Fire and Spark

Fire and Spark

  By L. H. Singer

  rev 2

  Copyright L. H. Singer 2013

  Cover design by L. H. Singer

  Chapter 1

  The phone rang.

  Jenni looked up from sorting fishing lures, eyed it suspiciously, then looked at Emilia. "You can get that," Jenni said.

  "Could be a man," Emilia said. "After so long without one, I figure you're checking out that come by."

  "You think I'm nuts?" Jenni said. "Men are something I'm going to avoid for a while. At least till my divorce comes through."

  "Avoid men at a fishing lodge? I wouldn’t count on it." Emilia reached for the phone, smiling. "You know, it's darn hard to get good help these days."

  "Isn't that the truth." Jenni added. "Technically, of course, you're the help at the lodge, and I'm just the helper's help."

  "And lippy, too," Emilia laughed. "I guess I'll let you clean cabin 12. Besides, it's probably just your ex calling anyway."

  "That," said Jenni, leaving the rest of the lures on the glass countertop, "isn't funny. It makes cleaning up cabin 12 seem like a picnic." But Emilia was already on the phone, saying "Two-and-a-Half Pine Resort; how may I help you?"

  A bald man who'd been inspecting maps in the lodge store nodded to Jenni as she headed for the door to the lodge deck. He had gray curling hair around an expanse of baldness and a short, curly beard. Jenni remembered that her father had once made a joke about bearded bald guys, “He’s not bald; he just has his head on upside down.” Jenni looked down the lake sadly; her father had died the year before, not, as he’d wished, fighting a monster fish on some remote lake but slumped over his desk at work. He and Jenni had had a lot of good times on the lake, when she was young, and once she’d got past her teenage years. Her father had known small boats, wilderness craft, and men – and he’d advised her not to marry Julio. Jenni missed him.

  "Has the place changed hands?" the bald man asked. He was wearing a green checked sports coat with things sticking out of various pockets. His glasses were on top of his head, and he caught them as they fell off (bald guys shouldn’t put glasses on their heads, Jenni decided). "I'm used to Bob and Ellen being here," the man said, still holding the map." He seemed rather concerned. Must be a regular, Jenni decided, but wondered why he needed a map, then.

  "Oh, an aunt of Bob's died and left him a small place in Florida," she said. "They've gone down there for a couple of weeks to check it out. And besides, I guess Bob hurt his back a couple of weeks ago, so he's glad of the rest and relaxation."

  "Kind of hot down there in September," the man smiled, still holding a map of Hawk Lake. "But I suppose they'll have air conditioning." He waved at the lake. "Can't get a prettier place than this. Anywhere.”

  Jenni looked at the view. A lake, sparkling in the sunlight. There were a few scattered islands and a shore mostly lined with fallen logs and branches, the forest leaning over the water. A few cottages, with docks and boats, poked out of the woods. Part of the shoreline was done in granite cliffs. Some birds doing things only birds understood.

  There were most of a million lakes in Canada, and most of them looked much the same. A few hundred had cottages and fishing lodges on them. To Jenni, it was all very familiar. Personally, she thought Bon Echo or Weslemkoon lakes were at least as pretty, but wasn’t going to say so. "Got that right,” she said. “Now I've got a cabin to clean up." She took a deep breath of the fresh air.

  "That's the one with the party last night? My sympathy.”

  "That's the one." Jenni shook her head and sighed. "They seemed like such a peaceful bunch, too." A seagull squawked at something and a bluejay yammered warnings from a tree while watching the lodge's cat nose his way through the tall grass.

  "And you're taking care of the place until Bob and Ellen get back. Well, I don't envy you the cleanup."

  "Actually," Jenni said, "Emilia's a friend of Ellen's, and she volunteered to take care of the place for a couple of weeks. I'm just helping her. I figured September's kind of slow, so I could fake it that long."

  "Ah. So you won't know where the fish are biting this week?"

  "I suspect you’d be a better judge of that than I would. I’ve never fished this lake.”

  “Well, I have,” the man said. “Every September I come here. I buy a new map and mark on it the places I go and the places I catch fish. Then I tack the map to the basement wall. Brings back a lot of memories.” He looked around conspiratorially. “I don’t often catch anything, but that doesn’t bother me any more. Peace and quiet, you know.” For a moment Jenni thought he was going to wink.

  Jenni stuck out her hand. “I’m Jenni, and on behalf of Bob and Ellen, who I’ve never met yet, I welcome you back to Hawk Lake.”

