Polka Dots and Moonbeams
From Tweeners: Three Ex-Husbands
Roy Haymond
When he’d last been to Myrtle Beach, the place had all but shut down after Labor Day. Then one could get a cheap room and enjoy coastline walks in the breeze without the swarming crowds to tolerate.
But that was twenty years ago! Now he found himself sleeping in his car on Sunday night because he couldn’t find a motel room.
He got a cup of convenience store coffee and he drove south as the sun was coming up, headed nowhere in particular, exploring, just wandering.
A sign on a dirt road leading toward the ocean said “TRILBY, 11 Miles”.
(“Why not?”)
The winding, single-lane dirt road with occasional stretches of gravel headed south and east, becoming very narrow after about six miles. Then for a time the road ran between smelly marshes on both sides before straightening due east between overgrown dunes on his right and a narrow inlet on his left.
At the end of the road, a sign said “Trilby” at the edge of a flat sandy plane the size of two football fields, bordered on the south by a guardrail.
He stopped the car at the rail and surveyed the situation. Beyond the rail there was a drop-off to the water some twenty feet below. He saw that this water was not the Atlantic Ocean, for there was a small island a hundred yards away.
On the edge of the compound by the inlet there was a barn-sized boathouse with a small pier and a ramp where several small boats were moored. To the right there was a cinder-block convenience store facing the water. A gravel-covered parking lot lasted some fifty yards and then there was a large off-white building that appeared to be a small hotel.
He parked his car and approached the convenience store hoping to get some more coffee and something for the hunger that suddenly dawned on him.
On the door of the convenience store, the chalk printing on a green slate said, “Gone to town. Be back soon. Need anything, see Molly next door”.
He crossed the parking lot toward the hotel-like building. There were two cars in the lot, one a sedan that looked as if it had been parked there for some time.
As he neared the hotel, he could see a utility building and a patio with chairs, tables and umbrellas behind the building. The hotel itself faced the water, with high steps in front leading up to a wrap-around porch. When he got closer to the hotel he found the structure a bit quaint - parts of the building had obviously been there for some years, but repair work and possible additions looked much newer. A professionally painted but slightly weatherworn sign simply said THE INN.
He climbed the steps onto the high front porch furnished with gliders and rockers and rattan chairs. He knocked on the front door screen several times.
The woman who came to the door was small and slightly plump, probably in her late fifties, wearing overalls over a plaid cotton shirt. Her dark, graying hair was in a net. She didn’t unlatch the screen.
“Yes?”
“I stopped at the store and it was closed...”
“Stubby - that’s my husband - makes a trip to town most every morning. He won’t be long...but is there anything I can get for you? “
“Oh, maybe some coffee and a little something to nibble on - I missed breakfast...and I wanted to look over the area.”
“Maybe we can take care of that...Who are you?”
“I’m Glenn Morris. I’m on a bit of a vacation, headed nowhere in particular...”
“I’m Molly Frampton. Are you by yourself?”
“Yes, Maam.”
“Tell you what: why don’t you just sit out here on the porch and I’ll bring you some coffee and rolls?”
“That would be nice.”
Glenn sat in a rocking chair facing the water. There was a steady breeze, but it was quite warm for October.
When she emerged from the side porch in a few moments, she had replaced the overalls with a wrap-around skirt, and the hairnet was gone .He found her quite pretty, in a wholesome, comfortable sort of way.
She put a tray with two mugs of coffee and rolls on a table in front of Glenn. She took her cup and sat herself on a sofa opposite him. Her feet were in sneakers and she propped them on a footstool.
“Now, tell me, how did you end up here?”
“I somehow got on that road and here I am...”
“Not much to Trilby, is there?
“I rather like the place....”
“What’s to like? There’s a little bit of a beach around the bend, but there’s not much of what people come to the beach for. And that island out there - it’s private...”
“I wasn’t really coming as a beachcomber...I just wanted a quiet little time with the ocean breeze. Do you rent rooms?”
“Can’t really answer that. You’ll have to wait for Stubby. He’s my husband. Are you running from something? The law? A jealous wife?”
“No, neither of those...I’ve been divorced for a year and, happily, she isn’t chasing me...As for the law, I must confess to several parking tickets...but they’ve all been paid...”
“Sound harmless enough. What do you do for a living?”
“I was with State Income Tax Service...but I just retired.”
“Retired? You seem too young for that...”
“I put in my thirty years...I’m trying to get in a bit of a working vacation...”
“Working vacation?”
“Yes. And this may sound weird...there’s this little lounge in Greenville. It’s closed now for remodeling. When they open again on Thanksgiving, I have been hired to - brace yourself - to play piano...”
“You are right; that is weird. So you are on a piano-playing vacation?”
“That’s right. I want a slow, easy place where I can walk in the ocean breeze a couple of times a day, and put in three or four hours on piano. And I have some old books I want to re-read. This place seems ideal, if you could rent me a room...”
“We don’t have a piano.”
“I do. In the trunk of the car. It’s electronic...and I can use earphones so there is no noise to bother anyone....”
“Well, we’ll see. I’ll talk to Stubby and he’ll let you know...it might be nice to have some music around the place...but now I’ve got to get back into my carpenter clothes...”
Glenn finished his coffee and then opted for a walk along the coastline. What he found was a narrow path at the water’s edge flanked by a collection of dunes covered with seaside foliage. For several hundred yards this trail stayed some twenty feet above the waterline. Then there was a gradual descent, and around a bend he found a small beach on what had to be the Atlantic Ocean, a clear stretch of sand, not too well kept, perhaps, but seemingly functional. Beyond this were more of the overgrown dunes.
On his trip, he had noticed paths leading to several very modest houses set well away from the water.
All in all, this was not a very impressive scene, almost like a ghost town, really. But this whole picture pleased him - a place for long, solitary walks with no people here but the pleasant lady and her husband.
