The Reunion

by Newman, Summer

  “I feel it, too,” he revealed. “Your decisions are as important to me as any decision I can make for myself. But that’s the beauty of being in love. It’s the ultimate sharing. A person can live alone and cut himself off from the world without the slightest worry of someone breaking his heart, but when it’s all said and done, has he really lived? Has he experienced life in all its magnificent splendor? I don’t think so. I believe people are designed to share their lives, and it makes you a better person to consider your partner and accommodate her needs. I want to be there for you, Ebony. I want to be there for you every day, every minute of every day. I want you to count on me and to know that I put us ahead of me. That’s how I’ll reach my potential not only as a man, but as a human being.”

  Ebony’s eyes welled up, and she started to cry. Ethan held her and kissed the top of her head. She could feel his tears. There was a warm dampness in that embrace, and though they said nothing, she felt as if they were beginning to merge in a spiritual way. There had always been a physical attraction, it was there from the moment they first met, but over time, they had developed friendship, then closeness, then love. That love had been tested as few loves ever had, but now, in the silent solitude of their sweet embrace, Ebony felt as if they were ascending to a higher and unknown level of intimacy. It was an out-of-body experience, where their souls were beginning not only to reveal themselves, but to touch and know each other. She could feel it intensely. Even if she closed her eyes, and even if they stood apart, there was a hyperawareness of his essence and energy, almost as if his invisible soul was a living thing trying to exert itself and emerge into the physical world. Her soul was doing the same thing, and she could feel the need to blend. That moment was so powerful, so overwhelming, that Ebony almost pulled away. To her the vulnerability was sweet, but frightening at the same time.

  “I need you,” he whispered, kissing her ear. “Without you, I am cut in half.”

  “Me too,” she told him. “I need you. There’s no sense in denying it anymore. I can’t lie to myself.”

  They talked for half an hour longer, and then Ethan and Ebony took a shower together and got dressed. As he was leaving, he told her again that he loved her, and only her.

  “I want to dance with you in front of everybody,” she said. “Everybody.”

  * * * *

  After he left, Ebony laid the box on the table and opened it with care. For days she had eagerly anticipated this moment, but just as she was about to examine the contents, the phone rang.

  “Did you make your biscuits yet?” Rebecca asked.

  “Not yet,” Ebony said, laughing with an ease unknown in her voice for many years.

  “Did Mrs. Mahoney finish the alterations?”

  “Yes,” Ebony said, lifting a dress out of the box.

  It was made of light blue cotton and covered in a darker blue floral pattern. When Ebony first tried it on, she was impressed with how it highlighted her complexion. The sweetheart neckline greatly enhanced her feminine beauty by exposing the soft, smooth skin of her neck, shoulders, arms, and part of her bosom. In some ways she felt it was too bold for her ultraconservative image, but in other ways, she rather liked it. It made her feel sexy.

  “I can’t wait to see you in that dress,” Rebecca said. “I’m sure you’ll look fantastic.”

  Ebony didn’t know what to say.

  “This is so much fun,” Rebecca continued in a bubbly voice. “The whole community is into these races, and I can hardly remember the last time Ron took me anywhere. I’m hoping we dance the winners’ waltz.”

  “There’s a good chance,” Ebony responded, not willing to discuss the winners’ waltz in particular. “When do they have their first race?”

  “Oh, Ebony, it’s going to be grueling. One of the judges phoned Ron tonight and told him there are so many teams entered that to even get to the championship race, a team has to finish first in two separate races. Dad says our guys will never do it.”

  “I wouldn’t say that. Most teams are just two friends who enter on a lark, and sometimes they come a bit tipsy, or don’t show up at all.”

  “I hope you’re right. Ron’s all hyped up about this, and now he’s saying he wants to move to Shad Bay for good, maybe even buy the house Jenny owns near the school. It has like twenty acres of land and even a horse stable. Ron could walk to work, and Jenny’s asking a very reasonable amount. I think she wants to move into this house so Ethan can take over the Harrington house again.”

  “He’s moving back into the main house?” Ebony asked, attempting to disguise her interest.