  The man laughed. “Lenny Everson. A pleasure to meet you.” He shook her hand. “Is Lonnie around?”

  “Lonnie,” Jenni said. “our handyman. He said he’d be a bit late today, but he should be here any minute. If you don’t want to wait, just take a boat and go.”

  “All my stuff’s in boat 19,” Lenny said. “All I need is some gas.”

  “Take the gas can from boat 8,” Jenni said. “We had it ready to go yesterday for the guys in cabin 12, but they left.”

  “Thanks!” The bald guy put on a bright hat and started down the steps to the docks. She watched as he more or less fell into his boat, spilling most of his fishing tackle. His new map fell into the water, and he fished it out and shook it off. Seeing Jenni on the deck, he waved, then got the motor going. For a moment he went nowhere, but then remembered to untie the boat from the dock. It was worth watching.

  It is pretty, Jenni decided, but it’s not as peaceful when you can’t get out on the water, as she promised herself again that she’d take the canoe out for half an hour just around sunset. She watched the lodge’s cat stalking sparrows by the birch grove. For a moment she couldn't decide whether she was happy that the lake was so pretty, or sad that the days of fishing similar lakes with her father were gone. She decided not to think of the canoeing trips she'd done with Julio before her marriage had all gone wrong.

  In the end, she decided to accept the whole scene for its peace and get on with cleaning up cabin 12. Down at the shoreline, a motor roared to life, and the bald guy backed his boat away from the docks, then turned it towards the east shore of the lake. He turned and waved at Jenni; she smiled and waved back, hoping he caught at least a few bass.

  Cabin 12 was across the creek by way of a small bridge and up the hill, with a partial view of the lake. The rooms attached to the lodge all had a front-on water view, but the cabins were further back, and most were back in the trees. You could walk from the lodge to the cabins, but if you wanted to drive, you had to go back down the road a bit and take a smaller driveway to one side.

  The guys who'd rented the cabin the day before had paid cash in advance. They seemed like a nice pair of middle-aged fishermen, eager to get to bed early so they could get onto the lake early the next morning. Lonnie had nodded wisely as they signed in, but after the two men had gone to the cottage, he said, "Drinkers, not fishers." Lonnie wasn't big on long conversations. "You'll need a mop," he'd added before going home for the night.

  Lonnie'd been right, of course. It had been party time at the cabin, and one of the guys had phoned the lodge the next morning saying they'd changed their minds about fishing and were checking out.

  Jenni carried some extra cleaning equipment as she walked to the cabin. She passed the fish-cleaning station, with its old sink and its pail for discarded fish parts. From the smell, she concluded that at least some of the lodge's guests had caught fish.

  They'd left the key in the door. Jenni looked inside, sighed, and started the cleanup. Well, she said to herse
lf, you wanted to get away from things for a while. She turned on the radio and got out a couple of plastic garbage bags, one for the bottles and cans, and the other for the rest of the stuff scattered around.

  It was a typical cabin, both the structure and the interior dating back several decades. People who wanted more luxury than old appliances and linoleum flooring could find it at other lakes, but not at the Two-and-a-Half Pine Resort.

  It was almost relaxing, once she got past the mess, because there weren't many decisions to make. There wasn't significant damage to the cabin – nothing Lonnie couldn't patch – and nothing more than a couple of rolls of toilet paper stolen, so there'd be no hunting down the two "fishermen". But their license plate number would be added to The List, and shared with other cottage rental owners. These two jokers would be paying by credit card for a long while.

  Eventually Jenni had the cabin in a reasonable shape and had left a note on the table for Lonnie, listing suggested repairs. Her back aching a bit, she straightened up then dragged the two garbage bags to the porch overlooking the lake. She put the cleaning stuff back into the closet, and began the walk back to the lodge office.

  In the office (which was also the store) Emilia was behind the counter poking at a laptop. A couple of boys not yet into their teens were trying to decide whether to buy a magazine or just peruse it to death. Emilia had an opened bottle of ginger ale beside her; she looked up as Jenni entered. "How was it?"

  Jenni made a face. "I've seen worse. Couple of patches by Lonnie and it'll be fine for the hordes who'll show up on the weekend."

  Emilia laughed; in early October serious fishing types showed up, but in September the summer crowds were back at jobs and schools, and there was a quiet space. "Sad to report that your ex didn't phone. and no blue Buick SUVs showed up, so you must have lost him. I wouldn’t have known what to tell him, anyway. How lonely you were, maybe?"

