Twilight IV

IV

The pickup turned off the dark, tree-covered road into its short driveway. The high beams flooded the small house, and the old Mazda tucked into its carport with bright light. Jimmy turned off the truck and continued to sit in silence. It had been a truly a great day for him, one he would always remember. The giddiness of the experience, along with the lingering effects of the Scotch made him break out into a big smile. That was a real boat, and she was his, even if only for a short while. He tightened his ball cap down onto his head and stepped out of the truck. He looked down the side of the house to the Anna Mae resting still at her pier around back. The single light out over the dock showed that all the lines were as they should be. In the morning, he and Jack would be heading out on her again for another day of fishing, but for now, she would continue to enjoy her well-earned rest.

Jimmy ducked into the laundry room just off the carport and picked up three folded pants and five shirts on hangers that Katy had left for him earlier. Jack, Katy, and Jimmy were unlikely roommates at this point in their lives, but everything worked out in each other’s favor. Jack couldn’t bear the thought of living alone, Katy couldn’t afford to live on her own, and Jimmy needed every penny he could save to put into his sail and rigging business. Each would help out with the chores around the house as they had learned to do all of their lives. 

As Jimmy walked into the house, he could smell that dinner was already on the stove. He dropped his clothes off in his bedroom and headed into the kitchen. Jack was industriously working the pans on the stove, while Katy sat at the table thumbing through her newly arrived People magazine.

“Hey, Pop, whatcha fixin’?”

“My favorite, that’s what.”

“Ah… Spam and scrambled. Looks good. You want me to open the good wine tonight?”

“Smart ass. Take your hat off before sittin’ at the table.”

Jimmy took his hat off and tossed it over onto the countertop by the phone, then went to the fridge to get a cold bottle of beer. “You want one, Pop?” he asked from behind the open door.

“Nah, I’m good.”

“You want anything, Katy?”

“Sure. Get me a cranberry juice, will ya?” she replied without looking up from the magazine laid out in front of her on the table.

He sat down at the place setting next to her, took a long gulp from the bottle, and set it down in front of him. Jack was already pulling plates down from the cabinet. Katy, lost in a collection of pictures of America’s sexiest people, nibbled on a battered fingernail.

“You shouldn’t bite your nails, sis.”

“And you shouldn’t be smoking,” she replied, turning another page.

“Busy day?”

“Actually, it was kind of boring.” She turned another page and studied more of the pictures.

“Pop was telling me about that thing at the marina this Friday.”

“Uh-huh. You blowin’ it off again?”

“Well, no. I thought I’d check it out this year. You goin’?”

She looked up from the magazine and smiled at her big brother. “Yeah, I think I’d like to. I bought a new dress at the mall last week. It’s really pretty. Will you dance with me?”

“Of course,” he said, reaching for his beer. “How ‘bout you, Pop?”

Jack was already on his way to the table with a plate gripped in each hand and one balanced on his forearm—a skill he had learned through years of practice. “The devil himself couldn’t keep me from havin’ a dance with my little girl. Don’t let it get cold now. Dig in.”

The three started in on Jack’s signature dish. Jack looked up at Jimmy between forkfuls of Spam. “How’d the shakedown go?”

“Oh, guys, it was amazing. I never been on a boat like that,” he replied, putting his fork down on the plate and taking another draw on his bottle. “She handled so beautifully, and the sails turned out great. The owner was really happy with the work.”

“How happy?” asked Jack following another forkful of food.

Jimmy partially removed a folded envelope from his shirt pocket and then put it back in. “The job was paid in full, with a little something extra for early completion. Looks like the Anna will be getting a new pot winch next week.”

“What fer’? Nothin’ wrong with the old one. Just needs fixin’, that’s all.”

“Pop, it’s being held together with duct tape and bailing wire as it is. My money, and I’m buying the new winch.”

“Regular Mr. Money bags you are.” Jack put his fork down and took a sip from his water glass. “Katy’s going down to the doc’s this weekend.”

“I got that covered, too, Pop. Don’t sweat it.”