(“And no unattached women. Those I surely don’t need.”)
(“I’m over any thoughts of Miriam. That’s for sure. But I’d best stay clear of that sort of thing...don’t want to make a fool of myself...”)
When he returned to the inn, there was a wide man with close-cropped iron-gray hair standing at the top of the steps. He was in his early sixties, had a thick chest, a well-tanned face, and a look of vigor about him. He was a bit shorter than his wife, so Stubby was an appropriate name for him. And he had an iced bottle of beer in each hand.
“Mr. Morris? I’m Stubby Frampton. Molly says you’re staying for lunch. Thought you might join me in a beer first.”
“Grand idea!”
Glenn took the beer and shook the man’s hand. The fellow was wearing a khaki outfit with a wide belt and heavy work shoes.
They took seats in rocking chairs on the porch. “Molly tells me you play the piano...”
“Nothing to write home about...Used to do it a lot...played in bands, and such...I need lots of practice...”
“Retired from Civil Service, right?”
“That’s right...”
“And you want to stop here where there’s no restaurant, no bar, no movie house, no nothing...”
“Mainly, I like it because there are so few people...”
“How far did you go on your walk?”
“Oh, down to that little beach and a little further.”
“Then you’ve covered a mile, round trip. Meet anybody on the way?”
“Not a soul...”
“And that suits you, eh?”
“Yes. It’s not that I don’t like people, it’s just that I need to air out, need to get my thinking in order...”
“Sounds reasonable enough...and I used to play a saxophone...haven’t touched one in forty years, but I remember how relaxing it was...Anyway, my beer has evaporated...let’s go in and check on lunch!”
Following Stubby Frampton inside, he found the interior to be a pleasantly rustic hodge-podge. To the left was a small lobby-ante room, complete with a desk and several filing cabinets. There was also a console for what appeared to be a citizens-band radio outfit.
To the right was a long, wide room that had the look of relaxation and recreation: many padded straight chairs scattered about, several sets of sofas with matching arm chairs, a pool table, a TV set with VCR. A few personal pictures hung on the walls, along with several seascapes, one a well done watercolor, and there was a dartboard that was well used.
Straight ahead was a dining area furnished with small tables, each with four chairs. To the right of this area was a hallway flanked by bedrooms.
Stubby pointed to the hallway. “Each of these rooms has a bathroom. Stop in one of them if you want to wash up...”
When Glenn had washed his hands he joined Stubby in a kitchenette at the rear of the house. He was offered a seat at the end of a stained-oak dining table. Stubby took a seat and handed him another beer and he opened one for himself.
“Let me tell you about Trilby. It was an overdeveloped patchwork of summer cottages...you know, second homes for people who had long summer vacations. There was a little park, and a movie house, and there was a lifeguard for the little beach a way down the coast - it was longer then than it is now. Then...BOOM...a storm wiped it out...the Inn is just about the only thing that was left standing, and it was hit pretty hard.”
“...About fifteen of the families who owned some of the lots have built again - a risky business since they can’t buy insurance at any price! Six of the families - retired couples - are still here this late in the year. The rest come here for vacations - the swimming is not so good, but some people do catch a few fish...”
“...Molly and I had a real estate agency in the city...and we were working ourselves to death, so we sold out. We bought the Inn for a song - a bank had repossessed it and they had tried for several years but hadn’t had a single nibble. But repairs, even with us doing most of the work ourselves, have been expensive...still a lot to do...like putting in private bathrooms upstairs But we are not at all sure that would pay off - we don’t usually get that many people at one time...”
“...The main problem out here is infrastructure. We are able to get the county water restored - the reservoir is only a few miles inland...and it took a bit of doing to get a power line...it was like pulling teeth to get a phone, and we have the only one in the area...”
“...There’s nothing here for tourists, of course...but we are doing all right...All the families pay us a retainer...I stock the staples they need in the store and I go into town almost every day - almost sixty miles round-trip, and get the mail. Every morning we check with each of those six families to see if they need anything from town...”
“Now, that island, Cooke’s Island. It wasn’t hit so hard by the storm, but their bridge was wiped out and neither the county or the state is willing to build them a new bridge, so nobody lives there full-time, and there is only one couple out there now that Labor Day has passed. They have water and an underground power line...but they have to get there by boat...Those who have boats dock them here when they are away, and leave their cars here when they take the boats...another retainer for us. A fellow up the coast provides transport for those who don’t have boats. Carlo can be reached by phone. There’s a clinic up the coast and he could get a patient there in a hurry if the weather is reasonable...and Carlo is an expert boat mechanic.”
“...Another thing: we have three gas-powered generators...this area is prone to storm problems...maybe not like the one that wasted everything before, but even a mild storm can play havoc in this particular location. I keep a little weather station out back. When the barometer and other indications warrant it, all the people in the houses down the strip come up here till it blows over, since we have the emergency power and some communications equipment.”
“...Once in a while we get a few tourists in the summer. And if we like their looks, we let them have rooms...and from some of the houses down the road, we get some overflow. Molly and I do all right...place for our grandchildren in the summer, peace and quiet the rest of the time...we are probably working as hard as we did in the city, but this is different...low-pressure work...”
Molly called them to lunch, with the plates and serving dishes of food on a counter for self-service. And by then it was clear that they were going to rent Glenn a room, a more pleasant prospect than ever after a lunch that hit the spot.
“Well, let’s see, it’s Monday. How’s a hundred for the week, till next Monday morning...”
“Great!”
“And you can eat with us if our meal times suit you...That’s four dollars a meal. If you want beer, we have it in the store and you can keep it in the refrigerator. Or I can get you a bottle of whatever else you want when I go to town tomorrow...There is a dartboard in the den. TV reception is poor...I watch the 6:30 news and that’s usually it. On some nights we watch a video. And tonight, we’re watching John Wayne in ‘Tall in the Saddle’...”
