"Im your grandfather. Me, Moses Alakuyak. You, born Wyanet Kukaktlik, to Eleanor Murphy and Doug Kukaktlik, adopted by Mary Anne and Joseph Chouinard. You are my granddaughter. Mine by blood and bone, if not by my presence in your life, up till three years ago.
The meteors were raining down on them now; every time one painted a streak across the horizon, a second burned into existence before the firsts tail had faded. She said the only thing she could think of saying. "My fathers name was Kukaktlik?
"I didnt marry his mother.
She had wondered about the marital status of her parents. There had been hints here and there, a look from an Ickyite now and then. Icky was a notoriously upright village, and they wouldnt take kindly to illegitimate children. And she had wondered about the families they had come from. It wasnt as if she hadnt already suspected the truth, but last summer Moses himself had refused to answer the direct question.
And now he was volunteering information like there was no tomorrow. "You are my grandfather, she said, testing the sound of it on the night air. The stars did not alter in their courses. The meteor shower seemed to have tapered off. Everything seemed much as it was before she had said the words out loud.
And yet everything was changed.
"Yes, he said. "I wasnt going to tell you.
"Why? she said in quick protest. "Why not? You knew I wanted to know who my family was, that one of the reasons I decided to come back to Newenham was to find out.
He sighed, a sound she had never before heard him make. "I got as drunk as I could before I came out here.
"Why?
"Same reason as anybody looking for the courage to do the right thing.
"Moses, I dont know what you mean.
He heaved himself to his feet and stood looking across the river at Bulge, the three-house village on the opposite sh.o.r.e, away to the south at the lights of an approaching boat, anywhere but at her. "I hear voices. Its a hereditary curse, according to legend. Youre my granddaughter.
When she got it, she only wondered why it had taken so long. "Are you saying Im going to start hearing voices? Her voice scaled up.
"Im saying I think you already do.
She searched frantically for something to say in reply to that, and came up empty.
"Its why I started teaching you tai chi in the first place.
She blinked, confused. "What? I thought... What are you talking about? You showed up on my doorstep one day and bullied me into horse stance and you wouldnt leave until I got it right, and then you left me standing in it until I actually fell over! I thought it was some kind of initiation, that you did it to everyone who moves to Newenham, and so I went along with it because I wanted to make friends.
"I was hoping, he said, ignoring her interruption, "that if and when they started in on you, the discipline would give you some peace. Be nice if you didnt have to start boozing it up. Boozings h.e.l.l on the liver, and youve got a kid to raise.
She was on her feet without knowing how she got there. She was so angry she stuttered. "You Im This is bulls.h.i.t, Moses. This is just total bulls.h.i.t. Voices. n.o.body hears voices; sometimes I think you dont even hear voices.
"Yeah, thats your mother talking through your mouth, girl.
"n.o.body talks through my mouth but me! She pulled herself together and said tightly, "You know, Moses, youre going to have to make up your mind. Either the voices are talking or my mom is.
His voice was quiet and a little sad. "I knew youd be p.i.s.sed.
"p.i.s.sed? She almost lost it, and only by an effort of iron will kept control. "Im not p.i.s.sed. Youre just confused, Moses, is all. You said yourself youve had too much to drink tonight. Im grateful to you for telling me about my parents, and... She softened, touched his shoulder, wary of offering an embrace. "You, she said. "I have family now.
"Not a family you can take much pride in, he muttered.
"Stop that, she said. "I am proud of you. A lot of people are. Liam cares for you, Bill loves you with everything shes got, even Tim "Theyll come, Wy. Theyll come when you least expect them, at the most inconvenient, inopportune times.
"Moses "Theyll come whether you want them to or not. I wish to G.o.d h.e.l.l. He turned and walked away.
"Moses? she said, coming down the steps after him. "Do you want me to drive you home?
"Im fine, girl. Track down that man of yours and take him to that itty-bitty thing you call a bed. h.e.l.l wipe the voices right out of your mind.