  "Well, tell him if he shows up, I'll use his balls for catfish bait."

  The phone rang. "Two-and-a-Half Pine Resort; how may I help you?" Emilia said, still laughing. She listened a bit. "Okay. No, we haven't seen him yet, but I'll pass the message along if we see him. You're welcome."

  "Customer coming?"

  Emilia shrugged. "Somebody named Annie Canning. She says a guy named Matt Canning is planning to put a canoe in the water this afternoon, and go camping. She thinks he's going to park here and be gone for a couple of nights."

  "Keeping track of him, is she?"

  "Probably making sure he's actually going fishing. Alone. Not," she added, "that I can imagine a guy sneaking off to go fishing with a love interest. Actually, she seemed concerned that there might be a storm coming in. Wanted to warn him."

  At that point Lonnie came in. A tall skinny guy missing a couple of fingers, Lonnie had the ability to look shifty and threatening at the same time. His habit of wearing brightly checked jackets didn't add anything to his level of sophistication, but Jenni had learned that people who knew him would trust him with their lives. He was endlessly helpful and dedicated not just to the lodge but to the satisfaction of its customers.

  "Hey, Lonnie," Emilia asked him. "Is there going to be a storm tonight?"

  Lonnie scratched his leg. "Maybe. There are a few nasty thunderstorms coming in from Michigan. They'll probably miss us – they're small, and they're supposed to go south of us, but you never can be sure of these things. How's things here? Sorry I'm late today; son-in-law problems I couldn’t avoid."

  "There's a bit of patching in cabin 12," Jenni told him, "and I told boat 19 he could have the gas from boat 8."

  "Told you those guys weren't going to fish," Lonnie said.

  "That you did," Emilia admitted. "Are there any catfish in this lake?"

  "A few. Why?"

  "Oh, Jenni says if her ex shows up, she'll use his balls for catfish bait." Emilia looked at Jenni, who was just a bit embarrassed.

  "Sounds like a plan." Lonnie said. "Let me know if you need me to hold him down for the gelding." Lonnie was on whatever side Jenni was on, simply because Bob and Ellen trusted her. He left to check out cabin 12 and to do whatever other chores needed doing.

  "How will I know if Julio shows up?" Emilia asked. "Or shall I get out the baseball bat for every guy driving a Buick in case he's your husband?"

  Jenni looked around the room. The two kids were contemplating the ceiling. "If there's a guy with a blue Buick and a blue canoe on it, just call me."

  "You never did tell me what you happened between you and your ex, you know. How long since you two parted?"

  "About six months before you and I met at that night course in Spanish. That's a few years back." Jenni looked uncomfortable. "I was with Julio for almost two years, I guess."

  "Turned out to be incompatible, did you?"

  "Well," said Jenni, "if you meet him, you'll like him. Most people do. He'll probably tell you how much he loves me and how he can't live without me." She hesitated.

  "Sounds like a winner, so far." Emilia called over the two boys, who approached nervously. "Look," she told them, "I usually catch a small fish for Hank Dayton about this time of day." Seeing their puzzled looks, she added, "Hank's the cat."

  "The big yellow one?" one kid wanted to know.

  "That's the one. I'll trade a big bag of chips for a small fish for the cat. Has to be less than this long." She spread out her palm and indicated the distance between the tip of her thumb and the tip of her little finger. "But not much smaller. Think you can do it?"

  "I guess we can give it a try," the chubby kid said. "Do you care what kind?"

  "Nope. Hank's a pretty easy cat that way. Do you need a fishing rod?"

  The kids both shook their heads. "Dad left a spare one up at the cabin," one kid said. In a moment they were gone, calling each other names and pounding each other on the shoulder.

  "I don't remember you catching fish for the cat," Jenni said.

  "Made that up. Just trying to keep those kids out of trouble. Cruel of their father to go fishing without leaving them a computer connection. Child abuse, it is. Anyway, I think Hank'll eat fish. Hope so, anyway."

  "Surprised they didn't go out with the father."

  "I'm not. The guy's a bit compulsive and I imagine going around in circles for a few hours in a small boat loses its excitement pretty quick for a kid. Now where were we?"

  Jenni smiled. "Julio thinks he loves me."

  "Still?"

  "I get a message from him from time to time, or did till I got an unlisted number. I was going to get a court order to keep him away, but it's been quiet for the last few months."