Molly interjected, “ And you will set the piano up in the rec. room...no use having a musician who is only heard on his own earphones...”
A couple of hours at the electric piano, which he placed by the window so he could see the scenery, another walk after dinner, this one including a ten-minute jog, and Glenn was dozing through “Tall in the Saddle”. But a routine was in place:
Breakfast at 7:00. Long walk. Practice by 9:00. Maybe a beer or two before lunch. Nap. More practice. Dinner at five and then another walk. And after a video movie, he was ready for bed by 10:00.
Glenn enjoyed this routine immensely for two days, particularly pleased with his piano. In his morning practice sessions, after playing a few old pop tunes he’d switch to some heavy workouts, things like Czerny or Bach’s “Two Part Inventions” (he’d often silence the speakers and use his earphones for these). In the afternoons, after doing some scales and exercises, he’d concentrate on playing pop tunes, both in reading from his stack of sheets of tunes he’d forgotten, and in playing as many tunes as he could think of off the top of his head. And on his walks he’d make mental notes of tunes he hadn’t yet worked on.
So the routine of it all had him as happy and relaxed as he he’d been in some years.
But this euphoria was threatened on Thursday.
Stubby interrupted his morning practice session. “It’s been nice having you here, Glenn, damned nice; but the winds are kicking up. The barometer has gone haywire, and I’ve had a call from Weather Service...In short, looks like we’re in for a blow. Might be best if you went to a more solid location...”
“You aren’t leaving, are you?”
“No, of course not, but it might get rough...”
“What the hell. There’s nowhere I’m supposed to be...Of course, I’ll go if you insist...but I’d rather stay....”
“Well, Okay...I’m not going to insist...just wanted you to know how things are...the residents from down the hill will be coming here in the morning to ride out the storm here..”
“I’ll be glad to help out in any way I can...”
“Well, yes, if you stay I’ll need to put you to work...”
The wind did kick up and Glenn had to forego his evening walk.
On Friday morning the winds were even rougher. Molly and Stubby were busy about the place doing storm preparations. Glenn helped Stubby carry in boarding for the windows. He also moved all the porch furniture to an enclosure under the porch.
Carlo and his boat brought Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins from the island. Glenn met them at the boat dock and carried their luggage for them. Other couples soon followed, and Glenn drove Stubby’s truck down the lane to pick up the Madisons, who could not get their car started
Stubby said to Glenn, “I’ll need to commandeer your room...there are seven couples in all, and we have six rooms downstairs. We’ll put the Swansons upstairs.in the wing over the rec room...they are the only ones under sixty and they don’t mind the stairs. Now, I’ll want you to sleep on a cot in the rec. room in case I need to get you up during the night, and there is a bathroom under the stairwell...”
Instead of serving lunch, Molly set out some dishes of light snacks on the counter for the new guests and Glenn continued taking luggage to the rooms. Then he helped Stubby move the gas generators from the utility shed, two of them to a utility area inside the Inn and the other into the convenience store.
Most of the people gathered around Stubby as he operated the CB radio. Glenn stood with them until Molly said, “Why don’t you go over to that electric piano and play some soft background music...you know, some happy tunes and some romantic ballads...And remember how old we are...don’t play that New Age stuff...”
He happily agreed. He turned the piano around so he faced into the rec. room and he played through a variety of old standard tunes. He became so absorbed in his playing that he didn’t notice the woman standing in front of him.
Her contralto voice said, “...‘Polka Dots and Moonbeams’? I haven’t heard that in years...please don’t stop playing...I always liked that tune, and I never get to hear it...”
He completed the chorus and then took a better look at the woman who came with the voice. She was a big woman, a full five-ten with a full figure. She had carrot-straw hair that didn’t seem too fussed-over. The face was really quite pretty, but the green eyes were reddened and there was a tired look about her.
And he was sure she was not one of the refugees who’d left their homes to stay at the Inn - she was only in her forties and too young to be one of that crowd around the CB radio.
She said, “Thank you. I enjoyed that,” and walked away before any introductions were possible.
Glenn watched her walk away. He liked what he saw, especially the sway of her full hips, and the slit at mid-thigh on the knit dress that reached almost to her ankles.
(“Miriam used to look something like that...before it was stylish to be so damned skinny!”)
Then he was hit by a moment of near-recognition.
(“I’ve seen her somewhere before; I know I have!”)
He found himself more than slightly distracted when he tried to play again, deep in wonder as to where and how he might have seen this woman, and, of course, in the process, he also remembering how long it had been since he’d touched a woman.
He didn’t have to wonder long about the woman’s identity. Halfway through his half-hearted attempt at “Everything Happens to Me” the lady returned. And it clicked: he knew where he’d seen her, or at least an image of her.
“I hate to interrupt...again... I’m Vera Longstreet.”
“I know!”
“Oh? Have we met before?”
“I wouldn’t think so...I’m Glenn Morris...I was in Raleigh last month...saw your exhibit at Hillsboro Museum...”
“The watercolors?”
“That’s right. There was a portrait of you in the lobby, though I must say it didn’t do you justice...”
“You are too kind, maybe even a little dishonest, Mr. Morris, but I like it, anyway... Look, I’m in a bit of a pickle...could you help me?”
“Name it...I’d be delighted...”
“You see, I have a house on the island. Carlo was supposed to take me over there this afternoon; but he says he won’t go...says the winds are already too high...So Molly will put me up till after whatever storm we have...no problem there. But since I had planned to stay in my island house for several weeks, I bought a lot of supplies, and I need to get them out of my van. Molly has given me the key to the store - I have some meat and frozen stuff to put in the cooler. Then I need to bring some stuff inside here...”
“Lead on.”