  “That’s the plan, according to Ron.” She paused. “Which house do you like the best, the one we’re in now or the Harrington house?”

  “I always liked the Harrington house. The grounds, the flowering crab trees, the space, the view of the bay. That’s a beautiful home, Rebecca. It’s the nicest house on the road.”

  “I like it here in Shad Bay,” she confided, as if she was talking to a sister. “Ron said he wanted to just finish out the year and then move back to the city, but he likes it now. He has always been a bit of a loner, but Ethan has been a good friend for him, and he feels comfortable.”

  “It’s good that Ethan has Ron, too. When Ethan left Shad Bay years ago, he was a loner. He had no direction and no positive men in his circle. Ron is a godsend. He’s a quality person, Rebecca.”

  “Thank you. Our men are lucky to have each other.”

  “When do they have their first race?” Ebony asked a second time, the term “our men” resounding in her ears.

  “They race at nine, but they have to be there to register by eight. We’re not going that early, so we’ll pick you up around eight thirty, if that’s okay?”

  “Sounds fine. When is their second heat?”

  “If they don’t win the first race,” Rebecca explained, “they’re eliminated. But if they win at nine, they race again at eleven. And if they win at eleven, they race in the championship at one. Everybody’s been telling Ron he hasn’t got a chance to make the final round.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Ebony stated. “Ethan and Ron have as good a chance to win as anyone else there. They’re both big and strong, they work well together, and they’ve been practicing like mad.”

  “They have worked awfully hard for this. It would be a shame if they lost.”

  “They’re not going to lose. I can feel it.”

  “If they do win,” Rebecca said, “the trophy presentation and the dance will take place around eight o’clock.” Rebecca sighed. “Oh, Ebony, this is so awesome. It makes you feel like part of the community.”

  “Imagine how the men feel? They must be stoked.”

  “Ron’s having pasta again tonight, and I better get back to making my sauce. I’ll see you tomorrow around eight thirty?”

  “I’ll be at the bottom of my driveway.”

  After hanging up, Ebony sat down in a daze. She noticed her stained glass picture shimmering in the window, the light reflecting off it more intensely now that the sun was higher in the sky. Though it had been broken, it had been repaired, and the crack was indistinguishable. She rubbed her finger over it, then went to her room and tried on the dress, looking at herself in the mirror from every conceivable angle. She carefully took it off, hung it in the closet, and enjoyed a long, soothing bath. She arranged everything she would be wearing the next day, finished her other chores, took off her locket, and climbed into bed. The next day, she knew, would be glorious.

  ****

  She awoke to a chilly, damp day. A thick fog swept over Shad Bay and drifted across the landscape like a silent ghost, heavy drops of moisture clinging to the window frame and trembling in the wind. Smoke rose from Ethan’s chimney, and she knew he was up, probably eating breakfast and psychologically preparing himself.

  Though the day was nothing like Ebony envisioned, she knew the races would not be postponed. She ate her breakfast and changed into black slacks, a white blouse, and a
yellow sweater with the design of an old log cabin on it. She grabbed her wool hat, a thick red woolen coat, and a red scarf. After waiting ten minutes at the bottom of her driveway, Rebecca’s car emerged out of the mist.

  “Good morning,” Rebecca greeted, turning around with a bright smile as Ebony got into the backseat with Jenny.

  Though she tried to hide it, Ebony felt an almost uncontrollable sense of excitement. “Good morning,” she said, consciously controlling her voice and breathing.

  Doc turned around and rattled a rusted cowbell. “I brought this old clunker along for good measure. The boys will never do it, but at least they’ll have some top-notch coaching.”

  “You should cut a record, Dad,” Rebecca teased, rolling her eyes at the sound of the old bell.

  “That good, eh?” he said, shaking it again. “I do believe I hear a Top Forty in there somewhere.”

  As Rebecca and Doc bantered, Jenny reached over and held Ebony’s hand. Neither woman looked at each other, but Ebony was pleased by her friend’s warm gesture. She realized that Jenny was just as nervous as she was, and there was comfort in that.

