Chapter Ten

Trapper trotted to catch up with Leah who was walking at quite a clip. Taking her arm, he pulled her back into him. “You’re not running a race, and you have no appointments this afternoon. Slow down.”

“Sorry. I should have known you’d have trouble keeping up with me.”

Sucking the inside of his cheek in, Trapper replied, “I’m having no trouble keeping up with you. As a matter of fact, on any other day, you might have trouble keeping up with me…” she snorted, “…but today, you’re supposed to be relaxing instead of rushing to get this over with. Slow down, take a look around you, breath in the salt air.” Shaking her shoulders, he added, “Loosen up. You really don’t know how to relax, do you?” She looked back at him, and sharply cocked her head, popping her neck. “Stop popping your neck like that. You’ll throw it out.”

She took off again, but he grabbed her hand and held it. “Now, slowly. That’s better.” As he swapped sides, he pulled out the hair pin that held her hair up on her head, allowing her blonde locks to fall gracefully over her shoulders. Her hand went up immediately to try to stem the fall, but when Trapper handed her the hair pin, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, giving up. “How clumsy of me,” said Trapper, smiling impishly.

“I suppose if I put this back in…” she said, holding out the hair pin, “…you’ll just pull it back out.”

“Smart girl.”

As they walked down the ocean side of the street, hand in hand, Trapper could feel her slowly unwind as her grip loosened. He stopped in front of a small harbor and looked out into the bay. “Leah, have you ever been out in the bay?”

She looked out wistfully, but dropped her gaze to the ground. “A long time ago. In another life.”

“Tomorrow’s my day off. How about I take you out; maybe do a little fishing?”

“I don’t know. This is all so…awkward,” she said, taking her hand out of his.

“How so?”

Turning to face him, she moved a strand of hair away that had blown across her face. “You’re not my friend. You’re my doctor.”

Squinting in the sunlight, Trapper replied quietly. “Gonzo’s your doctor. There’s no reason we can’t be friends.” She glanced up at him doubtfully, then turned and continued down the sidewalk. “Why can’t we?” he called after her.

“Why can’t we what?”

“Be friends.”

When she straightened, Trapper watched all the rigidity come back. “I don’t have friends. I don’t want friends. I don’t need friends.”

“So what is Mark?”

She stopped and looked ahead at something. “Mark’s different. He’s always been there. It just never changed. Would you excuse me for a minute?”

Grabbing her arm, he said, “Uh uh. You’re not running away from this.”

“Why would I try? You know where I live. I’m just going over to that flower vendor on the other corner,” she said, pointing. “I’ll be right back.” He reluctantly let her go, and true to her word, she bought a bouquet of flowers and came back. “McIntyre, have you ever had fresh crab from a sidewalk vendor?”

Smiling, Trapper said, “A long time ago. In another life.”

“Come on. I’m buying,” she said, winking. Upon turning the corner, they picked their way through a crowded sidewalk lined with vendors selling all kinds of fresh seafood prepared right there in front of them.

Leah stopped and waited until the man behind the counter looked up, and when he did, his eyes brightened. Trapper grinned when he saw the smile she returned; a bright, beautiful, beaming smile that lit up her face and eyes.

“Miss Leah, it’s been much too long. How are you?” asked the vendor.

“Leo, I’m doing well, thank you. How is Carlotta?”

“The doctor says she can come out for awhile if she feels like it. He said her last round of chemo may have done the trick. She was here for awhile this morning with the kids.”

“That’s wonderful news.” Passing the bouquet over the counter, she said, “These are for her. Please give her my well wishes.”

Leo nodded. “Wait. I have fresh crab for you and your gentlemen friend.” Rather than taking a cup of crab from the case in front of him, he took two fresh large cups and lifted a crab out of a big, steaming vat, cracking it and filling both cups with succulent, white crabmeat. Passing them over the counter, he said, “On the house.”

“Leo, that’s too much. Let me pay you.”

“No,” he said, waving his hand and frowning. “You have done so much for my Carlotta. This is the least I can do. You will never pay me for seafood again. Do you hear me? I’d hug you, but I’m a mess,” he said, motioning down at his apron. “Now go before I cry in my vat and make it too salty.”

Leah and Trapper strolled down the sidewalk and crossed at the light. “I’ll have to remember you have a friend here. This crab is delicious.” She looked ahead without responding. “Where are we headed now?”

“Over to Boudin’s for bread. There’s a bench on the other side of the museum with an unobstructed view of the bay. There’s usually a few people fishing back there, and the sunsets are beautiful.” At the checkout at Boudin’s, Leah grabbed a handful of suckers and placed them on the counter. After she paid, they walked through the museum and settled on the bench, watching the people fishing while their children were running all around.

“Miss Leah, Miss Leah,” they yelled and ran up to her at the bench.

One of the children turned around. “Papa?” The fathers lined up on the rail all turned, and seeing Leah on the bench, smiled and nodded. Pulling the suckers out of the bag, Leah handed them out one at a time, waiting each time for the child to say ‘thank you.’ Then she pulled a chunk off the bread loaf in the other bag and offered it to Trapper, after which she pulled one out for herself.

“Leah Haverty, you’ve been lying to me,” said Trapper as he took another bite of his crab.

Looking out across the bay, she asked, “How do you figure?”

“You said you don’t have friends, you don’t want friends, you don’t need friends.”

“These people aren’t my friends. I don’t even know their names.”

“Carlotta?”

“She’s different. Leo and Carlotta have two small children at home. They have no insurance, and Carlotta has breast cancer. Leo’s on that sidewalk, selling crab seven days a week. I can’t imagine what would happen to those children if they lost their mother.”

“So you footed the bill for her treatments…for her children.” She shrugged. “I see. Whether you like to admit it or not, Leah, there is a heart in there, and it’s alive and well,” he said, chuckling.

She continued to face forward. “If you don’t stop looking at me, you’re going to miss the sunset.” The last of the children and fishermen had gathered their belongings and left. The two found themselves sitting quietly, eating crab and bread. Listening to the plaintive cries of the seagulls flying over head and the tranquil lapping of the water against the seawall, they watched until the last sliver of orange dipped below the horizon, sending a slate blue hue over the water and bringing with it a cool breeze.

Leah stood and looked down at her feet. JJ was eight years old. Beth was five. They had no chance at life.” She looked back to the street, squinting in the light of a street lamp. “Maybe these kids will.” Walking away, she dumped the rest of the bread and her cup of crab in a garbage can and continued on.

Standing, Trapper shouted as he watched her go. “Tomorrow morning, bright and early…fishing.”

She just waved and kept going.