by L. Langdon
“No, I’m sorry. He won’t be awake until tomorrow sometime. And even then he’ll be groggy for a while.”
“I had hoped… I’m leaving tomorrow. Is there any possibility…?”
The doctor shook his head sympathetically. “These things take time. He’s lucky to be alive, you know. According to the Coast Guard chopper pilot, he was out on his boat in the middle of nowhere. They got the call, lifted him right off the boat, and brought him straight here.” He quirked a small smile, doubtless intended to put her at ease. “I don’t know what happened to the poor guy’s boat. Probably anchored out there somewhere.”
Gerri didn’t bother to return the smile. “The Glacier Gal’s in the boat harbor,” she said tiredly. “I was the one who made the call to the Coast Guard, and I brought the boat into town.”
“You piloted it in? By yourself?”
Gerri just gave him an annoyed look.
“I’m sorry.”
Grudgingly, she smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I guess we’re even.”
He laughed. “I suppose so.” He paused, sizing her up. “It’s just that you look so young…like a college girl.”
“A few months ago, I was. I graduated last spring from Pee Dee State College in South Carolina.”
“And you ended up here running a fishing boat. That’s an amazing story.”
The ‘I-want-to-go-to-sleep’ faction of Gerri’s mind was in the ascendency again. Mindy deserved better than a Gerri who collapsed upon arrival. She stood up with effort. “Unfortunately, I don’t have time to talk about it. I still have a lot to do before I catch the plane in the morning.” She extended her hand. “Thank you for everything, Dr….”
“Wheeler. John Wheeler.” He shook her hand enthusiastically. “And you are?”
“Gerri Barton.” She knew better—she should have introduced herself without making him prompt her. Her tiredness was getting the better of her. She forced herself to think: is there anything else that I’ve forgotten?
“Is there any way that I could leave him a note?”
He thought about that for a second. “Give it to the nurse in front. She’ll put it with his things.”
As she left, he watched her for a moment. Very interesting. Sven Halvorsen had been brought in—in considerable pain—but all he was thinking about was ‘Gerri. Is Gerri all right? Tell her…’ At that point, his pain killers had kicked in and his voice trailed off. Dr. Wheeler started toward his next patient’s room, reminding himself: it’s not nice to be nosy. And my love life is pretty much in shambles, so it’s hypocritical to worry about someone else’s.
___
By the time Gerri finished describing her day, she almost wanted to laugh at the look of horror on Mindy’s face.
“That sailor sounds evil. I hope he gets the punishment he deserves.”
“I think he will. He had already been in trouble before. Wally Trager stopped me as I was leaving the boat harbor and relayed that the Coast Guard captain said they were shipping him south—I assume that’s what ‘stateside’ means—and that he would end up in some sort of military prison. Wally gave an eye witness statement which should help.” Gerri yawned. This couch was way too comfortable for someone as tired as she.
Mindy’s civic loyalty bubbled up. “I hope this doesn’t give you bad memories of Juneau. Serious crime isn’t that common around here.”
Gerri shook her head emphatically. “Not at all. I have wonderful memories of this summer. And of the two people I came to be so fond of—you and Sven. The two of you have been so good to me. I’ll miss you both terribly.”
Mindy paused, twisting her lips. Gerri had a hunch that she was discomfited by being lumped together with Sven. Gerri forged ahead. “I’m truly sorry about your history with him. And from what little he’s said about the accident, I think he feels a tremendous guilt about it to this day. He’s kind, gentle and funny. He’s really a wonderful man. I’m not telling you what to think, but one day maybe you can find it in your heart to forgive him.”
Mindy blinked. “I’ll think about it,” she finally said. Then, as if she couldn’t let the issue rest, she asked, “What about his brawling? Did he ever do that around you?”
“He admitted to me that he’d done that in the past—during the period after Laura’s death when he was drinking. But he hasn’t done that for a long time. Except once—and then he was protecting me.” She briefly described the encounter in the Arctic Saloon.
“Samantha told me about that,” Mindy said. “But she didn’t know the circumstances,” she added grudgingly.
