“Look, Matthew,” she said excitedly for his benefit, pointing. “Here comes the tender.” The small boat was motoring fast, halfway between the ship and the shore.
“Is it the captain?” Matthew asked.
“Yes, and some of his crew. Would you like to go down to the beach and meet them?”
“Yes, come on! Let’s go!” He ran ahead.
The tender skimmed onto the sand on a powerful breaker. Two men jumped out to drag the craft out of the water, and then Oliver leaped out as well and strode toward Emma. “Good morning!”
Matthew was running back and forth, jumping up and down in front of the tender boat.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be here,” Oliver said.
“We couldn’t possibly miss the excitement,” she replied, laughing at Matthew.
Oliver’s gaze remained fixed on Emma, and his mood was cheerful and energetic. “I’m so glad.” The members of his crew reached into the boat for a few sacks of supplies and toolboxes. “We came ready to work,” Oliver added. “Allow me to introduce you to the men.”
The crew members approached, and Oliver made the introductions. Then Matthew ran ahead, thrilled to lead the way to the station yard.
“Captain Harris! Do you want to see a dead seal?”
It was lunchtime, and the men were spread out, seated on the back of the horse cart, on overturned crates, or in extra chairs that had been brought out from the station house.
“Truth be told, Matthew, I would,” he replied. “But you’d better ask your mother first. And be sure to invite her along.”
Matthew ran into the station house, where Emma was wiping the kitchen table. “Mom! The captain wants to see the dead seal, and he wants you to come.”
Emma balled the wet cloth in her hand. “Right now?”
“Yes. Can we go? Please?”
Mrs. Jordan pulled the plug from the sink and let the water drain out. “That sounds like fun. Go ahead, Emma. I’ll take care of things here.”
Emma placed the damp cloth next to the sink and followed Matthew outside.
After viewing the smelly carcass down by the water, Emma and Oliver walked together leisurely, a short distance behind Matthew, who was playing tag with the incoming waves.
“Tell me,” Oliver said, “whatever happened to the young wireless operator who was enamored with you when I was here last? His name was Frank, I believe.”
“Yes. Frank O’Reilly. He turned out to be a good friend to me in the end. But that’s the thing about living on Sable Island. Most people only stay for a year or two. So many friends come and go from your life.” Emma sighed and slid her hands into her pockets. “He left shortly after I married Logan.”
“All hope was gone for him, I suppose,” Oliver replied, giving her a meaningful look.
She turned her face toward the wind. “Maybe so. I’ve thought about Frank many times since then. He was a decent person, and I probably would have been better off with him than the man I chose, but then I wouldn’t have Matthew.”
“Everything happens the way it’s meant to.” Oliver bent down and picked up a colorful shell, which he slipped into his pocket. They walked on.
“You know,” he said after a time, “the real reason I wanted to come back here was to see you.”
Emma shot him a look. “Me?”
“Yes. I enjoyed our conversations back then, but I didn’t realize how much until after I left. So, for a long time ...” He paused. “For a long time, I’ve regretted some of the things I said on the day I left. And I’ve also wanted to thank you.”
Two seagulls darted sharply overhead, and he looked up at them.
“Thank me for what, exactly?” Emma asked.
“Well ...” He hesitated. “After the wreck, and from talking to you, I started to think more about life and what a gift it is. Even after the war I never really understood that, but when I left here, I realized that I needed to find meaning somehow. And contentment. So, I decided to stop punishing myself over every little mistake I’d ever made, or things I had no control over, like my wife’s wishes and feelings. I was fully prepared to set her free, with no hard feelings, to pursue her own happiness. But then her father wanted to set the terms of our separation, so I let him. I decided to stop swimming against the current and just enjoy what I could out of my life, even though it’s far from perfect.”
