–   C H A P T E R    I I I   –

Haley locked up the bikes, deep in thought. In the ocean when the fingerlings or the herring were jumping and roiling at the surface you knew there was something having dinner down below. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Sanker was having dinner. Her worry over Ben was incessant. As with Ben’s work, she had questions about Sam. After a fashion she had known him for twenty 23 years since she was nine. At that time he was 19 and an impressive college jock.

Sam’s father, a difficult macho type guy, to hear Ben tell it, had all the empathy of a wooden wall but he had a sister who was the opposite. Her name was Helen, and she married Ben. Because of the rogue male lifestyle led by Sam’s dad, Sam would sometimes come to stay with Ben and Helen. That was mostly before Haley’s time, and then after her time, he came out of gratitude and affection for Ben and Helen. Sam had a little of that family feeling in him despite the tough upbringing.

As far as Haley and everybody else was concerned Sam’s life after graduate school had been mostly secret, so that when he came to visit it was as if he walked right out of a dark closet and into these idyllic islands. As far as his life and his persona in the islands she knew a lot. He was very strong and athletic, a good listener, never bragged and didn’t mind going unnoticed although it was hard not to notice him.

She looked down toward the water and saw a big black man and some white guys walking down the waterfront street. They did not have the look of people from the island. Then they were gone.

A few moments later Sam came along headed for his chair. She developed the familiar nervous knot in her belly whenever they were alone.

She smiled at Sam hoping it wasn’t brittle. He smiled. Although he had been here first with his chair starting nine months ago, somehow she felt he should move since she had taken over the shop.

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