“It wasn’t much of a fight,” Gerri added cajolingly.
Mindy snorted with amusement. “It was never much of a fight for Sven. That’s why Laura got so angry when he quit boxing.”
Gerri wanted to change the subject, sensing that she had pushed Mindy as far as she could at one time. “Anyway, I have very fond memories, some terrific pictures, and even a nice nest egg in the bank from fishing.
“I have a few regrets. I never got a chance to take you to that spot under the glacier, And…” The thought that she would likely never see Sven again made her voice catch. She cleared her throat. “And I never got a chance to say goodbye to Sven.”
Mindy looked at her speculatively. This would explain a lot. “You have feelings for him, don’t you?”
Gerri nodded. The more she thought about their parting, the sadder she felt. She blinked rapidly. I will not make a scene. “We both knew it couldn’t last. But I did want it to end better.”
“Maybe you could see him tomorrow before you go.”
“No,” Gerri shook her head. “I’ll be halfway to Seattle before visiting hours start. And Dr. Wheeler said that Sven won’t be awake…”
“Dr. Wheeler? That’s his doctor?” Mindy’s voice sharpened.
“Yes,” Gerri answered cautiously. “Do you know him? Is he a good doctor?” She regretted the second question instantly—Dr. Wheeler already thought that Gerri doubted him.
“I know him. I work with him at times. Yes, he’s an excellent doctor.” She pursed her lips. “What did you think of him?”
Gerri had the impression that her answer was important to Mindy, but she didn’t know why. “He seemed very nice. He can be a bit annoying, but mostly very nice.”
“Annoying how?”
“Well, he seemed to think that I was too young to bring the Glacier Gal in by myself.”
Evidently, her answer passed muster, because Mindy leaned back with a wry smile. “I’m not surprised. He has a thing about age.”
Gerri was hoping for elaboration, but none was forthcoming. She stretched and stood up. “I have two more things to do. Pack and write Sven a note.”
“What about sleep?”
“Good question.”
Chapter 27
Her family treated Gerri like a star. They met her at the Florence airport, and Gerri could hear the squeals from Marilyn and Joetta practically as soon as she got off the airplane. After they had gotten the first round of hugs out of the way and collected Gerri’s baggage, they piled into the old family Chevy and drove home.
There was a steady stream of questions, especially from her sisters, but Gerri could see that her parents were hanging on her answers with equal avidity. When they got home, Gerri could see bright paper ribbon strung along the porch.
“Very nice,” she said, pointing. “Who did that?”
“Joetta and I did it,” Marilyn said proudly. “It was our idea.”
Joetta chimed in. “Daddy helped hold the stepladder.”
Once in the house, Gerri brought out her collection of pictures and gave them to her sisters. Each one elicited questions so Gerri finally gave up and went through them herself, passing them around and explaining each one. But even that didn’t work, because Marilyn was always trying to look ahead.
“Who’s this?”
Gerri looked at the picture Marilyn was holding. “That’s Sven. He was my boss.” That didn’t quite
sound right to Gerri. “And my friend,” She added. That started her mind down that familiar path. Was Sven OK? Was he out of the hospital? Will he write soon?
“Is this your friend, Mindy? She’s pretty.”
“That’s Mindy. And yes, she’s very pretty.” Gerri described again how they met and how much Mindy had helped her.
“Does she have a boyfriend?” Marilyn hadn’t changed all that much, Gerri thought, as she exchanged glances with her mother.
“I don’t think so. She never talked about one.” Mindy had alluded to some unrequited attraction, but she hadn’t identified the person. In any case, that was more detail than Marilyn needed.
But it was Joetta who ended up blindsiding Gerri. “Does Sven have a girlfriend?”
She paused. She had already decided not to tell her family about the full extent of her relationship with Sven. Then she realized that her mouth was hanging open and everyone was waiting for her answer. “No, I don’t think he does.” But I wish…
Later, her various relatives started drifting in, and she found herself telling her stories over again. Fortunately, she never ran out of things to say, and there were only two topics that she had decided were off limits: her affair with Sven and her being swept overboard. Either would have only served to alarm them.
