Heart Fades to Black

Chapter 9: Gone Fishin'

---

Hoo-ey! I thought that the villagers were sorely ticked off when I did the adulterous affair thing with Karen - it was nothing compared to how they viewed me after the Karen/Manna smackdown. Karen didn't waste any time causing trouble for us - she started telling everyone she met what had happened right after she left Erehwon. Everyone believed her of course. I mean, after Popuri's two season baby and the thingie with Karen they'd already been viewing me as a total city rat and a world-class horn dog and were convinced that I was capable of any degree of debauchery. I suppose they would have believed rumors about me and Ellen had anyone wanted to make them up.

I took incoming fire from all directions. I had cleverly chosen to insert myself into the middle of the village's most intense rivalry. Nobody and I mean nobody was a neutral between Karen and Manna. And the partisans of each hated my guts. Karen's fans had been sort of happy that she'd gotten a guy - however ineligible - and were hoping I'd sooner or later divorce Popuri and make an honest women out of her. Now to them, I was nothing more than a low down cheating rat. Manna's chums - or at least confederates - figured I'd gotten her worked up somehow and then had taken unfair advantage of her. Not too far off, that - even if it wasn't anything she wasn't willing and eager for.

Hardly anyone would even talk to me. I was banned from the General Store - even a wee cowering mousie like Jeff had his limits. When I returned the blue feather to him via Zack (who was also snarly towards me, Karen fan that he was) he told me that Jeff was openly threatening me with bodily harm if I ever had anything more to do with Karen or even set foot in the store again. Not that I was scared of him, it was just a matter of good taste to me. I figured that pounding him into submission would have been as unfair as beating on a kitten. So I stayed away from the place and did all my buying from Zack - who took to rooking me with some pretty stiff markups.

Staying clear of Karen wasn't hard - on the rare occasions we saw each other around the village...well, we didn't see each other. She wouldn't even look at me and completely ignored me the few times I called out to her with some vague idea of trying to patch things up. Cliff I ignored. Just because I accepted the fact that he was an irredeemable louse when it came to women didn't mean I had to like it when he stole one from me. I had no idea how intense their thingie was as I was completely out of the gossip loop at that time. And I stayed away from the Inn also. Doug hadn't exactly told me to stay out but he wasn't any too happy with me - mostly for causing unrepairable trouble among the townsfolk. Personally, he was as near to a neutral as it got - Manna being the wife of his executive officer and Karen being just about his best customer (if I'd had to wager on the proposition, I'd have laid 6 to 5 that he was pro-Manna.) And at the Inn, I'd be sure to run into Karen or Cliff - or both. I'd figured it best to seek a quiet life by avoiding the place.

Well, most people ignored me. I had some trouble with Gray for a while. Somehow, he'd wigged to the fact that I'd had something to do with Mary's death. Once he'd thought my name was mud enough so that showing me overt hostility was socially safe, he'd gotten into the habit of yelling nasty remarks at me when he went to and from work. I ignored the little weenie for as long as I could, but that morning when he shouted 'murderer!' at me, I reached the limits of my tolerance. I motioned for him to come over to where I was standing and he swaggered right up to me with this really overconfident look on his face. I guess he was expecting we'd just trade insults and I suppose I disappointed him. I didn't say a word to him. When he got within my reach I just cold-cocked the bastard and he went right down. Yeah, I suppose those couple of kicks to his head while he was lying there were gratuitous but I figured there wasn't anything in there he was using and it sure felt good. He spent a few days in the clinic and I paid his bill - fair's fair. After he got out he never even so much as looked at me again. Everyone else in the village learned from his example because I never got any lip from anyone else for the rest of my time there.

---

I did run into Manna shortly after the blowout - we happened onto each other passing by the forest in back of Rose Square. Karen had been right about Duke's reaction, OK. He may not have been doing his beloved wife anymore but still must have wanted to keep the option all to himself. Her face was mostly black and blue - not to mention those two magnificent shiners she was sporting. But she did talk to me, briefly, all the while nervously glancing side to side for prying eyes.

"Jack, I'm sorry but I just can't afford to be seen with you again. I don't think I could take..." pointing at her face "...another round of this."

"I understand. No hard feelings. You know, I really didn't know Karen was going to come in then." I grinned at her. "I kinda regret the interruption. I like to finish what I start. You were pretty damn hot, you know."

