Forever: A Lobster Kind Of Love (10 page)

“Mrs. Dacanay, I am going to need you to come with me.” The State Trooper escorted me down the basement hallway of the hospital to the coroner’s office. I was in a daze and felt like I was outside of myself, hearing their voices but they weren’t talking to me. They were talking to her, that other me with the dead eyes. I had to stand here in front of this window to identify Mason and Braxton before they released their bodies to the funeral home.

“Am I going to be allowed inside?” I asked the trooper.

“No ma’am. Not until they are released and treated by the mortician. It’s health code policy. I’m sorry.”

The coroner pulled back the curtain on the other side of the window and…

I sprung up in bed, disoriented, confused, shaking, and gasping for breath. Forcing my eyes wide, I took in my surroundings. This was not the morgue. This was my new home in Maine. I looked at my phone screen and it read 3:00 am. 

I needed Tonya. I dialed her and she answered in a groggy slurred voice “Hello? Lydia? Are you okay?”

“No.” One word was all I could muster as my throat constricted and my nerves got the best of me. 

“Lydia, breathe. Take a deep breath. I want to hear it. If I don’t hear you breathe, I will be forced to get in my car and drive 600 miles to hug you…Lydia, can you hear me?” 

 “Tonya, I’m not okay. What am I doing here? What was I thinking? I can’t stop the dreams.”

“Deep breaths, Lydia. I love you so much. You are so strong. There is no reason to look back when you have so much to look forward to. Please, don’t give up.”

“I’m trying. I’m here.” I rub my eyes trying to erase the vision of my boys on the slabs. 

“Try to get some sleep. I will call you from work later and check on you.”

“I’m so sorry for waking you up. Thank you for reassuring me and always being there for me.”

“I said it before, and I will say it again: anytime, day or night, I will be there for you. Just say the word and I will totally hop in my car and come see you.” 

“Thanks, sweetie. Good night, talk to you later.”

“Good night, Lyds.” Damn, now I felt bad for waking Tonya up. My friends were my saving grace. 

That dream had done a real number on me. Talking to Tonya had helped, but there was no way I could go back to sleep. I might as well get up, make coffee, and shower. 

Today, Ethel and I were going into town. I knew she was a bundle of stories, but in the end, she was my angel in disguise, and I was grateful for her. 

It was early Sunday as I sat on my couch, gazing out the window to the beautiful sight of the water. It was so calm and the sun would rise soon. I grabbed my Kindle and figured I would try to read a little bit. Next thing I knew, I heard a knock at my door and looked at the time. Wow, two hours later and Julie Morgan’s
Bobby Ray
had me in a tizzy. I answered the door and smiled at Ethel.

“Good Morning, Ethel. I am not quite ready yet, I got caught up in a book.”

Ethel was all dressed and ready to go and I was still in my pajamas. “It’s all right dear. I wasn’t sure what time you wanted to head into town.”

“Give me thirty minutes and we can head out.”

“Don’t bother eating. We will have a nice breakfast at the diner. I have some coffee made already. Give me your travel cup and I will have it ready for you.” This woman was a gem. I handed her my tall travel cup, and she went back to her side. I quickly washed up and got myself ready. I didn’t want to keep Ethel waiting. I threw on a t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and my comfy shoes. I didn’t bother with makeup and threw my hair up in a messy bun.

I ventured toward Ethel’s and found her waiting for me in her kitchen.

She handed me my travel cup. “Are you ready, dear?”

“I’m ready when you are.”

She looked a little disconnected today. Last night, she’d seemed so excited to get to town. As we started down the driveway, Ethel sat in the passenger seat with her seatbelt fastened and quietly gazed out the window. This had to be hard: being a widow and four miles from town without a car, but we were going to have a great day.

It was a short and silent drive into town. We pulled into the Waco Diner parking lot and she broke the silence.

“Life changes every minute, every day. You look for love, you find love, you lose love, you laugh, you cry, you have your ups and downs. You love life, you hate life. But in all of everything, you find yourself going on with life, no matter what is thrown at you.” She didn’t direct her statement at me or even look at me; she continued to gaze out the window a few minutes more. Honestly, I didn’t even know what to say to that.

She turned to me then and said, “Let’s go eat and get this day started. This old lady is not getting any younger!” With a spring in her step and a smile on her face, she slid down the seat until her feet touched the ground and waited for me to join her. Whatever was weighing on her mind in the car had disappeared and Ethel’s spunky demeanor had returned. She looped her arm in mine and we walked toward the diner.

When we entered, it seemed like all eyes were on us. I saw mixed looks of disbelief and surprise. Then, an older gentleman came over to Ethel and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Welcome back, Ethel. We’ve all missed you around here. Good to see you, doll. Who’s your pretty escort?”

“Thank you, John,” Ethel said. “I have missed you, too and our lovely lunches here. I would like you to meet my new friend, Lydia. She moved into my east apartment. Please let the boys know she is with me and to take care of her when she comes in. I may not always be with her, but if she will have me, I will be coming around more often.”

“Of course, Ethel. Anytime you want, I would be happy to bring you to town.” I looked at John and extended my hand to shake, but he glared at me until I dropped my hand.

“Young lady, I don’t know where you came from but we don’t do that handshake thing. That is for the banker. Are you a banker?” he questioned with a perked eyebrow.

“No sir, I’m a nurse.”

