Part Sixty-Nine

This concludes the multi-part episode that began with Part Sixty-Four.

Friday, October 14


As the boat neared Blake Island, Peggy moved forward, unsteadily, and gripped the back of Luke's seat with one hand while holding onto her hat with the other. The island seemed desolate, prehistoric, a place where ancient rituals might be performed in great secrecy. She felt like a trespasser, and it filled her with dread. What am I doing here, she wondered.

They spotted another boat coming toward them from the island. It was just a blurry dot at first, possibly a buoy. But the shape gradually became larger and more identifiable: a small motorboat. Luke altered course slightly to the left to give it room, and slowed his speed so as not to generate too large a wake. The oncoming boat swerved to the right.

The two boats closed the gap rapidly. Peggy stood behind Luke, on the right side of their boat, shading her eyes to get a better view. She saw two figures in the other boat. It bounced lightly on the surface of the water.

Finally it was almost abreast of them, then almost past them, when Peggy recognized a familiar outline, a face with a beard, a familiar jacket.

Peggy shouted. "That's Raoul!" She waved. "Raoul!" she yelled. She saw his head turn, the upper part of his face obscured by sunglasses and a hat. She did not recognize the other man with him.

Florence stood up quickly, too quickly, just as Luke executed a u-turn sharply to the right. Florence let out a scream as she fell back.

Peggy turned. Florence reached wildly for something to grab. Anything. Peggy saw that she was going over. Luke was preoccupied with steering the boat.

Florence hit the rail with her backside and started to tumble. Her left hand swung into the air. Peggy caught it. With her other hand she reached around Florence's waist and lugged her back into the boat.

"Are you okay, Florence?" Peggy asked.

Florence nodded, out of breath. "Mercy. I almost went for a dip." She smiled at Peggy and hugged her. "I always knew you were a sweetheart."

Peggy then turned to see Raoul staring at them, his sunglasses now removed, his expression a mixture of bewilderment and concern, but also a trace of amusement. They all stood looking at each other for a very long moment. Peggy began to have the sinking feeling that she had made a huge mistake. Raoul didn't look very lost. Being rescued appeared to be the farthest thing from his mind.

"Hello, Raoul. Fancy meeting you in the middle of Puget Sound on a Friday afternoon," said Peggy with a weak smile.

Raoul held up his hands. "Wait. Just because we're standing in two boats in the middle of Puget Sound is no excuse for my bad manners." He motioned toward the other man. "This is Ed Semp, who has been a good friend for many, many years."

Ed had a weathered face and lots of wrinkles around his eyes. He waved at them, then looked at Kelly. "Hello, Kelly Flinn. It's been a while."

"Hello, Ed."

"Ed, these are my commuting companions from the ferry. You obviously know Kelly." One by one Raoul introduced the other occupants of Luke's boat. He saved Peggy for last, and he said, "...and this is Peggy."

Ed's eyes rested on her and he said, "Ah."

Peggy wanted to disappear under a seat cushion.

"I'm dying to know how you all happen to be out for a pleasure cruise in Luke's boat on a Friday afternoon," said Raoul. "But first, I want to tell you something very important. Since you're all friends you have a right to know. I was having dinner with Ed, here, earlier this week and he made an observation." Raoul paused and looked at Ed. "He told me that I had never gotten over Priscilla's death. I told him he was crazy. Then he proposed that we go camping and talk about it. So we did, and Ed proceeded to tell me all the reasons why he thought that was true. I won't bore you with the details, but after a couple of days I began to believe he was right."

He paused, and Ed nodded his head to confirm that Raoul had given an accurate accounting of things. They all stood lost in their own thoughts, listening to the water lapping against the sides of the boats.

"Now I feel great," Raoul continued, "but I don't think it would have happened without Peggy. You got me out of my shell over these past few months. Especially when you brought up the idea of that environmental club. I was very negative about it, but later I realized the problem was me: I was too wrapped up in my own world, still living with Priscilla. I didn't want any intruders."

The silence was soft and filled with light. Then Raoul said, "Now, then, you've heard my story. What brings all of you out here?"

All eyes turned to Peggy. She squirmed; she had never felt so foolish in her life. "It was my idea. I asked Luke to take me for a boat ride, and everyone came along. It's much too nice a day to be inside working, don't you all agree?"

"Yes," they said in unison.

Raoul looked at them for a moment, then said. "Sounds like fun. Look, why don't we all get together some time?" Then he said, "Peggy, can I call you later?"

"Sure," she said quietly.