She returned my grin. "As were you. It's a crying shame, thirty more minutes and we would have been in paradise."

Thirty minutes! Ouch, my aching back.

She went on in a hushed voice. "You know, if it had been anyone other than that wretched shrew, I wouldn't have minded trying that three-way."

"Heh. Well, if we ever happen to meet outside of this place, we should set something up."

"It would be a pleasure. Please excuse me, but I must be off now. I have to drop in on Lillia. The poor thing, she's just about on her deathbed now. I keep her company and try to cheer her up best I can, but it doesn't seem to help. Nothing does."

And darn if she didn't hastily glance both ways, then give me a quick smooch before hurrying off towards Chicken Lil's.

Tell me fifty-something ladies can't be right fine playmates.

---

Even the Harvest Sprites were alienated. One day when a snowstorm threatened, I went to hire them to tend my chickens. Not only did the little creeps flat out refuse to work for me, but they razzed me in unison! You know, I was just outgassing when I threatened to squash them like bugs - I was just going to kick them around a bit for fun - but they weren't taking any chances. Quick as a jiffy, they'd formed a ring around me and danced while doing some really spooky chanting. I faded out only to come to at the top of a tree halfway up the mountain! The one that Popuri always claimed could talk - the ideas that superstitious bumpkin got. Getting out of that tree and back down the mountain was a bear as my guts were on fire the whole time. When I got home, I found out why - a prize winning cucumber had been indelicately planted in a most delicate portion of my anatomy and I had a devil of a time extracting it. From that day on I gave those day-glo freaks a wide berth. I knew when I was outclassed.

---

The biggest problem I had that winter was getting enough to drink. I wasn't fool enough to go into the winery. The couple of times I'd seen Duke from a distance, he got red-faced and shook his fist but he didn't come after me. I guess for him discretion was the better part of valor - beating up a middle-aged housewife was an easier project than taking on the guy who held his own against street fighting Kai. But I still watched out for him. He wasn't stupid in any ordinary sense and I figured if he had come looking for me, he'd have been packing heat. And I didn't have any.

Like I said before, I viewed drinking at the Inn as far too twitchy a pastime. And Zack flat out refused to get me any liquor, 'that's the root of a lot of your problems, Jack.' The hell it was. It was the freaking villagers who had been kicking me from pillar to post. But he was unyielding.

I finally found the solution to my thirst problem in the person of the old fisherman, Greg, who I'd seen every now and then by the ocean but had not gotten to know. He stayed to himself even more than Gotz did - he lived with Zack and didn't talk to anyone else - and as it turned out, he was far enough removed from village society so that he didn't hold the chaos of my love life against me. I encountered him early one Saturday morning on the docks where I was...well, wasting time longingly watching for the Coastal Princess to come and go. He came up real quiet like, sat down beside me and started casting his line out without a word. I already knew fishermen had a thing against loud talking so I kept it down.

"Morning Greg, how's things?"

"Not too shabby. You come here to fish?"

"Nah, I came to spit in the water and watch the clouds go by."

He chuckled at that. "Being lazy, huh?" He pulled out a small old fishing pole and held it out to me. "Why not be productive while being lazy? Want to give it a try?"

I took it. "Don't mind if I do." We sat side by side for awhile trading the smallest of small talk while I pulled in and threw back a few little ones. Then it got interesting.

"Jack, heard you've had some woman problems here."

"That's affirmative."

"Women! Nothing but trouble, the best of them. And slobs like us don't run across the best of them. I was married once, long long ago. Girl by the name of Candice. Had a kid by her, then she ditched me."

"Sounds strangely familiar somehow."

"Then took up with this girl name of Tanya. We had some pretty good times together, then she ran off with another guy. Her husband actually."

"Still sounds sorta familiar."

He chuckled. "Ever since then, haven't had any traffic with 'em. Don't miss 'em either. Take my advice and steer clear of them. Of course, it might be hard for a young fellow all full of ginger."

"Figure booze might drown it - just haven't got the dose right yet. You like to drink?"

"Yeah, but I don't."

"How's that?"

"Kind of hard in this place when you don't have the ways and means. Don't make any money at fishing and Doug and Duke both want gold on the nail."