And she was getting more attractive to all the time. Tired or no, the face was quite pretty. And Glenn liked a full bosom on a woman.
Her van was parked well away from the store because other vehicles were parked closer to its curb. They made several trips from the cooler in the convenience store to her van, he carrying the heavier packages and she the lighter ones. When the stowing job was completed, they locked the cooler and were about to leave the little store.
She grabbed his arm. “Mr. Morris, wait a minute, would you? There’s someone out there I’d rather not see just now.”
“I’ll stay with you, but you must call me Glenn. What’s the problem?”
She pointed to a large, athletic-looking fellow in his forties. He was in a gray business suit and he had gotten out of a Buick sedan and was headed for the Inn. On his way, he stopped to look over a little red sports car. It was clear even from the distance that this vehicle had him annoyed. Then he resumed his trip toward the inn.
Vera Longstreet gasped. “Not him too! Not both of them!”
“Both of them?”
“Would you believe I have two suitors? And unwanted suitors, at that! The fact is one of the reasons for coming here was to get away from them.”
A quick-thinking Glenn, not immune to a lady in distress, offered, “Miss Longstreet, would you join me in a beer?”
“What?”
“If we stay here, at least one of them may well come looking for you. There is a utility building by the patio. I could carry a six-pack and we could hide in there and maybe give some thought to how we are going to handle whatever problem we might have...”
“Glenn, you’re an angel...but do call me Vera...let me stop by the van and get my bag...I’ll meet you over there...”
Once inside the utility building, they made seats of a couple of crates and he opened two bottles of Bud Lite.
“Now, look, Vera, I’d be lying if I said I was not curious about all this business about men chasing you...though I must say they have very good taste...But understand this: I will help in any way I can...whether or not you tell me anything...”
“Well, I see no point in keeping any of it from you; it’s not anything tawdry...really! But right now I must ask you to be a gentleman.”
“Name it!”
“Just turn your head...I need to change. This is definitely not weather for a knit dress...”
Glenn sipped his beer and looked off into the semi-dark space, bothered somewhat by the rustle of fabric coming off the body that was becoming more and more interesting.
When she had changed into jeans and a pullover sweater, she took her seat on a crate and took a sip of the beer. Then she lit a cigarette and began brushing her long tresses.
“Well brace yourself for a twisted tale. Robert - he’s the big, dark hulk - was a lineman for State a few years back...you saw him in the parking lot. He wants to marry me...he was a really big help a couple of years ago when my second marriage broke up...he handled my business affairs. But, really, he’s all business, and in the process, he’s quite a pest...talks business and real estate and CD’s and IRA’s all the time. The truth is, I really needed to get away from him...”
“...Now Steve - you haven’t seen him yet - he’s somewhat of a booking agent to me, does some of the business of selling and exhibiting my work...and he’s good at that...I’d be broke without him. Now, he has no intentions of marriage...he just wants very badly to get into my pants...”
“...And the real kicker is this: they hate each other. So, I have a magazine commission to do some watercolor work...it will pay quite well. But I also have an urge to do some things in oils - projects I don’t want to discuss with anyone yet. If I had stayed in Raleigh, Steve would be prodding me to leave off the oils and stay on the watercolor work, while Robert would be pestering me in general.”
“...So I just told them that I was coming down here for a few weeks to set up a routine. Up before daylight for a workout - I simply must get rid of some of this flab around my middle - then sit by the ocean and sketch all morning. Do the bulk of the watercolor work until afternoon...then rest a while before going to work in oils from the drawings I’ve been fooling around with for some time.”
“...So now these two clowns show up! Probably Steve figured if he turned up in this rustic setting, I’d be putty in his lecherous hands...then Robert got an inkling about what Steve was up to, and now I’ve got both those unwanted pests!”
Glenn, sipping and listening, finally broke in. “I’ll bet if Stubby told them to leave, they’d be gone quick enough...”
“No. That would make it really uncomfortable for me when I get back to Raleigh...An idea does come to mind though, but I would hate to impose on you.”
“Impose away!”
“Well, suppose you and I stayed close, like we had known each other for some time...”
“If you call staying close to such a lovely lady an imposition...”
“Flattery gets you anywhere...and we might even...well, you know, give the impression that we had planned to meet here...”
“That’s the kind of imposition I usually leave to my fantasies!”
“You’re sweet, Glenn. Tell me about yourself. Somehow I know you are not married.”
“No, divorced. Our children are grown and on their own...She kept the house, but there is no alimony...so I’m doing all right...I was a state employee, but I retired last month...”
“And your piano?”
“An avocation. I have a Baldwin in my apartment, but I brought that little electric job...Like I told Stubby and Molly, on Thanksgiving a friend is opening a new lounge in Greenville, and I’m to be the house piano player...I was looking for a place like this - isolated, quiet. I need lots of practice, especially touching up old tunes I have forgotten...”
“I think that’s marvelous. And ‘Polka Dots and Moonbeams’! I haven’t heard it in years. Why do you suppose we don’t hear that tune more often?”
“Some say it’s hard to sing, especially the bridge...You hear instrumental versions once in a while, but I can’t recall a singer doing it in quite some time...”
“Will you play it again for me when we go inside?”
“Sure...Molly wants me to play background stuff to keep things calm ...and the piano can be switched to battery if the house-power goes off.”
They had another beer and then walked through the back door, hand in hand, with Glenn carrying her bag.
The two men she said were enemies were standing together in the rec. room.
Robert, the big one in the gray suit, did indeed look the part of an ex-lineman. He must have weighed two-fifty, but it was in a trim package. His well-tanned face gave off a boyish look, and, standing there watching Vera, he seemed most uncomfortable.
The other one, Steve, a much smaller man in khaki slacks and a windbreaker, was blond with a slight moustache and pale blue eyes. He stood there looking annoyed.
