Lewis & Ondarko - Best Friends 03 - Now and Zen (6 page)

“First we’ll have another cup of strong black tea,” said Deb, pouring everyone some more from the pot, “and then, we’ll punt! We’ll have to put our heads together after the others arrive.”

“If there’s another problem, you better lay it on us now,” Pat said. “Was there something happening on the ferry? Did the captain ask you to steer?”

“Steer? Are you crazy? The boat was totally full and chaotic. He had enough on his mind besides the two of us running into the shore. No, this one really isn’t something you have to fix, thank goodness.”

“Well what is it? I’m all ears.” Pat leaned forward with her elbows on the table. “Anything to not think about what we’re going to do with all those women at tomorrow’s breakfast at the church.”

“All the ferry workers were in a dither,” Noreen said. “That woman who takes your tickets? She hardly even smiled and she gave me back more in change than I gave her in the first place. I handed her back the money, and she had such a blank look on her face, that I asked her if something was wrong. I thought maybe she was sick or something. But no, she said she was fine, and sorry for giving the wrong change. But what with a person missing from the last ferry count, it was like she was in a big funk.”

“Missing from the ferry? You mean someone got on and then didn’t get off in Bayfield?”

“That’s exactly what I asked her. And she said, rather defensively I might add, that she always kept a very accurate count. That she had never been wrong before. Besides, the count of the tickets bore her out. They had never had a person jump from the ferry before, in all the years of its existence.”

“Jump? They think someone committed suicide right off the ferry?” Deb asked in dismay.

“That’s exactly what I asked her. Then she leaned in and whispered, ‘or God forbid, was pushed.’ When she realized she was telling me more than she should, her face closed up and got all red, and she said she was sure it was some kind of mistake. Although to tell you the truth, the police were there, so someone was taking it seriously.”

There was momentary silence around the table.

“I just hope it was a mistake and some poor woman didn’t go overboard into that cold water,” Pat said finally. “Your body can go into hypothermia in a few minutes even in the bay. The water never warms up on the big lake.” Everyone shivered at the thought.

The four women sat sipping tea together in silence for several minutes.

“My grandbaby is cutting his first teeth!” Noreen gushed, lifting the heaviness of the mood.

“My little beastie, Joey, is chewing up furniture!” Pat countered.

“Well, I have you all beat,” Deb replied. My granddaughter, Gracie, is only three and she climbs out windows in her bedroom! Now they have to lock them.”

Competitive stories about grandchildren were something new for these women since they had all waited to become grandmothers. and each of them loved it.

Their bragging session was interrupted by a loud tapping on the back door.

“Knock, knock. Is this an open party?” a light-hearted voice hooted. “Did we come to the right place?”

“Hi Carolyn! Come on in!” Pat’s voice sang out.

A middle-aged woman, her wispy hair helmeting her face, bustled into the room.

“Wow! You really got us a good deal on this place,” Carolyn said, looking admiringly around the room.

She was followed closely by a petite blonde, dressed impeccably in a blue and white nautical polo and khaki capris.

“Hi, Linda. Good to see you,” Deb said, standing to hug Linda.

There’s nothing like a friend you raised your babies with,
Deb thought.

Deb pulled up more chairs to the table.

“You know each other, right?” They all nodded.

The women settled into family gossip, as women do when they get together, as they relaxed slowly into island time.

“Okay, enough small talk,” Carolyn said. “What do you want us to do for the retreat?”

“I really don’t know,” Pat said. “We thought we were all organized. Free breakfast on me to anyone who comes up with a plan to deal with all the extra women.”

“We’re so glad you invited us. Why did you decide to have this retreat, anyway?” Linda asked, turning to Deb.

“Because we’re still crazy after all these years, I guess,” Deb joked. “Seriously, though, we had been thinking about those times when we got together years ago when our kids were little. Remember how we were crazy young single parents back then and how good it felt to get away for a weekend? Remember the freedom we felt to do whatever we wanted?”

“Those were the days,” Carolyn said. “Remember how Linda made us all get up to watch the sunrise over Lake Superior?”

“I remember laughter, escape, and growing,” Deb said. “And not around the belly, either. Seems to me we were all pretty svelte back then.”

“And at least two of you still are,” Julie chimed in.

“Anyway, we wanted to try to create a renewed sense of community by gathering women at solstice… doing things we love to do… trying to feel a little younger… maybe take a few risks in our thinking.”

They put their heads together and brainstormed for the next half an hour - where the writing workshop should be; how to set up for extras at the painting class; and where they would feed everyone.

“Jeeze, I gotta stop,” Deb said suddenly. “I thought this was just going to be a great weekend for fun.” She stood up and rubbed her lower back with her hands. “I need to just lie down and think. I need a time out. I’m going in my room for while.”

“Go ahead Deb. We’ll just finish up deciding where everything’s going to take place. Don’t worry,” Pat said.

Settling into the comforter on the bed, Deb kept thinking about the dream she and Pat had envisioned. It was so simple: friends coming, good food, and laughter. Whatever happened to that idea anyway?

“What about bathrooms?” Deb heard Linda ask from the next room.

Damn! The weekend the stranger went missing from the ferry! And how could she be missing anyway? There were so many people on the boat. Truth is,
Deb thought,
they probably wouldn’t have noticed. People go through life as if it’s a dream and purposely don’t notice anything that might cause them to wake up and look around. Well; I’m not going to sleep through life!

And with that last thought she promptly fell asleep.

Deb’s rest was shortlived. Just as she settled into her nap, she heard the island tune of her cell singing faintly from another part of the cabin. She awoke with a small snort and reached for it on the night stand. It wasn’t there.

“Snap! Where is that crazy thing? Anyone see my cell out there?” she called. “Sometimes I swear it has legs and just waits for me to turn the other way so it can run and hide.”

