Of Sea and Cloud

by Jon Keller

  Your boat sunk? Celeste asked Jonah. Are you okay?

  Fine.

  What happened?

  Virgil looked up at Celeste. What do you think happened?

  I don’t know. She quartered the orange. I hoped that maybe it sprung a leak.

  Sprung a leak all right, said Bill. Right through a through-hull hose would be my guess. Numbnuts Downcoast Highliner wakes up and hears something and thinks it’s some pillhead out picking periwinkles.

  Jonah, said Virgil in a scolding tone.

  You think I was up expecting him to come put my boat on bottom? Hell. All I did was stack his traps for him. I didn’t have anything doing with him. Not until now.

  Except he stole your girl, said Virgil.

  Okay, said Celeste. She’s no one’s girl and not something that gets stolen. Get that straight. So what I want to know is what happens now.

  Me too, said Bill. I’m thinking the Highliner here’s going to kick her into high gear. I been here waiting my whole life to see little brother put her in the bucket. Full throttle, hammer down, boom-boom. Bill took his glasses off and cleaned them on his T-shirt and smirked at himself as he did so.

  Ain’t you something proud, Jonah said. Just hugging yourself right across America.

  Shut up, Jonah, Bill said.

  High gear, Bill? In the bucket? What is that? said Celeste.

  The boots, said Bill.

  The boots? Bill, I’ve known you since you were born and I love you but I’m getting close to kicking you out of my home for the second time this week.

  I’m sorry, Celeste.

  She held his eye. Have you talked with Erma Lee yet?

  I left her two messages but she never called back yet.

  Leave her another one. What did you say in them?

  That’s none of our business, Virgil said as he scraped his oatmeal bowl clean and pushed it across the table. He studied Celeste’s face and said, You tell me. What do we do about Julius now?

  You call the Coast Guard and tell them about Jonah’s boat.

  The hell. Get a bunch of prepubescent hootenannies down here sniffing around like they’re in a panty drawer and doing not a goddamned thing but spending my tax money? You think they’ll do anything?

  I don’t know.

  So tell me what we should do because you know damned well I’m right.

  I don’t know, she said. Isn’t there enough room out there for you to all work? It’s the ocean for God’s sake.

  Sure there is, said Bill. Only you got to follow the rules and that boy just plain don’t.

  That’s right, said Virgil.

  Why don’t you talk to Osmond about Julius?

  Julius’s out of it, Jonah said. He wanted to go on but there wasn’t anything else to say.

  Virgil spread his hands flat on the tabletop and exhaled. It’s all part of it, he said. It’s all coming down.

  Celeste reached down and grabbed one of Virgil’s wrists and squeezed it. Part of what? she said then wished she hadn’t.

  Virgil didn’t answer. He took her hand from his wrist and held it. I’ll talk to Osmond all right. I’ve got a few things to say to him. But let’s deal with the boat first. What’re you gonna do, Jonah? It’s your boat on bottom. First thing is we got to raise her up. You want to dive on her, Captain? That boat of yours will pull her ashore on a high tide and she’ll drain out.

  Bill’s face and neck were white and covered in red splotches. He didn’t take his eyes off Virgil. Course my boat and yours’ll be sunk in the morning, he said.

  Hard to sink a boat if your legs are broke, said Jonah.

  Jonah, said Celeste. Can’t you just warn him or something?

  Let’s get that boat up, Virgil said. It’s high water first thing in the morning so we should get a line on her tonight. Go get your gear, Bill. And Celeste, breaking Julius’s legs would be a warning.

  Jonah cleared his throat. Let’s wait on the Jennifer.

  What?

  Let’s just wait. I’d rather wait.

  Virgil eyed Jonah but didn’t speak.

  You ain’t right, said Bill. If that was my boat I’d of had her up on dry land and had that engine stripped right down and flushed clean before Julius even finished sinking her. And I’d of broke his neck by now too.

  And if I was you I’d have the girl I knocked up back with me by now.

  Bill, Celeste said. If you don’t love her that’s one thing. But if you do then you better do something and do it fast.

  Bill shuffled his feet. I will, he said.