  "Too much love for you, was it?"

  "Wrong kind." Jenni stared over the trees. "He told me I was all his world. He also told me I was stupid. And ugly. And had no talent." She looked Emilia in the eyes. "Not to mention a lousy lay and a poor excuse for a cook."

  "He said those things?"

  "Oh, yes. He'd say them, and apologize, but it was as if he was sorry for pointing them out, not sorry that he ever thought any of those…. thoughts… were wrong or anything."

  Emilia shook her head. "I've heard of guys like that, but I never dated one, that I know of. I knew a lot of guys in rehab, but addicts tend to be a little more self-absorbed."

  "Aren't addicts interesting?"

  Emilia shook her head. "Pretty much all the same. A few exceptions, maybe, but they're so tied up in their own world that everybody else's problems are way down the scale. Other people seem a bit shadowy and unreal to a drunk. There are a few exceptions, as I said, but fighting addiction's like living in a house with a dragon; other things seem less important than not being eaten for supper."

  "You seem to have survived it," Jenni noted. "And you and Jack seem pretty happy together."

  "Had a lot of help. Some darn good people and a friend or two." Emilia laughed. "And Jack, of course. Hey, here comes somebody with a canoe." She pointed outside, where a tan-colored Hyundai with a yellow canoe was just pullin
g up to the lodge.

  "A customer!" Jenni squinted. And he's got a new windproof jacket and a pair of new clean pants with pockets everywhere. Business is looking up."

  "Maybe a bit, but canoe people aren't big spenders as a rule. Anyway, what do you instantly know about a well-dressed man? His wife is good at picking out clothes. My compliments to Annie" She laughed. "Then again, he didn't bring her, so maybe your love life is going to pick up." She watched as the man stretched, then started up the stairs to the office.

  "Gee," Jenni said. "Do I have time to get a boob job?"

  "You don't need one," Emilia chided her.

  "Okay, a nose job."

  "There's nothing wrong with your nose!"

  "Good nose; for the wrong face. I figure changing the nose would be easier." Jenni laughed and picked up a magazine as the man came into the office, the door tingling the bell mounted above it.

  The man hesitated, looking at Emilia, then said with a smile, "You must be Ellen."

  "Actually," Emilia said, "Ellen and Bob are away for another week. I'm handling the desk till then. My name's Emilia." She pointed over towards Jenni. "The chick over there is Jenni, and she's hiding behind a magazine because she needs a nose job."

  Jenni laughed, lowered the magazine, then said, "Matt! My gosh, I haven't seen you since grade six!"

  Matt looked a bit confused, until Emilia said, "She also needs a brain transplant to rework her sense of humour. We got a call from Annie that a guy named 'Matt' would be showing up, and Jenni's just trying to pull a fast one on you. Right, Jenni?"

  Jenni laughed again. "It seemed a good idea at the time. Welcome to Two-and-a-Half Pine Resort. How can Emilia help you while I'm doing as little as possible?"

  "Ah… Okay. What did Annie want? Is there a problem?"

  "Apparently, she's concerned that there's some nasty weather coming in tonight, and felt you should be warned before going off canoeing all over the darn place. That's all."

  Matt looked relieved. "Okay. Had me worried for a bit. I have a phone, but I'm planning on not turning it on unless I need to." He looked around. "Is there any way to confirm the weather?"

  Emilia tapped on the keyboard, then turned the screen towards Matt. "Here's the King City radar plot; it's as close as we can get." She pointed. "This is a band of thundershowers coming our way. Probably get here about dark, maybe a little later."

  Matt nodded. "Sure looks like it's got Hawk Lake in its sights."

  "You'd probably be okay," said Jenni, "if you've got a good campsite by the time it gets here. Assuming it doesn't deke to the south." She looked at Matt. "You wouldn't want to be out on the water unless you're a good canoeist."

  Matt looked lost for a moment, then said to Emilia. "I know motorboats pretty well, but I don't know much about canoeing." He pointed out the window. "Just rented that canoe for a few days." He seemed to reach a decision. "Got a room for the night?"

  "No problem." Emilia got out the registry. "In the high season we ask for a minimum of three nights, but at this time of year, we'd probably book people in for a couple of hours." Matt didn't laugh, so she added, "Just joking."

  There was a noise at the door and the two boys came in with a plastic bag. "Three fish," said the larger of the boys. We only got little ones, so we caught three." The fish in the bag weren't much bigger than guppies.

