Old Friend Pt 01

Old Friend

Part 1

Chapter 1

It was early April and while the sun was in the sky, the wind off the North Pacific was still cold, cold enough to cut through the wetsuit, and combined with the salt in the water, left his face feeling like he'd shaved with a dull razor. The water hadn't begun to warm this early in the year, and so demanded a winter wetsuit, and still he had to be active or dangerously cold. The surf had lost its winter ferocity but was still cold enough to discourage all but the most avid: it was good for an old man wanting to work a paddle board slowly out and back through the surf. When it was warmer, in summer, there would be too many people in the water to safely paddle amongst them. He'd never really been a surfer, but in recent years had learned to paddle, and while it was frequently hard on his body, the cold and physical challenge made him feel alive, something he didn't feel he could take for granted now that he was in his sixth decade.

Walking out of the surf with his board under one arm and the paddle in his other hand, he heard someone call his name. He'd been head down, catching his breath, contemplating the effort involved in this paddling now that he was approaching his mid-60's, so he didn't see who it might be from among the small crowd scattered across the beach, until she called again. With saltwater running down his face and the sun in his eyes it took a moment to work out that it was the tall grey-haired woman walking towards him, and it took even longer, not really until she came close and spoke again, to begin to guess at who it might be.

"Rob ... Rob, is that you? What are you doing out here?" she said.

"Anna, ... Anna Andover?"

"Actually, its Anna Mitchell now, and has been for a long time."

"Yea, I guess I knew that, but I didn't remember the Mitchell part. How are you."

"Good enough. I can't remember when I last saw you, but it must be more than 30 years ago. Its surprising to see you again after so long."

"Well, you have me at a disadvantage, without my glasses and with the salt and sun in my eyes I can barely see you. Are you trying to catch up to someone or do you have a moment to walk up the beach so I can put this gear down and get the water out of my eyes?"

"Oh, I've lots of time, I'm in town with two girl friends visiting for a few days. Let's head up, can I help with anything?"

"I've got the board but if you could grab that yellow bag ahead of us when we get to it, that would be appreciated."

"Certainly."

He set a pace up the beach that precluded conversation until they arrived at the drift logs separating the sand from the forest beyond, thankfully in the shade, where he was able to prop up his board and turn to face Anna. He took the proffered bag as she came close and rummaged through it for his towel and his glasses. With a quick wipe of his face and hair he put on his glasses, and able to see her more clearly now, he took a longer look, perhaps a bit too long, as she started to blush slightly under his gaze. He waved towards the log in front of them. "Anna, have a seat, I need to sit and catch my breath." Once he was seated, he continued, "You look good, really good. Life with ....... "

"No, life is no longer with ..... , it was with Andrew, Andy, but he left three years ago. Now, ... now I am on my own and travelling with friends when I choose to."

She didn't look overly concerned with being now single, so he judged that three years had been enough for her to come to terms with being abandoned. "I'm sorry to hear that Anna, you must have been married for a long time to have it end that way. If I remember correctly, you had a daughter?"

"Yes, Katherine, she's a doctor like her father and living in Toronto doing a fellowship in oncology. I don't see her as often as I would like, but she is doing well. What about you, I knew you married but not much else?"

"Yea, I was married, for 35 years, but Linda died three years ago ...."

Anna reached out and put a hand on his arm. "Oh Rob, I'm sorry, that must have been very hard for you."

"It was, and I'm still trying to adjust, but I'm sure I'll be OK now. I have two children and they're all well, but neither of them is living in BC now. It takes a bit of work to keep up with them, but that's been a blessing these past few years: it leaves me less time to dwell too much on losing Linda. Listen, how long are you in town for?"

"We're here for two more nights, leaving Thursday. Why?"

"Well, first of all, I'm starting to get cold, and in any event, I have to get back to let the dog out of the house. He's only two years old, so there's no telling what he's decided to chew on this time. I have a house here in town and I would love to have you, or you and your friends, over for a drink or even dinner if you're free."