  The house felt more vacated than ever. The walls were bare and the air was cold. Bill turned the thermostat up. He checked his answering machine. He walked down the hall to his bedroom and stood before his bureau. He opened the top drawer and pushed his socks and his underwear out of the way and reached into the back corner of the drawer and found the small box. He set the box on the top of the bureau and after a pause he flipped it open and took the ring that had been his mother’s from the cushion and held it pinched between his thumb and forefinger. He stuck the tip of his finger into it but the ring was only half the diameter of his finger. He put the ring in the box and put the box in his pocket.

  He picked up the telephone in the kitchen and stared at the numbers and wondered what Erma Lee would say if she answered. And wondered what he would say. He felt the ring box in his pocket and wished it would do the hard part for him.

  The doorbell rang. He spun around and saw the mailman through the window. He put the phone down and opened the door and signed for a certified letter. He sat at the table and watched the hard north wind toss waves across the harbor. The thermometer read eight degrees. The harbor was free of ice but the only thing keeping it free was the wind.

  He tore open the envelope and tapped the check out onto the table. He slid the check in circles with his pointer finger and closed his eyes. Over a quarter of a million dollars. If he had his father’s share in the pound he would most likely never make that much money. If he had a few good years of fishing and no boat payment and no truck payment he would. But the price was down and he had both payments and a house payment on top of it. Here in his hand was a quarter million that he didn’t have to lift a finger for. Some of it would go to Jonah because the camp wasn’t worth nearly that. Some would go to taxes and the rest would be gone in a heartbeat paying off his debts and then what? Then emptiness. Then him wishing he had the pound. It was a lot of money but he didn’t want it. Dead money is what it was and it didn’t mean a thing.

  He stuffed the check into his free pocket and went out the door. He drove to the pound and sat in his truck. New ice gleamed white around the edges and the rest of the pound would be frozen by dawn. Ice cover would keep the birds and other predators out and the lobsters would all go dormant so Osmond wouldn’t have to feed. He’d have a good product.

  Several crows eyed Bill from their perch in a dead spruce. He watched as one of them leaned forward as if falling and dropped like a stone. Just before it hit the ground it flattened its wings and swooped over the pound and out of sight.

  His truck idled. He worked the ring box out of his pocket but didn’t open it. He thought about Erma Lee and for the first time found himself wondering what it was she saw in him. Jonah had asked him why she’d want to go back to him and he’d said security. He had a nice boat and he caught a lot of lobsters and he made good money. But maybe what Jonah had said was true. Maybe that wasn’t enough for her.

  He’d been there for ten minutes when Osmond pulled in and parked. Bill shoved the ring back into his pocket and got out of his truck. He waited as Osmond helped the two little girls out and led them across the driveway.

  William, Osmond said. You remember my girls. Dolly and Rhonda.

  Hello girls, Bill said.

  Hello William, said Dolly. I remember you. Grandfather says the Lord is going to strike you down if you keep coming here.

  Bill watched her face but it was stone. Rhonda made a hissing sound an
d Bill looked at her eyes and wondered if she were blind. Beyond her he saw the crows awaiting him. He wanted to leave. He turned to Osmond and Osmond had a slight grin on his face as if pleased by his granddaughters. The hissing continued like a pressure cooker.

  Strike me down, Bill said and he was surprised to realize how scared he was of the little girl. He thought of a skunk that could spray him from afar.

  Did you get your check, William?

  Bill nodded.

  Good. I faxed the insurance company some paperwork they needed. I hope the amount is satisfactory.

  Rhonda kept hissing and Bill squeezed his fingers together until they hurt. He looked around the pound. His breath rose in the air. You aware that little shithead grandson of yours sank Jonah’s boat last night? You aware of that? That little crowfucker.

  Osmond lifted a finger into the air. One second, William. The hissing stopped. Osmond kneeled down and whispered into Dolly’s ear. Dolly took Rhonda’s hand and the two of them walked down the driveway and climbed over the ice-glazed rocks to the shoreline but Rhonda turned from the water. She held Bill in her gaze.

  Now, what was that? Osmond said. He stepped closer to Bill and Bill could see the deep weather wrinkles on Osmond’s face and the vertical folds on his forehead and his skin layered like granite shelves. He smelled like seaweed.

