“Were John and Joanna on that boat?”
“Were they supposed to be?”
“I don’t know. They went to Milltown for Matthew’s birthday. I was just wondering. I was just wondering if he needed a hand with their bags. I know his elbow’s been bothering him. I imagine they’ll be on the late boat.”
“Oh.”
“Did you see that big sailboat?”
“Oh my god. It must have cost a million dollars.”
“It’s from England. There were eight seniors on board. A 70-year-old-man went up the mast to change that little thing that measures wind speed.”
“Oh my god.”
“I didn’t think you were coming back.”
“Oh my god neither did we. I don’t like being gone so long, but it didn’t make sense to come back and then have to go all the way up that horrible road again for my tests.”
“I’m glad you’re home.”
“So am I.”
“Good crossing?”
“Best kind.”
“Where’s Andrew?”
“Still unloading the boat, I guess. Oh my god we brought so many things back. We spent way too much money buying a big barbecue.”
“I think about that, how people in the city complain about fishermen using EI sometimes, but few of those townies ever spend a penny in an outport. But we people spend money in the city all the time at grocery stores, gas stations, hardware stores… Oh my god we spent a fortune at the hardware store last time we was in Grand Falls—those townies benefit from the money we spend in their town all the time. I spend more money in Kentucky Fried Chicken than any townie ever spends in any outport.”
“We went to see Thomas in the hospital.”
“Oh my god, how is he?”
“Not bad. The doctor and nurses wouldn’t say when he was coming home, but I got the impression he will be home shortly.”
“Thank god. Hopefully he’ll bring some good weather with him.”
“Oh my god, that’s another thing—the weather in Central is ridiculous. It was too hot to do anything. Even at night, Andrew couldn’t sleep. He kept turning and tossing and then, of course, I couldn’t get to sleep when he starts turning like that.”
“I bet he was complaining the whole time.”
“Oh my god, the whole time.”
“That’s what he does, my dear—if he could only just suffer in silence but no. I bet everybody from Badger to Bishop Falls had to hear about how dear old Andrew couldn’t sleep. I know from the night we spent in that cabin on Tickle Point—Andrew said he was having nightmares about rats and moose soup or something. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it was not good to dream about rats and moose soup, god bless him, but why he thought he had to wake the whole lot of we up? The whole lot was not happy with him the next day when we went trouting. Beth said she wanted to bump him overboard. Oh my god, nobody was happy with him that day—everybody was all miserable from fly bites, not sleeping, and Andrew going on about rats and moose soup or something.”
