Nina
Alvin stood on the deck of the Annie Mac, looking up at the rigging. Bonita sat on the top spur, her legs wrapped around the main mast.
Moosie sat at his feet and looked up as well. He gave out one sharp bark.
"Easy, bub," Alvin told him, "she's just fine."
Bonita unhooked the tangled line and the sail fluttered down.
Laura walked out of the boathouse and toward where Annie Mac stood on her trailer.
"Jeezum, Alvin," she said, "you do know it ain't legal to have an eleven year old kid working in a boatyard, right?"
"She ain't working, she's taking sailing lessons."
"Uh huh, even though she's known how to rig for a couple of years. Anyway, I've got Eli Littlefield from Rockport on the line. Figured you best talk to him."
Bonita shimmied down the mast and hopped on to the deck next to Alvin as he took the phone from Laura.
"What's it about?" he asked, holding his hand over the phone.
"A boat rental," Laura said with a shrug.
"It's October. Wicked late for a rental, ain't it?"
Laura shrugged again. Alvin raised the phone to his head.
"Hey, Eli, how's the boatyard business down in Rockport?"
"Good," Eli told him. "But I got a bit of a situation, though. Family of leafpeepers, here on vacation. They took a mind to seeing the color from the water side. I thought, well alright, a little last bit of income for the season, so I booked them, but when I put my boat back in the water, I found she must have gotten banged or something coming out, sprung a leak in the hull."
"You ain't got another boat to rent them?"
"Nope, everything is wrapped and put up for winter. So, I thought if you still had anything in the water, you might like the business. You renting out that ketch you bought off Skip Moody?"
"Well, in fact, we were just putting her up. These folks experienced?"
"Husband says he's licensed by the state of Ohio."
"Ohio? So this is some dubber been rowing on a pond?"
"No, says he's got extensive experience on the Great Lakes."
"Hold on a second, Eli." He held the phone against his chest. "He run this by you?" he asked Laura.
She nodded. "Long as they stick to the bay, I don't see the harm."
He spoke to Eli again. "How long they looking to rent?"
"A week, they said. Talking about cruising the coast around MDI and what not."
"How's the weather outlook?"
"Well, there was that tropical storm coming up from Bermuda, but that's veering off to the east."
Alvin scratched his head and looked at the sky. There was not a cloud in sight. "Alright then," he said, "send them up here."
He handed the phone back to Laura.
"Guess what?" he said, turning to Bonita, "That sail we just took down? Let's get her back up."
They rehung the sail and Alvin and Laura hooked the trailer to Alvin's pickup, and drove it to the town landing. With Bonita as his guide, Alvin backed down the launch ramp and put Annie Mac back in the water. They had just finished when a tan SUV pulled on to the landing and parked.
The man who got out was tall, slightly paunchy. He walked around the vehicle and opened the passenger door for his wife. As she stepped out, the rear door opened, and a boy of about ten climbed out as well.
"Are you Mister Faulkner?" the man asked as Alvin and Bonita walked up the ramp.
"Yes, sir," Alvin replied, extending his hand, "And this is my granddaughter, Bonita."
"Bonita Maria Ortega-Faulkner," Bonita said with a tone of pride that made Alvin grin.
"I'm Jim Mitchell," the man said as they shook hands. "This is my wife, Elaine, and our son, Jamie."
Alvin shook hands with the two of them, then he led Mr. Mitchell into the harbormaster's shack to go over and sign their contract. Mrs. Mitchell wandered over to the railing and looked out across the harbor.
"I saw you on the boat," Jamie said to Bonita, "Do you sail a lot?"
"Yeah, I'm my Papa's first mate."
Jamie looked impressed. "How old are you?"
"I am eleven. My birthday was last month."
"My Dad takes his boat out on Lake Erie a lot, but I only went a few times." He blushed. "I don't really like it."
Bonita shrugged and looked over her shoulder toward the shack, hoping to see her grandfather come out. She was getting hungry and would much rather go home and get lunch than stand here listening to this flatlander kid.
Jamie cleared his throat. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," Bonita said reluctantly.
"Are there sharks out there?"
"Yeah, of course. It's the Atlantic Ocean, right?"
"You ever see one?"
"I've seen blue sharks a bunch. And one time a honkin' big basking shark swam right under our boat. They just eat plankton and stuff though."
Jamie shivered, and Bonita briefly considered teasing him, telling him that he ought to be more worried about giant squids or poisonous jellyfish, but she knew her grandfather would not like that, and there was nothing she dreaded more than Papa's disapproval.
"Sharks don't come close to shore much," she reassured him, "and they won't bother you. It's not like you're going swimming. That water is wicked cold."