He disappeared around the corner of the house, and she probably imagined what she heard next.
"At least for a while.
The boat was closer to the mouth of the river, and she wondered in a detached sort of way where it was going, and why it had left the voyage upriver so late in the year. More meteors fell, but fewer and farther between, until at last they seemed to stop altogether.
Inside, the monitor was still flying through s.p.a.ce. She shut the computer down and went to bed.
Liam never did come home.
TEN.
Bill was curious about that coin.
She couldnt say why exactly. She didnt think it was because it was a gold coin. Maybe it was because shed never seen any kind of a coin roll out of a dead mans hand before, but then that had to be a pretty rare experience for everyone privileged enough to witness it.
Diana Prince had left the coin with Bill, in the custody of the local officer of the court. Bill, after a hard days work at magistrates court, didnt want to deal with it, and so had left a blistering message on Liams phone mail, with as yet no response.
The coin was in a plastic bag inside her desk drawer. She drew it out now and scrabbled around for a pair of reading gla.s.ses. Maybe it was the way her eyes, blue and intense and thickly lashed, looked out over the tops of them, measuring, challenging, their expression somewhere between a dare and an invitation. The man standing in the doorway, for one of the few times in his life feeling every one of his years, knew a sudden, excessive need for comfort, for satisfaction, for forgetfulness.
It was a weeknight, and the bar had closed at midnight. He closed the door behind him. When she heard the lock snick home, she looked up. "Well, she said, and sat back. She knew that look. Her heart skipped a beat. Twenty years, more, and her heart still skipped a beat, her nipples still hardened, the warm rush of feeling began between her thighs. d.a.m.ned if shed show it.
"Take your clothes off.
She stood up. "Make me.
He came around the desk at her and she kicked the chair out of the way before they fell on it. There wasnt time to get to her house, there wasnt time even to make it to the couch. He ripped her shirt open, b.u.t.tons flying everywhere, and pulled her jeans down her legs, where they caught on the one shoe she hadnt been able to get off in time. He didnt kiss her or caress her, he pulled her legs apart and plunged in. She gasped and arched up, digging her nails into his bucking, heaving back. He bellowed out his pleasure and relief and collapsed on top of her, almost insensible.
They lay together, speechless, for a time. He stirred at last. "Christ. He raised his head. "May I come in?
Her laugh was a bare thread of sound. "Depends. Who wants in, my man or the old crank whos been hanging out in my bar for the last month?
"Both, I think. He propped himself on an elbow and smoothed the long strands of thick white hair back from her face. "Im sorry.
She gave her hips an experimental flex. "You going to make it up to me?
He laughed, burying his face in her hair. "You bet.
They dozed a little, impervious to the fact that they were half-dressed, on the floor, and that one of the wheels of the desk chair had rolled over a lock of Bills hair.
"I told her, he said after a while.
"Finally got up the nerve?
"Finally got enough beer in me.
She hesitated. "Moses?
"What?
"Are you sure?
He nuzzled her breast. "I wish I wasnt.
So did she. "What do you think sh.e.l.l do?
"Get a lobotomy.
"Seriously.
He sighed and rolled to his back, swearing when he cracked his head on the couch. "I dont know. Up to her. Ive prepared her as much as I can. Ive delivered the bad news. She didnt believe it, but shes been told.
She rolled toward him, winced, and pulled her hair free from the caster. "Will it be as bad for her as it is for you?
He shook his head. "No way to tell. Mine came to me young. They say my mother had them before me, but I dont remember her. And I havent asked a lot of questions.
She knew why. Half the Bay thought he was G.o.d. The other half thought he was the devil. Bill had seen people turn away, step aside, retreat when they saw Moses coming, even though he never gave advice unsolicited. Everybody was afraid he might, though, and that this time it would be something they couldnt ignore.
"Man. He raised his head. "This is just pitiful. Lying under the desk, clothes half-off.