Then I got a flash of inspiration. I put my arm around his shoulder and started in, "Greg my man, I have a little proposition for you..."

An hour later, Greg came into Erehwon toting four crates of Duke's standard table red. We concluded our joint venture by divvying up the loot.

"Two for you and two for me. Good deal, Greg. Duke give you any hassles?"

"I think he was curious as to where I got the moolah, but hey, money talks with that old fart."

"If he gives you any trouble next time, just tell him your ship came in." I laughed. "Just don't say it was the S.S. Erehwon or he'll gut you like a fish."

He picked up his crates and started home laughing. "Sure thing Jack. Until next time."

OK, so it amounted to a 100 percent markup. But I got my hooch. Mid-winter that year, I was doing some serious training for the drinking contest. What drinking contest, you ask? Whichever one came along! I started first thing in the morning with a few cups - it was a hangover remedy I'd learned from Karen. It's the only one that really works. I'd get the chickens squared away, do a little mining, then get into some serious elbow bending while working on my correspondence. Sometimes I thought of Popuri - or rather the child she was carrying. Doctor's best due date estimate had been Winter 11 and I was getting kind of curious as to what was happening. So I was pretty impatient each morning waiting for the mail. The waiting made it that much sweeter when I finally did hit the lottery.

---

For a season, I'd kept faithfully plugging away at writing anyone who might help me get out of Mineral Village. The responses I got from friends and associates all went something along the lines of, "An engineering job right now? You're freakin' crazy!" Resumes sent to aerospace corporations and contractors all elicited the canned response, "Thank you for your interest. We have no positions open at this time but we'll keep your resume on file..." etc. etc. But I kept going - it wasn't like I had much else to do and I was always hoping my number would come up. Ah, youthful optimism!

When my number did come up, it was right out of left field as those things usually are. Guy I'd worked with at Dynatech by the name of Josh took some time to reply to my letter. Reason was he'd moved and the mails weren't forwarded too efficiently in those days, but he'd finally gotten it and replied - from the State University. He had gotten into the astronautical engineering doctorate program - and especially interesting to me was his comment that there were still several slots open.

Before, I'd always wrinkled my nose at the thought of grad school - after doing several years of real rocket work, the idea of going back to the sandbox of school was uninteresting. But that was when I was new to the village and was convinced I'd become a big man there. Before the days of Popuri and Kai and Karen and Manna. By the time winter rolled around, the thought of classrooms and labs - and those nice three big letters, Ph.D. after my name - started feeling pretty warm and cheery. So figuring I had nothing to lose, I just wrote right to Dr. Jenkins - the department head - asking if I might be put on the waiting list for the graduate program. The guy had liked me when I'd been there before, so going to him direct seemed the way to go.

It sure was! I got his response by return mail. Not only was there a slot open, but it had my name on it. There was even financial assistance attached! He'd taken the liberty of starting the enrollment procedure for me and said that all I had to do was show up at his office, sign some forms and I was in. Knowing a deal when I saw it, I answered his letter by return mail telling him it'd take me a few days to wind up my affairs in the village, then I'd report for studies.

I hurriedly compiled a shutdown checklist that was going to be a damn joy to go through, because the item at the very bottom was 'kiss this lousy burg goodbye!' I showed up at Mayor Thomas's house later that morning to tick off the main item - getting shucked of Erehwon. Of course he couldn't do anything by himself - figurehead that he was - so he suggested I wait at the Inn while he fetched Doug and Duke. Half an hour later, the four of us were seated and discussing just how the thing was to be done.

Their attitudes were pretty complex. On the one hand, they were visibly relieved that they were going to be rid of one of the most disruptive people ever to rip asunder the facade of village peace. On the other hand they weren't happy about having Erehwon on their hands with none of my family working it for the first time in nearly three centuries. Hearing them talk, I got the distinct impression they would have been glad for me to stay on as something akin to a highly paid farmhand who otherwise stayed completely aloof from village life. In their dreams!

Well, together they finally drew up some kind of instrument whereby I surrendered my rights to Erehwon and all value I had added to it, apart from portable personal effects - including cash. I very much insisted on keeping my cash. Doug was persistent about putting in a clause to the effect that the right of the village to offer me use of Erehwon in the future not be prejudiced. Cagey fellow to the end, him - I raised no objections as I damn well knew I'd never exercise it. So we finally got the document in mutually agreeable form, we all signed it and thus in two days hence, Jack and Erehwon would be free of each other.

