“I just wanted to let loose for once,” Trisha murmured with her lips pressed up against a pillow. “Stop being a mom for just one night.”
Trisha looked as she was about to fall asleep.
“I hope this doesn’t change your impression of the Scotch-Irish community?” Trisha mumbled into the pillow.
“No, it’s pretty much the same as before,” he said and laughed internally.
George noticed Trisha’s breathing pattern had decelerated, and shortly after, her leg suddenly twitched. He came to think of how he cured his insomnia.
Just as the human body is about to fall asleep, the brain is destined to misinterpret the experience as the sense of actually falling. The sense of falling, and the sudden twitch used to keep George from falling asleep. So, in order to lure his mind, he would actually imagine and embrace the sensation of falling. He would imagine falling into something delightful, something that made him feel safe—therefore, luring his mind into interpreting the experience of falling as pleasant, instead of alarming. As George had grown accustomed to the sense of falling, his insomnia had slowly faded away.
To George’s concern, he soon came to realize that Trisha had carried her arsenal of booze in her bare hands; she hadn’t brought a purse. His head dropped as he thought of the consequences. He contemplated whether getting into her pockets was the right thing to do. Even though Trisha looked as if she was passed out for the night, there was always a slight risk of her waking up screaming as soon his hands were in her pants.
After a short deliberation and evaluation of all the alternatives, George decided getting into her pants pockets was the right thing to do. Trisha Boyle was still passed out and lying on her stomach. To his frustration, he quickly discovered her back pants pocket was empty. He hesitated once more before he fished out a card from her front pocket.
Trisha Boyle slept in his bed that night, and he slept in hers.
25 THE OCEAN
Wednesday afternoon
Jack walked toward the sloping tree down by the shore, and then casually brought up his arm as Julie rose to her feet.
“Hey,” Julie called out in a hoarse voice.
Julie squinted, and then her smile suddenly vanished.
“Where’s Kevin?” Julie eventually asked Jack.
“I haven’t seen him.”
“But he left with you, Jack.”
Jack frowned. “He didn’t come back?”
“No,” Julie almost yelled. “What happened between you two?”
“He got upset and left.”
“Why? What happened?”
Jack coughed into his fist. “I saw Kevin board the plane with his wife.”
“But he said he wasn’t married…” Julie’s voice trailed off, and then she looked long and hard at the lake.
“I told him he shouldn’t blame himself for what happened. I tried to get him to open up to me, but he just ignored me. Until he suddenly cracked. His face looked destroyed all of the sudden, and he ran back the way we came.”
“Was he wearing a wedding ring?”
“He must have taken it off. I noticed the imprint on his finger when we…”
Jack looked at the letters spelled out across the shore.
“…created the sign,” Jack continued. “And before that, I noticed he had his hands in his pockets the whole time.”
“I noticed that too, but I just thought he was cold.”
“Guilt was eating him up,” Jack said in a drowsy voice. “I think his wife’s name was Pamela.”
“What makes you say that?” Julie asked hesitantly.
“I heard someone yelling for Pamela when I swam to shore,” Jack said. “Remember how I asked you if your name was Pamela?”
“I don’t remember much from the crash.”
“It must have been Kevin, yelling for his wife,” Jack said. He looked around the nearby surroundings. “So, are Nancy and Andrew off looking for Kevin?”
“No, they’re gone. I don’t know where they went.”
“Why did they leave?”
“I don’t know,” Julie said. “They were both gone when I woke up.”
Jack took a few steps toward the forest. “I’m going to go look for Nancy. She shouldn’t be moving around too much.”
“But she could be anywhere by now,” Julie responded quickly.
“When did you wake up?”
“They’ve been gone since yesterday morning.”
“They’ve been gone for more than a day?”
“Yes, so she could be anywhere by now,” Julie said. “Please, don’t leave, Jack.”
Julie tilted her head, and looked sad as she kept staring at Jack.
“Have you tried calling out for them?”
“I screamed all day yesterday,” Julie said. “Can’t you tell by my voice.”
“That doesn’t make any sense, Julie.” Jack shook his head and coughed. “If Andrew ran after Nancy, then why didn’t he wake you?”
“Well, he slept over there.” Julie pointed at the tree by the hillside.
“Why?” Jack asked in a hushed tone.
“He was angry with me, and he didn’t want to sleep next to me.”
“Why not?”
Julie trained her eyes down. “We had an altercation, and I hurt his feelings.”
“What happened?”
“He called Nancy a whore.”
“What?” Jack frowned.
“Yeah, he called her a whore, Jack. I can’t stand people like that,” Julie said. “You know what I’m talking about. You almost strangled him the other day. What was that about?”
“I didn’t strangle him. I just grabbed him by his collar. That’s all.”
“Why?”
Jack shrugged and coughed. “He made some remarks about Nancy.”
“Did he call her a whore?”
“No, nothing like that,” Jack said and shrugged again. “He told me how Nancy made some sexual references when she talked in her sleep during the first night, and it sounded like he enjoyed it.”
“I bet he did. He was probably jacking off. That’s disgusting.”
Then suddenly Julie looked alarmed and waved her hands at Jack, looking as if she were trying to wave down a cab. “I didn’t mean to imply men are disgusting. It’s okay, Jack. I masturbate too.”
Jack looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you shouldn’t feel bad if you jack off… No pun indented, by the way,” Julie quickly added.
Jack chuckled. “What are you talking about, Julie?”
“I don’t know anymore.” Julie’s shoulders slumped. “I talk too much when I’m nervous. My son always tells me so.”
Julie looked at her feet, and then a teardrop slowly ran down her cheek.
“Please don’t leave,” Julie said, and wiped a tear. “I can’t be alone again.”
Jack sat down next to Julie, under the chanterelle tree.
“I’m not leaving,” Jack said. “You’re right, Nancy could be anywhere by now.”
“I thought you and Kevin were gone for good.” Julie sniffed. “I was all alone.” Julie wiped another tear off her cheek, the blood still showing on her jacket sleeve.
“How’s your head?” Jack asked, and looked at Julie’s forehead.
Julie looked puzzled. “Oh, that. That’s nothing. It’s just a bump, I’d forgotten all about it. But I think my ankle is broken. I can’t walk.”
“Does it hurt?”
“Only when I walk.”
“You don’t have to walk. I’ll carry you. I’ll carry you home, if I have to.”
“To the nearest road will do just fine.” Julie smiled. “Did you see any roads?”
Jack began coughing severely then stood up and put his hands against his knees.
“Are you cold, Jack?”
“I wish I had some more clothes.”
“You want to borrow my jacket for a while?”