Adam's Emotions
The Tramp Islander sat alone at the dock in the dark. It was 9:45 PM. Trace read by a small light over the bench in the pilothouse. A car pulled up near the dock. It was Talei’s car. Adam climbed out. He waved as she drove away.
Adam walked into the pilothouse. “Waiting up for me?”
“Yes and no,” Trace said. “You’re a big boy now.”
“Incredible day,” Adam said. “It is amazing, she has just enough gray in her hair to make her look sophisticated without looking old. She’s not old. And you know what—neither am I.”
“Well,” Trace said, “I did notice you had a little spring in your step when you came aboard.”
“I don’t know how,” Adam said, falling onto the bench. “We must have walked ten miles today; mostly on the beach. That’s hard walking.”
“Wow, Dad, I’m impressed,” Trace feigned pride.
Adam appeared disappointed.
“Dad,” Trace said, “I’m happy for you. I’ve never seen you like this. You're ten years younger today than you were yesterday.”
“I hope there’s not a lecture coming about letting my emotions run wild,” Adam said.
“No,” Trace said, “you’re entitled to have your emotions run anywhere they want to.”
“I don’t want you to think I’m a foolish old man,” Adam said.
“You’re not old,” Trace said. “Your best years are ahead.”
“I’m just going to have a good time,” Adam said. “I’m not going to worry about anything. I don’t care where this goes. If it ends with a phone call tonight, it will still take a month to get the smile off my face.”
They smiled and both sat against the back of the bench.
“So, anything new?” Adam asked.
Trace told him about the confrontation with Cally.
“You handled it well,” Adam said. “Cally is the best at figuring, planning, and acquiring, but he’s not a leader. On his own, lookout. He knows his place, and when you put him in his place, you gained his respect. I'm surprised he hasn’t told us to leave him off on one side of the island and sail around to the other to pick him up and the Franks’ kid.”
“What have you got planned for tomorrow?” Trace said.
“I’m spending it with Talei,” Adam said. “Is that a problem?”
“No,” Trace said, “but I wish you had told me what you were up to today.”
“To be honest,” Adam said, “I thought it was breakfast and I’d be back. She had the whole day planned. We went to some special places. Places we went to thirty years ago. I would have liked to have brought your mother here. The two of them meeting might have been uncomfortable.”
“Did Mom know about Talei and everything?” Trace said.
“Yeah,” Adam said, “your mom and I had no secrets.”
“You sure kept them from me,” Trace chuckled.
“Where is it written, it’s any of your business?” Adam quipped.
“We loaded some more equipment today,” Trace said.
“Like what?” Adam said
“A couple of crates of MREs, three inflatable boats, three outboard engines, five barrels of aviation fuel, and another half dozen crates.”
“It’s like they say, go big or go home,” Adam said. “Cally is preparing for nearly every contingency outside a nuclear attack.”
“He said he has more equipment coming tomorrow,” Trace said, “and that will be it. We’ll be set to go the day after tomorrow.”
“Do you plan on returning this way?” Adam asked.
“You can count on it—and so can Talei,” Trace said.
Adam ran his fingers through his hair.
“It seems you have things on your mind that you thought would never come up,” Trace said.
“It’s the execution,” Adam said, “and timing. I don’t want to rush myself or anyone. We’ll be back in three weeks, more or less. That will be plenty of time for emotions to cool.”
Trace cleared his throat. “Or heat up.”
“Geez,” Adam said, “I’m not a hormonal teenager.”
“Dad,” Trace said, “the person who knows you better than anyone is in a cabin below, Coyote. Friends are for times like this. I’d talk to him.”
“Yeah,” Adam said, “I’ve made very few decisions without his input. He’s the one who talked me out of buying that Camaro for you. Of course, he was thinking more about Sage.” Adam stood. “I’m hittin’ the hay.”
“Dad,” Trace said, “you’re at sea.”
“Okay,” Adam smiled, “hit the rack.”
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