Running Northwest (40 page)

Beth and Jack were born and raised in this area and Jack himself helped build a majority of the buildings in town when he was still working in construction. Ann had told Stephanie repeatedly about her feeling on tourists; she liked the money and investment they brought to the small coastal town but was not thrilled with problems that came with them. It seems the “rudeness” that some of the visitors brought to their hometown had offended Ann and Beth quite a bit. Larry or “Pockets” as he preferred to be called; talked about all the connections he had made with the tourists and how he could get you anything you wanted at any time.

Jack and Beth owned the small pub they were sitting in which was the called Riptide. It was their pride and joy and opened it about 15 years before. They did not really run it themselves and let one of their sons run it for them. Jack told Stephanie the benefit of being retired and owning your own business was that you could afford to step back and let someone else take care of it for you, as long as you trusted them. Beth, who was crazy about Stephanie from the
start,
wished the young woman had
come
around a few years before when her son was still single. Stephanie laughed it off and took the joke in stride.

Stephanie had some wonderful fresh salmon for dinner and was surprised at how different it tasted from the salmon she had eaten in Michigan. Jack told her that her that salmon was just caught in the ocean about two days ago and that his son buys the fish fresh from the “source” who was a local angler. When Stephanie looked at the menu she was surprised at all the things they served that were caught or grown locally in Oregon or at the very least the Pacific Northwest. She felt it added to the
hominess and the charm of the
Rip Tide
and the town in general that seemed to promote everything “local” and ignore everything that was not.

As Stephanie and the rest of her group sat, talked and drank the bui
lding noticeable shook and their
glasses rattled. Pockets looked over at Jack and said, “I got 10 bucks that was an earthquake”.

Jack who was looking around the restaurant replied with a gruff “oh hell no Pockets, that was a gust of wind from this damned storm
.”

“I don’t think so Jack it felt an earthquake like to me
?
” Pockets said.

Then Ben joined the conversation and said “Pockets you think there’s an earthquake when you pass gas. You wouldn’t know an earthquake if it swallowed you up whole I think
.
”

Stephanie was slightly nervous because she was the only one she felt who seemed to be noticing the constant rumble and vibration through the table, which made her clutch the arms on her chair. Ann must have noticed and said sternly “would you three dumb old farts knock it off with the damn earthquake talk, you’re scaring t
he hell out of this poor thing.”

Pockets looked at Stephanie, apologized, grabbed her hand lightly, and kissed the top of it. “Don’t mind us Stephanie, us old men just get going on something and don’t let up. There wasn’t an earthquake, don’t worry Sweetheart,” he said.

There were not very many people in the Rip Tide tonight except for a large group on the other side of the room and a few other locals bellied up to the bar. A moment later, there was a loud roar coming from above that was so loud it muffled some of the music. Stephanie’s group turned and looked out the window. It had been raining for a while but now it was raining so hard that it looked like a waterfall in the streets of Cannon Beach. Lightning flashed in the dark and the sky above them and lit up the night. Pockets seemed to sense everyone tense up and said “well goddamn looks I’m gunna be doing some drunk driving tonight my friends, I isn’t walking in this crap” which made everyone laugh and lightened the mood. Jack turned around and yelled at the bartender to turn the music up.

As her new friends talked, Stephanie glanced up at the television that was hanging against the wall, it was showing the news. The brunt of the storm was finally starting to hit shore after having stalled a bit in the ocean and gaining energy. The storm was worse now than they had predicted and news crews were up and down the northern coast of Oregon and Washington State getting video of the damage and weather. The area around Tillamook was being hit quite hard, some streets were starting to flood in places, and certain roads were now impassable. As the news was flipping through different video footage, they showed a
picture of Sunset Café, Thomas’
café. Its lights were on and a few people were inside riding out the storm. Stephanie did not think too much of it at first until from across the table Jack sa
id, “Hey there’s Thomas’ place.”

Pockets spoke up next and said, “Speaking of Thomas, I saw him earlier today. He was up here in town with his kid and their two big ass dogs. I ran into them when they were going to get
lunch at Santos Pizza over on H
emlock”

“I was wondering when he was gunna get back up this way, I haven’t seen him or his boy in a few months. His son, what’s his name Daniel I think has to be getting big I would say
,
” Ben replied.

Stephanie was shocked and lost in thought; her jaw might have been sitting on the ground for all she knew. She thought Thomas probably knew a lot of people here on the coast but she never expected her “new” older friends to know him.

“Oh he’s gotten taller maybe a few inches, still a skinny little sucker but smart as hell. Those two are quite the pair seeing them together. I heard he is seeing someone new finally; it is about time he has not dated since Sarah died. It’s been tough for both of them
.
”

“Yeah it has been tough but Thomas is one of those guys that figures out to handle everything whether anyone likes it or not. It’s about time he started dating someone again, he’s a handsome guy and has a good head on his shoulders, do we know her name,” Ann asked

“You know I seem to remember Derrick telling me that her name was Tracie or something like that” Jack said.

“Yeah I think you’re right baby, I think it’s the same one that works for him,” Beth said joining the conversation.

Stephanie was shaking and dropped the glass that was full of wine, it shattered and broke all over the floor. Her face, turned red and she got up and hurried to the bathroom. Leaving the rest of the group wondering what was wrong. A few minutes later, she returned to the table and her new friends after composing herself. They briefly were still talking about Thomas and his son and Derrick also. She sipped her new glass of wine and tried to get rid of the paranoid look on her face. She looked up at one point to see Ann staring at her, who seemed to be studying her. The conversation eventually switched to sports and their grandkids, but even during that topic Ann would repeatedly look over, slightly squint her eyes and stare at Stephanie.

