Part Seventeen

(This episode is continued from Part Sixteen, in which Peggy and Raoul go to Westport, Washington, for the weekend to visit Raoul's sister, Francine.)

(Photographs by Valerie Abbott)

Saturday morning arrived gray and windy and wet. Peggy slipped on a light jacket and took her mug of tea alone out to the beach. She followed the trail to the top of the dune and was surrounded by green and brown beach grasses, tossing and waving, reflecting the gray light to create a shimmering effect. The beach itself was very wide and flat and empty. Peggy thought it must have been a quarter of a mile from the dune to the water's edge as she walked across the hard-packed sand. She looked around her and saw nothing but roaring surf and mist up and down the beach for miles. It felt to her like she had shipwrecked on a deserted island.

Going back to the house, Peggy made toast and helped Francine get her kitchen ready for visitors. The refrigerator needed a good cleaning, and some of the serving platters and cookware had gotten dusty since the last visit. Meanwhile, Raoul fixed a toilet and got firewood.

"I imagine you have many memories here," said Peggy.

"Too many," said Fran. "We used to come out at least five, six times a year. Sid was so crazy about fishing."

"Is this your first visit since your husband died?" said Peggy.

"Yes, but I promise I won't get too morbid about it," said Fran.

"Don't worry. I'm going through the same thing. I can picture what it's like for you, being here, with all these things, all these reminders."

"Our wedding china is here," said Fran. "We used it for fish fries on the deck." She laughed. "Sid was never much for being formal about meals."

"I wish I could have met him."

"Raoul tells me your loss is fairly recent."

"Last April," said Peggy. "I'm afraid I don't have as good an attitude about it as you do. I'm still struggling with it."

"It's all an act, sweetie. Some days I can barely get through the day."

"Thanks. I'm glad to hear I'm not alone."

Later in the morning Raoul, Peggy and Fran went to the Westport waterfront to shop for fish. They were surprised to find a pirate-themed street festival in progress, in spite of a light rain that had started. The main street along the waterfront was closed, and on one side vendors had set up tents offering funnel cakes, colorful scarves and skirts, wood carvings, pirate hats, squishy parrot dolls, hand-painted saw blades, trinkets made of bits of twisted metal, and many long colorful beads.

A rock band on a stage was tuning up for a concert. Many people wore pirate costumes, and Peggy kept bumping into three-corner hats, arm hooks, lots of beads, skulls and crossbones, eye patches and high black boots. Raoul was constantly snapping away with his camera.

Fran pointed, "This looks interesting."

A replica of a pirate ship on wheels had been parked in an empty lot, and in front of it a man dressed as a pirate was talking about parrots. All around him, perched on various pieces of driftwood, were many varieties of parrots. A crowd had gathered.

The man was holding a large macaw upside down and pointing to its claws.

"All birds are divided into groups called orders," said the pirate. "There are twenty-seven orders of birds on Earth. Parrots have their own order because they have a feature that makes them distinct from other birds. Does anyone know what that feature is?"

After a few wrong guesses by members of the audience, the pirate explained, "Look at the toes: two toes in the front and two in the back. That's unique in the bird kingdom. It allows them to grip things very well, and helps give parrots their amazing sense of balance."

He twirled the macaw right side up and stroked its chin.



Then he went to an African gray parrot and said, "What's your favorite bird?"

The parrot answered in a surprisingly clear voice, "Purple bird." The pirate translated, "He means hyacinth macaw."

When they were driving back to the beach house, Raoul said, "You know, I actually learned a lot about parrots from that guy. For example, I didn't know that parrots can live to be over a hundred years old."

Fran chuckled. "You never know what you might learn at the Westport pirate festival."

In the late afternoon, Raoul and Peggy walked on the beach and took more pictures.



Although the sun had come out, the wind had also picked up. Peggy felt a chill go through her; Raoul gave her his jacket.

After a lengthy walk they returned to the beach house. Raoul started a fire in the fire pit behind the house and when it had been reduced to smoldering coals he laid marinated pieces of halibut and salmon on a rack and placed it over the heat. Peggy, Raoul and Fran sipped white wine and sat near the fire in folding chairs. When the fish was almost done, Raoul laid down strips of zucchini over the heat and turned them frequently until they were roasted. They ate outside on trays, using Fran's wedding china.

"Just like old times," Fran said.

Peggy could detect a note of sadness in her voice. At the same time, she felt happier than she had felt in a long time. Raoul and Fran were great company, fun to talk to and relaxing to be with.

Peggy took Raoul's hand and kissed it. He smiled back at her and raised his glass in a little toast.

Fran cleared her throat, "I'm going to have to keep my eye on you two."

Peggy blushed for the second time in two days.

THIS EPISODE WILL BE CONCLUDED TOMORROW