Katy shifted in her chair and looked down at her plate. This was a conversation that had been held often over the dinner table. It always made her feel uncomfortable when they openly discussed her medical expenses. All of their lives they had each been hard workers, but given their career paths, good medical insurance had never been available to them. Over the years, Jack and Jimmy were in the habit of amassing a sizeable bank account, only to watch it depleted time and again by Katy’s overwhelming medical expenses. Working out the details of her medical care had become a common and natural part of their lives, but still it made her uncomfortable.

“That’s fine, Jimmy, but keep some for the business too. That’s your future, kiddo.”

“What’s my future, Daddy?” Katy asked Jack from across the table.

“The world ain’t big enough for the likes of Katy Parks! I think after they make you the manager of The World’s End, some hotshot from New York is gonna see just how good you are, and he’s gonna steal you away and set ya up in the big time. Oh, we’ll probably get a letter or two a first, maybe a card at Christmas. But before ya know it, you’ll forget all about Pasadena Maryland while yer hangin’ out with all your new rich, hotshot friends.”

“You’ll be lucky to get the Christmas cards,” she replied, biting into another forkful of Spam.

“See that, Pop? We’ve been kicked to the curb already.”

“Well, if you guys are nice to me, maybe I’ll give you both a job walking my dog and parking my car.”

“Yeah, Jimmy, the world aint big enough for my little girl.”

***

At the end of the causeway that stretched out over the water, Brian dimmed his headlights and rolled down the window as he rolled to a stop at the security gate that guarded the single point of access to the island. The guard arose from his desk inside the shack and approached the car.

“Hello, Mr. Lynch, and how are you this evening?”

“Fine, Harry, fine. You staying busy?”

“It’s funny you should ask. The fellas on dayshift said there’ve been a few reports of a streaker on the island.”

“A streaker? You don’t say! I hope it’s nothing serious. Any idea as to who it could possibly be?”

“Nah. Could be some stupid kid, could be something worse. We’re keepin’ an eye out for him.”

“Good, good. Well, you have good night, Harry.”

“Yeah, thanks, Mr. Lynch. You be safe.”

As he drove the final distance across the island to his home, he reflected on all that had happened in the past ten hours and all that was about to come. He was working on what would not be the richest deal of his life, but certainly the most important. There was still so much to do and so much that could still go wrong. He knew most of the players and trusted them; it was the ones he didn’t know that made him feel ill at ease. It wouldn’t be long before all he could do was to just stand back on the sidelines and let them run with the ball. The key to the project’s success still remained in keeping it as contained as possible for as long as possible.

Brian left the car out in front of the house instead of putting it away. He’d be going back out again in the morning and felt no need to park it away in the garage. At this point in life, the whole ordeal of commuting into Baltimore had become quite tiresome. He tried to work mostly from the house and limit his trips into the city to twice a week, but what he was working on now was starting to take up a lot of his time. As he walked in through the front door, Mary came down the hallway to greet him.

“You pissed him off good, Mr. L. You said you’d be home in time for dinner. Klaus says he’s just going to start making you microwave dinners from here on out.”

“Late? In most European restaurants, I’d be considered early. Where’s Klaus? I want apologize,” he said, working his way toward the kitchen.

“Won’t do no good. He’s in his room sulking. Best to just let him be for tonight, but you might want to talk to him tomorrow.”

“Cooks are such sensitive creatures, aren’t they? It’s worse than having a woman… no offense.”

“None taken,” replied Mary as they entered the kitchen. “Now sit down, and I’ll get you some of what’s left.”

Brian took off his jacket and began to hang it on the back of one of the kitchen chairs.

“Here, give me that first,” snapped Mary. “Look at it. It’s already a wrinkled mess. Don’t you know how to use a hanger?”

“Don’t be such a mother, not tonight. I’m all done in,” he replied, falling into one of the kitchen chairs. “I keep telling myself I should retire, but I just can’t seem to bring myself around to the idea. I really don’t see it as a job anymore, but as a responsibility.”

“To whom? You’ve made enough to support your family many times over.”