  When they arrived at the Prospect Bay Marina, about two miles from Shad Bay, hundreds of cars already lined the narrow road. Rebecca parked a long distance from the marina, and by the time they reached a good vantage point, Ethan and Ron were already rowing toward the starting line. Bill and his friend McKenzie walked up to them. They made small talk as they waited for the rowers to line up seventy-five yards out in the channel. Bill hugged Jenny, then took his leave with McKenzie behind him.

  “McKenzie looked at me funny,” Ebony whispered to Jenny as they stepped away from their friends.

  “McKenzie really, really wants to beat Ethan in this race,” Jenny said. “Sort of a guy thing, you know. I think he’s trying to prove something to you.” She winked. “Like he’s the alpha male, you know.”

  “Men can be so odd,” Ebony said, smirking.

  “Line up!” boomed the loudspeaker fixed on top of the judges’ van.

  The teams nudged forward and backward in an attempt to form a straight line in the calm water. The loudspeaker called out, “Wait for the start gun, and round the buoy. First bow to reach the finish line wins.”

  Rebecca clapped her hands and squealed, “This is so exciting. Oh, I hope they win.” She raised her voice to a holler. “Come on, Ron! You can do it!”

  Neither Ron nor Ethan heard Rebecca’s voice or the sound of Doc’s bell. They were totally focused on the race. Ebony’s heart pounded, and she watched intently as Ethan and Ron quietly encouraged each other.

  “They’ll never do it,” Doc proclaimed in a solemn voice. “They’re determined lads, but they’ll never do it.”

  “Yes, they will,” Ebony said quietly, but confidently.

  Bang! cracked the starting gun.

  A cheer erupted from the shore as the four teams started pumping their oars. Ethan and Ron got an excellent jump. Starting and turning were techniques they had practiced countless times over the last five weeks, and it showed. When they turned the buoy at the halfway mark, they were so far ahead that they slowed their stroke, conserving energy for the two tough races upcoming. They crossed the finish line well ahead of their nearest competitors.

  “They won!” Rebecca shrieked deliriously, hugging Ebony and Jenny. “I knew they’d win! I knew it!”

  “Ain’t won nothin’ yet,” a man behind them remarked with a growl.

  Ebony’s group turned to a huge man with a heavyset jaw. He was well over six feet tall and weighed over two hundred and fifty pounds. His shoulders were extremely wide, and the plaid hunting shirt he wore hung freely at the waist and was partially opened to his hairy barrel chest. A scar, long and dark, ran across his chin.

  “They will win,” Jenny said intently. “You wait and see.”

  The man glared at her. “Can’t no boy like Harrington win no man’s race.”

  “My brother’s no boy,” Jenny challenged, fire in her eyes.

  “He ain’t a rower either. He’s a runner.”

  Doc puffed out his chest. “They’re in the second round.”

  The man ignored him and turned to Ebony. “Tell yer milkmaid lover boy Bern Baxter’s got something fer him.” He raised his knotted fist and his huge, brawny forearm. “Tell him that, you.”

  “Tell him yourself,” Jenny taunted, “if you’ve got the guts.”

  An expression of intense hatred descended over his features. He was so big and so powerful that even Jenny, usually not afraid to speak her mind and stick up for her rights, shuffled backward a couple steps. The man turned and walked off, people moving out of his way when he approached.

  Doc quickly took heart. “Good thing he left when he did. I was getting ready to take my coat off.”

  “So that’s Bern Baxter,” Rebecca said, nodding. “He’s the guy who got into the fight with Ethan that night?”

  “That’s him,” Jenny confirmed. “He’s hated me and Ethan ever since he got fired from Harrington Construction for drinking on the job. Notice the scar on his face? Ethan gave him that outside the tavern one night.”

  “He’s actually cleaned up his life,” Ebony said, for some reason defending the man. “Bern’s married now, with two children, and they have another one on the way. He has his own business, and he’s stayed out of trouble for a long time.”

  “Seems to me that he wants some more now,” Jenny argued.

  Ebony smiled and waved at Ethan as he rowed to the wharf. “Let’s talk about something more pleasant,” she said. “And don’t mention Bern to Ethan. It would be a distraction.”

