But Bryan was gone. There was a boat a few miles past the point and Levi assumed it must be
Fiona's Fancy
. He resigned himself to the outcome and climbed back in the truck.
When Levi looked out on the water again the boat had slipped beyond view from the harbour.
Levi sat in his truck for a half-hour, staring out at the calm ocean. He kept looking at the time, and when it said one o'clock he started the truck. The Anchor Inn would be his next destination.
The Anchor Inn was the oldest bar in Catalina. And it showed. Angie, a thirty-something with big hair and amazing legs, stood behind the bar washing glasses, and smiled at Levi when he came in. No one else was foolish enough to be in the bar at this hour.
“Hey Levi!”
“Hows it going, Angie? Youre looking lovely as usual.”
“Waiting for your boat?”
“Missed me boat.”
“No! Oh my, what are you going to do now?” Angie pointed towards the cooler with raised eyebrows and Levi nodded his head. She took out a Canadian, cracked the stopper, and handed it to him. It was cold and comforting. The slot machines beeped and binged quietly against the wall, their colourful display games rolling down the bright screens.
“Im going to drink,” Levi said.
“Good a plan as any.”
“Im not getting in that truck and going directly back over that road for another two hours again.”
“I dont blame you.”
“Might as well drink as anything else.”
“Might as well,” Angie said absently as she began stocking the cooler. Levi stared at her behind and let his imagination take over. He told her that it didn't matter about the boat anyway because of his new job out west, and he gave her a little crash course as to what welding in the oil sands was all about. Angie seemed, or acted, impressed.
Levi stared down at the machines. “Which slot machine is Barnabys?”
“You cant see it from here. Its in around the corner, the one closest to the ladies washroom. Some fellas plays them all, but not Barnaby. He just uses the one machine. Theyve all got their systems.”
“How much does he spend in it?”
“A lot, Levi. A lot.”
“Like how much?”
“Too much.”
“Thousands?”
“I knows hes your brother but it wouldnt be right.”
“Sure whats going to happen? The boss going to fire you?”
“I am the boss. Thats the problem. I shouldnt be gossiping about my customers.”
“No, I mean the boss boss.”
“Youre looking at the boss boss. Me and my husband bought the bar off Leonard almost a year ago.”
“Yes by. Proper thing.”
“Wer going to do it up though.”
“Dont do it up too much. It wont be the same.”
Levi got off the stool and stared at the machines.
“Which one did you say was Barnabys?”
“Theyre evil, Levi.”
“Im taking a leak. I just wanted to know which one though.”
When Levi rounded the corner a slender woman was sitting on a stool at Barnaby's machine, staring into the pretty computer images flashing at her face. She looked in her mid-forties with wrinkles around the eyes, but no trace of sagging flesh beneath her cheek bones. He had not known there was anyone else in the bar, and without intending he stopped and gawked. She didn't look at him, and he had to wonder if she even knew he was there. He continued on to the washroom and urinated, and because he knew there was a lady just outside the door he turned on the sink and washed his hands as well. When he came out she had moved from Barnaby's machine.
Levi stared at it.
“How much can you put in these things? Whats the maximum for one try I mean?”
“Fifty dollars.”
Levi took two twenties and a ten out of his wallet and fed it into the machine.
“Can you set this up for me? I dont have a clue what Im at.”
The lady set her machine on automatic and got up from her stool. Levi got a better look at her body and was impressed. She still had the figure of a young woman. When she sat on the stool in front of him and set up the game he helplessly peeked down her blouse.
“Just press that button when youre ready. You raise the bet with this button. This machine just paid out a few days ago though. Youre going to lose your money.”
“I know. So why were you playing it?”
“I usually haves one or two tries with every machine before I settles with one. Its a habit I got into. Superstition.”
Levi chuckled. “Nothing wrong with superstition in gambling.”
“Nope.” She got up from the stool and went back to her machine.
