The Penny Ferry - Rick Boyer (41 page)

"Where's your fancy black watch?" she
asked. .

"Oh. That damned Blackwatch Chronograph
Adventurer broke on me. You believe it? I wore it to the Critchfield
house with Roantis so I'd be prepared, and the goddamned thing
stopped."

"Serves you right. Gee, it's great the boys will
be going with us, Charlie. Wow!" She kissed me and patted my
thigh.

"Mary, I have a confession to make. After the
past month what's happened and all, and considering the nature of it—
I'm kind of overdosed. You know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when I bought the kids' tickets, I made
some, uh, changes in the destination. Hope you don't mind."

"
Changes? Then where are we going?"

"Norway."

* * *

The jumbo 747 jet sat back on its tail and climbed. I
saw the JFK runways fall away beneath us as we approached the harbor.
Then we would make a buttonhook to the north and head back out over
the ocean. We'd come down for the flight the previous day and visited
the Tall Ships. Some appeared below us now. We all leaned toward the
windows.

A blonde SAS stewardess got up from her safety
harness and slowly walked the aisle, checking everybody's seat belts.
Mary stared up at her, looking daggers. She has a thing about
blondes. She doesn't like them. I think, for some strange reason I
cannot understand, she is afraid of them.

"I dunno, Charlie. Norway's pretty and all . . .
and clean. God knows it's clean. But it's boring. God, how am I going
to take three weeks of it? Three weeks of hot cocoa and trolls?"

"I need it, Mary. I need it like the roses need
the rain. I need blonde and boring. I need people whose idea of a
great meal is hard bread, smoked fish, and turnips. I need people
who've never heard of Sacco and Vanzetti or the Cosa Nostra. I need
Lutherans, Mary. I do. I need people who eat a crumb cake with
powdered sugar and think they're sinning."

She sighed and looked down at the harbor.

"But I have another surprise too. If you look at
the tickets, you'll see."

"Venice! Oh Charlie, when? The last three days?"

"Yep. I just couldn't stand it. I figure I'll be
fully decompressed by then. We're staying at the Paganelli. We've got
that same room, Toots, facing the lagoon."

Well, that made it perfect. I knew it would. just
then we banked and began the turn north, to head back out over the
ocean. And down below us, looking like somebody's doll, was that lady
with the book and the torch, standing on her own little piece of
turf. Tugs and ferryboats left white wakes all around her. You cannot
look at her and not get a lump in your throat.

"Ohhh Charlie . . . she's so beautiful. My dad—"

"I know."

I looked at Mary. Her big brown eyes were very wet.
When she finally spoke it was to the statue, and she talked in a
heavy whisper I could barely hear.

'
Be right back, " she said. "Don't go
away!"