Where would I begin? If Wade is the only one who hears my tale, then the words won’t be so hard to find. But if Perry is there and somehow I think he will be, I’ll falter and never make a sensible sentence.
Part of me wanted to run away, to leave without a word. I could do it, slip out under night’s cloak without a note. A trip north could be refreshing. I hadn’t seen Boston in a few years and never during the summer months. I could lose myself in the art galleries there; maybe even paint my own world into a new hue. Would Boston be as lovely in the summer as it was during that wonderful autumn I spent there so long ago? Would my world be any lovelier, too?
Time slipped up on me, as I rested in the sand watching the sunset. While gone astray in muse land, the tide had been creeping towards me. I would never make it back to the Pirate by way of the shoreline without swimming. So, I found the nearest vacant house and exited the beach via the walkway to the house. I climbed over the rail and jumped down to the ground below, but I encountered a locked gateway with a sign that stated "No Trespassing Allowed." I went around to the front of the empty cottage and decided I would walk along the highway back to the house, since I didn’t have any money on me to call Wade for a ride.
I passed a small convenient store after ten minutes of strolling. I wasn’t sure how far I needed to walk to reach the Pirate and it was getting near dark. Making a split decision, I went inside the store, asking if I could use their phone, because I was stranded without a ride home. The lady at the counter was very friendly. She even offered me a soda. I dialed Wade’s office but got an answering machine, his NC coastal twang chimed a warm welcome. Since it was after working hours, I didn’t bother to leave a message. I started to dial the Pirate’s number but remembered that Wade was going to be late, so no one would be there to take my call. I didn’t know any of Perry’s phone numbers. Thanking the nice lady clerk, I turned to leave and bumped right into David.
It was late afternoon, around 5 pm. I didn’t feel like staying at the Irish and harping on what would or won’t happen with Perry. Time would settle it for us. Wade wouldn’t be here until 7 or after, so I decided to go for a drive. I didn’t pause to change out of my sundress. I grabbed my car keys and ran down the stairs, straight into Perry.
“Whoa, woman, watch your step.” He said, steadying me on my feet.
“Oh I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking.” I was breathless, mainly from his touch. The wild dash down the stairs was a contributing factor, too.
“Running off to meet your fiancé?” Perry snidely asked.
“I’m not engaged anymore. And I haven’t been for months now.” I could feel an ire rising and if I weren’t careful it would over power me. On the defensive, I placed my hands defiantly on my hips.
“So you say! Your fiancé and I had a long talk before you came to the phone. He seems to think otherwise.” Perry strode over to his truck.
I let the bullets fly. “Who are you to put me on trial and judge me before listening to my defense? What happened to the American belief of innocent until proven guilty? You haven’t taken a second to let me explain. Instead you run off.”
“Yes, just like you did, according to him. He said that he had no idea why you left him, as far as he knew you needed some time to mend from an accident. He said that you were upset with him and left to punish him.”
“Yes, I ran away from David and from a few other issues that I couldn’t face at that time. But the rest of what he said is a lie. I took off his engagement ring the day I got out of the hospital. After years of living in emotional stress, I ran. My crime, I know! Guess what, Perry? I’m paying for it right now.”
“So very elegantly stated, Miss Kerrigan. The writer in you flourishes with passion, doesn’t she? I refuse to be a summer fling for you to write into a novel at your whim. I thought you were different, but I can see I was wrong.”
A bitter laugh from me silenced him. “Oh you can play the martyr if you like, Perry. I’ve watched your ex-wife sniffing around you for almost a week and have I jumped to conclusions? Not once!”
He interrupted, “Leave Melinda out of this. I don’t appreciate the fact that Nova was liberal with my affairs. It isn’t anyone’s business but mine.” He opened the door to his truck. “Wade called and said he would be later than planned. He suggested that I be there to hear your ‘story.’” He put an extra emphasis on that word. “Tell him I had to go to the gym to take care of some paperwork. I’m behind on a few things that need my attention.” He leapt into the truck, put the vehicle in reverse and sped away without a second glance.
I tried to keep in mind what Nova said about Perry’s way of dealing with hurt, but it didn’t ease my heart any. I decided to go for a walk instead of driving anywhere. I hid my keys under the driver’s seat of my car and headed for the beach. When I got to the end of the pier by the boathouse I couldn’t decide if I should go north or south. Standing there, as the wind coming off the ocean blew my sundress hem I realized that I was already alone. I turned my back on the deserted section of beach and walked south, towards the condos and cottages that decorated the seascape.
Leisurely, I strolled for almost an hour barefooted, swinging my sandals in my hand. Sometimes I would walk in the warm dry sand, letting the grains tickle my feet and winching when a hidden seashell poked the bottom of my tender foot. When I crossed over to the wet sand cool from the surf, my feet would tingle from the contrasting sensations. I counted the houses as I walked past. Some were full of laughing inhabitants while others were quiet and dark. When I walked by people on the beach, I would smile and greet them, making noncommittal comments about the weather. Would they marvel at my acting skills, if they knew my heart was breaking?
I ambled down the beach until I grew tired. Finding a quiet spot away from the tumbling tide, I sat down in the sand. Not far away I could see the fishing pier, lined with silhouettes of people tossing their fishing lines over the sides of the pier’s railing. If I were an artist I could capture the postcard picturesque vision around me. But I couldn’t, though people have said that I paint with words.
I relaxed until I thought of going back to the Pirate. When I thought of telling my “story” to Perry and Wade, I found that I was at a loss. Where would I begin? If Wade is the only one who hears my tale, then the words won’t be so hard to find. But if Perry is there and somehow I think he will be, I’ll falter and never make a sensible sentence.
Part of me wanted to run away, to leave without a word. I could do it, slip out under night’s cloak without a note. A trip north could be refreshing. I hadn’t seen Boston in a few years and never during the summer months. I could lose myself in the art galleries there; maybe even paint my own world into a new hue. Would Boston be as lovely in the summer as it was during that wonderful autumn I spent there so long ago? Would my world be any lovelier, too?
Time slipped up on me, as I rested in the sand watching the sunset. While gone astray in muse land, the tide had been creeping towards me. I would never make it back to the Pirate by way of the shoreline without swimming. So, I found the nearest vacant house and exited the beach via the walkway to the house. I climbed over the rail and jumped down to the ground below, but I encountered a locked gateway with a sign that stated "No Trespassing Allowed." I went around to the front of the empty cottage and decided I would walk along the highway back to the house, since I didn’t have any money on me to call Wade for a ride.
I passed a small convenient store after ten minutes of strolling. I wasn’t sure how far I needed to walk to reach the Pirate and it was getting near dark. Making a split decision, I went inside the store, asking if I could use their phone, because I was stranded without a ride home. The lady at the counter was very friendly. She even offered me a soda. I dialed Wade’s office but got an answering machine, his NC coastal twang chimed a warm welcome. Since it was after working hours, I didn’t bother to leave a message. I started to dial the Pirate’s number but remembered that Wade was going to be late, so no one would be there to take my call. I didn’t know any of Perry’s phone numbers. Thanking the nice lady clerk, I turned to leave and bumped right into David.
penned by Painter Lady at 10:59 PM
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