Levi raised the bet until his full fifty dollars was on the line. He pressed the roll button. The screen gave the magical illusion of rolling pictures of fruit, treasure chests, and numbers until an X of treasure chests displayed itself on the screen. The treasure chests lit up and spun around.
“Did I win?” Levi said, staring at the blinking lights.
The lady glanced at his screen and her face flushed as she stared back at her own.
“Is that you Sarah?” Angie shouted from the bar.
“Nope, I won!” Levi shouted, peeping around the corner.
“Thats the worst possible thing that could have happened!” Angie shouted at him, grinning. “Remember, evil!”
“Man! How much did I win?” Levi said to Sarah. She didn't answer.
“Hey... Sarah is it? How much did I win? Where does it say?”
“That should be mine,” she said under her breath.
“Five hundred and twenty dollars! Not too shabby. Hey, want a drink? Its on me.”
“Why not.”
Sarah told Levi that she would have a White Russian and while he went to the bar to cash his ticket and get the drink she sat at a table near the wall and stared at nothing. He brought it back to her and put it on her table.
“Youre not going to have a drink with me?” she said, stirring her White Russian with her wedding ring flashing above the straw.
Levi stopped and blushed. “Oh...yeah, why not.”
He sat with her.
“Your beer is still on the slot machine,” she said, nodding across the bar.
“Oh right!” he said, and hopped up, knocking over his chair. He blushed even harder as he put it on four legs again, and went over to get his beer. Sarah was grinning.
“You play the slots much?” Levi said, and regretted asking the question immediately. Of course she played the slots. How could she be in a bar playing slot machines in the middle of the day and not be a gambling addict? She said she played when she wasn't working, and Levi took this as a reasonable excuse. And although the conversation was filled with awkward silences in the beginning, as the day progressed, and the drinks kept coming, Levi became drunk enough to find his voice and his nerve. He drank enough to ignore the subtle looks of warning from Angie behind the bar.
When suppertime came Levi and Sarah ordered take-out from a restaurant up the road called Jack Happys. After that they decided to take a drive. He couldn't help notice how everything seemed more shiny when he drank alcohol in the daytime. Even rocks seemed to glitter a little.
“Should you be driving?”
Levi smiled. “A bit late to ask that now.”
“I should drive back.”
“I dont think so honey. Youve been drinking almost as much as I have anyway.”
“Oh my, hes calling me honey now.”
“Sorry, I didnt mean â”
“Oh I dont mind, from a handsome man like you.”
Levi smiled. He pointed at her wedding ring. “I cant keep it in any longer â”
“Yes, Im married. But it dont matter. Me and me man got a open marriage.”
“You mean you fools around on each other?”
“Its not fooling around if you both agrees to it. Sometimes we even...oh my, I shouldnt be telling this stuff. Shocking. Next thing itll be the talk of the town.”
“Im sure you is now.”
“Yes,” she said, more to herself than Levi. “Im only kidding myself to think anything else.”
“Im joking.”
“I know, but youre right.”
“So what was you going to say?”
“Nothing. Thanks for the meal. Thanks for the drinks too.”
“I hope wer not going to run into your man here. Even if you have got a open marriage.”
“No. Hes out west.”
Levi laughed. “Yes, where else would he be sure. With my luck hes probably on me crew. But what if he did pull in there alongside of us right now in his car. What would he do?”
“He wouldnt like it, but he wouldnt be surprised. He wouldnt kick up a big stink or anything. I dont think he would.”
“You dont think.”
“Well he likes to know ahead of time. How long you been divorced?”
“What if hes going to shag some missus up in camp, do he phone and tell you?”
“Yeah. He do. How long have you been divorced?”
“Not very long.”
“It was her decision?”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because I dont know many that divorced in our generation where it wasnt the womans decision. At least not around here.”
“Me either I suppose.”
“Where do you think you went wrong?”
“I dont know...”