It was evening and Gerri was talking to one of her young cousins when she heard her father at their front door. “Well! I didn’t expect to see you tonight. How’s your leg?”
“Good enough to get around,” said a raspy voice. “Now where’s my namesake, the world traveler?”
Sure enough, it was her great aunt Geraldine. She had a cane and was having a hard time getting around. Robert helped her into a chair, shooting a warning look at Gerri as he did so. His message was clear: be nice.
Gerri leaned over and kissed Geraldine on the cheek. “What happened to your leg?”
Her aunt made a dismissive noise. “Just an old person’s aches and pains. Don’t you worry yourself none about me. Now what’s this about you up and running off to the ends of the Earth without telling anybody?”
Gerri was determined not to let her get her goat. “But I did tell Mom and Daddy. I wrote them a letter…”
“After you had done it.”
“Well, the opportunity came up very suddenly. There wasn’t much time.”
“You mean you took the opportunity.”
Was she really going to be this mean? But she was right, of course. Gerri looked at her pleadingly. “Yes, I did. I thought I’d never get another chance like that in my whole life.”
Aunt Geraldine looked at her steadily. “Are you glad you did it?”
Gerri took a breath. Be honest… “Yes I am. I have memories that I’ll treasure always and I made friends that I’ll never forget. I’m very glad I did it.”
Geraldine nodded; her eyes seemingly far away. When she finally spoke, Gerri had to lean forward to hear her. “Good for you, girl. Sometimes you have to follow your dreams.” Then she smiled. “Remind me to tell you some day about my trip to Atlanta when I was about your age.”
Gerri looked at her father. He shook his head; he hadn’t heard this story either, but she was Olivia’s aunt, not his. “I’ll do that, Aunt Geraldine. I’ll surely do that.”
Later, when everyone had left and Gerri’s sisters were finally in bed, Gerri and her parents talked in the kitchen.
“Ma, had you heard that Aunt Geraldine took off for Atlanta when she was young?” When she got a blank look, she filled Olivia in on what was said.
“No, I hadn’t. But they wouldn’t necessarily have told me. Geraldine was regarded as a bit wild in those days. She had some big dreams, but they didn’t pan out. If she seems a bit…difficult, it might be bitterness. She loves you, though, in her own way.”
Gerri nodded thoughtfully. When she was younger, her parents had told her repeatedly to be kinder to her aunt. Just yesterday, Gerri thought, she had had the nerve to ask Mindy to give Sven another chance. Maybe I could use some of my own advice.
Her father interrupted her musing. “We’ve held the money you sent.”
“No. That’s yours. I want to pay you back for everything you’ve done.”
“But you’ll have a job; you’ll need clothes,” her mother added.
“And, you splurged on an airplane fare—didn’t even use the bus on the way back,” her father chimed in.
Her mother shot him a look. “We don’t mind that. And we don’t want you to have to scrimp now because you’re worried about us.”
“Wait a minute.” Gerri wanted to explain and this was as good a time as any with her sisters safely out of the way. She ran up to her room. When she came back, she handed her mother her checking account passbook.
Olivia held it out so Robert could see. “Juneau National Bank. So you saved out a little?”
“Open it.”
Olivia opened it and her eyes grew wide. She slapped it against her thigh and looked at Gerri almost accusingly. “That’s a lot of money. Is this for real?”
“It is real. Salmon get a good price, and Sven is one of the best fishermen around.” She smiled in remembrance. “A highliner. That’s what they call him. And we worked hard for that money.” She paused while she gauged their reactions. “And remember, too: Sven’s share has to last him all winter.” She thought about his paintings, but didn’t want to complicate the conversation any further.
Robert took the passbook from Olivia’s hand and looked at it. He chuckled and shook his head. “We’re in the wrong business, Olivia.” He handed the book back to Gerri. “What are you going to do with this? You could buy yourself a car. Cash money; no note.”