Vera introduced Glenn to both of them. “Listen, I’ve worn Glenn out getting my larder into the cooler over in the store. How about you two going out to my van and getting the rest of my stuff...I’d rather not leave the paints and canvases in the car if there is a blow...you can put the stuff over in the far corner of the rec room...
Robert left straight away. Steve stood for a moment, looking as if he would make a protest, but he thought better of it and trailed after Robert.
Vera put a chair by Glenn’s piano. By the time the two suitors finished bringing in Vera’s gear, a dozen people had crowded around the piano, throwing requests at him. Robert and Steve joined the crowd. Robert continued to look uncomfortable and Steve was now looking somewhat amused.
Dinner was served from the counter, with the guests using heavy paper plates and serving themselves from dishes of food placed there. No alcohol was served, but Glenn and Vera smuggled in beer in large tea glasses. They took seats at a table with another couple, this allowing Vera to avoid her suitors for a time.
Molly passed the word that everyone was to assemble in the rec. room when they had completed their meals.
Once they were all seated, Stubby took the floor.
“People, some of you have been through this kind of thing with us before...but I guess we’d better remind you of some things. The wind is whipping up, but the real blow won’t hit until sometime tomorrow, probably late in the afternoon...I don’t want any of you going outside unless you clear it with me. There is a little room off the radio room for those of you who want to smoke - please don’t smoke out here in the common area. All of you who take medication, please check in with Molly...So, it’s six now; amuse yourselves any way you can for a while, and Mr. Morris will play the electric piano again. At eight, we have a video movie...those who would rather read or do something else can use the dining area...the movie will be over about ten...Rev. Penny will have a devotional in the dining area for those who want to attend. Now, after that I’m asking you to go to bed...if I get any important bulletin, I’ll pass it on...I’ll be in the room with the radio...And Mr. Morris has agreed to sleep right here in the rec. room if anybody should need anything...”
After dinner, Glenn played piano for a while, and some of the couples danced. Vera danced once with Stubby , then once each with Robert and Steve before dancing with several of the older fellows.
The power was still on, and the movie was “Witness for the Prosecution”. Vera squeezed in with Glenn on a sofa with three other people. They sat close and held hands.
“Marlene Dietrich is how old? And she stays so trim!”
“What about us fellows who don’t care for skinny women?”
“You’re just saying that...but please keep saying it....”
Robert and Steve were in separate sections of the room, and their facial expressions couldn’t be discerned.
Robert joined Glenn and Vera in attending the devotional period, which consisted of a short reading by Mrs. Margaret Penny, and short talk and then a prayer by Rev. Penny, a thin but spry short man of eighty.
Steve was elsewhere during the devotional.
Vera was given a room at the top of the stairs that led from the end of the rec room. In the next room were the Swansons, then Robert and Steve were put in separate rooms further down the hall.
On his cot in the recreation area, Glenn quickly slipped into a deep sleep, though one not without visions of the woman he’d so recently met. He woke somewhat before dawn and noticed that the night-lights in the room were no longer active, which meant that the electric power had been lost. But he shrugged and went back to sleep,
Vera woke him shortly after daylight. She was wearing a sweat suit and sneakers.
“The wind is still whipping up, but Molly says it’s not going to be really bad for a while...it’ll blow all day, though...”
“So what’s a little wind?”
“Nothing, really, except that it means Robert and Steve are stuck here, too. And I think Steve tried to get into my room last night...”
“Should we talk to Stubby about it?”
“I’ve already given Molly the gist of things...I just wish I could get over to the island and leave them behind...Anyway, they’re here now...so I have a thermos of coffee...follow me...”
“Let me wash my face first.”
When he joined her again, Glenn followed Vera through the dining area and down the hallway between the downstairs guestrooms. At the end of this hall was a stairway much like the one that led upstairs from the rec. room. Up the stairs, the rooms in this wing were almost bare, but they found a couple of straight chairs in one of the rooms.
She poured his coffee into a mug. “Hope you like it black...I didn’t put anything in it...”
“Just so it’s hot.”
“Is it all right if I don’t talk for a little while?”
“Quite all right with me...”
But her silence lasted only a moment.
“How did you end up in Trilby?”
“I could say I was lost, but it’s more like I didn’t have anywhere to go...I saw a sign on the highway, and this is where the road led...”
“You seem quite at home here...”
“It has been a relaxing couple of days...How about you? You come here often?”
“A couple of times a year...an uncle left me a cottage on the island, oh, five, maybe six years ago...and I love doing seascapes over there...a couple of them were in my exhibit in Raleigh...And, of course, I’m quite fond of Molly and Stubby...”
“And you stay in the cottage over there by yourself?”
“Now I do...but remember, I had a husband...he came here with me several times...he was my second...and last husband...He was always in a hurry to leave...that’s not why we broke up, though...How about you...you said you are divorced?”
“...Miriam and I were in different worlds. She has a good job and a great retirement ahead of her....”
“What will you do with yourself now that you have retired?”
“Right now I’m looking forward to playing piano...When that plays out, who knows? There are places I haven’t been, others I want to revisit...other things I’ll have time for...like model airplanes...”
Neither of them could have told who initiated the embrace that followed - they just found themselves locked onto each other, a surge that included a tender, modest kiss.
They held on for a long minute. Then she pulled only slightly away and looked into his face in the dim light of the room.
“Oooh, Glenn! I needed that!”
“Ah, yes. But I’m afraid I may need a few dozen more like it...”
“Well, maybe we can get together and practice until we get it just right...”
The shared another long but still modest kiss.
They heard footsteps in the hall. Stubby knocked lightly on the open door and stepped inside.
“Hate to bust up a reunion, but Molly wants you both downstairs. Glenn, she wants you to play a little background stuff for those who aren’t huddled around the radio. Vera, she needs you to help her in the kitchen. And, besides, those two fellows are chomping at the bit...I’ve got to get over to the store and see about the generator...”
