Gooseberry Island (18 page)

Chugging out into open water, Jenna settled everyone down and began describing the things they might see. “We’re going to see many seabirds throughout the trip. Some are native and others are just stopping by for a rest while they migrate.”

Suddenly, an osprey appeared in the distance. The giant bird hovered over the water, watching the surface below. “She’s looking for her breakfast,” Jenna said in an excited voice. The “sea eagle” dove steeply, its talons outspread, and went right into the water. Within seconds, it resurfaced and flew off with its catch, adjusting the fish in its sharp claws.

David looked at Lindsey to find her staring at him and smiling.

Jenna then pointed out a few more common birds. “The herring gull is known as the seagull along the coast. Since the 1960s, they’ve become very abundant due to readily available food at landfills and garbage dumps. Although it’s a scavenger, it also eats large numbers of fish and marine animals.”

David looked up at Lindsey and whispered, “I like to feed them in the parking lot at McDonald’s.”

Lindsey shook her head and laughed.

Jenna pointed out the seagull’s big brother. “The great black-backed gull is the largest of its kind and can be seen year-round hanging out with the herring gull. In fact, the two species nest together in mixed colonies, even though this big guy likes to bully his smaller cousins. It preys on almost anything smaller than itself, eating ducks, fish, and shellfish.”

As they got farther out, Jenna began to explain what they should be looking for when whale watching. “The whales are usually feeding at this time of the day, which can be very exciting because they normally feed in groups. The whales will surface together in pursuit of their favorite food, small shrimp-like creatures called krill. Watch to see if any of the whales have calves with them. The best place to look is right alongside the larger whales because the calves stay close to their mothers.”

Lindsey clasped her hands together and sighed happily. David smiled at her reaction.

They’d covered a few hours of open water before Jenna called out again. “What a treat!” she said, her voice more excited than it had been all day. “If everyone will look on the left side of the boat, you’ll see a humpback and her calf.” Sure enough, big momma and the little one were swimming side by side. “The humpbacks are easily recognized by their long flippers and lumpy dorsal fins.” Jenna shook her head. “Unfortunately, the humpback is a rare breed in the world today and few people will ever have this wonderful opportunity to see one. These whales were once numerous, but they’re slow swimmers and were easily hunted by whalers. It’s now believed that there are only around fifteen thousand humpbacks left in the entire world.”

Sensing the importance in Jenna’s voice, David looked up at Lindsey. There was worry in her pretty face.

“The humpback is called the ‘singing whale,’” Jenna said. “Although we don’t know why they sing or how they make their haunting sounds, their songs have been recorded many times. Today, they’re studied in warm-water breeding grounds like Bermuda and Hawaii.”

The mother humpback and her baby stayed with them for a few minutes before taking a left and swimming out of sight.

David turned to Lindsey. “I’m hungry.”

As the captain turned the boat back to port, they ate their lunch and listened while Jenna detailed the northern right whales and longfin pilot whales, neither of which were seen during the trip. She also talked about blue whales, beluga whales and sperm whales like Moby Dick. She directed their attention to a band of common terns flying gracefully over the water, searching for small fish and shrimp. She also pointed out a sand-colored piping plover and the loud wailing call of the common loon.

It was nothing exciting and David realized,
That was Lindsey’s intention all along.

At the first sight of land, Jenna told everyone to cast their eyes toward a cluster of rocks. David and Lindsey couldn’t make out anything but small black dots until they got closer. And then they saw them.

“Those are harbor seals basking in the sun,” Jenna explained. “They like to lie around ledges and sandbars during low tide and forage for food during high tide. In the water, harbor seals can be bold and curious about humans. I’ve even seen some of the young ones surface next to the boat and stare at me.”

Lindsey laughed.

The entire trip took nearly five hours. Before they knew it, they were safely back at the dock, full of stories to share about their latest adventure together.

Not one bad memory or a hint of anxiety all day,
David thought, smiling.

They thanked Jenna more than once and bid her farewell.

