Chapter 13

Mom loved Nikki. They hit it off immediately, in ways Mom and Ame never connected. Dinner at Uncle Julius' I spent watching Nikki, Mom and my Aunts plan a shopping trip to DC. My first week, I got to spend touring Nikki around our small town and making love to her in nearly public places. After that, I had to get to work at the dock. The first morning I was up and dressed at five am, Nikki had a fit.

"What am I supposed to do all day?" she yawned.

"Hang out with Mom. Come down ta the dock later. Don't care. I gotta go, Cutie."

After that, she spent more time with Mom and Aunt Elizabeth than with me. By the time it was time for her to leave, I hadn't seen much of her so I really wanted her to stay. She kissed me every time I whined.

"You know I can't stay, Lex. Besides, Mom and me will be back in July. I promise. That'll give me time to work on my tan."

"You can tan here."

"Yes, but I have a job to get back to."

"Quit. You can do better-n waitin' tables."

"Don't start, Lex."

They announced her flight and, reluctantly, I saw her off.

Dad, Uncle Charles and I sat down and read, line-by-line my new contract. The Cards were offering me $430,000 for the season with a $60,000 signing bonus. Plus, a $10,000 a game bonus at the end of the season for every game I was healthy enough to play in — regardless of whether I actually play. $650,000 if I stay healthy the whole season. For a second year, second string nobody, it was a hell of a contract. Uncle Charles wanted a few guarantees put in place but we all agreed that I should sign it.

After that, I spent all my time — happily — as Dock Master.

I took one weekend off in May. Uncle Edward let me take the Davidson Sunset, the largest of the charter boats. I loaded up with over-night supplies for six. Billy arrived first followed by Foster Hodges, Ame's brother-in-law and an ex-back for The 'Skins. Dre Green and Steve Mitchell came out. The last to arrive was Reggie Willis who was a tight end for Minnesota and a college buddy of Steve's. The six of us spent a couple days on the Chesapeake sleeping late, drinking beer, and lying about women. It was a hell of a weekend and we promised each other that we'd definitely repeat it next year.

By late June, I was getting a bit bored. I was working the dock in the off season in part because I planned to work it full time when I retired and part because I didn't have anything better to do with my time. Except tease Gracie unmercifully about becoming a walking beach ball. She and John did a simple wedding one Sunday after church; just sort of tacked it on to the regular service and a cake at the repast with the whole congregation.

"We'd have done it a couple months ago but we wanted to wait til you got home." She told me after Beth caught the bouquet.

I kissed her cheek and tried not to be insanely jealous of Gracie's life. "Thanks. Wouldnna been the same watchin' on video — you wouldnna fit on screen."

She punched my arm. "Asshole!"

"Hey! What kinda language that for somebody momma?"

We went back to acting like we were 4 and 6 instead of a whole lot older until Dad threatened to make us work together for the rest of the summer. It was a good day but it reminded me that Nikki was 3000 miles away and I had no one else to share this moment — or my life — with.

Billy and I weren't really lovers and he had gone home to Atlanta. Ame still wouldn't take my calls. Peter and Gwen were happily married and I wouldn't have fucked with that to save my life. So, no girl, no boy and no football. I might as well be on the dock earning company shares.

In the middle of the day, typically, there was nothing going on at my end of the dock. The boats were all out, morning paperwork was done and nothing more happened until the first boat docked in the afternoon. Then it was a fucking madhouse. But until then, it was quiet. Dull.

Typically. If the weather turned bad, my day went to hell. Then — literally — a couple bad radio calls or some other stupidity and we could have a boat in trouble and lives on the line. That didn't happen often in March but in late summer — during hurricane season — it was a weekly occurrence.

So, vigilance was the watchword. It wasn't an exciting job but around here, it was an important one.

I was reminding myself of all of that yet again while trying not to fall asleep at the desk when the radio popped to life. Routine charter call. I could likely do this in my sleep, I thought, as I updated the computer.

Computerized. Every thing in the office was now computerized. Grandma had fought it tooth and nail while she was alive but once I took over the job, it was the first thing I changed. Now we have GPS on all six boats and Sat phones for damn near every employee. Expensive, yes, but now I can track the position of every warm body on the water.

And make sure every one of 'em comes back warm. Grandma wouldn't have argued about that. In the back room, there's a list of dates etched into the wall in black ink. When we painted the building last year, they left that untouched. It's the list of dates on which Davidson Fisheries lost a man, going back to 1952. The last one was 1984. I'm not trying to add to that list.

I looked at the list for a moment. Every one was a guy who gave his life so this company could spoil me and my cousins rotten. We don't give enough back. I sure as hell don't.

I heard the phone ring and was halfway to the desk when I realized it was my cell. I found it, and called them back.

"Hello?" A frantic female voice answered on the first ring. "Alex? Umm. Hi. Listen, I don't know if you remember me. This is Genevieve Whitlow. I'm..."

"David's assistant." I remember everyone even vaguely connected to Ame. Her father's secretary was a thin, hyper woman with a lot of patience to deal with northern Virginia politics. "Of course. How you been?" I had no clue why she'd call me.