When Vera and Glenn got downstairs, Robert and Steve were standing in the dining area. Robert was looking a bit puzzled, and Steve’s expression was more sardonic.
Vera walked past them and entered the kitchen, not bothering to say a word, rather leaving Glenn to act as emissary.
Steve, with a smile that could very well be described as evil, asked, “How long have you know Vera?”
“Not long.”
“But you know her pretty well?”
“I wouldn’t say that. Look, I don’t want to be rude, but I’m not comfortable discussing Vera like this. Let’s wait until she’s here to defend herself...”
Robert broke in, “Look, Steve, you might be asking where you have no business...What right have you got, asking stuff like that?”
“Aw, come on, Big Guy; you were wondering the same things...”
“What I’m wondering is why you don’t just shut up!”
“What are you going to do, Mister Right Guard? Show us your muscles?”
Glenn was amazed at the gall of the smaller man, for, indeed the former State lineman had him by about seventy pounds, and the big fellow did appear to have an impressive upper-body development.
“Look, fellows, let’s cool it. The place is full of displaced people, most of them elderly, and some of them might be scared...And, besides, Molly is bringing out breakfast...We’ll all feel better after some scrambled eggs...”
Glenn didn’t wait for any response. He went to the counter and palmed a biscuit from a basket Molly had placed there. He nibbled on the biscuit as he approached the piano, where he proceeded to play “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning”.
Most of the people were amassed in the long recreation area, some of them huddled together in little knots. Molly tried to shepherd them to the breakfast counter, but a few were more or less frozen to their seats as the wind outside was becoming noisier. Between Molly and Vera, those who would not move were brought at least a little nourishment.
At about ten, Stubby spoke again to the gathered crowd.
“Folks, what we got is not a hurricane...just a tropical blow, but, as you know, around here that’s bad enough. We can expect it to peak between four and five this afternoon. Winds may reach fifty or sixty. Now, the bathroom at the far end of the room under the stairwell is reserved for the ladies...men use the one back by the kitchen. And hear this: nobody goes upstairs, and don’t even think of going outside...until we get an all clear...Let’s just keep each other company, and I’m sure we can ride this one out...”
It was dark outside, even at noon. Stubby had placed a few lanterns around the area. Two couples played cards. One woman had a tape recorder with earphones. An elderly fellow was working through a book of crossword puzzles, and some couples were simply cowering.
Glenn abandoned the piano and sat near a lantern for a little reading - he had a volume of John Steinbeck. Vera joined him and presently both Robert and Steve turned up.
Steve said, “Glenn, you seem to do pretty well on the piano. Do you do any contemporary stuff?”
“No, strictly old-time.”
“Man, you need to get with it...get with what’s happening now...”
“I’ve got a gig coming up in Greenville. The people who go there request the old standard tunes. If they want the modern stuff, they need to get another player...”
“You’re letting the world pass you by...”
“No offense, but I’m happy enough to let a lot of it to pass me by.”
“But what are you going to do if a younger crowd moves in and wants some of the modern things?”
“If nobody wants to hear what I play, then I’ll just play for myself.”
Vera chimed in, “ And for me! I love that stuff he’s been playing...”
“Aw, come on, Vera! That’s what the old people want. That stuff is not for us...How long do you think this guy can make a living...playing stuff nobody wants?”
Glenn broke in, “ I don’t make my living playing piano...it’s just something I like to do...”
Robert spoke up, “Steve, why are you always trying to cause trouble. Leave the man alone....”
“Why are you always playing Mother Hen?”
Robert took a step toward Steve. Steve stood up straight and took on a taunting stance, almost as if he wanted the big fellow to punch him.
Glenn stood up as Vera worked her herself in between them, with Glenn in no hurry to serve as referee.
However, a fierce gust of wind shook the entire building. Flying debris could be heard slamming against the planks that covered the windows.
Molly appeared. “Would everyone please take seats in the rec. room. As you can see, it’s getting rough...and I’m sorry, but we will have to put the lanterns out...the lanterns are too risky for now... we have a few battery-powered lamps. In about an hour, we’ll have sandwiches and tea for lunch, but we want you to bring your food in here...we want everyone to stay together...Now, I know it’s inconvenient, but try to cheer up...we’ve been through much worse than this...”
So the whole mass of them was in the darkened rec. room. Most of them were silent, but there were a few whispered conversations here and there. One elderly woman was crying softly.
There was no need for Glenn to play background music - no one would have heard it. He tried to get a seat near Vera, but she was on a sofa with the woman who was crying. Robert was talking quietly with one of the couples, and Steve was sitting by himself, pouting.
Then Vera left to help Molly in the kitchen. In a while, Molly returned and ushered several of the people toward the dining area. When these returned with their food, several more people were called.
And the already fierce wind was getting stronger.
Glenn went to the counter and got his lunch. The excitement had made him quite hungry. He disposed of two sandwiches and tea rather quickly, and then returned for another sandwich. He did not see Vera on either of his trips.
The wind continued to howl, but it seemed that most of the crowd had taken on a calm. His eyes were getting accustomed to the darkness and he surveyed the crowd of people.
Steve was still sitting alone in the crowd, his pout now dissolved into a bored, condescending non-expression. Robert remained with the couple he’d been with and this seemed to be an amiable situation.
It was late in the afternoon when the winds reached some kind of a climax, more than a howl, more than a roar. Glenn was reminded of a steamboat whistle.
After a while, Stubby came into the rec. room.
“Well, folks, I think we’ve made it. The wind reached fifty-five, but it’s down to the high forties now - still rough out there, but the barometer is looking better. Now, I still want you all to stay inside, but you don’t have to stay huddled up in here...You can return to your rooms if you like, that is if you have a downstairs room...I’d rather you all with upstairs rooms wait another hour or so. Okay? Now, we won’t let you starve, but don’t expect a heavy dinner ...soup and sandwiches is what we’ll have...and we won’t light the lanterns; so we’ll have to share the flashlights...”