  "That'll do," said Emilia. "Grab yourselves a bag of chips, and I'll throw in a couple of cans of ginger ale if you'll find the cat and feed him the fish." The process of decision took a few minutes. Matt took the opportunity to make a call.

  "Hi," he said, "it's me. Look, I'm at the Hawk Lake launch place. Yes, Two-and-a-Half Pine Resort they call it. I'm going to spend the night here. I'll take off in the morning. Sure. Thanks for the warning. Bye."

  Men, thought Jenni. Such great conversationalists. And so darn affectionate. She turned away and rolled her eyes. "Your personal weather warning unit," Jenni said, but Matt just looked away.

  "You," Emilia told Matt, "have the choice of a cabin or a lodge unit."

  "What's the difference?"

  "Cabins are roomier and have more facilities, but they don't have as good a view of the lake. And they cost more, because poor Jenni here, the one who thinks she needs a nose job, has a tougher time figuring out how to clean them. She's a professional when she's otherwise employed, and without instructions, well, she's just lost." Emilia winked at Jenni. "

  "I'll take a lodge unit, then." Matt took a quick look at Jenni's nose, then looked away.

  "Great. We'll give you the one with the best view, at our best rate." Emilia brought out the registry. "Jenni; would you get the raccoons out of number three?"

  Jenni groaned. "Are the coons in there again?" She was almost laughing.

  "Be gentle with them; we were saving them for tomorrow's supper." Emilia looked at Matt. "A person can get tired of fresh fish at this place."

  "Well," said Matt, "If the fish those kids had are typical, I can see why you're eating raccoons."

  "Should we turn the electricity on, or will a candle do you?" Jenni laughed, but Matt just looked away without response. Jenni shrugged and left. As she went out the door, she could hear Emilia and Matt talking about the weather.

  Room three wasn't large, but it would have all Matt would likely need. There was a stove, fridge, and TV. Jenni checked for signs of invasion by any critters and found none. She opened windows and doors at each end, to air the place out, then put clean linen on the double bed. Matt's reaction to her annoyed her, but not much. He was, after all, just another married man passing through. She did pause to wonder why Annie didn't come with him. Maybe Annie had other interests.

  She took a last look around, then, on impulse, gathered some late-season asters from behind the lodge and put them into a glass, which she set onto the table. She couldn't figure out why she did it, except that maybe Matt what's-his-name was annoying her by ignoring her. She was, after all, not flirting or anything like that; she was just trying to be friendly.

  When she got back to the lodge office, she saw Emilia and Matt out on the deck overlooking the lake. They were talking and watching the cat stalk another sparrow. She was trying to decide whether to join them or not when she heard cars tires crunching on the gravel in the laneway. She was at the desk when two boys and two girls, came in. Two men and two women, she tried to correct herself, but even though these were in their late teens or early twenties, somehow, with a past marriage and an impending divorce coming up, Jenni felt she was now on the other side of some line.

  "We'd like to launch a couple of canoes and park here for a couple of nights," the tallest boy said.

  "Going camping," a girl added. "How much is it?"

  Jenni smiled. "We don't charge launching fees for canoes," she said, "but the parking's five dollars a day per car."

  "Only one car," the tall boy said. "That'll be fifteen dollars, then?"

  "Ten dollars," said Jenni. "We charge for twenty-four hours of parking, depending on when you get here. And if you're a bit late when you get back, we'll never notice."

  "Sounds good. It's nice to find a place where they don't charge for canoes."

  "Some places do; some don't," Jenni said. "But if you're going to camp, there's a couple of things.…"

  "Camping permit?" the one girl said.

  "Not here; this is mostly crown land. But the township needs a name and a phone number to contact in case you don't come back. And an idea of where you're planning to camp, so the rescue teams know where to find you."

  "I suppose that makes sense." The tall boy began writing in the book Jenni slid over to him.

  "You might want to leave a cell phone number in case we need to contact you, but that's up to you. You do know," Jenni looked around, "that there's a thunderstorm coming in tonight."

  "Most of us have been canoeing and camping before. We plan to camp up at Ingrey Lake tonight. That's only one portage in, and we can get there before the weather changes. Besid
es, last I heard they think the storm may miss us."

  "Good enough. Take this." Jenni handed him a large green garbage bag. "You can put your garbage in the bin behind the lodge when you get back."