We all stood up and they glumly shook my hand and wished me luck, then Thomas and Duke left. But Doug still had a little business with me.

"Jack, there's the matter of the 16,380G you still owe on your house." Mostly owed him personally, I happened to know.

"Owe? How's that? It's not my house anymore."

He got very stern. "Don't play games with me. We advanced the money and we expect it back - every G of it. I know you've got it and plenty more." Of course the guy knew my finances down to the last G.

I just answered his sternness with my winning smile. "Sure I've got it, but I need it all. Hard times out there, you know."

He was getting visibly angry. "Damn it, I know your tuition and living expenses are already covered! Now stop being a welsher and pay up!"

I just kept my smile at high intensity which infuriated him even more. "True, but I need some reserves in case the grad school thing doesn't work out. Remember, the last big depression lasted for 12 years. Who knows when I'll see any income again? Besides, what's all this talk about 'owing' and 'welshing'? Show me something I signed saying I owe anyone anything."

"Damn you! You know that was a gentleman's agreement!"

"Hasn't everyone in this place been going around the last season saying I was no gentleman? Look, I'm not taking the house with me, so you're keeping everything you paid for. What I've paid already is more than fair rent."

"Nobody here has any use for that house!"

"Not my problem, Doug. Look, the money all stayed in the village so it's just a matter of you people owing it to yourselves. Actually, Gotz got most of it. You can squeeze it out of him with those overpriced drinks of yours."

He blustered some more but we both knew I had him over a barrel. I finally walked off with him making some meaningless threats involving lawyers and lawsuits. Good luck, chump! All the way back to Erehwon I was figuring it must have been the first time in decades that someone had gotten the better of him in business.

It felt real good.

---

There really wasn't that much more to do in preparing to leave. Disposing of the animals was the big thing. Early on the morning before I left, I stuck a note up on Chicken Lil's gate with a knife (an old rusty one.) "You want chickens? Come and get them! To pay for Lillia's medicine only." Knowing Rick, fifteen minutes after I'd cleared out of Erehwon forever, he'd be in the coop scooping up the hens. I didn't much care. I didn't have any sentiments for the chickens - they were stupid.

Wowser was more of a problem. I loved the little fellow. For awhile, I thought about bringing him along with me, but ultimately had to dismiss the notion as a pipe dream. He was a farm dog, used to having the run of the fields and he'd most likely be miserable cooped up in a tiny dorm room. That decided, I considered just leaving him at Erehwon, but that seemed cruel also. He was used to human company and besides, I wasn't sure but that Rick might take out his hatred for me on him once I was no longer there to protect him.

Finally, I decided to give him to Elli's little brother Stu. Boys and dogs naturally go together, right? I felt sad thinking about Stu. The poor little guy was lonely as hell. The only other kid in town his age was May, and living on opposite sides of the village as they did meant they hardly ever saw each other. Besides, that town/country barrier stood between them - Elli was downright snooty when it came to her and hers socializing with us 'dirt-scratchers.'

I showed up at his house carrying Wowser and he and Stu hit it off right away which made me comfortable with the transaction.

"...and remember Stu, he grew up on the farm so he likes being outdoors a lot. Let him out whenever you can, OK?"

"Sure Jack. You know, you never did come over and play with me."

"I know. I'm sorry about that but, well, one thing or another kept getting in the way."

"Girls, right? That's what everyone says about you - you can't stay away from girls."

"That's about right."

"They sound like nothing but trouble. Yuck! I'm never going to get married!"

Somehow, I didn't feel like arguing the point with him.

---

My last day on Erehwon was pretty uneventful. I fed the chickens one last time, gathered up some eggs and instead of shipping them, whipped up the mother of all omelettes for myself. I spent the midday securing the house and packing up what personal effects I wanted. Mostly, these were the books I'd brought with me, plus the diaries of the ten generations of my folks that had lived and worked there. End of the line. There were also a few keepsakes - my wedding picture, Mary's last letter, even Karen's LM model. I'd thought about leaving that behind, but something told me that once the bitterness had faded with enough distance and enough passing days I'd get a kick out of looking at it and remembering our good times together.