Finally he turned to Ed. "Shall we?"

"Nice meetin' you folks," said Ed Semp with a wave. Ed started the boat and they brought it around and headed back to Eagle Harbor.

Luke looked at Peggy. "What now?"

Peggy sat dejectedly on a bench seat.

Paula spoke up. "I'd like to see something, since we're out here."

"I could give you a guided tour of Blakely Harbor," said Kelly. "There was lots of activity there a hundred years ago. You wouldn't know it unless somebody pointed out what was what."

While Peggy sat in a state of numbness, Kelly directed Luke toward Blakely Harbor, near the south end of Bainbridge Island, and explained how it looked during the island's lumber harvesting boom days, when nearly all the trees on the island were cut and shipped to San Francisco for the purpose of rebuilding that city after the 1906 fire.

Peggy hardly heard a word of Kelly's description. She could not get rid of the awful feeling of having blundered mightily. She was so blind, she realized with annoyance. I thought I was so together, I had him all figured out. Yet I'm the one who's lost. I'm the one who hasn't recovered. I was using his problems as a shield so I didn't have to deal with my own. I created obstacles for my own protection. She closed her eyes and felt embarrassment and shame wash over her like ocean spray.

Peggy was not very talkative as they returned to the dock in Luke's boat and disembarked. Peggy thanked everyone for coming along and said over and over how much she appreciated their company. They all hugged her and wished her well. Then she returned home on foot, walking quickly and purposefully.

She entered her house knowing her next move. She called her boss.

"Milton?" she said.

"Peggy. Yes, yes. How are you? Did you find Raoul?"

"Yes. We got all that straightened out. The reason I'm calling is about the dinner. Is it still on?"

"You bet. I have reservations at Wild Ginger," said Milton excitedly.

"Can you add one more?"

"You?"

"Yes, I would like to go, if it's okay."

Milton's voice was filled with relief. "You don't know how happy I am to hear that."

"I gave it some thought and decided that I'm not quite ready to burn my bridges, as they say."

"Well in that case, let me tell you something that I didn't mention before. By the way, wear something nice tonight because this is really an interview."

"What kind of interview?" said Peggy.

"Dr. Hinckley has offered us a one-year residency at his research center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts."

Peggy gasped. She knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The charming seaside town of Woods Hole was the Center of the Universe as far as many climate-change researchers were concerned.

"Yes. You heard me correctly."

"A year in Woods Hole! That's amazing. But I'm not a scientist," she said.

"That's okay. This residency is focused on using data to propose and debate policy. That's exactly what you're a genius at."

"Don't get carried away, Milton."

"Look, I haven't formally nominated you. But I want to see what kind of rapport you can establish with Dr. Hinckley. If you guys hit it off, and you want to go, you let me know in private. Deal?"

"Okay. But I'm not making any promises."

"Thanks, Peg. See you at the restaurant at 7 p.m."

Peggy hung up and took a shower. She stood under the warm water for a long time to wash off the salty sea air from Puget Sound. Then, dressed in her robe, she opened her closet and considered her clothing options.

There was really only one option: black, with some kind of flattering color on top. She chose a black skirt and black heels and a soft blouse the color of emerald-green water. I'll look like I belong in Woods Hole, she thought. She rummaged and found a hairpiece that matched, and a sparkling pendant that would look smart over the blouse. She laid everything on her bed and studied it critically. She pulled on the skirt and checked herself in the mirror. Too short? Or too long?

The phone rang. It was Raoul. She sat on her bed.

"Can I fix dinner for you tonight?" he asked.

"I have a business dinner to attend, at Wild Ginger."

"Nice. Must be an important guest."

"Yes. Milton's all worked up about it. I can't say no."

Pause. "I have some important things to say, and I wanted to say them in person."

"Have you called Deidre?" Peggy asked.

"Yes. I got an earful."

"Are you surprised?"

"I suppose I should have left word."

"That would have been helpful."

"You're sore at me aren't you?"

"That's putting it mildly. I've just spent the most frustrating day of my life and it's not even over yet."

"Can I come over?"

"I'm busy getting ready for my dinner. I have to rest and collect my thoughts."

"Okay, then, I'll say what I have to say."

She waited.

"You have helped me more than you know. I didn't even get into it when we were out there in the boat. You have turned my life around."

Her mood softened.

"I've been a jerk for years, and along comes one person, you, and it's reversed."

"People don't turn their lives around on a dime," she said. "It may be the beginning of a reversal, perhaps, but I wouldn't become complacent."

