Mary and Alvin Ch. 33

"So, you're twenty? Are you going to school?"

"No, I work in the family business. We own a wharf and a boatyard. And a diner, but that is separate."

"What do you do there?"

"I run the place."

"Really?"

"Well, Papa...my grandfather...is always right there. He was in charge for a long time, but he is...I guess you'd say semi-retired now."

"That's a lot of responsibility for someone so young."

Bonita shrugged. "So what do you do?"

"I work in construction."

"You married or anything? Got any...any other kids?"

Kevin shook his head. "No. I was married. It didn't work out, and we never had any kids. What's your family like? I have to admit, I'm curious about your mom."

"Well, Mama Jen is my birth mom, but she's married to Mama Danni, so I have two moms. Mama Jen runs the farm, Mama Danni is a sheriff's deputy. And there's Papa and Mama Mary. He's Mama Jen's father and she's his wife."

"No brothers or sisters?"

"Well, there's Hannah, she's my aunt, but we were born only a couple of weeks apart."

"Interesting family. Do you have a boyfriend...or girlfriend?"

Bonita smiled. "Yeah, actually I do have a boyfriend. It's kind of a new thing, but cool so far."

"I hope it works out."

"Thanks."

They sat and drank their coffee. Bonita began to feel more comfortable. She told him about sailing and he described a big work project he was starting. After a while, the conversation petered out.

Bonita pushed away her coffee cup and prepared to say goodbye, but she stopped herself.

"Can I...there's something i really want to know." She bit her lip and waited for him to reply.

Kevin set down his cup. "Sure, what is it?"

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Donate. I mean, was it just for the money?"

He looked into his cup for a minute. "You know, I have never talked about this with anyone."

"Well, if you are ever gonna, I guess I'd be the one."

"Yeah, I guess so." Kevin chuckled, but then his face turned serious. "You know, when I decided to agree to meet you, I thought about making up some kind of a story. Something to make myself sound noble. But really? It was pretty much for beer money."

He looked up from his cup, but his eyes darted away from Bonita's gaze.

"That's alright," she said softly, "I ain't the only kid who ever got born because of beer."

Kevin looked at her and grinned. "No, I suppose not," he said.

"So, did you ever wonder if I...well, if somebody...was out there somewhere?"

"Yeah, I did. More so when I was younger, I guess. But Bonita, I am really glad to find out that you are."

"Well, alright then," she said, "I guess I ought to get going."

They both stood and Kevin lifted his arms. "Could we...do you think..."

"Of course," Bonita said. She stepped forward and they hugged.

"Next time you come up to Maine, stop and say hello," she said, "I'll take you out to where the big fish are."

"I'd like that," he said, smiling.

She walked over to the counter and bought two coffees, a raspberry scone for her mother and a chocolate brownie for herself. When she turned toward the door, she saw that Kevin was still standing by the table, watching her. She waved to him, and he waved back.

Precariously balancing the coffee cups, she stepped outside and crossed the street. Jennifer saw her coming, leaned over and opened the passenger door.

"Thanks, Mom," Bonita said as she got in. She put the coffee in the cupholders.

"Is that him?" Jen asked.

Bonita looked up to see Kevin in front of the coffeehouse.

"Yeah, that's him."

He fumbled his keys from his pocket, then began walking in their direction on the other side of the street. Jennifer put down her window.

"Uh, Mom, what are you doing?" Bonita asked.

Jennifer ignored her. She leaned her head out the window and shouted.

"Hey, Mister Fernandez!"

Kevin stopped and looked around. Jennifer waved at him. He stared at her with a puzzled expression, then, seeing Bonita in the car, grinned.

"Hey," Jennifer said, her voice loud enough to carry over the noise of the street, "I just thought I ought to say thank you."

Kevin chuckled. "It was my pleasure," he said. He waved and walked to his car.

"Okay, that was weird," Bonita said as Jennifer pulled away from the curb.

Jennifer looked at her, her brow furrowed. "I don't see much resemblance," she said.

"Well, I don't look much like you."

"The person you take after most is my grandma Hannah."

"What was she like?"

"She was a badass."

"Well, then that just stands to reason, don't it?"

"You know, I think it would be pretty cool to be a grandmother."

"Don't even go there."

When Jennifer had driven clear of the city traffic, she asked Bonita, "So, what do you think? Is this going to be a real relationship?"

"I don't know. He clearly wants it to be, and I really like him, but I don't know. I'm afraid I can't live up to his image of me, and that the first time I disappoint him, it will all crash down."

Jennifer glanced at her with a puzzled expression. "Well, you didn't even know him before today, so how great a loss would it be?"

Bonita nearly choked on her brownie. "You were talking about my father?"

Jennifer laughed. "Oh, my god, you thought I meant Jamie!"

"Jeezum crow," Bonita muttered. She laughed as well, but she was thinking that it would be a wicked great loss.

***

Alvin and Bonita spent most of the morning rigging SeaJay's new sails, while Jamie cleaned up all the debris from the summer's work and took it to the town dump. On his return, he brought back Subway sandwiches for their lunch.

After they had eaten, Bonita finished the rigging while Alvin pulled the boat trailer around and got it in position. They had Jamie slowly back it up while they removed the stands two at a time, until the boat sat squarely on the trailer.

"Alright," Alvin said, "I'll drive it over to the town landing, you guys can jump in or walk over."

"We'll meet you there," Bonita said. As they walked to the landing she said to Jamie, "I guess we'll find out pretty quick how good a job you done on that hull."

"I think I did a pretty good job."

"Well, it it leaks, Papa might keelhaul you."

"What's keelhaul?"

"You don't want to know."