  I said your little helper Julius owes my brother a fucking boat is what I said. Bill felt his heart like a hummingbird and cold sweat erupted on his temples. Osmond stepped closer and their chests touched and Bill was big but felt small against Osmond and Osmond was old but the age only added to his power. Sweat rolled down Bill’s rib cage and he forced himself to take even breaths.

  You’re out of this pound now, Bill. You are history. I trust you understand that. But I will listen about your brother’s boat.

  Julius sank her like I said.

  Why would he do that?

  Bill hesitated. Osmond’s presence was like the confused embrace of fog. He said, Julius set his gear on the Leviathan just like you done but he set his trap for trap on Virgil. We didn’t cut a single one of them. Just moved them like we’d of moved our own gear.

  But it’s not your own gear, William.

  It’s our mountain you know as well as I do.

  You don’t own that ground.

  We always fished it and that’s that. Just like you always fished the southern edge off the Spencer and no one ever bothered you there. There ain’t no difference.

  Julius is young. You understand that. I suggest you realize that things in this world change, Captain. I’ll discuss things with Julius, but I want to be certain that this isn’t about Virgil’s daughter.

  It ain’t about her unless it is for Julius.

  I have work to do. I trust that the next time I see you it will be a social call?

  Bill took the check out of his pocket and held it in front of Osmond’s face. I want in the pound. Here’s three hundred grand. I want the old man’s share.

  Osmond shook his head. I don’t think so, Bill.

  I do. Bill took out his pack of cigarettes and tapped one out and lit it.

  You do? But you’ve got no say. Half will go to Julius and half to me. So scurry along.

  Fuck yourself, Osmond. I ain’t the smartest guy on the coast but I can put two and two together. I don’t want to call the cops but by God I will.

  Osmond’s face was so close that their noses nearly touched. Too late for that, Captain Bill. Nicolas and I planned things so this scenario would never unfold.

  He didn’t plan for you to kill him you sonofawhore and you better tell Julius to stay away from me and Jonah or he’ll be swimming in this same motherfucker pound.

  Osmond put his hand over Bill’s wrist and squeezed so hard that Bill dropped his cigarette. His eyes stuck to Osmond’s eyes. They were black and red and in them Bill saw something that looked like a crow.

  You are an infant, Captain Bill.

  Fuck off, Bill said and he reared his head back out of sheer fear and bashed his forehead into Osmond’s nose and felt the smash and crack but Osmond’s grip didn’t slacken. Bill stared stunned at the bloody smiling face.

  That was a mistake, Osmond said in a voice low as ocean echo. Then like a piece of machinery he drove Bill back into the building and across the floor. Bill slammed against a post and Osmond held the wrist so hard that Bill’s hand went numb.

  Bill smelled diesel fuel. He looked into Osmond’s eyes but they’d gone sheer black. Bill’s heart smacked in his chest and his knees trembled and he thought he would actually die and the twisted notion that he should call his dead mother flashed into his mind.

  Osmond let him go. An apron of blood covered Osmond’s chest and he wiped his face but the blood only smeared across the mustache and filled the wrinkles like streambeds. His long black hair hung over his shoulders and eyes. It is now over, Bill.

  Bill’s hand began to tingle.

  If I see you here again I will kill you. And I will feed you to those lobsters right there. Osmond pointed to the pound. Take a good look, William, because it is a rare thing to foresee one’s death.

  Just like you did my old man? You kill your only friend in the world for a fucking lobster pound? Then you go preaching about the Lord? You chickenshit sonofawhore.

  Osmond drove back against Bill and his entire body pressed him to the post. His breath shot into Bill’s ear and down his neck and it came ragged as if stemming from a torn chest but Osmond’s voice was smooth and unhurried. He said, Nicolas Graves was the only friend I have ever had and you are his son and that is the only reason you stand here unhurt while I bleed.

  Grandfather, came Dolly’s voice. Osmond and Bill looked at the two girls in the doorway. Ice covered their boots and jackets.

  I think Rhonda has to use the bathroom, she said.