"But I can see where it's going, and I can see what an impact you've had." He cleared his throat. She sensed something big was coming. "I want to discuss, uh, some kind of new arrangement between us."

"Like?"

"Would you like to move in with me?" The words came out rushed, and she felt bad that he had to say them over the phone.

"I suppose it would be a bit like having your own personal trainer right in your house."

"Peggy, I knew this would be misunderstood..."

"No, I understand perfectly. Whenever you get depressed I cheer you up. Is that it? Well who's going to cheer me up? I don't see anyone helping me with my issues. Believe me, I've learned today that I still have issues."

"I want to help you. We need to help each other."

"That's not the basis for a relationship; it sounds more like a dependency. I don't want to be on drugs. I want to be healthy."

"Are you sure you don't have just ten minutes to meet with me?"

"And besides, where would this lead? Is this one of these sex-with-no-commitment deals?"

"I didn't think you'd be interested in marriage."

"I can't answer that. In fact, if you had proposed marriage I would be dropping the phone and running for my life. To be honest, I like the idea of living with you. But it has to feel right. It has to feel healthy and loving, and not two clueless people depending on each other for emotional sanity."

They were silent for several minutes. Peggy played with the hem of her skirt and tested how it looked when she crossed her legs. It does ride up fairly high, she observed. It was snug and felt sexy. She knew what she wanted to feel at that moment: she wanted to feel Raoul's hands sliding the skirt down her hips.

"There's not much else I have to say," he said at last.

"I'm sorry for being cross with you. I need to take a nap and go to my dinner. And I'll call you this weekend."

"Deal," he said.

Peggy observed that it was the second deal she was offered that day. It was a day of deals. What else was in store for her?

There was an intake of breath on the other end of the line, the telltale signal that he was about to speak. There was even the tentative beginnings of a syllable being uttered.

"Don't say it," she said. "Don't say those words."

"Don't?"

"It will just confuse me."

He exhaled. He was working very hard at this, and she was touched by it. "Okay," he said. "Until the weekend."

"Thanks. Bye."

Peggy hung up the phone, slipped out of her skirt and crawled into bed after setting the alarm clock. She woke up an hour later, feeling somewhat refreshed, and carefully applied makeup and lipstick, thinking, 'Hmm, Wild Ginger is rather dark,' and then dressed for her outing. She drank a cup of tea slowly and thought about work, specifically about the ocean temperature study that she had been working on, and replayed in her mind the key points, the "cocktail conversation" as Milton would call it.

When it was time to go she put extra cash into her purse for the taxi ride from the ferry terminal to the restaurant. She slipped a dark cashmere coat around her shoulders and checked herself once more in the mirror. She was beautiful.

Peggy left her house and walked to the ferry terminal, stepping carefully down the path in her high heels. She wondered if she should have brought some flat shoes to walk in.


Author's Note:

If you have stayed with Peggy this far, congratulations, and thank you for reading. You have just read the second-to-last episode of Peggy Finds A Friend. Yes, that's right, the next episode, Part Seventy, is the end of the story.

I've been saying all along that I would like readers to propose an ending to the story. Well, now you know the choices: does Peggy go to Massachusetts for a year, or does she move in with Raoul? Part Seventy, the final episode, will answer that question.

Here's the setting: it will be a party at Raoul's house. I don't know the complete menu, but I do know that he will make Pumpkin Crème Brulee and there will be pictures of him carmelizing the sugar with his new kitchen torch. There will be lots of music. The party will either be a housewarming for Peggy because she just moved in, or it will be a going away party. Either way, Peggy will be happy with her decision. Even though this story is basically about grief, we want it to have a happy ending. The question is, what is her decision, and, most importantly, why?

And what about the others? In my opinion, Luke is still a question mark. He could end up with Paula or Florence. In spite of Paula's tough talk I think she still has a soft spot for Luke. On the other hand, Luke may not deserve Paula. As for Florence, if Peggy goes to Woods Hole, then Florence could perhaps end up with Raoul! Who knows. That's for you to decide. Kelly is fairly simple; he will be there with his new friend, Xena, who is one of Raoul's bandmates. They met at a previous party and Kelly went misty-eyed on us.

I'm imagining a fun scene, one where the clues lead both ways, and the resolution doesn't come until the very end. Your input on this would be extremely valuable.

Don't forget, I'm giving away a $100 dollar bookstore certificate to the reader with the resolution that I think best fits the story and the characters.

Please stay tuned for email announcements concerning the contest. And tell your friends!

Thanks for reading.

Bill