  "Clayton," said the blonde girl. "I'd like to leave them both phone numbers. You never know.…" She seemed a bit shy.

  "I think so, too," said the other girl. The girls were obviously more nervous than the boys. "Here." She wrote a number into the book. The other girl did the same. They looked at the boys guiltily but quickly, then at each other for support. Jenni figured out this trip was a test of something or other between the boys and girls, or at least between one of the pair.

  Reluctant to go onto the deck with Matt and Emilia, she watched the foursome unload two canoes from a rather small car – it must have been an interesting drive up to the lake – and the boys lift them to the lake. Jenni thought how the boys always got the job of carrying the canoes and paddling at the rear – control – position. One of the boys and one of the girls seemed to know what to do, directing the others as they loaded a pile of camping stuff into the middle of the canoes. She nodded as they covered the camping goods with a tarp; that would help if they got caught in a rainstorm.

  Jenni checked the driveway to be sure no more cars were coming in, then set the phone to ring on the portable outside by the deck. Taking a deep breath, she went out to the deck and dragged a Muskoka chair over beside Emilia. Nobody said anything for a while, watching the teens in the canoes paddle away.

  "I guess they're not worried about the storm," Matt observed.

  "Starting to wish you were out there?" Emilia asked.

  Matt shook his head. "I've been out in bigger boats in a storm and was scared silly. I wouldn't want to try it in a canoe, especially before I figure out which end is the front. I'm just as happy to spend the night here." He leaned forward and looked over in Jenni's direction without making eye contact. "Emilia says you're a good canoeist."

  "I can canoe pretty well. Or run a small boat – dad would want me to run the motor when he thought he'd found a good place to fish." Jenni looked at Matt, but he was watching a pair of loons on the lake. "Not that we caught many fish. We'd usually get enough for a lunch and a supper when we camped, but not usually anything big enough to bring home or brag about."

  "I guess he found it relaxing, though."

  Jenni smiled, remembering what her father had said. "I guess so. He told me that when he was out on the lake things seemed right; the way things were supposed to be. Everything else seemed sort of slanted in some crooked way."

  "Well," Matt said, "that's what I hope to find out there. Tranquility, even if I don't catch a fish."

  "Don't look too hard," Jenni said, "or it'll get away. Better off just to let things happen sometimes, and maybe happiness will sneak up on you." Matt didn't even look around at her, and there was a short silence.

  "Easier said than done," Emilia said. "Sometimes it's the storms that sneak up on you. Let's hope the guys in those canoes don't find out the hard way tonight." There was a pause, then she pointed out a heron flying slowly along the lakeshore. The whole lake was becoming calm, and the sun was sinking low enough behind the lodge that the base of the shoreline was in shadow. "Anybody hungry?" she asked.

  "I brought some food, but I expected to be camping tonight, so it's mostly freeze-dried stuff," Matt said.

  "You can save that," Emilia said. "We'll barbecue some hamburgs. Lettuce and tomatoes on them, and we've got all the food groups covered, except chocolate."

  "Ah…" Matt started to say.

  "No charge," Emilia said. "Part of the privileges of being the boss here. I'll get the burgers, and Jenni can get the barbecue going."

  "I can do that," Matt said.

  Emilia snorted. "This is a woman-run joint. You just sit here and watch the lake."

  "Tell you what," Jenni said. "You both sit here and watch the lake; if I need help, like figuring out which is the lettuce and which is the tomato, I'll ask."

  "Seeing as you got the privilege of cleaning out cabin 12, I guess you owe me one." Emilia scratched her knee then put her feet onto a chair. As Jenni went into the lodge, she could hear Emilia telling Matt about cabin 12. She looked back through the door and caught Matt taking a quick look in her direction. Strange, she thought. There's obviously something wrong with one of us.

  She defrosted a package of four frozen burgers in the microwave, then started the barbecue at the corner of the deck. Out on the lake a boat was coming in. She squinted: probably the father of one of the two boys who'd caught the fish for the cat.

  On the deck, Emilia was explaining the name of the resort. "The man who built the place, ninety years ago, was a fan of the big pines around here. He decided to call it Lone Pine Lodge." Emilia laughed. "Then he discovered how many Lone Pine Lodges there were. And twin pine lodges and three pine lodges. So he decided to name it Two and a Half Pine Lodge, after the pines on the island there. The one that's only half there was hit by lightning all those years ago and is still growing. And there's not another Two and a Half Pine Lodge anywhere."