  Okay, Osmond said. I’ll be right there. Osmond wiped at the blood on his face. Blood stained his worn teeth pink. This is over, Bill, or I will end it for you and your family. Do you understand? Tell me you understand.

  Osmond waited and his frame still pressed Bill.

  Fuck you, Osmond. And your whore egg granddaughters and their pirate pimp father and fuck Julius too.

  William. You are getting very close.

  Osmond went to the girls and lifted Rhonda into his arms as if his face and chest were not blood-smeared and his nose was not broken and gushing and his eyes not leaking tears. He turned back to Bill. You will excuse us, William. My granddaughter needs to use a bucket and we’d prefer privacy.

  Bill crossed the room and went outside and got into his truck and left. His whole body quaked in the seat and his teeth chattered but he clenched them. He parked at the wharf and stared at the harbor and wished Erma Lee were there beside him.

  Jonah drove fast up the hill to Julius’s house. The maple and the alder whizzed by in a panic and the truck bucked over the frost heaves. The afternoon sky was red. His heart struck deep and sweat beaded like miniature marbles on his upper lip. He thought of his boat rotting on bottom and he thought of his father dead and he thought of Julius’s hands on Charlotte and he wanted to beat him but even that wasn’t enough. He wanted to hurt Julius the way Julius had hurt him but it seemed impossible to do so.

  He parked in the snow bank beside Julius’s truck and squeezed the steering wheel. He saw the blue light from the television flickering through the blinds. He hit the steering wheel with the butt of his hand. He climbed the steps and opened the door and walked into the house.

  Julius was on the couch in basketball shorts and jersey. He sat up on an elbow and grinned as if a friend had arrived. Jonah grabbed Julius’s ankles and pulled him across the couch and over the armrest and clubbed him with his right fist and Julius fell back and rolled onto the floor between the couch and the coffee table. Jonah went for his ankles again but Julius kicked at him and stood up on the far side of the table. His lips were split and bleeding. He spat a wad of blood like snot onto the floor.

&n
bsp; Jonah pushed the coffee table away and Julius waited and when Jonah swung Julius ducked and hit him in the side of the stomach. Jonah bent and Julius hit him in the nose but he was off balance and the swing was weak. Jonah straightened and stepped back. Julius came again and hit him on the ear and it was like a club striking his skull and Jonah saw sparks and stars and darkness surrounding the stars. Another hit came and Jonah held his forearms over his face and fell to his knees then his side. Julius kicked him in the stomach and Jonah couldn’t breathe and the darkness eclipsed the stars and the tunnel closed and he went out.

  • • •

  Julius stepped back and ran his forefinger across his nose to wipe the bloody snot. His chest pumped hard and he could barely breathe. He sat down as a wave of nausea struck him.

  • • •

  Strips of scarlet flashed in the sky as darkness fell on the harbor. Two gulls circled then landed on the shit-covered bow of the Cinderella. The sea surged and the water crinkled as it shifted into ice. Virgil tossed a cigarette butt out the truck window and coughed and rolled the window up. He put his truck in gear and drove around the harbor and up the hill along the east side of the river. It was black dark in the woods and the treetops shuffled in the east wind. Virgil came out of the woods and into the rolling white snowdrift fields.

  He parked next to Jonah’s truck and sipped his drink then got out with the drink still in his hand. He lit a cigarette. Everything was quiet except the wind streaking over the frozen grasslands. He flicked Chowder’s ears and told her to stay. The dog licked her own nose.

  • • •

  Julius was still on the couch when he heard the truck. He eased the shade open and saw Virgil smoking his cigarette. He looked around the room. On the counter was a long black metal flashlight. He took it and stood at the side of the door waiting for Virgil. A surge of adrenaline displaced the nausea and he thought of the city lights he’d seen.

  • • •

  Virgil crossed the dooryard and climbed the three steps to the door. There was a small wooden deck then one more step into the house. He had a cigarette in his mouth and a drink in his hand. He opened the door slowly and stepped into the house but glimpsed Jonah on the floor. Out of instinct or surprise Virgil stepped back onto the deck and as he did there was Julius like a whir and something swished over Virgil’s head and splintered the doorframe.