About three, I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing so I went up to the to-do list next to the calendar and checked off the bottom item, 'Winter 19 - End farming career,' took one last look around that nest of domestic bliss, and walked out of the house and through the gates of Erehwon forever.

Nobody spoke to me as I made my way through town to the dock. I returned them the favor. I made myself comfortable and waited for the Coastal Princess's five o' clock arrival, confident that nobody would come and bother me with any insincere good-byes.

I was to get one last Mineral Village style surprise, however. Looking into town, I watched Karen come out of the General Store and walk to the beach. She looked my way, hesitated a moment, then visibly braced herself and came onto the dock and sat right down beside me. We just sat there silently staring at our shoes for a bit until I decided that it was childish.

"Hi Karen. Whatcha doing here?"

She kept studying her feet. "Would you believe fishing?"

"Nope. You don't have a pole."

"Actually, what I'm fishing for is..."

I gave her a side glance. "Friendly good-byes and no hard feelings?"

That earned me a trace of her typical crooked grin. "Yeah. That's about it."

And at that point, I let that sweet boy out for a little romp. Understand, I'm not a bad guy, just a tough one. I figured what was the difference, I'd be out of that place forever in an hour. I did keep a firm grip on the leash, however.

"I don't see why not." I gave her my hand and she took it and held it. "You know, I didn't say good-bye to Cliff. How is he?"

She shrugged. "How should I know?"

"Huh? I thought you two would be quite the couple by now."

She looked at me levelly. "Jack, believe it or not as you will, but we only did it that one time. How could you think that such a silly irresponsible boy could be my type?"

"Then what was that all about?"

"What it was...after you proposed to me, I was conflicted as badly as I've ever been in my life. I knew I loved you, but I didn't know if you were really over her, I didn't know but that Mary's death would poison the whole thing...I didn't know if I wanted to give up my freedom and become a farm wife.

"I hardly slept at all that night thinking of all that. I went to the Inn that morning looking for a heart-to-heart talk with Ann - I know you don't like her but I always have and she's got a level head on her shoulders. I've always valued her advice.

"Well, when I went in, I saw Cliff standing in the door of his room with that rakish smile on his face - you know it, right?"

"Do I ever."

"And right then, like a flash, that bad Karen came out and whispered to me, 'OK girl, here's your chance to see if you want to be a domesticated farm wife or a sophisticated town girl. Seize the moment!' And I did. I went up the stairs to him and turned on the charm. You saw the results."

"Yeah. Heard them, anyways. I guess he's a pretty easy guy to seduce."

She snorted. "That's for sure. Quick to get going and quick to finish also." She grimaced, "He's a minuteman," and I chuckled despite myself.

"Jack, I'm not going to say it was right, but I'm not going to apologize for it either. It made up my mind about things."

"So, you decided to go the sophisticated townie route then."

She had one of the most bittersweet smiles I've ever seen. "No. I'd made up my mind that I didn't want to screw around - so to speak - with my life anymore. You know why I came out to Erehwon that afternoon? I was coming to accept your proposal. I was ready to marry you."

It took me a minute before I could respond to that. "You know, I can't help but reflect on the absolutely perfect sense of timing I've developed here. If I had just talked with you then instead of playing 'don't get mad, get even'..."

"Yeah. You know, I was furious with you then..."

"Tell me about it."

"...but except for the fact that you did it with Manna..." and she showed a quick flash of anger which just as quickly faded "...I can accept where I had it coming. Of course at the time my temper was totally in charge. By the time I'd calmed down, I'd already blown our thing out of the water shouting about you and Manna all over town. But Jack, why didn't you try and get even with me for that?"

"How would I have done that?"

"By telling people about me and Cliff. It would have been a mitigating factor for you."

I sniffed. "Didn't want to."

She got that gentle look she'd show on rare occasions. "You're old school. 'Gentleman never tells on a lady,' right? You know, I'm glad we got to talk about this. I was scared to come here not knowing what kind of reception I'd get from you. But I sucked in my gut and did it - I've got Mary to thank for that."

"What do you mean?"