Alvin and Mr. Mitchell came back out of the shack, followed by Ralph Ennis, the harbor master.
"I want to say again," Ralph was telling Mitchell, "Keep a close eye on the weather. If you stick close to shore, you'll never be more than an hour or so from a safe harbor."
"I think we will be okay, but thanks," Mitchell replied. He called to his wife and son, who came to join him.
"Hey!" Bonita called to Jamie as he walked away. He turned back to her. "Stay out of the water, bub. You'll be fine."
He waved at her and disappeared down the ramp.
***
Mary took a bite of cinnamon doughnut, then brushed the crumbs off her sweater. Jennifer was collecting money from a young couple. Their two little boys were dancing from foot to foot at the entrance of the maze, eager to explore it's depths.
The corn maze had been Theo's idea. He had seen one over in Kennebec County, and thought it might be a good idea for the farm, a way to bring in some extra income after the crops had been harvested. Mary was skeptical at first, but had to admit that he had been right.
When the last ears of corn had been picked, she sat down with Jennifer and plotted out an intricate pattern of pathways, which Theo and Yusef cut through the brittle brown stalks with riding mowers. At every dead end, they mowed a small clearing. The whole family gathered for a scarecrow making party, and each clearing had it's own straw stuffed guardian. The pathways were decorated with hay bales and pumpkins and pots of chrysanthemums in many colors. Placing the flowers had been one of Mary's tasks, and she did not let anyone in on a secret; the red mums marked the most direct path through the maze.
Jennifer had set up the farmer's market stand beside the entrance. In addition to admission to the maze, there were pumpkins and gourds for sale, cups of fresh apple cider, and Jessica's doughnuts.
The maze was a hit from the first day it opened. Alvin and Tim had put up signs at crossroads all across the county, and the girls had handed out flyers at school. Mary and Jennifer were already kicking around ideas for how to make it even better next year.
Alvin's truck bounced into the driveway. He stopped and let Bonita hop out. Moosie had been sleeping under the table, and ran to her.
"Where's Hannah?" Bonita asked Mary.
"She's up at the house, reading a book, I guess," Mary said.
"She always wants to be inside," Bonita frowned. "Come on, Moosie," she called, and ran into the maze with her dog at her heels.
Alvin parked in the dooryard, then walked back down to the maze.
"I thought you'd be home sooner," Mary said when he approached.
"Would have been, but we got a call on a rental, so we had to put Annie Mac back in the water."
"Really? In October?"
"They wanted to see the fall colors from the water side."
"Oh, that's kind of a nice idea."
Alvin looked at Jennifer. "Can I steal your helper for a while?"
"Sure," Jennifer said.
Alvin held out his hand to Mary. She took it and stood. He picked up a chocolate doughnut from the table and took a big bite as he led her into the maze. They walked along, holding hands and swinging their arms.
"You seem in a mighty chipper mood," Alvin said.
"I love autumn in New England," she said. "I love the color and the cool nights and the smell of wood fires. And you, I love you."
They passed a turnoff and Alvin pulled her toward it.
"That's not the way out," she said.
"Good."
He led her into the alcove in the corn and wrapped his arms around her. They could hear a child laughing and Moosie barking, but both sounded far away.
"How can it be," he asked her, "that when I married you, you could not have been more beautiful, but now, you are?"
"Oh sweetheart." She leaned in to him and they kissed deeply. Alvin ran his hand down her back and over her hip.
"Now, don't get handsy" she admonished him, "There are kids running in and out of here."
"Later?" he asked her.
"Sure, baby, tonight."
But by then, they would be concerned with other matters.
***
Alvin called up the stairs. "Hannah, supper is ready, come on down."
He went to the kitchen and sat at the table. Mary set a plate in front of him; roasted pork loin, baked acorn squash and steamed broccoli. He wrinkled his nose at the broccoli but said nothing. It was a fight he had lost long ago.
"What's keeping her?" she wondered, putting Hannah's plate down at her seat. She waited a few seconds, then went to the bottom of the stairs and called. When she heard no answer, she told Alvin to go ahead and start eating, and climbed the stairs.
The door to Hannah's room was locked. She rapped and said, "Hannah, supper's ready, come eat."
She heard a muffled response, but the door did not open.
"Come on, honey, it's getting cold."
The door opened and Hannah brushed past her without a word. Mary followed her down the stairs.
"Honey, why was your door locked?"
"To keep people out," Hannah muttered. She flopped into her chair and stared at her plate. Mary sat down across from her.
"Something wrong with your food, honey?" she asked.
Hannah shrugged and took a bite of her squash. Alvin reached over with his fork and stole a bite from her plate.
"You got your own, Papa," she scowled.
