OCR Text |
Show Woodworth/269 the tiller, his body tensed in concentration, and then says, in an undertone that carries over wind or water, or the rubbed protests of a close jibe at a bouey, the muttering of the starting line, "Cast off." Her hands cold and stiff from salt water and wind, she plies loose the knot, feeling the slimey touch of the rope that anchors the floater to the weights, checks the knot on _ -VcrfetoW" the row-boat, and pushes them free. She feels the +"nT"n"7T as the sail catches the wind, leans lower to watch the waves slap slap the side of the boat, and feels the fat droplets of salt cold briney water on her face; the slap slap faster and faster, other boats slipping behind them, they head striaght out, just off the wind, toward a point on the horizon. Her suitcase stands at her feet like an anchor until a blue-uniformed porter comes and wraps tags and stickers on it. "Get your ticket in there," he nods into the airport. "Have a nice flight." The doors open magically in front of her, and she is suddenly overwhelmed by the complexity of the airport mechanics. Everyone seems to have a function, a purpose, and no one knows she is there. But she is there, she makes a difference by being there. J3trfc the airport would still be there, even if she had stayed home, ar at the hospital. What if Ruth gets worse? Or if something happens to Ned or to tAegan? They will call her, if they need her. She doesn't need to stay there. It will happen if it happens. The family did go on after Jake died. Is she any more vital? Even though a part was missing, the machine functioned. It was just different. Before, it was her and Jake, and then the rest of them. |