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Dormer and Clothesline DSC_8705

Dormer and Clothesline DSC_8705

Noah's Lifeboat

It was not the Ark. The Ark was the boat his grandparents named after him. But his grandparents were dead. Also his father was dead. Even his dog had disappeared. That was not unusual but usually he came home. Noah figured a fight somewhere had been the undoing of Sir Barksalot. And so his dormer room was where he was a lot, since his mother's new boyfriend took a lot of her time and attention. And so Noah called it his lifeboat, and thought of it that way, especially when he looked out at the sea through the window.

He was strong. He knew he would make it to land. In the meantime, he had loneliness to understand and incorporate into his being. He knew sadness was not a bad thing. His granny Big Bertha had let him know that. He missed her so, but he felt her strength in his sadness, reaching out to him and through him so he loved the day.

He saw his neighbour Emma Christian walking down the lane, a vague figure in the fog but recognizable by her orange jacket, so he lifted the window and called out to wish her good morning.

“Good morning to you, Master Noah,” she called back. “And will you be coming to mow before long?”

“As soon as the fog lifts and the grass dries out enough. And you, will you be going out today to check the traps?”

“Lord love you, I never get tired of you asking, even though it’s an answer you know.”

“You take care, Mrs. Christian.”

“I’ll take whatever comes my way. I always do.”

She disappeared down the lane, an orange glow being the last of her. It was still in his heart how she and Gillie, her husband, used to go out together, good weather and bad, and how he would walk to their stage and get lobster for supper. That was before Gillie getting parked like an old wreck in front of the television in their house and not knowing who he was anymore.

He left the window open. The invisible sea and the sound of the surf were a comfort. He might be alone in his lifeboat, but he was strong with the strength of those who loved him and had loved him, and he knew in his bones he would make it to land.

13 April 2024
Texas Jim
Prospect, Nova Scotia
www.granitecoast.ca
Category:Travel and Places
Subcategory:North America
Subcategory Detail:Canada
Keywords:Canada, Nova, Prospect, Scotia, clothesline, clouds, dormer, high, post, pulleys, rooftop