Exhausted and sore, David and Lindsey dragged themselves into the small souvenir shop at the end of the dock. The place carried everything one would expect: T-shirts, hats and mugs—each with one whale or another printed on the front. There were dolphin sculptures, pewter seagulls, ceramic sandcastles, scrimshaw jewelry, Christmas ornaments and wooden calendars. On the back wall, books, videos and posters of whales were offered at a discount. Lindsey picked out two matching hats to commemorate their voyage together. A vote was taken, and the humpback whale won hands down.

At the register, David and Lindsey waited behind a little boy holding his father’s hand.

David gestured toward the boy and teased, “I have to get one of those someday too.”

She smiled. “Let’s start with the hat and see where things go.”

He laughed and, as they left the store hand-in-hand, he thought,
After all this time, who knew peace could be found off the shore of Gooseberry Island?

Just outside the shop’s door, he stopped and pulled Lindsey in for a hug. “Thank you,” he told her.

“You’re welcome,” she said, already wearing her humpback hat.

He looked into her eyes. “No, I mean it. I didn’t realize how much I needed to get outside of my head for a few hours, but you did.” He kissed her. “You knew exactly what I needed.”

She hugged him tightly. “You don’t have to go through any of this alone, David,” she whispered. “I’m right here with you.”

On the ride home, rather than picture the gory details of Afghanistan, David remembered his childhood. It was the first time he’d gone back in his mind and visited it in a very long time. He could see it all as if it were yesterday.

As the lazy days ticked by on Gooseberry Island, the wonderful smell of freshly mowed grass lingered. There was plenty of swimming and talk of skinny-dipping lasted all summer, though nobody ever went through with it. As if chased by bees, he and his friends ran through open fields past the dark, scary wood line all the way to their fishing hole. Games of Marco Polo turned their hair from dirty blonde to platinum, their skin from pale to desert tan. “Good health’s found in the rays of sunlight,” his mother would say. They’d drip dry in their hidden tree fort and return home from their adventures to find a sweating pitcher of fresh-squeezed lemonade waiting.
Ma was good,
he thought. The carefree and lazy days of youth afforded the time to dream; to guess which shapes the crawling clouds created. There were no clocks or calendars. Time was marked by the rising and setting of the sun.
And not a moment of it was wasted
, David thought.
Rather, it was the most well-spent time—ever
.

David returned to the present and looked at Lindsey.
She was right
, he thought.
I only need to remember who I am…who I’ve always been.

As if reading his mind, she smiled. “And there’s plenty more where that came from,” she said.

The weekend finally arrived, revealing David’s big surprise; he took Lindsey to dinner at Avenue One, a four-star restaurant located in the Hyatt Regency. The atmosphere was intoxicating with its dim lighting and festive jazz band. Lindsey dipped wedges of bread into a flaming pan of cheese fondue, while David enjoyed his boiled lobster. And they talked.

“More lobster?” she teased.

He laughed. “It’s the strangest thing, but I can’t get enough of it,” he confessed.

“Are you still talking about the lobster?” she joked.

“Nope,” he said, never cracking a smile.

They spent the entire meal talking about the things they’d each dreamed of sharing together. “Long, romantic walks along the beach, skinny-dipping at night, fancy dinners on the mainland, and nights at the theater where we can sit side-by-side and hold hands,” Lindsey said.

“Skinny dipping?” David repeated, grinning.

She slapped his hand. “The whole time you were away,” she said, “I imagined us spending rainy nights together and watching movies under a thick blanket.” Her eyes grew distant. “And getaway weekends at a bed and breakfast up north, making out in darkened movie theaters, and playing with each other’s feet beneath restaurant tables.”

He laughed. “That sounds awesome. All of it!” He took a sip of water. “How about hiking and camping and sleeping beneath the stars out in the middle of nowhere, where no one can hear your passionate screams?”

It was her turn to laugh.

“Preparing dinner together and lying in each other’s arms—sharing our secrets and dreams, everything.” He nodded, his eyes glassing over in a dreamlike state. “Skiing in the winter and horseback riding in the fall…”

“And getaways out on the town, dancing the night away,” she added. “Picking apples and pumpkins. Snowball fights in December, water balloon fights in July, and lots of laughter…”

“Everything,” he whispered, grabbing her hand. The list was endless and both understood that it would take a lifetime to fulfill, the best of it costing more imagination than money.

