She paused theatrically, possibly expecting applause, or at least a cheer. Instead, she got Ray.
‘Just get on with it, will you?’ he shouted gruffly. ‘We all know the story. It’s far too cold to stand around listening to you prattle on all night.’
She sighed, gritted her teeth into a smile. ‘Thank you, Ray, for your, as always, helpful contribution.’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘On that note, thank you to everyone who volunteers to help maintain the light and to those who donate towards its upkeep. Now, without further ado, I’d like to invite Jim Kelley up to perform the honor this year.’
‘Who’s Jim Kelley?’ Mae asked, as we watched a man in the crowd head up to the light beside Mae’s pedestal.
‘He’s a bit of a local legend around here. One of the few lobstermen who carry on through the winter. Has a larger boat than most of us, so he can head out to Williams Bank for days at a time. I sometimes crew for him in my off season.’
‘Would you like to say a few words, Jim?’ Celia asked him.
‘No,’ he replied gruffly, and that was that.
He stepped up to the light and unlocked the housing. It was a small lamp, unassuming. An old-fashioned kind of lantern-looking thing, perched on a concrete pole. Jim reached inside and fiddled with the light, turning it slightly, aiming it in thedirection of the open sea. Then, without fanfare, he flicked the switch. The light sprang into action, warm and golden, a beacon in the darkness. There was a ripple of applause. A few cheers. I couldn’t count the number of times I’d been at sea in the dark and searched for that light, finding comfort in its presence. Knowing home wasjust there.
‘That’s it?’ Mae asked quietly.
‘You were expecting more?’
‘I had no idea what to expect,’ she admitted.
‘Yes, that’s it,’ I confirmed. ‘The light will run now until the beginning of next winter.’
‘It feels crazy saying we’re through the worst ofthiswinter when it’s literally snowing right now, and I can see ice on the shore.’
‘This? It’s hardly snow. Melts before it even touches the ground. But I know what you mean. And as hard as it is to believe, we are through the worst of it. I mean we will still get the odd storm, guaranteed. But the winter solstice has been and this gives us something to look forward to. When the sun sets before five here, the nights arereallylong.’
‘I know what that’s like,’ Mae said wistfully. ‘I used to go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. Sometimes I wouldn’t see daylight for days, just the artificial lights inside the hospital. It was depressing, and a huge part of the reason why I decided to move here.’
‘You know we have long, harsh winters here too, right?’
‘I know. I meant that’s why I took this job. Normal hours. Weekends free. I just couldn’t handle shift work any more. Like I said, day shifts in winter meant that sometimes I wouldn’t see daylight for weeks. And when you work night shifts, you sleep all day. It’s tough. Physically, over time. And mentally. You can’t have a normal life when you’re working off hours. Or a normal relationship.’
‘But you could have just taken a job in the city with normal hours, couldn’t you?’
‘I could,’ I conceded.
‘So why here?’
‘There were just too many reminders in the city.’
‘Of your ex?’
She pulled a face. ‘He was a doctor at the hospital so yeah, there were reminders of himeverywhere.And that was hard at first. He was the hospital golden boy. Everyone assumed we’d get married one day. Not that we ever discussed it. I guess I started to buy into the hype.’
‘What happened?’
‘I don’t know. I don’t know if he never really loved me, or if he fell out of love, but whatever it was, he just told me one day he was leaving and that was it. But not just me. He left the hospital too. My best friend, Holly, thinks he had some kind of early midlife crisis, but it wasn’t as simple as that. I know he’d always felt a lot of pressure to do well. From his parents, then teachers, professors, employers. He was an incredible doctor. I hope he goes back to it because it would be a huge loss if he didn’t.’
‘He quit?’
‘Took a sabbatical. Last I heard he was travelling around Asia.’
‘Right. So you left the hospital to get away from memories of him?’