Having gotten up to follow the sound, Pat handed Deb the ringing phone as she came out of the bedroom.

“Here it is. It was in a white Macy’s bag on the sofa.”

“Bag? See what I mean?” Deb said. It stopped ringing just as she opened the lid. She sighed. “Missed that one. Oh well. Oh, look there’s three more messages I missed.”

Putting her feet up on Noreen’s chair rung, Deb squinted at the small symbols and pressed the button she hoped would bring up messages. For some reason known only to the mysterious phone gods, the setting was on speaker phone.

“Hello, Deb. Pick up if you’re there. This is St. John’s. Are you on the island yet? Call me as soon as you can. I’ve got my secretary calling in food for the breakfast feast, and we’ll open the weaving room to set up more seating. We’re on top of it, although we probably could use a few more dishwashers. Oh, and dishes. The church only has settings for one-fifty. Never mind, but call me with the crowd number. There are other things to decide. Bye for now. Call me.” Click.

She pressed the button again, while the others listened curiously.

Beep. “Hi, Deb. I tried to get Pat, but it seems her phone is off. The signup sheets we put up for the workshops are almost all full. Should we start making second sessions for all of them? Need to know ASAP. Oh, and we have permission to close off Bell Street for Tai Chi in the mornings. You’re very welcome. It doesn’t hurt to be one of the only police officers on the island. Call me.” Click.

Beep. “Hi, Mom. This is Cliffy. Are you picking me up from school? Call me.” Click.

“That kid! He knows I’m gone.” She pressed the button again.

Beep. “Hi, my darling. I tried calling Patty but she never answers. What kind of a person has a phone if they never bother to answer it, anyway? Would you tell her your Mom and I are on our way? We’ll be on the 8:30 ferry tonight. No need to pick us up. See you at your cabin.” There was a pause. “Oh yes… this is Jessie. Call me. Bye.” Click.

Just as she closed her phone and was about to put it down on the table, it rang again.

“Hello? This is Deb.”

“Deb, glad I caught you. Say, now that there’s so gosh awful many coming, is it okay if we have two specials and then when they’re out we can have people order off the menu? The discount will still apply. We didn’t really plan for this kind of crowd.”

“Lotta, is that you? Are you talking about lunch tomorrow? You think it will be that crowded?”

“Well, we have one hundred reservations already. Say, did you happen to reserve a table? We’re a popular place, you know. Just kidding. We’ve reserved a head table for you and yours at noon.”

“That would be great, thanks,” Deb replied. “I just can’t believe this yet. Thanks for the heads up, Lotta. Bye.”

“Is that a coupon special?” Carolyn asked. “Do I need a coupon?”

Deb sat silently for a moment.

Pat looked at her friend and was concerned by her pallor. “Are you okay?”

“Okay? If by okay you mean crazy nuts, then I’m okay. This is another fine mess you’ve got me in, Ollie,” she joked, holding her head in her hands.

“We’ll figure this out,” Pat replied, patting her back. She was about to say more when there was another knock on the door.

“What now?” Pat rose from the table and opened the door to five women she had never met before in her life.

“Halloo, is this where we register for the solstice, or is there a tent somewhere to sign in?” the voice floated.

Deb’s groan could be heard all the way from the kitchen.

“Is someone ill?” the voice asked politely.

“If only I were,” replied the voice as if through a brain fog.

“I’m going to work on a master schedule until it’s time to meet Bev in Bayfield,” Deb said, turning to the others.

“I’ll go check on how many people can fit on the beach,” Linda offered.

“C’mon, Noreen,” Julie said. “Let’s go see where your class is going to be held.”

While engrossed in her scheduling project Deb noticed her cell phone buzzing with a signal of another unheard message.

Jeeze, didn’t I turn the ringer off?
she thought.

Beep. “Hi, Deb. It’s Mike, from the ferry line. Just wanted to let you know that my wife would like to join you for part of the retreat tomorrow.” The voice hesitated.

“And you probably heard already, but I thought I would give you a heads up. There seems to be a woman missing off the ferry from the morning trek right after yours. It serves me right to brag about my record. I’ll catch you later. Bye. Call me.” Click.

So someone really is missing. It’s probably not as bad as I think,
Deb reassured herself.
Don’t go making a big deal about this. You’ve got enough to do.

She picked up her pen and paper and added Mike’s wife to the list. She returned all her phone calls and made an even bigger list, trying to distract her mind from her creeping anxiety. Having finished all that she could for the moment, and taking a deep breath, she glanced at the clock in the corner.

Having no more chores to do before it was time to leave for the ferry, she picked up another journal from a pile on the shelf in the corner. She paged through it slowly, enjoying the messages of past guests. One in particular caught her eye.

Deb smiled, remembering herself at age ten in those long ago days of summer innocence.

How I wish that Pat and I had known each other as little girls.

“C’mon, Deb, time to go, or we’ll miss the ferry,” Pat’s voice called.

“Coming!” Deb replied, placing the book tenderly back on the shelf.

“Anything we can do while you’re gone to help get ready?” Julie asked cheerfully from her perch in the rocker.

“Let me think. We need to make sure we have enough garbage cans,” Pat replied as she grabbed her jacket from the hook. “You can call the Bell Street Tavern to ask for more. We need to make sure there are enough toilets available to accommodate all the people. Linda, you were right. You could call some of the Main Street businesses and see if they will act as a D.T.”

“What’s a D.T?” asked Noreen.

“A designated toilet, of course,” Pat replied.

“Oh, and one more thing,” she continued, as she opened the door to the cabin.

“What’s that?” Julie asked. “Lay it on me your highness.”

“Pray for a miracle.”

“A solstice miracle,” Deb added over her shoulder as she closed the door behind them.