"Well, I don't think we have any fixed plans, but can I get back to you once I talk to my friends?"

"Absolutely. Here, stick out your hand." Looking a bit uncertain, she raised her hand towards him. He reached into his bag, pulled out a permanent marker and, taking her hand by the wrist, wrote his cell number on the palm of her hand. He laughed at the surprise on her face and then apologized. "Sorry to write on your hand but I couldn't have you wandering off not able to find me again. And just to be sure, my house is on the waterside of the highway directly across from the ambulance station on your way into town from here. Its at 604 Coast View Highway. Do I need to draw a map on the other hand?"

She quickly pulled her hand back. "No, no, I can remember that."

He stood and pulled her into a parting hug. "Anna, its really good to see you again and I hope you'll drop by the house before you leave town. Any time's good, I'm not going anywhere unless it's a short paddle or to walk the dog, so you can just drop in or call ahead to be sure. Now, I'm heading up to my vehicle - its in the parking lot here - what direction are you going?"

"I should really head down the beach", she said. "My friends were ahead of me and will think I've gotten lost. It was really good to run into you." And she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "See you soon."

***

It was late in the day, and he was working in his studio when the dog leapt to its feet and headed out the door, even before Rob heard the crunch of tires on the gravel in the driveway. Charlie preceding him, he walked up the stairs to see who was there. He had almost put their meeting yesterday out of his mind, so there was at least some surprise for him when the small car disgorged Anna, and then two other women, all looking to be in the same age bracket as Rob, and all looking very good for that or any other age bracket. He continued up to meet them.

"You found the place."

"Its lovely, how long have you had it?" said Anna.

"We bought the land 10 years ago. The house was finished six years ago."

"Rob, these are my two friends, Sandra and Terry. This is Rob Walker."

"C'mon in, Charlie and I can give you the tour." The dog shamelessly ingratiated himself with all three while Rob led them around the house and then down along the boardwalk to the waters edge. Even here, sheltered from the open ocean, the wind coming off the water was cold, so he kept them moving and said that he'd answer any questions once they were comfortable and inside again. Walking back up to the house, Anna and her friends noticed the studio and, through the windows, the paintings. When they asked about it, he led them inside. There were perhaps 20 paintings stored on racks at one end and four at the front in progress. All were large, bright abstracts. Towards the back of the studio, he had a series of sculpture projects underway, assembling recycled wire, copper tubing, cedar wood and other materials into small structures, tabletop size, not particularly original, but it was helping him try out some ideas that had emerged from his painting and from some work seen in a gallery in New South Wales earlier in the year.

After a short look around the studio, Rob was back on the move, quickly arriving upstairs. Pulling out some wine to offer them, he slowed down enough to get them seated, light the fireplace, and give the three women time to ask questions.

"When did you start painting?", Anna asked. "I'd don't remember that from 30 years ago."

"I've always been interested, but I started taking some continuing ed courses at Emily Carr and then giving myself the time to work at it perhaps 15 years ago. And for me, it's still playing around, I'm strictly amateur."

"They look really good."

"I try."

Anna ceded the floor to her friends, and he began answering the more usual queries of how long he'd had the place, when was it built, who built it, and so on and so forth. He didn't take the questions too seriously, choosing to answer most with a humorous anecdote highlighting his lack of knowledge about what he was getting into and the help from friends that made it possible. He finished by taking them to the windows overlooking the water and outlining in some detail how it truly was the last good swamp in town.

He assumed that arriving as they did, the three of them together, meant that Anna had wanted to test the waters in the company of friends, and they were soon off, having a reservation for dinner in town. She was careful to give him her number before they left, and he gave her a card with his number after inspecting her hand; his cell number was still there. If he had been asked, he would have said that he had probably passed a test with Anna.

***

"Rob, how are you? I'm glad you're up and at it early man. I thought you might like to know that the whales are really getting active along the south side of Wisham Island, right in St. Johns Channel, this morning. It's the herring spawning, lots of them this year, that are drawing them in."