  When the two men came up to their group, they were greeted like conquering heroes. Rebecca kissed Ron, and Ethan hugged Jenny, making eye contact with Ebony as he held his sister. Spectators came over and congratulated them with compliments on their outstanding rowing technique and teamwork.

  “That was only the first and probably the easiest race,” Ethan cautioned when left alone with his intimate group of friends. “Long way to go yet.”

  Doc patted them both on the back. “Good move by slowing down, boys. The next race will be tougher, and you’ll need all the energy you can muster.”

  Ron clapped his hands. “We race again at eleven, so that gives us time to go home and grab something to eat.”

  Rebecca affectionately pinched his stomach. “Always thinking about food, aren’t you, dear?”

  “I haven’t eaten anything except that bowl of oatmeal you gave me this morning.”

  “All right, but it better be something light. The last thing you need is a cramp that ruins all your training. There’s a canteen set up at the White’s Lake Legion. You can have a piece of toast there.”

  Ron twirled his right finger in the air. “A whole slice? I’ll be so full they’ll have to carry me here on a stretcher.” He continued grumbling as he walked through the crowd, then turned around. “Coming, Ethan?”

  “No, I packed some food,” he said, taking a bag out of his coat pocket. “I’ll stay here and scout the competition.”

  Rebecca, moving away with the others, looked back over her shoulder. “Are you coming, Ebony?”

  “I don’t think so. I’ll just watch the races and keep this spot for us.”

  Ebony and Ethan were now alone in the crowd. Many people looked at them and spoke quietly about the handsome couple. Though their friends were gone, they hardly spoke to one another, yet both were seemingly anxious to talk, as if they had something important to tell the other, but were holding back. When they did speak, it was only a comment concerning the weather or one of the dory teams. Ethan was particularly impressed with Bill and McKenzie, a team that won their heat with relative ease.

  “I knew Bill would be a good rower,” he said to Ebony, “because he was born in Sambro, but this friend of his can handle the oars, too. You know anything about him besides the fact that he doesn’t like me?”

  “I don’t know anything,” she said, not m
entioning the fact that he was one of several men who had unsuccessfully asked her out when Ethan was gone.

  Ethan nodded, watching them. “Good team.”

  “You look angry,” she said.

  “Do I?”

  “Uh-huh.” She raised her eyebrow. “Well, are you?”

  “All my life I’ve been looked down on because my family had money,” Ethan said, “as if everything was just given to me. That attitude really gets on my nerves. He called me a ‘silver spoon’ at the store. You were there.” Ethan looked meaningfully at her. “I have absolutely no intention of losing to that guy.”

  “I can understand that,” she said, nodding.

  Ethan shuffled closer, and Ebony intensely felt his presence beside her. She wanted to say something, but could think of nothing in particular. Yet, as awkward as she felt, it was obvious they both enjoyed being in one another’s presence. That was enough. But, in time, the next race was announced. Soon Ethan and Ron were rowing to the start line.

  Doc wiped the perspiration from his forehead. “They’ll never do it. Every team they’re racing against has already come first in a heat. Some good teams there. Our boys have done splendidly, but they’ve gone to the well once too often.”

  “They’ll win,” Ebony said confidently.

  “Of course they’ll win,” Rebecca confirmed, though her voice wavered.

  Doc was ready to air another gloomy prophecy, but it was nipped in the bud by the crack of the starting gun. For a second time, Ethan and Ron got an excellent start, quickly advancing down the course. Halfway to the buoy, they led by a substantial margin, so they slackened their pace to conserve energy for the final. That was a mistake. The other teams started to gain, and by the time Ethan and Ron reached the buoy, they led by only the length of the boat. Ethan called to Ron, and they added speed and power to their strokes. They made a textbook cut around the buoy, and by the time they emerged on the other side, they were clearly in front. Though the race was not over, the other teams lost heart and didn’t challenge again. Ethan and Ron pulled hard to the finish, but with just enough exertion to maintain a comfortable buffer zone between themselves and their nearest rivals.