There was a combination cheer and sigh of relief from the crowd, as most of them stood up and stretched and ambled around.
Stubby had Glenn doing some routine chores for a while. Then it dawned on Glenn that he hadn’t seen Vera for quite a while, nor had he seen Steve or Robert.
It was almost seven when he took a break to get his soup and sandwich. Molly and Stubby were in the kitchen.
Steve walked by. His left eye was red and swollen.
Stubby brought a charged battery for his piano and then Glenn played for a sing-a-long.
Vera and Robert showed up from somewhere. Vera appeared to be somewhat shaken.
The singing party, punctuated by several comedy routines from various guests, lasted until about nine.
It was a half-hour later before Glenn finally got to talk to Vera.
“I missed you...”
“I know. I helped Molly a while, and I asked if I could go to that little room and have a cigarette. And who should show up but Steve...”
“Did you punch him?”
“No, I never got around to it...he made an ass of himself...he locked the door and started some crude stuff...even tore one of my sleeves...I unlocked the door to leave...and Robert was standing there...”
“So he gave Steve the shiner?”
“Finally. He walked in and told Steve how disgusting he was...and, would you believe: Steve walked over and slapped Robert...”
“That wasn’t too smart...”
“No, it wasn’t...Robert just hit him once...”
“I had thought of doing that myself...”
“Steve does have a way about him, doesn’t he? Now look...Robert wants to talk to me...And I just can’t turn him down...I’m going to see him later tonight...”
“Don’t you think we ought to sneak upstairs for a minute first?”
“Thought you’d never ask!”
Their three minutes in the upstairs room included no talking. And the kisses were progressively more immodest.
Most of the guests were in bed by ten. Since the weather was calming, Glenn could have taken a room upstairs, but he chose to stay on the cot in the rec. room.
He saw Vera and Robert heading upstairs and surmised that they would have their “talk” in her room. Glenn thought of this as circumspect enough, given Robert’s gentle demeanor, though he was a bit envious of the time the man was getting to spend with Vera.
His week in Trilby was coming to a close. Storm or no, this had been a most rewarding time. He had indeed been able to spend time with his piano, part of it with an audience; he had a boy-scout adventure with the storm; and he had met some people who were well worth remembering.
And there was Vera!
(“So good to touch a woman again! But what now? Maybe I’d better move on.”)
Glenn was fatigued enough to get right to sleep, even with delightful images of Vera, and even with the absence of plans for the coming day.
Once again she woke him before dawn. Her palm was over his mouth to keep him from speaking out. She slipped under the coverlet and snuggled close to him.
“Don’t talk; just hold on,” she whispered.
And he did. And she did, he in his underwear and she in a sweat suit.
But the embrace was creating too much heat, even as the coverlet was kicked off.
“Listen,” she whispered, “much more of this and we’re going to be what you call compromised...Stubby has already gone out, so the back door is open...it’s still windy, but why don’t we chance a walk down the lane...”
She went upstairs and got a jacket while he got in to a sweat suit and jacket. Outside, they got scarcely fifty yards before the still strong winds sent them back for shelter. This they took in the little utility building.
They didn’t sit right away: the need for a long, wet kiss with closely squeezed forms was just too great! Several smaller forays followed before their most ferocious embrace had them gasping.
“Let’s sit down, Glenn...I’m going to have a cigarette...”
They sat on crates just far enough apart so they couldn’t touch.
“Robert sat in my room last night...it was rather touching...said he wanted to marry me...he’s really rather sweet, you know...”
Glenn said nothing.
“He wants to take care of me...protect me from the likes of predators like Steve...wants to give me a steady home where I can paint and not have to worry about the other ends of the business...”
“Sounds as if he really cares about you.”
“Oh, he does. He is so dull it gets on my nerves sometime...but he is a sincere bore...”
“So?”
“Of course I had to turn him down...that big-time smooch we just had...that’s enough reason in itself...I could never share anything like that with Robert, sweet Robert...”
“How did he take the refusal?”
“He broke down and cried...it had me crying too...But, hell, Glenn, being married to him would be torture for me...and in the long run, I’d pass the torture to him. Anyway, we had a good cry...Then I asked if he felt he should continue as my accountant - it’s pretty certain I’ll be looking for another agent, so I needed to know if I need a new accountant, too. But he said he’d be happy to continue as we were...And this was a relief...this brought him out of his gloomy mood. He brought up some portfolio business - that’s one of the things I came down here to get away from - and damned if his tears didn’t dry up in a hurry...”
“Well, I’m glad it worked out for you...”
“How about you? Where are you going now?”
“I don’t even want to get back to Greenville for a few weeks, so I don’t know...might go see what Savannah looks like...or I may just drive up the coast.”
“You’re at loose ends, then? Why don’t you stay here? You came here because of the isolation; and now that the storm’s over...”
“It has been quite a week, that’s for sure...I paid for a week and it’s up tomorrow...Stubby and Molly are two I won’t be forgetting...but I don’t want to wear out my welcome...”
“I don’t think that would happen...I can tell they are both very fond of you...But, anyway, I think we’d better drift back and see if Molly needs any help...”
They left the utility building, but only after another violent embrace.
Molly was at the back door, almost as if she were waiting for them.
“Now what have you two been up to? Making hay while the sun shines? Anyway, Stubby left early...he’s gone for supplies...eggs and things...Glenn, Rev. Penny is looking for you...the crowd feels they shouldn’t drive to church this morning, so he’s going to have a short service in a few minutes and he wants you to accompany a couple of hymns...”