“Well, then we greet each other with hugs around here. I will let you off the hook this time, but next time we meet, I will have a hug, okay?” He nodded and winked at me then bellowed toward the back of the diner. “Hey Tom, look who’s back! Come give Ethel a squeeze.” He called over to the burly older man seated with the group of seniors. We proceeded slowly toward the corner booths that held large groups as Ethel hugged each person along the way like a wedding reception line.

The conversation flowed, and I found it hard to follow at times as everyone spoke at once and caught up on not only the week’s events, but everything Ethel apparently missed in her absence from their weekly lunch outings. Everyone was very friendly and readily included me in their conversations, explaining things that I didn’t quite understand along the way. After we devoured our breakfast platters, overflowing oval plates with eggs, cubed home fries with corned beef, fresh link sausage, fluffy buttermilk biscuits, and a jar of homemade orange marmalade, the waitress cleared the table and thanked us for coming.

“What about the check?” I whispered to Ethel as our breakfast companions started saying their goodbyes.

“Oh sweetheart, don’t worry yourself about such small things. It’s taken care of,” Ethel said with a bright smile.

“Thank you for the kind gesture, but I can pay my own way.”

Ethel patted my cheek. “It’s included in the rent package, right, John?” She turned to John to grab his attention “Hasn’t everyone who ever rented from my Harry received the full meal plan?”

“That’s right,” he agreed, “Anyone with Ethel is family. Welcome to Eastport, Lydia. We may not be blood, but we are as close knit as they come. We have to stick together around here.”

“Sweet girl, open your heart, and amazing things will happen. You will see. Trust this old lady.” She winked as she told her friends good bye.

John grabbed her for another embrace. “We really missed you, Ethel. We knew you needed time and time has done you well. You look good and I am happy to see you smiling again. Please, come visit more often. I could get one of the boys to come get you.”

“Thanks, John. I will be back.” She looked over at me as she elbowed John. “I have Lydia. I promise I won’t be a stranger anymore. I just needed a little time after Harry passed. I’m happy. John, you tell those boys down on the docks to come visit this old lady anytime. They will always be my family.” They shared another hug, and it nearly brought me to tears.

“Now get Lydia and me two coffees and we will catch up more another time. We have some sightseeing to do today. I have to show this young lady off…I mean around.” She winked at her friend as he gave me another look from head to toe.

With our takeaway coffees in hand, we walked across the square to the library. We headed over to the “Recent Arrivals” section, and a short gray-haired woman approached us with one hand on her hip and the other firmly planted on her floral printed cane.

“Ethel Greenway, you’re back! It’s so good to see you out and about again.” Ethel looked up from the paperback she was browsing and turned to face this small, determined woman. “Cassandra, nice to see you again.”

“Our book club has not been the same without you. Sending reviews on books and a few comments is just not the same! If Joe picks you up, will you come out and join us again on Tuesday night? And who is this lovely young lady with you? Hello dear!” She continued to talk and when she stopped for a breath, I introduced myself.

“Hi, I’m Lydia.” Ethel sent a smile in my direction and took a deep breath.

“Cassandra, I am so sorry it took so long for me to get back into town. I would love to see you ladies on Tuesday. Please send Joe. I will be ready.” With a wave of her hand, Ethel made the formal introductions. “Lydia meet Cassandra, Eastport’s librarian and local gossip for the last sixty years. She knows everyone’s business. Don’t feel you need to answer her questions, she is wicked nosy. A simple ‘no comment’ will do or it might end up in the
Eastport Times
.”

Cassandra shot daggers at Ethel and then turned to me with rapid fire. “You are not from around here. I know everyone in this town. So where are you from? What brings you to Eastport? How did you end up with Miss Ethel?”
This woman must breathe through her ears
. Weren’t librarians supposed to be quiet?

“I’m from a small town in Pennsylvania called Nazareth.”

“What made you come here? I don’t think we are on most maps.”

I thought to myself,
Ethel wasn’t kidding; Cassandra is nosy as fuck
. “I am a home care nurse and transferred here. We loved it when we vacationed here a few years ago.”

Cassandra opened her mouth with her next barrage of questions but Ethel spoke up instead. “Tell Joe I will be waiting for him on Tuesday. We have more things to do today. We will catch up some more then.” Ethel threaded her arm in mine and led me out of the library.

I worked on calming the edging anxiety as we ended up on the pier. We sat on the bench in silence and watched the boats in the harbor.

Ethel broke the silence. “I Googled you, so you know,” she stated. “Couldn’t just let a stranger move into my house. I might be old, but I’m not crazy.”

My jaw must have been hanging at this point and she continued. “Stop worrying, Lydia. Apparently Nazareth is just as small and gossipy as Eastport.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at that as I recalled the interrogation from Cassandra.

“This old lady may not come to town too often, but I can work that computer. I keep myself updated. Eastport has one of those Facebook pages, you know.”

I looked over at Ethel as tears slowly leaked down my face. She continued to gaze out on the water as the ships glided across the harbor.

“Thank you for stepping in back there with Cassandra. I was unprepared for her line of questioning.”

Ethel grabbed my hand and held it on her lap. “Oh she is just nosey. Just remember, don’t shut your heart up in a cage. You have to let people in eventually. Trust me, sweetheart, there is more than enough room.” She gave my hand a squeeze and stood up, pulling me with her.

“Now come on. We have places to go. I’m not getting any younger.” Ethel walked away from the pier and back toward town.
It looks like we were done here
.