After David and Lindsey shared a decadent dessert, the waiter moped back to the table with the check. David quickly snatched it out of Lindsey’s reach and opened the black, faux-leather fold. “I should have ordered two lobsters,” he joked.

As they reached the parking garage, Lindsey slid into the passenger seat. David stood at her door. “I need you to do me a favor and close your eyes for a second,” he said.

“What?” Lindsey asked, her face already beaming in anticipation.

“Trust me.”

Lindsey’s eyes slammed shut. As she squirmed in her seat, David kissed her. She returned the kiss, keeping her eyes closed tight.

David popped open the trunk and retrieved a wicker basket filled with neatly wrapped presents—each gift holding its own little greeting card. After sliding into the driver’s seat, he whispered, “Okay. You can open them now.”

Lindsey did. “What is this?” she asked excitedly.

David placed the basket onto her lap. “Go ahead. Open them.”

The first was a small, silver picture frame with a birthday card attached.

Lindsey’s forehead wrinkled with curiosity.

David said nothing. He could only smile.

Lindsey unwrapped the next. It was a wind-up snow globe with two angels dancing. There was a Valentine’s Day card attached. Tears welled in her eyes, and she looked at him for an explanation.

“It’s for your birthday and Christmas and Valentine’s Day—” David explained, “for all the days I should have celebrated with you but missed because I was overseas, or trying to find my way back home to you.” He paused to fight back the growing lump in his throat. “It’s for all the nights we should have been holding hands instead of searching for each other.”

Lindsey wrapped her arms around David and began to cry. “I love you so much,” she whimpered.

“I know. Me too,” he said. “I love you so much that it actually hurts to be near you sometimes.”

She sighed. “I know. I feel the exact same way.” She smiled, mischievously. “And I’m really looking forward to working on that list with you.”

David kissed her. “I hope it takes us forever,” he whispered.

Lindsey returned home to find her father sitting in his recliner, half-asleep. She studied his face.
No sign of flashbacks
, she thought, and took a seat on the arm of the recliner.

He opened his eyes wide and looked at her. “Oh, hey kid,” he said yawning.

“Dad, I’ve been seeing this guy who I want you to meet.”

Denis sat up straighter, fully awake now. “Who is he?” he asked.

“His name’s David McClain,” she said. “I’ve been seeing him long enough that I think it’s time you meet him.”

“That serious, huh?”

She grinned.

“What does he do for work?”

She paused. “He’s working at The Rocking Horse Pub for now because he just…” She stopped.

“Just what?” Denis grunted, betraying a hint of disapproval in two words.

“Because he just got out of the service,” she blurted, coming to David’s defense.

“Service? What branch?”

“Army,” she said, unsure whether she should have disclosed it.

“Did he serve overseas?” Denis asked tentatively.

It took a few moments, but she finally nodded. “He was a ranger in Afghanistan. He…”

Denis actually gasped. “Oh Linds, no.”

“But he’s a good man, Pop,” she countered.

“So am I,” he muttered, shaking his head, “Or was anyway.”

She hugged him. “You still are, Pop. You just have things that…”

“If he was a ranger, then he’s seen action,” he interrupted, “which means he’ll have
things
to deal with too.” His eyes filled. “The price is heavy, sweetheart. You know that.”

“I know.”

“I know you do. And you can’t imagine how sorry I am about that.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” she said.

“Is he worth the risk, this David McClain?” he interrupted again.

Lindsey smiled wide. “Oh yeah.”

Denis stared at her and finally nodded. “Well, if I’ve learned anything, there’s nothing that can sway the heart when it knows what it wants,” he said. “Just keep your wits about you, Lindsey…please.”

She hugged him again. “I will, Dad. Don’t you worry.”

David and Lindsey never wasted a minute. Late Saturday morning, they took a leisurely walk in the park and talked. In the afternoon, they took a long ride and talked. That night, after David had cooked and served Lindsey dinner, they headed to an outdoor café that played live acoustic music—and they talked. Before the band’s last set, David grabbed Lindsey’s hand. “Let’s go for a walk.”