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Show Fair Forever 137 I open my palm. The small boat-key is warn, almost black with age, smelling of copper and sweat. It has a history of its own. A life. "I'm glad you came out yesterday-out on the bay. I would have worried, not seeing you again." He looks over the water, takes a deep breath. "I thought Amanda had come back," he says, looking down at his hands. We gaze at the bay, deep blue against a pale sky; a few white boats scattered on its surface. The lighthouse blinks, far away, barely visible. "Thanks for the carvings," I say. "They look great on my desk, all arranged together." "Still haven't seen The Great Turtle?" he asks. , "Maybe he went to France," I say. "Or maybe to Florida." He points to a chair, motioning me to sit. I asked Amanda that same question the next evening, after she rowed out in a rain storm. We were sitting on my catwalk, watching the night. Has Cornelius decided about France?' I asked. She shook her head, We sat for a long time without speaking. I watched for fireflies. Amanda began to hum the French lullaby. '1think I'd like to learn trench,' I said. 'Maybe I'll take it in high school. 'Oh, French is beautiful!' she encouraged: 'It's soft and quiet, like a baby learning to talk.' She tried to teach me a few words. I wasn 't very good. 'The R 's are hard,' she explained. 'That's why Mom taught me that lullaby. She said it gives good practice.' 'What does the song mean?' I asked 'You never told me.' |