“I don’t mean the money. It’s not about that anymore. There are so many faces, all of them connected to the families and friends and businesses in everything I do anymore, and I can’t seem to separate myself from that. The broader the scope of my influence, the more people there are.” 

Mary reached into the closet near the back door to withdraw a large wooden hanger and then returned it with Brian’s jacket attached. 

“It was so much easier when they were all just assets, numbers in a ledger. Somewhere along the way, I let it become personal.” 

Mary reached into the fridge to remove a large casserole dish and put it onto the counter. 

“What did he make tonight?”

“Finnen Hadey pie,” she replied scooping a generous helping onto a plate.

“With shitake mushrooms?”

“Yup… and this time he smoked the halibut first.”

“He made my favorite dish. It isn’t my birthday, is it?” he asked Mary as she slid the plate into the microwave and began to reheat the dinner.

“No. It’s was just Klaus wanting to make sure you know he’s still alive, and that he cares about you.”

“He’s going to ask for a raise, isn’t he?”

“Yup.” The microwave beeped to announce that dinner was ready “and he deserves it too. You haven’t even given him a cost-of-living increase in over two years.” She placed the plate, along with some silverware, in front of Brian and then took up a seat opposite of him.

“That’s not like me. Who else have I forgotten? My God, did I forget you, my dear?”

“No. You’re good with everyone else. You even remembered to take care of the security guards at Christmas.”

“How about Mr. Jung?”

“The Chinaman?” 

Brian raised an eyebrow. “Don’t call him that, please.”

“No, you’ve taken care of him, too, not that it makes a difference. He has no one in his life to spend it on. He just banks it each week. It’s only Klaus that you forgot.”

Brian put a forkful of the Finnen Hadey into his mouth and closed his eyes as each of the flavors divided and took separate turns seducing his taste buds. He sighed, put the fork down on his plate, and leaned back in his chair. “Oh, this is good. No, this is really good. Oh my.” He began to stand up.

“Where are you going now?” Mary asked as she began to rise as well.

“No, please sit down. I’m just getting some of the wine left over from last night.” He found the re-corked bottle on the kitchen counter, grabbed a glass from the cabinet, and then sat back down at the table. “That man is a culinary genius,” he stated as he filled the glass. “He’s worth however much he’s asking. By the way, how much is he asking?”

“Ten percent.”

“I’ll give him twenty, plus a bonus for having to wait so long. Hmmph…mmm. Oh, this is a religious experience. I’ll tell him first thing in the morning. So, how was your day, dear?”

“The same as every other day, except for William.”

“How was the good captain today?”

“He’s up to something. I found him lurking about out back this afternoon. I think he was coming back from somewhere off of the property.”

“Was he still dressed in this morning’s attire?”

“You mean was he still buck naked? Yes.”

“Well, he had a hat.”

“It weren’t near big enough.”

“Were there any phone calls?”

“No.”

“No problem then. No one was harmed or offended.” 

“Mr. L., I can’t keep track of him every minute of every day. He got loose today, and he could do it again. What are your plans for him?”

“I told you, I’m working on something. It’ll only be a little while longer.” As if on cue, there was a muffled thump from the ceiling above them, followed by the distant cry of ‘To arms!’ coming from some distant place on the second floor. “Soon… I promise. It’ll all work out, you’ll see.” 

Upon finishing his meal, Brian rose with the empty plate and turned to the sink. Mary rose and quickly intercepted him on his way across the kitchen.

“I’ll take that, Mr. L. You just take your wine into the study and relax. You had a few messages today. They’re on your desk.”

“Thank you, Mary.”

“Oh, it’s no problem. It’s only one dish and—”

“No, I mean thank you for everything. I feel terrible about forgetting Klaus. You don’t ever feel that I take you for granted, do you?”

“Don’t worry. I’d never let that happen.”

“No, I don’t suppose you would. You know, you’re the best thing that ever happened to Will and me. I just don’t think I can tell you that enough, that’s all.”

“Go on, now, and get outta here. I’ve got this. You go unwind.”

Brian fled the kitchen to the safety of his study, wine glass in hand. Mary turned to the sink with his dirty plate in hand and smiled softly to herself.

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