"Yes! Hi. Look, I know this is an off chance, but do you happen to know where Ame is?"

I swear my blood went cold. There was no reason such a simple question should cause such a strong reaction but it did. I hadn't seen Ame in almost a year. Her choice, not mine. David would know that.

"Sorry, no. We, uh, broke up." She broke my life. Same thing. "Why?"

"I can't find her." Genny sniffed loudly and I thought she might be crying. "Amanda's on her way, but she and Foster are in Pittsburgh so I don't know when they'll get here and..."

"Get where?" I sat down. "What's goin' on, Genny?"

She sniffed again. "David had a heart attack." She said more but I stopped listening. David was supposed to be my Father-in-law. Even after Ame dumped me, I still kept David on my speed dial. He got the same e-mailed game updates that my Father got. I loved the guy.

I suddenly realized that she was going on about being alone at the hospital and cut her off. "Ok, Gen, be cool. Ima get someone to cover the desk. When you called Ame, did her message say she was not available or not answering?"

She hesitated. "I'm not sure. I didn't really notice."

"Ok, call her back and if she doesn't answer again, call me and tell me which. I gotta make a couple calls but I'll leave this line open." I hung up and called the main office. Didn't matter who was available just so long as somebody was on the dock in the next ten minutes. I wound up having to yell at a couple people but I got people moving.

Gen called back as I was rushing for my car. "It says not answering."

"OK. Good. I'll get her and meet you at Arlington General as soon as I can."

"I thought you didn't know where she was?"

"I don't, really, but she used to use that message when she wanted to turn the phone off so I'm bettin' she home. Don't worry, I'll find her." I hung up and broke a couple laws driving in to town.

Ame's condo was in a development that had sprung up in the last five years. It looked pretty cheesy to me but then, I grew up in the area and was used to the old Victorian houses that gave the place a lot of historic character. She called it the only civilization in a red-neck dump.

I turned into the lot and nearly hit someone's kid while I was making the hairpin turn down her street. I took the stairs two at a time. At her door, I took a deep breath then banged on it until she opened the door.

Some guy answered.

I forgot why I was there for a minute.

Some tall, thin, scrawny guy answered Ame's door. "Yes?" he said staring at me blankly. He looked all of 16 but I knew Ame well enough to know he had to be older than that.

I thought of a dozen things I wanted to do but eliminated all of them as they'd get me arrested for assault at best. I finally found my voice. "Does Amelia Wilson still live here?"

"Yes." He continued to stare.

"May I see her?"

He glanced over his shoulder. "She's un-unavailable. May I take a message?"

I lost any patience I had. I shoved him out of my way. "Ame?" I shouted, heading for the bedroom. "Get dressed, we gotta roll."

She was in the bedroom, manicure half finished, looking like a goddess. I dropped down to my knees at the sight of her. I had forgotten how beautiful she was. I had forgotten how much I missed her.

"I will never forgive you for this." She said without looking up from her magazine.

"Mistress, please..." I stopped. I didn't know what to say to begin to plead for forgiveness. Then I remembered what brought me there in the first place. "Not me. Genny. It's yo' Dad. He's at Arlington General."

"What?" She sprang up and grabbed her cell phone. She played her messages and swore in Vietnamese. She hung up and started snapping out orders. I stopped being irritated at the kid. We all got in my car and drove the two and a half hours to the hospital.

Every so often, the kid would try to talk to relieve the tension. Ame and I ignored him. After a while, he got the hint. When we got there, I found out what floor her Dad was on and I took Ame to him. David was awake but weak. He recognized us both which was a good thing and introduce us to his nurse as 'my daughter and son-in-law' which almost made me cry for so many reasons it's not funny.

We talked to his doctor.

"Touch and go, I'm afraid." She said. "I've been telling him for years to reduce his stress but, well, he doesn't listen."

"My Father is dedicated to his constituents." Ame said softly.

"Well," the doctor sighed, "I'm sorry. I don't want to give you false hope."

"What the fuck you sayin'?" It slipped out before I could stop myself. "He looks fine."

"He's not." She said flatly. "Frankly, I'm not sure his heart will last the night. I want to do a transplant. Our cardiologist is on his way. Mrs. Wilson, I've been warning your Father for years."

Ame gestured me quiet and nodded. "I understand. May I see him again?"

"Of course."

The kid offered to sit with her. I saw her shoulders tense and release. That's all. "Kid," I said, "Outside." I pushed him out of the room and closed the door behind us. We went down the hall to a waiting room.

"Who are you?" he asked as if his opinion mattered.

"Her ex." I said. David may not make it through the night. I hung my head and prayed for a swift recovery or a peaceful death. I wanted to call Amanda but I figured Foster was driving as fast as he could already.

I did call my family, let them know where I was and made arrangement to be off the dock until this was settled. Peter called and we talked for a while. I ignored the kid unless he headed toward David's room. "Si'down, boy." I said maybe half a dozen times before he sat and stayed put.