"Thanks for the heads up, I've been wondering when this would start. Have you been out yet? Get any good pictures?"

"Yea, I'm just heading back in, but I started out early. Lots of pictures, hopefully some are worthwhile."

"I'm sure there will be. I look forward to seeing them - and thanks again."

He put the phone down. If he was going to go, he should get started now. He pulled out a thermos and then stopped, thought for a moment, and made a decision. Picking up his cell, he quickly dialed while moving around the kitchen. The phone rang several times at the other end before someone picked up. "Anna, its Rob Walker, how are you this morning?"

"Yes, I suppose it is a bit early. Are you up and around?"

Rob laughed at her reply and posed the question he'd called for. "There are apparently a lot of whales, humpbacks, that have moved into the Sound this morning to feed on the spawning herring. I'm going to pop over in my boat to take a look and perhaps get a few pictures. Are you interested in a ride on the water? We'd be inside the Sound, so it should be pretty smooth."

"Great, and yes, I could take your friends if they were interested but I would need to know how many soon so that I can take enough safety gear." He paused. "Yes, take a minute, no rush, it would be good to know now." While Anna stepped away to talk to her girlfriends, he moved around the kitchen, boiling water and turning on the coffee pot. He'd be needing some supplies to keep them warm out there.

"OK, that's probably the smart decision if they're lukewarm on the idea. Do you want me to pick you up or would you prefer to meet at the dock?"

"Good, where are you."

"Got it. I'm just going to throw some hot chocolate and coffee into thermos' and then I'll come right over. Try to dress warmly but not too bulky. I'll have a flotation suit for you, sort of an insulated, coveralls that are waterproof and buoyant. It'll keep you warm and comfortable whatever the weather."

"You too. See you shortly."

At the dock, he helped her into the flotation suit and pulled out a pair of rubber deck boots for her feet. He zipped her up, asked if she was comfortable and then gave her an arm to help her down into the boat, an old 17-foot Montauk. She looked a little nervous but seemed game to give this a try. "How much experience do you have in boats?"

"Not much, we used to go out on a friend's sailboat sometimes in the summer and I've done some whale watching tours in Hawaii. That's all."

"That's pretty good. You'll be fine. We're only going to be about 15 minutes from the harbour and if it looks like it going to turn rough, windy or otherwise nasty, we'll be back at the dock before it can really get started. Now let me show you how I start and operate the boat. If I'm hit by a beer truck it'll help you get home."

He took a few minutes and showed her how to start the outboard, steer the boat, use the radio and where the safety gear was. Finally, he pulled out the flare gun and showed her how it operated and where it was stowed. Probably overkill for where they were going but it never hurts.

Fifteen minutes later, they were drifting along the channel on the opposite side from where most of the whales were feeding, riding the outgoing tide, and well back from where he thought they might rise. Anna had a cup of coffee, her feet up on the seat and a smile on her face - he looked at the way her long slim fingers wrapped around the mug. When he first met her, he considered her elegant for lack of a better word, and in that respect she hadn't changed; tall, slim, with full grey hair down to her shoulder, and still elegant. They'd just watched a whale breach, throwing itself right out of the water about 300 metres away and whales were regularly rising in feeding lunges, with water and herring surging out from their gaping mouths, clouds of gulls, auklets, and even a few puffins hovering just out of reach and fighting for the easy pickings. Rob started taking pictures and at the same time tried to keep track of Anna's response to what was happening. Good thing. When he saw her eyes go wide and her hand to her mouth, he looked up from the viewfinder and around to see what had captured her attention. Despite his intent to stay well back from the feeding, a whale surfaced less than 50 feet away to exhale and then dove so that by looking over the side they could see its shadow pass underneath. The outboard was turned off and the leg out of the water so there was no concern for causing an injury, but Anna still looked shocked, although, her grin was starting to creep back.