“Yes you do.”
“She said I didnt spend enough time with her. She was right about that part.”
“Well, if the love is lost its lost. But me and me man, we still likes hanging around with each other. We got things in common. Its just that the sex died. So we figured, why not screw around? What difference do it make? We just wants to get off with different people. Different marriages works in different ways. Its not 1955.”
“What do your kids think of it?”
“Oh the kids dont know. One of me daughters is married into a religious family too. She got saved there about two years ago. She definitely wouldnt understand. Shed probably disown me. Shes bad enough now about me playing the slots.”
“How much do you play them slots?”
“Sure I already told you.”
“How much do you play them slots?”
“Fuck off. I gets enough flak as it is. I barely knows you and youre going to start on me too?”
“I hope you dont spend your husbandsâ”
“If you says another word Im getting out of this truck.”
“Sorry. Relax.”
Sarah directed him off the highway down what was basically a well-worn cow-path to a small beach. The beach-rocks tinkled with the tide. Neither spoke for a few minutes and Levi was glad that he was drunk.
“Id never live out here, in Catalina I mean,” Levi said.
“Why?”
“Theres nowhere to hide.”
“Hide from what?”
“From that.” Levi pointed towards the ocean.
“Hide from it? Sure you said you worked on it all your life.”
“Theres no coves, no harbours. No place to own it. Out here the water owns you. Makes me uneasy.”
She laughed. “You want to go then?”
“What? No. No I dont want to go. Im just saying.”
“You seemed a lot more comfortable in the bar than you do now.”
“Im alright.”
“If you say so.”
“Well, its been a long time since I sat in a rig with a strange woman. I was married for close on thirty years.”
“Well Im sure you cheated on her. A handsome man like you.”
“Nope. Not once.”
“Not once? I dont believe you.”
“Seriously. Never cheated on her in me life. I swear to God.”
“I didnt think they made men like you anymore.”
“I knows lots of fellas dont cheat on their wives.”
“Yes, fat or ugly ones. That dont take much willpower now do it. Believe me I knows. Ive tried out a few fellas like that. Never cheated on their wives in their life but as soon as I showed them a bit of attention they forgot they had a wife.”
“You came on to men just to see if they would cheat on their wives?” Levi asked.
“Why not?”
“What did you do when they took the bait?”
“Walked away.”
“Bys oh bys youre a hard case. Make no wonder Angie was trying to warn me.”
Sarah stared at Levi and he shook his head.
“Im saying things I shouldnt be saying. Friggin booze.”
“What did she say?”
“Nothing. She was just teasing me.”
“No. What did she say? Tell me.”
“Nothing. She thinks Im still married is all. Said I should know better.”
“I knows she dont like me. What did she say?”
“Jesus. She just gave me a hard eye, and looked at you, then back at me. Okay?”
“Bitch. She looks down on me for playing the slots, but who in the fuck got them there? She dont need to have them there. Her face lights up like a Christmas tree when she unloads the machines at the end of the night. I watches her. You know she makes enough off them machines to pay for all her overhead?”
“Youre not going to say anything if we goes back there is you?”
“No. Im just sick of hypocrites is all.”
Levi stared at the horizon.
“I got to get the fuck out of this town,” she said.
Sarah suddenly leaned over and began kissing Levi. Her lips were the first he had kissed besides his wife's since he got married. He could not even remember who he had kissed before Anita. He forgot how good kissing could feel. The strange, warm touch. This was more exciting than the last time he had sex with Anita.
When they stopped he sprang back into his regular position behind the wheel, staring out at the ocean, stunned.
“Where did that come from?”
“Well you didnt think I brought you out here to stare at the sunset did you?”
“You wanted to take advantage of me.”
“Yeah, Im like that.”
“I dont think Ive ever met anybody like you, Sarah.”
“Is I the first person you kissed since you got split up?”
“Yeah. Better not be one of your experiments.”