Safety Harbor. Chuck Cooper

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СКАЧАТЬ that the decision of the community to come to the parade was unanimous. Within an hour, the buses left the school bus barn and headed for the Unsettlement. The food court remained open after its usual closing time of 9:00 PM. As a hip-hop group performed, everyone relaxed and conversations began to cross the lines between the two communities who had joined together in the Square.

      The younger people started to dance and some invited their counterparts from the Unsettlement to join them. Soon, a few older adults could be seen dancing at the edge of the crowd. No longer was it clear who came from Safety Harbor or the Unsettlement. Tourists joined in too.

      The Steering Committee met, as planned, at the Argostoli Art Gallery. It was 11:30 p.m. before everyone arrived. The numbers of the group had increased to include Carmelita’s ad hoc group and Magdalena. As promised, Susanna served coffee, wine, and baklava.

      “Susanna, we want to thank you for your hospitality,” said Father.

      After an approving murmur from the group and a few who echoed Father’s sentiments with a “Yes, thank you” of their own, the meeting settled and centered.

      Father cleared his throat. “Friends, a lot has happened since we last met. We still have a lot to do.”

      “A lot is going on even as we speak!” said Meriwether. “Things downtown are still shaking!”

      “I’m sure the Mayor has it all in hand!” said Father. Nate hid his smile behind one hand ineffectively.

      “Sally, we are truly sorry to learn of Keith’s passing,” said Jeremy.

      “Thanks,” she said, lowering her eyes.

      There was silence in the room to pay tribute to Keith. They spent the rest of their time putting the order of the parade together and made last-minute tweaks to the details of the care and comfort of their overnight guests from the Unsettlement.

      “Before we leave, I think we should make sure all is well at Joe’s in the morning,” said Katye. “Sally, how is that coming?”

      “I’ve got an excellent crew!” she said. “Nate is coming in. So is Georgia Wellstone. She’s Nate’s cook on the fishing boat.”

      “Ah!” everyone said, recognizing at once that with Georgia there, things would be just fine in the kitchen.

      “Johnny and Hobe, too,” she continued. “I wouldn’t have chosen them but Joe honored them so I want to continue to do that as well.

      “Katye and Liz will serve and bus tables. Jeremy will provide some of his exquisite coffee from his shop and make sure it keeps flowing. Rocky and Magdalena will round out the crew.”

      Just then Magdalena walked in the door. “I heard there was a meeting up here that was serving wine and baklava. I thought I couldn’t miss it.”

      “Magdalena!” exclaimed Father, “Come in! Come in! You are very welcome here!”

      The meeting was filled with excitement, anticipation, and conviviality. It broke up about 2:00 a.m.

      Nate and Sally left together and for a few moments they walked side by side. Soon, both recognized that the attraction between them was too strong and they would need to part before something happened that they would both regret, or, at least, should regret.

      Reluctantly, they parted ways.

      Sally continued walking alone when a figure appeared ahead of her about a block away. Startled, she froze in her tracks. At once she wished she had asked Nate to walk her home. Now, the dark shadowy figure seemed to be moving on. As she took another look she was sure that it was Joe’s profile.

      “Joe!” she said breathlessly.

      “Joe!” she called out, as the night specter disappeared out of her sight.

      She sank into her bed without changing her clothes. She could not sleep. Scenes of her life with Keith kept playing back in her mind. A tear flowed down her cheek. Ironic how she didn’t miss him that much when he was away and even savored her time without him. She realized her time away from him was sweet because she knew he could be coming back. Now, he would not be coming back alive.

      She knew she didn’t love him as a wife should love her husband, but she was fond of him and they had shared four years of their lives together. Whatever the days ahead proved to be, she knew they would be difficult. In her dreams, she saw Keith coming in the door with his arms outstretched. Her arms reached out to meet him, but he faded into nothing as she awakened.

      Chapter 12

      Stewart lay awake beside his wife who had arrived home half an hour ago. She was sleeping so soundly that he checked to make sure she was still breathing. She was his anchor in these dark and difficult days of his life.

      Sleep should come so easily, he thought. Keith’s death had hit him hard. They had become friends after Katye and he had moved to Safety Harbor. It was a strange relationship. Keith was pure blue-collar working class, plain spoken, and with no pretensions. Stewart found him refreshing and welcomed a friendship with someone who had those qualities. He had a mouth on him but Stewart secretly savored that too as he was accustomed to people speaking carefully around him, unnaturally even, and when they did slip in a word of profanity or two, they would immediately say, “Sorry, Reverend.”

      They had met at Joe’s when Keith was waiting for Sally to finish her shift. Sally had introduced them and immediately, something deep had connected within each of the men. Stewart’s spirits sank lower as he thought about losing one of the few genuine friendships he had ever had. Sally had called him only a few minutes after she got word of Keith’s death.

      “I know he would want you to do the funeral, Stewart,” Sally had said in brief phone call to him earlier in the day. “He wasn’t a religious man and didn’t have much time for what he called ‘religious, holier-than-thou people’.”

      “I’ll do it!” he heard himself say. “Of course, Sally. I’ll do it! It’s a gift I can give him.”

      A sickening feeling arose from his stomach and became a lump in his throat. He was not empowered to do anything in the church right now. He would have to get permission or go ahead without permission. It never struck him as an option not to do it at all.

      He got out of bed and made himself a cup of tea. He sat at the kitchen table and looked out the window. What was that movement? He got up to take a closer look. He thought he saw a shadow under the streetlights. He got up and went out the front door to have a closer look.

      A dark figure walked by, a silhouette in the street light. He could have sworn it was Joe. He rushed outside.

      “Joe? Joe!”

      The figure disappeared into the darkness.

      Chapter 13

      Sometimes Father Callaghan wearied of being alone. He tried to imagine what it would be like to have a wife. As he got older, the yearnings had more power. He saw his years waning and knew that this loneliness was for life. No one in town could understand this experience. If celibacy was brought up at all, it was usually in the form of a joke. Talking to another priest didn’t help much because, too often, he learned more than he wanted to know.

      Tonight, СКАЧАТЬ