“Not now. I want to save it.”
Olivia chuckled. “You always were a tight fisted child.”
“Sven thinks I should wait. I’m sure I’ll put it to good use someday.” She had thought about this. Near the top of her list would be getting a place of her own. She loved her parents, but if she ever found someone who moved her like Sven, she wanted her privacy. It didn’t seem politic to mention this now, however.
“So you and Sven talk about how to spend your money?”
Gerri grinned at her mother. “We talked about everything. Fishing with somebody is a good way to get to know them.” Images of Sven came to her mind: him making some convoluted pun as they were setting hooks, the anguish in his voice as he talked about his past, and the warm look in his eyes as they lay in bed indulging in idle pillow talk after the day’s work was done. “Yes, I’m very glad I got to know him.” Belatedly, she realized that her mother would reach the very conclusion that Gerri wanted to hide, she hastily added, “And Mindy as well.” She thought for a minute. “And Mrs. Kallek.”
___
Next morning, Gerri was awakened by a knock on her bedroom door. “Gerri, wake up.” It was her mother. “Mr. Harrison is here to see you.”
Gerri forced her gummy eyes to look at her clock. She groaned—it was late. “I’ll be there in a minute, Ma.”
It was two minutes before she got to the living room, where Olivia was chatting with Mr. Harrison. Though that was a speed record, it didn’t make up for her oversleeping. “Sorry, everybody. I guess I’m still on Pacific time.”
Mr. Harrison turned with a smile. “That’s quite all right.” He stopped as he saw her and his jaw dropped. “Lord ‘a mercy,” he breathed.
He was looking at her hair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t take the time to comb my hair.”
He shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry, Gerri, but they won’t hire you if you come to the interview tomorrow in an afro.”
“Really?” She asked, but with a sinking feeling of belief.
“I’m afraid so. Everyone is really touchy now that the high school is integrated. They have to let us in, but if you look like a militant… Well, they’re afraid of anything that looks different—anything that they think might cause a disruption.”
Gerri nodded, trying to keep the disguste
d look off her face. Her adventure was truly over, she realized, and she was back to the realities of the South. “I’ll get it pressed today, Mr. Harrison.”
“Thank you, Gerri. I knew you’d understand.” He shifted uncomfortably. “Something else you need to know. They’re not going to offer you a teaching position. You can be a teacher’s aide now, and someday—possibly next year—you can get a classroom. That’s the best I could do for you.”
“Thank you for trying, Mr. Harrison.” He had prepared her for this last spring, so she wasn’t surprised, but she had still hoped…
The best face that Gerri could put on the situation, she decided in retrospect, was the pallid praise: ‘It could have been worse.’ She showed up for the interview dressed conservatively, with her hair freshly done, and tried her best to look eager and unthreatening. Mr. Harrison sat in on the interview, but he wasn’t invited to participate. Gerri could appreciate even more, given his clear lack of influence, how much he had gone out on a limb for her.
They offered her the job—teacher’s aide—and she did her best to look grateful as she accepted it. The pay wasn’t much. Even living with her family, she would have to dip into her nest egg to make ends meet.
___
Sven was, in his own words, an impatient patient. He could muster an ironic smile at that phrase, but there was precious else to smile about. He was scheduled for release from the hospital tomorrow and he was more than ready. He had followed Dr. Wheeler’s directives faithfully: after the initial rest, he had embarked on ever longer walks up and down the halls of the hospital. When he got out, he would continue that regimen through the streets of Juneau and through the woods behind his house. Just as Gerri would have done.
And therein lay the source of his discontent. He bitterly regretted the timing of his appendicitis. He had had a lot invested, emotionally, in their last night together. He had planned to give her the best night of her life. He had wanted to show her his home and give her a window on his life. And especially, he had wanted to tell her about his feelings for her.
Instead, he felt that he had failed her. Of course, the appendicitis wasn’t his fault. He knew that. But still, through his frailty—he hated to use that word, but it fit—he had left her with an arduous—and arguably dangerous—solo trip back to Juneau.