“...Then we’re going to have breakfast. And look, if you both could help out after a while...Glenn, you helped Stubby get ready for the storm...now we’ve got to start putting things back like they were. And when we find out when the power will be turned back on, some of the people will want to get loaded up to go home. Okay? I’m going to try to get Stubby to lay down a while...he hardly slept at all last night.
“...And he wants to talk to you about your rent - it’s not right to charge you for the last couple of days...so you can get a refund...or you can stay longer. Work it out with Stubby...But for now, go on in the rec. room and see what Rev. Penny wants you to do.”
Vera went along with him. As they got to the rec. room, they were met by Robert.
“I’m heading on back...wanted to say goodbye...Glenn, awfully nice meeting you...”
Vera hugged him, “Thanks for everything...” She stopped short of saying she was sorry about how things had turned out.
“My pleasure...call me as soon as you get back to Raleigh, won’t you?”
“Of course I will...my friend and my accountant.”
“Oh, by the way: Steve left last night...the wind was still fierce, but I guess he just had to go...You take care of yourselves...”
Robert left.
Rev. and Mrs. Penny rushed up. The reverend said, “Mr. Morris...looking for you...hope you can help me out...”
“Of course.”
“First off, we’d like you to play a prelude for us in a few moments ...anything you want for that. Then if you’d get with Margaret on a couple of hymns for the gathering to sing...and Margaret would like to do a solo number if the two of you can find something suitable for both of you...”
It was only a few minutes later that the service got underway. Vera was in a chair beside him as Glenn’s prelude was mainly from Bach. The small congregation joined in “O, God, Our Help in Ages Past”. Mrs. Penny did a solo presentation on “The Beautiful Garden of Prayer”. Rev Penny’s sermon, based on the Matthew 14 passages about the calming of the seas, was really quite effective.
The congregation then sang a verse of “Blest Be the Tie:” and Rev. Penny closed with a short prayer.
Stubby had returned and Vera joined Molly in the kitchen. Breakfast was served in short order,
After making a phone call, Stubby told them that electric power would not be restored to the area until sometime Monday, probably even later on the island. Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins would have to remain at the Inn, but the other couples chose to return to their homes straight away..
Vera and Glenn worked together on removing the boards from the windows and replacing furniture on the porch. They took a break for a beer before lunchtime. The menu was soup and sandwiches again.
It was two o’clock when Vera went upstairs. And it was then that Glenn made the decision not to stay around for another night.
And he thought it best if he got away before he saw her again.
(“Touching her is just too good. I know I’ll make a fool of myself...I can get the bags to the car easily enough, but it’ll get tricky when I start to tear down the piano and get it to the car without Vera seeing me...then have to explain things to her...”)
Almost in a sneaky fashion, he lugged his bags to the car. He cranked the car and let the engine idle for a few moments.
He went back inside and found Vera waiting for him. She grabbed his hand and led him onto the front porch. They shared a tender embrace.
“I just heard from Carlo...he doesn’t want to take me over to the island today, but he’ll take me over in the morning. But I may not have electricity for a few days, so I’ll be spending a few more nights here with Stumpy and Molly and Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins...But we...”
“Look, Vera...”
“Glenn, are you afraid of me?”
“I hadn’t thought of it in just that way...”
“You’re afraid of getting...what? Committed?”
“There is that...I was married for so long...I really haven’t done any...well, socializing, since Miriam and I split up...and being with you has been so...hell, I don’t know...”
“I don’t either, but I do know that when you touch me it’s something special...and all of a sudden any thoughts of your going away have made me feel rather alone. But look at me, Glenn: I’ve been married twice, and really it was the same both times...I need time alone...large blocks of time...what I put on canvas is always top priority with me...can’t you see that commitment is not one of my goals? Now, after I get to Greenville for your grand opening on Thanksgiving, and after you find out how easy it is to get from Greenville to Raleigh for a few days...Well, we may need to talk again. But for now, what do think you’ll find in Savannah?”
“Don’t know...”
“Exactly. So I’ve got a plan for you...”
“A plan?”
“Yes, a plan. Want to hear it?”
“I can’t wait.”
“Well, in Savannah, you’d have to search for the right kind of scene, a place where a lot of people won’t be bothering you. Right?”
“Right.”
“Well, I know of just such a place, a place where you can play piano for hours on end, and take a break when you want to...a break for a long walk, or reading, or a beer, or whatnot...and I have connections...I can get you a reservation...”
“You wouldn’t be talking about Cooke’s Island?”
“Now, how did you know that? Is your piano hard to move?”
“No, it’s easy to carry.”
“And it works on batteries?”
“You know that.”
“I want to get my stuff over to the island and get right to work on seascapes in the morning. Then I’ll do oils in the afternoon. So when Carlo comes for me, why don’t we load your piano so you can spend the day over there with me? You can play piano while I work, or you can do whatever else you want to. The kitchen range won’t be available, but there is a charcoal grill, and I can take over a couple of steaks for a mid-day feast...and there is a fireplace if it should turn cold. Then Carlo will pick us up at sunset, and we could spend nights over here. Now, doesn’t that sound better than exploring Savannah?”
“How do you suppose Molly and Stubby would feel about this?”
“Well, Molly has donated a case of beer, and Stubby is sending an extra battery for the piano...”
“Then I’m the victim of a conspiracy?”
“How true! And once I get power turned on on the island, we may consider some different arrangements, but, really, Glenn, you’re not going to find a better offer...and I meant what I said about the threatening word ‘commitment’.”
“When one is caught in a conspiracy. I suppose it’s best not to resist. Especially when the conspirators are so delightful!”
“Good show! But right now the conspiracy calls for you to go inside and play piano...those leaving and those staying want a little concert...”
“I’ve been having trouble with the chord cycles in ‘Polka Dots’. I suppose I’d better spend more time on it...”
“Marvelous idea!”
