“You look like hell, Talbot,” Tracy said as she stroked my cheek. I bowed my face down lower, the human contact felt so warm.
Justin came over to give me a hug. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
He had had a taste of what I was in for and felt deeply for it. Like I needed any more reasons to love my kids.
“How’s it feel Dad?” Travis asked.
“Empty, son, empty.’
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO – Talbot Journal Entry 17
Final Note
When we began our journey back towards Maine, it was without Alex and his family. I could not believe April did not want to stay with Mad Jack, but apparently I was a bigger repelling force than he was an attraction. And the biggest surprise was Joann and Eddy. I’m pretty sure Eddy wanted to come with us, but at eight years old his vote did not count in this matter.
EPILOGUES
On the Road to find Paul and Alex
After a few hours on the road we finally holed up for the night. Gary is a wonderful orator. While getting ready for bed, he decided to share this gem. Why now, I’m not sure, maybe just to point out that the natural world has always been a part of the supernatural.
“Did I ever tell you the story about the Keenagh family in New Orleans?” he asked.
“Do I know them?” I asked.
“I doubt it.”
“Is this scary, because I don’t need anything else to lose sleep over at night,” I warned him.
“It’s not really scary. It just makes you think.”
“So, is it a true story?”
“Supposedly.”
“Okay, tell me it. But if it’s scary, we’ll be sharing your sleeping bag.”
“But mine isn’t big enough,” he answered seriously.
“Then be careful with your story selection.”
“Most people would be fine. You, I’m not so sure. So, there’s this family down in New Orleans, the Keenaghs. They live in this small town right on the beach year round. There’s a father, mother, and two young sons, Robbie and Sammie. It’s mostly a tourist town, the majority of visitors come during the winter months and stay in rental cottages.”
“Not scary so far,” I told Gary, settling in for the rest.
“See, I told you. So all these families come for vacation and there are three other families in particular that also have little kids. The Keenaghs have a little boat they named the Sparrow, which they take out and just let everyone have a good time on. So these three families with their kids, Tabitha, David and Donnie become fast friends with the Keenagh’s kids. Year after year, they come and spend the same two-week period together going out on this boat, fishing and swimming and just making memories. For Robbie’s twelfth birthday, his dad gives him the Sparrow. Robbie cannot believe it. He loves that boat, he and his friends damn near live on it during the summer. After another five years of hanging out, the kids who are all about fifteen to seventeen years old now realize that they are just about coming to the end of these trips with their families. They do what just about every kid does, they make pacts that they will still get together in the years to come. And like the vast majority of pacts, they never materialize. Two of the kids go off to college, one goes in the military and the other two just go on with their lives, but they always remember the great summers together.”
“Sounds good so far.”
“Well, about ten years go by and the older Keenagh brother lives in New York now, I think he’s an investment broker or something like that. He’s heading home from work one night and this guy robs him and stabs him to death for $35.”
“That’s screwed up, getting killed for $35.”
Gary shrugged his shoulders in acknowledgement. “I know, some people have gotten killed for less. Anyway, so that same night Rob gets stabbed and died, the Sparrow slipped its moorings. After they bring Rob’s body home and get him buried, the family spends the next week searching for their lost boat. They even asked the Coast Guard if they could keep a look out for it. The Sparrow had become Rob’s pride and joy in those long ago summers, and Mrs. Keenagh, I think her name was Luci, couldn’t stand that this remembrance of her son was now also gone. She used to be able to look out her kitchen window every morning and smile looking down on the small boat. Rob’s first words every time he called home were, ‘How’s she doing?’ Luci couldn’t even look out the window any more, the loss of the boat a constant reminder of the loss of her son.”
“Man, that sucks,” I said honestly, “Who needs that kind of reminder?”
“I know,” Gary said. “So a few more years go by and the younger brother Sam is home visiting his folks for the holidays. He’s out on the front porch sitting in a big rocking chair having a cold beer.”
“Do you know what kind of beer it is, because that sounds really good right now.”
“That’s not really important to the story.”
“Sorry.”
“Can I go on?”
“Wait, did they ever find the boat?” I asked.
Gary shook his head.
“Any debris from a wreck then?”
Gary shook his head again. “Can I continue?”
I motioned with my hand that he could.
“So Sam is on the porch and this car pulled into the driveway. It’s Tabitha, she was down in New Orleans taking her daughter to her new college for orientation and thought she would show her where she used to go on vacations with her family while she was down there. Before she can even come across the yard and hug Sam, this truck pulls up. Its David. He lived in LA but had to go to New Orleans for a conference. When it was done, he decided to go see the beach he had spent so much time on.”
I was sitting up now.
“Sam, Tabitha, and David are all talking and hugging about what good fortune it is that they all came together at the same time when another car pulls into the driveway. It’s Donnie, the youngest of the group. He had no reason whatsoever to make the drive from his home in Texas. He told them he just felt compelled to do it. So there they all are sitting on the front porch reminiscing when Mrs. Keenagh comes out the front door. She is sheet white. Her son Sam got up so fast he knocked his chair over.”
“Did he spill his beer?”
“Do you want to hear the rest?”
“Well yes, I just figured that was the scary part, him spilling his beer and all.”
“Mike!”
“Sorry.”
“So Sam is pretty concerned for his mother and asked her if she’s alright. She can barely talk she’s so upset. ‘It’s the Sparrow,’ his mom tells him, ‘it’s back.’”
“The Sparrow came back? Damn, that gave me goose bumps,” I told Gary. “So they finally did honor their pact. And that’s a true story?”