Timepiece
Chapter 35

Copyright© 2015 by Old Man with a Pen

“What are you grinning for?” asked Wendy.

“I said that in East Jordan,” said Annabelle.

“I don’t remember you complaining about size,” said Wendy.

“She did,” I said. “She said it was a small boat.”

“Oh sure,” Wendy grouched, “Take the new girl’s word.”

Annabelle grinned again.

Well, she was in the water, afloat. There didn’t seem to be any leaks. The riggers came and tuned the rig. She was still afloat and dry a week later. It feels like time for a watery road trip.

I called the Highway Patrol:

“No. We haven’t found her yet. Why?”

“Itchy feet.”

“Don’t leave the state.”

“What does that mean ... Exactly?” I asked.

“Stay in the legal boundaries of Michigan.”

“How far out in the lake is still Michigan?” I asked.

Well ... that stumped him.

“I’ll have to check.” He said, “I’ll get back to you ... this number?”

“Yup ... only one we got.”

We hadn’t heard a thing a week later.

“We haven’t heard from you and feet wet is calling.”

“God ... I really hate to tell you this...”

There was a really long pause ... long enough that I said, “Still there?”

“Historically ... you can’t set foot ashore on Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota ... or Ontario.”

“That’s a lot of leeway ... I thought there was a border.”

“Those states claim the lakes and it’s never been settled ... exactly,” He said. “It’s because of how long the lakes retain the water.”

“Huh?”

“It takes one hundred ninety one years for Superior to replenish, ninety nine years for Michigan and 22 years for Huron ... if truth be told, Huron and Michigan are one lake ... the Straits of Mackinaw are not a river. Michigan is just a big point dividing the lake.”

“So we’re not limited to Lower Michigan?”

“Can’t go to Lakes Erie or Ontario.” I could hear the chagrin in his voice. “Your attorney would tell you this, if you’d asked.”

“I wanted to clear it with you guys.”

“Now you know ... don’t leave the state.”

“Still haven’t found the old lady?”

“No.”

I disconnected.

“Ladies ... Shopping!”

We motored out the channel two days later. Out past the fifty foot line I raised the main and jib, shut down the engine, turned on the radar and sonar and sat behind the wheel and basked. The girls stripped down and laid out on the foredeck. We headed south for warmer water.

Whitehall, Grand Haven, Muskegon, Holland, South Haven and St. Joseph glided by our port side. We were almost at New Buffalo when...

The professors widow came up from below and said, “Drop me off ashore.”

That was exciting!

 
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