They chatted as he took pictures, nothing of consequence, but it gave him a chance to look at her and begin to replace the 30 year old image of her in his mind, with the way she looked now: while she was clearly older, with wrinkles around her mouth and eyes, her face had remained slim, giving her a youthful appearance, and the biggest change, at least what was obvious to him now when she was wrapped in a survival suit, was her hair which was grey, only peppered with remnants of the black strands than she had formerly kept long and thick - it was still thick and full swinging around her neck with every turn she made.

Back at the dock, once she'd climbed out of the boat, she turned to him and put her arms around him before quickly kissing him on his cheek. "Thank you so much. That was one of the most exciting things I've ever done." And then she kissed him again. Clearly, she'd enjoyed herself.

Dropping her at her rental place, he let himself be coaxed in for a coffee, and no doubt, to lend some authority to her stories. It was fun to watch her tell the tale of her time with the whales to her skeptical friends, her eyes were bright and wide, and her face flushed. She certainly wasn't the twenty-something he knew so many years ago, but she was still very attractive. When he left, she walked him to the door and asked him if he would like to go to dinner, that she would like to treat him as thanks for the morning. It was hard to think of a reason to not go, so he agreed and then suggested where she might have the most success getting a reservation, although, this early in the season one probably wasn't needed. She gave him a soft kiss before he turned to leave.

Dinner was slow, quiet and reminded him of what he had been missing these past several years. By unspoken agreement they avoided questions or discussion of their respective disappointments and focused on those things they were enjoying in their lives at this stage. By the time they were done, she'd managed to make it clear that she wanted to see him again if he was willing. "When do you think you'll have an opportunity to visit Vancouver again?" she asked.

"Well, I live there, so likely fairly soon."

She laughed in surprise. "I just assumed that with a house out here, you were settled here."

"Yea, my lack of being settled anywhere has been commented on by others. A few friends have suggested I might be a bit happier slowing down and staying at home more. I'm not convinced. What's say I give you a call when I know I'm going to be headed home again - probably that'll be near the end of the month. I'm having a productive time painting out here and would like to see where it leads me before heading back."

"I meant to ask you more about the painting, but the time on the water took it right out of my head", she said.

"Its getting a bit late for me to explain what I'm doing but when I get to Vancouver, I'll take you to a gallery that has some of my work and talk you through it, that is if you have an interest in that."

"I would. I would love to do that with you."

At her door, he put an arm over her shoulder and looked long and slow at her upturned face. "You're beautiful you know. But then you always were."

She blushed and pulled his face in for a kiss before stepping back, as though embarrassed. Once she was finished, he pulled her to him and kissed her back, a bit slower this time, feeling her warm curves pressed against him. He was kissing her, but he was thinking that heading home early might not be so bad.

***

He was downstairs, taking stock of the work he'd completed that day when his phone rang. It was Anna.

"I know you said that it would be two weeks before you'd be back in Vancouver, but I thought I'd like to talk with you again and see how you're doing out there."

"Well, I think it has been going well. The weather has been great, so I've been able to get out on the water regularly, which always helps my mood, and the painting has been going well. I've been productive and I really like the work I've been completing. How are you doing?"

"Good, I think. Whenever I get back from a trip, I feel more alone. The visit to the west coast was a good one and remembering that has helped to carry me past most of the self-pity I might have felt this time. Do you ever find yourself feeling that way?"

"I stay pretty busy, in part to avoid having to feel alone. Its when my back slows me down or I'm recovering from something, forcing me to sit still, that I realize that Linda is gone and the kids a thousand miles away, or more. Two years ago, I broke my arm and had to sit at home for six weeks, a couple of friends on the Island took pity and visited enough to keep me from despair, so yea, I think I understand what you're saying. How alone are you? Do you have any family or friends in town that can cheer you up."

"I've got a good group of friends, but its not the same as having a husband and children around the house or family that just wander by regularly. I think I mentioned that my daughter was in Toronto and my sister's living there as well now."

"Chris, your sister's name is Christine isn't it. I remember her from the parties you used to have at your mom's place. How's she doing?"

"Good, she's a psychologist and took a job out there shortly after Andy left. Looking back, I'm not sure which was the loss I felt the most."