Alvin backed the trailer down the launch ramp until the water was midway up SeaJay's flanks. Bonita climbed on board and went into the cabin. She came back up a few minutes later and gave Jamie a thumbs up. "She's looking good, Papa," she called, "No sign of any water coming in."

She started the engines as Alvin and Jamie unfastened the boat from the trailer. When they had finished, she slowly backed it into the slip and brought it to a stop against the side of the landing.

Alvin pulled the truck and trailer forward, then he and Jamie walked down the landing to the side of the boat.

"Alright, we gonna take her out for a trial?" Bonita asked.

Jamie shifted nervously from foot to foot. He looked up and saw Alvin staring at him. Their eyes met and Alvin slowly nodded his head. Jamie knew immediately what he meant to convey. Earn her. He took a deep breath and, trembling slightly, jumped down on to SeaJay's deck.

Bonita stared at him in surprise, then looked up at Alvin. "You coming, Papa?"

"No," Alvin said, waving his arm, "You two have a nice sail. I'll see you when you get back."

She shrugged and guided SeaJay out into the harbor.

"You sure you want to do this?" she asked Jamie.

"Not really, but I'm doing it."

Bonita passed among the lobster boats and pleasure craft bobbing on their moorings, and steered into the open harbor channel.

"Okay, bub," she said, "Let's hoist the sails. Grab that rope right behind you."

With her guidance, Jamie raised the sails. They immediately filled with wind. Jamie was frightened by their increasing speed, but as he watched Bonita at the wheel, so confident and capable, his fear gave way to exhilaration. Still, he tensed when they exited the tranquil harbor and encountered the rougher waters of the bay.

Bonita knew Jamie was nervous, so she hung close to shore. They passed Turner's Point and scared a pod of harbor seals off the rocks. From there, she swung across Searsport harbor and rounded Cape Jellison into the mouth of the Penobscot River. She wanted to test the refurbished engine against the river's current. Following her instructions, Jamie dropped the sails.

"I'm going to make a sailor out of you, bub," Bonita said, grinning.

They went up river to within sight of the Narrows Bridge, then turned around. Bonita killed the engine and let the swift current carry them back down to the open bay.

Jamie came forward and stood beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Still nervous?" she asked.

"Not as much. I feel safe with you."

"Well, you ought to."

He leaned closer and said, softly, "Bonita, I love you."

He had to wait a minute for her to answer.

"I don't know if you love me, Jamie, or if you love some version of me you made up."

"I don't think that's so."

"You love the little girl who rescued you. You loved her so much that when you realized you need rescuing again, you went looking for her."

Jamie stepped away, looking down at the deck. "I think that was true, but I don't think it's true anymore."

"I ain't interested in being somebody's idol. You ought to know that by know. I'm a real person, not some movie hero."

"I know that."

She guided the boat to a spot near shore, where the water was calm, and dropped the anchor. Sitting down on the rear bench, she crossed her arms and looked up at Jamie.

"So, tell me one negative thing about me."

"I don't want to..."

"You can't, can you?"

He made a scoffing noise. "You're awfully fuckin' bossy," he said.

"That's cause I'm the boss."

"And you make damn sure everybody knows it."

"I'm a twenty year old girl running a business, I have to be assertive."

"And you get defensive at the drop of a hat."

"I do not!"

"You're doing it right now."

Bonita blushed. "No, I'm not, I just..."

"You don't like to admit when you are wrong."

"That's not true, either."

"When's the last time you were wrong about something important?"

Bonita looked out across the sun flecked water, then back at Jamie. "I didn't think when I hired you that you would last a month

"I nearly didn't."

"But you did. And I didn't think you'd ever get on a boat again, and here you are." She looked him in the eyes for a moment, then said, "Jamie, I'm wicked proud of you."

Jamie did not say anything. He pulled his t-shirt up over his head and kicked off his shoes.

"Bub, what are you doing?" Bonita asked.

He walked over to the side of the boat, and Bonita watched, her mouth agape, as Jamie Mitchell put one foot on the rail, lifted himself up and jumped into the ocean.

She rushed to the rail and looked for him. After a few anxious seconds, his head emerged above the water, twenty feet off starboard.

"Jamie," she shouted, "What the fuck? Do you even know how to swim?"

He laughed. "No, but I can tread water."

Bonita fetched a life preserver ring and tossed it to him. "This is getting to be a fucking habit," she muttered.

Jamie grabbed the ring. At the top of his lungs, he yelled, "I fucking love you, Bonita!"

Bonita shook her head and laughed. She pulled off her shirt, slipped off her shoes and, clad in her cutoffs and bra, leaped over the side. She sank deep beneath the surface, then looked up, saw Jamie's kicking legs through the clear water, and swam toward them. She emerged a few feet in front of him, and grabbed the ring. He held out his hand and pulled her close. She draped her arms over his shoulders and kissed him.

"I love you too," she said, pushing herself away, "But you can get your own ass out of the water this time."

She swam back to the boat and pulled herself up to the rail. She climbed aboard and turned to watch Jamie awkwardly dogpaddle toward her.

"Come on, Bonita," he called, "help me up."

"Oh, all right." She leaned down, took the ring from him, then held out her hand and helped him over the rail.

"Jeezum," he said, "I'm freezing."

"Did you just say jeezum?"

"Yeah, I guess I did."

Bonita shook her head. "Why don't you go below and get us some towels?"

Jamie ducked into the cabin while she started the engine and weighed the anchor. She was at the wheel when he came back. He draped a towel over her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned back and kissed him, then turned the wheel, setting them on a westerly course. The sun hung low in the sky before then, sinking behind streaks of magenta clouds. A thought occurred to her. Sunsets were so much more beautiful when there were some clouds.

"So what happens now?" Jamie asked.

"Now we go home."

"Do you know the way?"

"Of course I do," she said, "We ain't lost."