"It's something I've learned from...from her death. You know, as bad as feelings were between us, I'd always figured in the back of my mind that maybe with time she'd cool off enough so that we could somehow repair the damage. So I didn't try and reconcile with her after that one letter. I assumed I had all the time in the world. You know, you quarrel with someone and then you think you can always apologize and make nice with them sometime later. 'They'll be there. What's the hurry?' But sometimes they aren't there anymore and you can't. Sometimes you run out of time. I ran out of time with Mary - now, there's no changing the fact that she died regarding me as an enemy. It'll be that way for all eternity. Well, I wasn't going to let that happen with you and I if I could help it."

"Karen, I never hated you. I guess it just that...after Popuri, I decided I wouldn't let myself be played for a sucker by any woman ever again. I still think the thought is worthwhile - even if the method I chose was perhaps a tad immature."

She smirked. "A tad?"

"Well, a guy does what he can, you know."

"As does a gal."

And as we were looking at each other with that old simple liking we'd had at the start of our acquaintance, the Coastal Princess rounded the point, bell ringing.

"Heh. Right on time, Karen."

"Yes, damn him. Why couldn't he be late just this once?"

And then we surprised each other - and ourselves - by falling into each other's arms and hugging each other tight like the world was about to end.

"Oh God, Jack, I'm going to miss you so much! I wish I was coming with you."

And at that point I thought it best to jerk that leash a little, lest that silly boy say something really stupid, like 'why don't you come with me, then?' Keep it light, boy, just keep it light. Because we're getting on that boat alone.

"What? As a grad student's popsie? Sharing a bed barely big enough for one?"

"Well, I'd be on top, right? You'd crush me otherwise!" She laughed a little while wiping her eyes. "Please to excuse me for getting all weepy on you. Just wait a moment and the real Karen will be back with us - that cold hard bitch!"

"I think we just saw the real Karen right here and now. Just like the real Karen was that starry-eyed kid, tossing flowers into a pond hoping to lure the Fairy Goddess into coming out and granting her wishes."

She looked at me with wonderment. "Jack, how did you know about that?"

I smiled. "My grandfather's diary. He wrote a lot about you. He called you 'the granddaughter I never had.' He really loved you, you know."

"Yes. As I loved him." She got serious-faced again. "What's going to happen to Erehwon now with all of you gone? You know, we're going to have another town meeting later this week to try and figure that out. You have any ideas?"

"How about you taking it?"

"You've got to be kidding! Being a farm wife would have been enough of a stretch, but a farmer girl?" She grimaced.

"You'd have to work on your upper body development, that's for sure."

"Me a muscle woman? Next you'll be wanting me to shave my head. Forget it!" She clearly wanted to change the subject - the boat was getting nearer and she still had a few things to say.

"Jack, if I wrote you, would you answer?"

"I sure would. Let's see... I don't know where they're going to put me yet. Just write to me in care of the Aero/Astro department and they'll see that I get it. Don't be disappointed if I don't reply immediately - first couple of weeks at school are pretty maniac. Say, I just thought of something. Would they deliver any letters to you from me, or would they just trash them?"

She looked troubled. "I don't know. They might."

I thought quickly. "What's your favorite dance magazine?"

She got it immediately. "Why, World Dance of course. They come out twice a week with all the latest dish."

"You'll get each issue as soon as it hits the newsstand - with a special insert."

She grinned. "You're a sneaky man."

"Learned it all from women."

"Oh, since we're parting friends, I guess it's OK if I give you this, then." She reached in her bag and presented me with a bottle of Aja wine.

"Karen! Thank you, but I can't accept this from you. It's worth a small fortune."

She grinned. "Yeah, but I didn't pay a small fortune. I won it at the horse races. You don't feel comfortable taking expensive gifts from women? You don't mind giving them, though." She pulled at the collar of her t-shirt to show the necklace I'd given her at the beginning of winter.

"It still looks beautiful on you. I'm surprised you kept it."

She laughed. "Let me tell you something about women. When we're mad we may tear up pictures and love letters - maybe even items of clothing. But we never discard fine jewelry. Look Jack, take that wine with you and keep it in a cool dark place. When you finish your degree, we'll celebrate and drink it together."

Why not let her do something nice for me? "OK, it's a date. Hope you're not in a hurry for that drink. Figure it'll take me five years."

She gazed at me with some respect in her eyes. "A Ph.D. That's really something, Jack. I know you'll do it, too. Basil talked sometimes about when he was working for his - said those were some of the best years of his life." She gave me a tentative look. "Of course, he had Anna with him then as his new bride."