"I was ravished, she said primly.
He laughed, a wholehearted, rollicking sound that few had heard. "Yeah, right, thats why you didnt have any panties on underneath them jeans.
"What are you saying, sir?
"Im saying, maam, that I was honey-trapped. I didnt have a chance. He pulled her to her feet. "Im hungry. Feed me.
They raided the kitchen, half-naked and giggling like a couple of kids, and brought their spoils back to the office and curled up on the couch. They fed each other olives green and black and pickles sweet and dill and pieces of cheddar cheese, washed down with enormous drafts of ice-cold beer. When they were done she licked his fingers clean, which led to other, more interesting places. This time it was long and slow and oh so sweet.
"This is all wrong, you know, she said drowsily, a little later.
"What is? he said, facedown, body limp.
"Were too old to be enjoying s.e.x.
"Who says?
She ran one fingernail from his nape to the cleft of his b.u.t.tocks, and was rewarded by a responsive groan. "Everyone under fifty.
"Everyone under fifty is wrong.
She smiled, closing her eyes and snuggling in for the duration. "They sure are.
The next morning as she was getting dressed and he was hindering her, he saw the gold coin on the desk. "Whats that?
"Remember that arm, and the coin that fell out of its hand?
"Oh. He picked it up and looked at it, couldnt read the writing, and looked for the half gla.s.ses that had sidetracked him earlier. "Twenty dollars. And Lady Liberty in all her glory. He looked at her over the tops of the gla.s.ses. "This is gold.
"It looks like it, and its heavy enough.
"Where did Liam say it came from, again?
"John and Teddy found a wreck up near Bear Glacier, and tripped over the arm.
"They brought it back with them? Why?
"Who knows why John and Teddy do anything?
"Good question. He squinted at the coin. "I always was lousy at Roman numerals. Whats MDCDXXI?
"Beats the h.e.l.l out of me. Im strictly an Arabic-numbers kinda gal, myself.
"Up on Bear Glacier, huh?
"Yeah. She took the coin and tossed it into the drawer. "You owe me breakfast.
"I owe you breakfast? You seduced me with those gla.s.ses of yours.
"You ravished me, she said. It was her story and she was sticking to it. They argued all the way to the Harbor Cafe, which they found packed full of fishermen, a morose group in stained Carhartts and dirty white fishermens caps pulled down low to hide their lack of hairlines. The air was thick with the smells of coffee, bacon and cigarette smoke. Bill and Moses sat and ordered enormous breakfasts, their digestive systems having long given up any attempt to dictate diet. It came and they ate heartily.
Replete, Bill stretched her arms, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s straining at the fabric of her shirt, to the rapt appreciation of the fisherman sitting at the next table. Moses gave him a hard-eyed look, and the fisherman reddened, grinned and shrugged, as if to say, Who wouldnt? Who wouldnt? He was maybe thirty-five. He was maybe thirty-five.
"Youre a vamp, Moses said out loud.
She did her best to look completely innocent. She hadnt missed Marvin Engelands admiration, or Moses reaction to it. She still had it, and shed use it however long it lasted. "I dont know what youre talking about.
"Aw, what the h.e.l.l, hes too old for you, anyway; he wouldnt be able to keep up.
They staggered, laughing, out of the cafe together, in time to b.u.mp into the four remaining Tompkinses coming out of the building next door. It was a two-story, prefabricated building, housing the offices of the local State Farm representative, the Newenham Telephone Cooperative, Mario E. Kaufman, Attorney-at-Law, Great Land Cable Television, the U.S. Parks Service, and Vanessa Belanger, CPA. Betsys eyes were red but her head was high. Stan and Jerry were solemn. Karen looked at Moses, then back at Bill, one eyebrow going up, one corner of her mouth curving into a knowing smile.
It took a moment for Bill to remember about Lydia. "I was so sorry to hear about your mother, she said to Betsy, the eldest.
Betsy inclined her head. "Thank you.