Comfort and Joy (29 page)

On Tybee Island, in harsh wind and blazing sunset, they walked along the strand. The drive had calmed themsome. As if walked along the strand. The drive had calmed themsome. As if he had reached safe harbor, Ford faced the choppy Atlantic. Dan waited. In sight of all the houses along the beachfront, Dan folded his arms around Ford's waist.

They stood close, clothed in the slight self-consciousness that they could never escape. Sometimes they walked arm in arm, and sometimes, whenpeople approached, theywere merelyside by side. The bond between them seemed so clearly visible that acting it out hardly mattered anymore. Anyone who saw them would know. The certaintyofthat made themfeelalmost naked.

They reached the breakwater at the south end of the island, where the sea collided with reinforced concrete, exploding in high bursts of foamagainst a jetty of rocks. Night fell. Stars rose above the eastern horizon. When the beach hung black and deserted on either side and the bite of the wind sharpened, they headed toward the lighthouse again. Ambling. Having no need to speak, theytook shelter ineachother.
To find a hiding place.

Close to the beach house now, they faced the darkened Tybee lighthouse. Distant but visible, a ship sailed toward the mouth of the river, headed for Savannah. Farther down the beach walked another couple, maybe even two women or two men, arminarmalongthe shore.

"It could have beenworse. And it's over now. Like Courtenay said."
"Do youthink it did anygood?"
Ford never answered. The ship's horn boomed across the waves. They waited, poised in the wind, under the wheeling of stars. At this moment there seemed so little need to move, when the world remained so full of motion. Fromsomewhere drifted a thread of music, a vestige of Christmas. Dan sang softly with the tune, almost inaudible beneath the wind; but he could feel Ford listening. To save us
all from Satan's power, when we have gone astray.
The song drifted away, but the wind continued. They stood there a long time, water crashing like white fire onto the sand. At last, when the cold grew too much, they headed to the beach house. The song still ran through Dan's head; he sang the beach house. The song still ran through Dan's head; he sang quietlyas theyfound shelter. He found himselfalreadyhopingthe phone would ring and a happy ending come, as Ford opened the door and theyentered the quiet darkness, together.