Another jerk on the leash. Don't even think about it, boy.

"Gosh Karen, I didn't even think about getting you a gift." I thought quickly, took off my cap and offered it to her.

She squinted at it. "What? What kind of gift is that?"

"You can take it off somewhere and burn it like you're always wanted to."

Then she surprised me by making a wry face, taking the cap from my hand and putting it on her head - visor forwards.

"I've got a better idea - I'll wear it around the village and really mess with everyone's heads. But I'm not wearing it tard style - I draw the line there!" She reached into her bag again and drew out a bottle of Duke's standard table red. "Here - to keep you warm on the bus."

I promptly stuck it in my backpack. "Now, this I can take from you with no qualms!"

At that point, the Princess was coming up along the dock. I could see that someone had had a good year - John was at the helm, wearing a mate's cap set at a stylish angle, looking sharp and confident as he skillfully steered the boat into position. He nudged Captain Willowbee, who had been napping alongside him in a deck chair, then cut the engines, jumped down onto the main deck and started securing the boat to the dock. Zack came out of his house and wordlessly gave Karen and I a puzzled look as he started loading cargo into the boat. Willowbee went into his usual bellowing routine.

"Mineral Village! All ashore who's going ashore!"

We looked at each other with fondness. "Well, Karen, I guess this is it. Sorry that it didn't work out, but we did have some good times together, huh?"

"We sure did. Jack, you take good care of yourself."

"You also. And bear down hard studying for that CPA, you hear?"

"I've already started. Figure it'll take me two, three years. What's the rush?"

"Heh. You'll have your credentials before I do. We'll have to celebrate it together."

"I'm looking forward to it."

And once again we were in a close clench, lost in a bedroom kiss. Once again we broke it off with her touching my cheek and whispering, "love ya, Jack."

"Love you too, Karen." I picked up my bag, snapped her off an ironic salute and climbed aboard.

John and I grinned at each other. "Hey John, get you! You've sure got your sea legs now. What happened to that boy swabbo I saw beginning of the year?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I am getting the hang of the nautical life. Skipper lets me drive now - 'cept in the Edgeport channel. Still got to learn that. Next year, I betcha." He leered a little. "Say, that was some show you were putting on with that fox! You two are real good friends, I take it?"

I winked. "You could say that." I shouted up at Willowbee. "Hey Captain, carry me to to Edgeport?"

"Sure thing young fellar. 300G as always. Jus' give it ta John."

I handed over the coins as Zack hauled the last crate into the ship and gave Willowbee the 'all done' sign. I'd always liked the guy so I decided to try a good-bye of sorts.

"Hey Zack, do me a favor, will ya?"

He silently waited with just the faintest touch of a smile.

"Keep an eye out for Karen? Make sure she doesn't get into any bad trouble?"

"I always do, Jack. I always do. Ya know - there were a few times there when I almost pounded you into the ground 'cause of her." I didn't know if he was joking or not. He offered me his hand, we shook "Good luck, pal," and he jumped off the boat.

The captain gave his usual call of 'All aboard who's coming aboard!' gave John the sign and he cast off, climbed back up to the bridge, started the engines and we were off.

---

As we pulled away, I swept my eyes over the deceptively peaceful looking village, sleeping under the deep winter snow. But what mostly had my attention was Karen still standing on the dock. She stayed there for a minute watching me recede, then turned around, forgot that she was supposed to be graceful and shuffled back into town, shoulders slumped and hands in her pockets.

Surprisingly, that sweet boy didn't start whining about leaving her behind. He played it smart appealing to my weak spot - cold calculation.

"You're making a big mistake here. You know we'll never find one as good as her again."

"Now how do I know that? Lots of fish in the sea."

"Yeah. And few of 'em bite on our bait."

But Karen was the only thing I had even a touch of regret about leaving behind. Taking stock of the last year, I counted up gaining - and losing - a wife and then a lover, going from being a rising star to being the town bum, getting strong as an ox, and ending up 250,000G richer than when I'd started. It had been a learning experience trying farming and the small town life. But I'd found out that I just wasn't cut out for the complexities and stresses of living in a small town. I never tried it again. Give me the simple, peaceful city life any day.

Strange the things the mind does sometimes. The whole trip to Edgeport, for some unaccountable reason I was humming this really stupid song from the 1970s.