Robert had not noticed.
We went downstairs and Robert talked to Mommy and signed to May for a while. He learned some new words with her and then I walked him out to his car.
"See you tomorrow," he said. "I'll get away in the afternoon for that walk on the beach."
"Okay."
He gave me a quick kiss and got into his car. I stood there and watched him disappear, until I heard the front door open and close behind me. Cary stood there, glaring at me. He started down the steps toward the beach and the dock.
"Just a minute, Cary," I said.
"What?"
"We have to talk," I said.
"I have nothing to say. I have to get to the boat."
"Well, I have something to say, Cary Logan, and you'd better stop and listen."
He paused and reluctantly turned toward me.
"Talk about what?"
"About the ceiling in my room," I said and walked toward him.
5
Maiden Voyage
.
Cary turned away and continued toward the
dock, walking very slowly. I walked beside him without speaking for a while. It was hard to think of the right words with which to begin.
"You snuck up there, didn't you, Cary? You knew Robert was coming over so you snuck back into the house and up into your attic workshop to spy on us," I said as softly and as calmly as I could.
"You're crazy," he said. "I had something to finish and just went up there. It's not my fault you didn't know I was up there. Anyway," he said, stopping and spinning around on me, "why are you so worried? You do something you're ashamed of?"
"Did I, Cary?"
He stared at me a moment, his eyes blazing. "Well? Did I?"
"How would I know?" he said, marching over
the sand faster now. I ran to catch up with him. "How would you know? You would look
through that peephole, Cary. That's how you would
know."
"What?" He stopped again, his hands on his
hips. "Peephole?"
"You know what I'm talking about, Cary
Logan. If you want, we'll go right back to the house
and to my room and point it out to you."
He tried to stare me down again, but this time
his eyes shifted guiltily away and his face turned a
bright shade of pink.
"Oh," he said, nodding, "I know what you're
talking about. There was a knothole in the wood that
fell through a while ago."
"A knothole?"
"Yeah," he said. "I just noticed it myself the
other day. You think I have nothing better to do than
go up there and peep down at you and your
boyfriend?"
"I hope you have better things to do," I said,
"and if you tell me you didn't do it and you don't do it,
I'll believe you," I said.
"I just forgot to fix it, that's all," he said. "I was
going to plug it up with some wood glue the other
day," he added, looking grateful for being allowed to
come up with an explanation. "I just got too involved
in what I was doing and forgot."
"Okay," I said.
"I can't believe you would accuse me of such a
thing," he continued, now on the offensive.
"Why shouldn't I think it, Cary? You treat me
as if I'm some sort of fallen woman now, just because
I'm seeing Robert, who, I might add, you have no
good reason not to like. He's done nothing to you." "He and his family are part of the resort
business, bringing those tourists up here," Cary said
bitterly.
"You know we need the tourists, and that's not
you talking anyway. It's Grandma Olivia. Who would
buy Daddy's lobsters if there were no tourists, and
who would buy our cranberries if people didn't want
the products from the Cape? Why do they buy them?
It's because we're a famous resort region in America,
and it's time everyone accepted that. The only people
who don't are those who've inherited so much money,
they don't care about anyone else."
"You ought to go work for the chamber of
commerce or the tourist bureau," he quipped. "Maybe I will."
"You would not." He thought a moment.
"Would you?"
"I don't intend to, but I wouldn't turn it down
out of hand," I said. "It's all beside the point, Cary.
You have to judge people for who they are and not for what their parents do or what their grandparents did.
Don't be such a Cod-snob," I warned.
He couldn't help but
We went downstairs and Robert talked to Mommy and signed to May for a while. He learned some new words with her and then I walked him out to his car.
"See you tomorrow," he said. "I'll get away in the afternoon for that walk on the beach."
"Okay."
He gave me a quick kiss and got into his car. I stood there and watched him disappear, until I heard the front door open and close behind me. Cary stood there, glaring at me. He started down the steps toward the beach and the dock.
"Just a minute, Cary," I said.
"What?"
"We have to talk," I said.
"I have nothing to say. I have to get to the boat."
"Well, I have something to say, Cary Logan, and you'd better stop and listen."
He paused and reluctantly turned toward me.
"Talk about what?"
"About the ceiling in my room," I said and walked toward him.
5
Maiden Voyage
.
Cary turned away and continued toward the
dock, walking very slowly. I walked beside him without speaking for a while. It was hard to think of the right words with which to begin.
"You snuck up there, didn't you, Cary? You knew Robert was coming over so you snuck back into the house and up into your attic workshop to spy on us," I said as softly and as calmly as I could.
"You're crazy," he said. "I had something to finish and just went up there. It's not my fault you didn't know I was up there. Anyway," he said, stopping and spinning around on me, "why are you so worried? You do something you're ashamed of?"
"Did I, Cary?"
He stared at me a moment, his eyes blazing. "Well? Did I?"
"How would I know?" he said, marching over
the sand faster now. I ran to catch up with him. "How would you know? You would look
through that peephole, Cary. That's how you would
know."
"What?" He stopped again, his hands on his
hips. "Peephole?"
"You know what I'm talking about, Cary
Logan. If you want, we'll go right back to the house
and to my room and point it out to you."
He tried to stare me down again, but this time
his eyes shifted guiltily away and his face turned a
bright shade of pink.
"Oh," he said, nodding, "I know what you're
talking about. There was a knothole in the wood that
fell through a while ago."
"A knothole?"
"Yeah," he said. "I just noticed it myself the
other day. You think I have nothing better to do than
go up there and peep down at you and your
boyfriend?"
"I hope you have better things to do," I said,
"and if you tell me you didn't do it and you don't do it,
I'll believe you," I said.
"I just forgot to fix it, that's all," he said. "I was
going to plug it up with some wood glue the other
day," he added, looking grateful for being allowed to
come up with an explanation. "I just got too involved
in what I was doing and forgot."
"Okay," I said.
"I can't believe you would accuse me of such a
thing," he continued, now on the offensive.
"Why shouldn't I think it, Cary? You treat me
as if I'm some sort of fallen woman now, just because
I'm seeing Robert, who, I might add, you have no
good reason not to like. He's done nothing to you." "He and his family are part of the resort
business, bringing those tourists up here," Cary said
bitterly.
"You know we need the tourists, and that's not
you talking anyway. It's Grandma Olivia. Who would
buy Daddy's lobsters if there were no tourists, and
who would buy our cranberries if people didn't want
the products from the Cape? Why do they buy them?
It's because we're a famous resort region in America,
and it's time everyone accepted that. The only people
who don't are those who've inherited so much money,
they don't care about anyone else."
"You ought to go work for the chamber of
commerce or the tourist bureau," he quipped. "Maybe I will."
"You would not." He thought a moment.
"Would you?"
"I don't intend to, but I wouldn't turn it down
out of hand," I said. "It's all beside the point, Cary.
You have to judge people for who they are and not for what their parents do or what their grandparents did.
Don't be such a Cod-snob," I warned.
He couldn't help but
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