Shortly later, the group walked out of the bar after saying goodbye to Jack and Beth who stayed behind. Pockets gave Stephanie a hug goodbye and stumbled towards his old truck parked next to the bar on the street. Stephanie, Ann and Ben stood under the overhang and said goodbye. Ben and Ann were going to follow Pockets home just to make sure he got there okay. Stephanie thanked them repeatedly for inviting her before they left. However, before they left Ann, insisted she come over and check on Stephanie when they got home. Stephanie insisted she would be fine but Ann would not let up and Stephanie eventually agreed to it. A few minutes later, she was walking and then running through the streets of Cannon Beach while being pummeled by wind and rain. By the time, she got to her car a few blocks away she was soaking wet, paranoid and driving very slowly back to her rented cottage.

.
             
.
             
.

As Thomas and his son sat on their couch watching a movie the boy began to doze off. His feet rested on his father lap and their dog Harley was laying on the floor right next to the boy. Outside, anything that
was
n’t
nailed down seemed like it was being blown right into the side of their house. Thomas could hear it creak and groan with the
large gu
sts. In addition, despite the sound of the wind, Thomas could still hear the pounding thrash of the oceans waves as they hit the shore and bouncing off rocks. Thomas was mildly worried about the storm surge, and if the waves would in fact reach their house. During storms in years past, some homes were completely washed away. He did not voice his concern to his son because he knew it would scare the hell out of the kid. Thomas looked over at Layla who was fast asleep on her pillow and snoring loudly as if it was a normal night.

Thomas wondered what Tracie was up to now since her shift was done; he had not heard from her.

He thought about closing the shop because of the storm but his third shift employee was okay with working and said he would rather be at work than at home. Thomas leaned back on the couch and looked down at his son who was fast asleep. He thought back on the day and his conversation with Derrick. Something did not feel right to Thomas, things were not sitting well in his gut and he knew something was going on. But he just couldn’t figure out what. After the movie was over Thomas gently lifted his son into his arms and carried the sleeping boy into his own bedroom. Layla jumped up onto Daniel’s small bed and lay against the wall. Thomas set his son down next to their youngest dog that would sleep with the boy tonight. Harley who usually slept in Daniel’s room had a tendency to pace during storms so she would sleep in Thomas’ room for the night so the boy could sleep. Thomas covered the boy up and snuck silently out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Daniel’s room was on the farthest side of their house from the ocean so he should not be able to hear the ocean from in there, at least which is what Thomas was hoping. The Pacific was in agony and violent that night. Thomas went outside, stood on the side of the house, and lit a cigarette. The lightning was constant and intense. Every bolt seemed to light up the sky, illuminating the ocean below and giving away its violent frenzy as wave ate wave and white ocean froth spewed into the air.

Thomas could feel the ground vibrate slightly every once in a while when a large wave hit the shore. As he stared out to the west, he tried to gage how far the waves were coming up. They seemed to be petering out for the most part about 60 yards from the house, but even still, that was close. The wind was blowing leaves and sand, at one point Thomas tried looking around the corner, and was hit with a wall of flying sand and debris. “Dammit I can only imagine what the other side of the house looks like right now,” Thomas said aloud. He finished his cigarette, went inside, sat on the couch, turned the news on, and finished his coffee. Eventually he made his way into
his bedroom
and fell asleep to the sound the insane weather that was going on outside. Before he completely fell asleep his mind wandered to the woman he saw at Cannon Beach earlier in the day. He wondered why he could let it go, what wa
s it that made some strange woma
n linger in his mind like this.

Stephanie hid beneath the blankets in bed and looked up at the black ceiling above her head. She was listening to the storm blow above her, missing her dog, and feeling alone. Ann had stopped by earlier to talk more but Stephanie didn’t reveal anything to her new older friend. Lying there, she wondered what she had gotten herself into, if she had indeed gotten in over her head. When they were at the bar and Thomas, his son and Derrick came up in the conversation Stephanie wanted to throw up. She knew Ann thought something was up from Stephanie’s odd reaction during dinner. Stephanie was hoping she would not have to fess up to Ann and explain things to her and possible beg her not to say anything. However, in a small way part her wanted to explain things to Ann, to get her opinion and thoughts on the situation. She kept looking towards the door, half expecting to see Thomas or Derrick kick down her door or at the very least come knocking.

She turned on the radio next to the bed to try and drown out the sound of the storm. Earlier she had attempted in vain to go onto the deck and watch the storm but the wind and rain were too much for her. She sat for a while in the chair in front of the glass windows and lost herself in the flashes of light. The lighting was amazing and she could see bolts shoot across the sky and into the water for miles in front of her. Huge waves crashed up against the
giant Haystack R
ock and the beach was flooded up nearly to the houses below. It was one of the most beautiful and unnerving things she had ever see in her entire life, sometimes it seemed the ocean was just going to swallow up the whole area, she felt her body shaking but could not look away for a long time.

.
             
.
             
.

By the time Derrick had gotten home, it was almost an hour after he had let Thomas’ cottage. He kept going over and over in his mind about the things Thomas had told him and what Daniel had told him. There was something going on the Oregon Coast, something weird and not normal and Derrick wanted to know what it was. When he walked in the door his girlfriend Erin greeted him with a hug and a kiss, and dinner was on the table. Derrick wasn’t one of those guys who expected his dinner made for him when he got home, he wasn’t that old fashioned. However Erin liked to surprise him once and a while with a nice dinner. Derrick sat down at the
kitchen table and reached for the
bottle of beer Erin had given him. She sat in the chair next to him and put her feet on his lap as she took a swig of her own beer.