  Jenni came back with a tray of buns and condiments. The burgers were almost done, so she put the buns on to warm. She could hear Emilia and Matt talking about cars and tires, but her mind wandered a bit, and she missed exactly what they were talking about. For a moment, she felt unbearably lonely, more than she had since she'd walked out on Julio. She could hear the banging of the aluminum boat as the fisherman unloaded his gear. Evening was creeping across the lake and it was getting cooler. She looked towards the docks, and noted that the fisherman had three good-sized fish on a stringer.

  She set everything onto a table in front of Emilia and Matt. "You," she said to Matt, "get two burgers. Emilia never eats more than one, and I'm watching my weight these days, so I'll have the last one." She frowned. "Something's missing. Oh, yes, would you like a beer?"

  Matt seemed surprised. "Actually," he said, "I would." Emilia was about to get up, but Jenni told her, "I'll get the beer. You want one?"

  "Oh, I think a ginger ale will suit me just fine." Somewhere in the distance thunder rumbled.

  By the time Jenni got back with a couple of bottles of beer, and a ginger ale for Emilia, her own burger was getting cool. She didn't mind, much. Matt and Emilia were into a conversation about federal politics. Two married people, Jenni thought, away from their spouses, and happy to talk to each other. Once or twice they tried to get Jenni into the conversation, but she found she didn't have much to say. Far out across the lake, the sky grew black and several flashes of lighting lit the clouds. The flashes grew more frequent and there was a steady rumble now.

  "I hope those kids made camp before they got the storm," Emilia said.

  Jenni shook her head. "If they're out for a party, they'll have made a camp, lit a fire, and have got happy an hour ago. Wouldn't you say?"

  There was a silence as everybody listened to the thunder.

  "Common sense," Emilia added. "I bet they've made camp."

  "And, if not?" Matt asked.

  Jenni shook her head. "Sometimes they want a real remote experience. Then they'll go in a couple of portages and push the time till dark. Impress their partners with raw nature."

  "They said they were going to Ingrey Lake," Emilia said.

  Jenni pondered the storm, which was moving close to them. "At that age, with my attitude toward what I regarded as silly authority, I'd have lied. There was a wall of darkness, punctuated with flashes of light, coming in from the west now.

  As the deck lights came on, the fisherman, a guy named Charlie, came down with the two boys. "Tell him," the one boy said. "We caught three fish, just like he did today!"

  Emilia was up to the task. "I can assure you," she said to the fisherman, "that these two boys caught three fish today, and fed them to the cat."

  The fisherman laughed. "Was that enough for Hank?"

  "Along with a half can of cat food."

  "See," t
he one boy said, "I told you!"

  They departed, laughing. "Too bad the cat got your fish," the man said. "I guess the pickerel I got will have to do us."

  Just before they got to the stairs going up the hill, one of the boys ran back, and looked at Jenni. "I heard you say something about a blue Buick with a canoe. Well, we saw one going down the road this afternoon."

  Jenni frowned. "And the canoe?"

  The kid thought a bit. "Light blue canoe."

  Jenni shrugged, thinking having a crazy husband makes a girl skittish, sometimes. "Do I feel rain?"

  A bright flash not far away, followed by a tremendous bang, settled the matter. Emilia and Jenni ran for the office. The other people ran for their various shelters. From inside the office, Jenni and Emilia watched the two boys and the fisherman almost get to their cottage before getting caught in the rain. The fisherman finally found his keys and they all disappeared inside, presumably to a good pickerel dinner, assuming the power didn't go out.

  In the middle of the storm, the phone rang. Emilia checked the call display and rolled her eyes. "That's Carol, from Kitchener. She lives alone with her cat, Cinder. I'm her sponsor, and it's my job to talk her out of hitting the rum again."

  "She has personal problems?"

  "The cat." Emilia reached for the phone. Every time Cinder escapes from the apartment or snubs the cat food she gets him, Carol calls me." She picked up the phone. Jenni watched the rain beat against the window.

  Five minutes after starting, most of the lightning and thunder had disappeared and a light but steady rain softened the world. "Like a glass of wine?" Emilia offered.

  "I don’t think so. I think I'd like to go to my room and watch TV for a while, maybe work on a crossword puzzle."

  "You sure? We can watch TV here, you know; maybe share a bag of Fritos."

  "Thanks, Emilia. You're a good friend, but I'll go upstairs where the temptation of calories isn't so much. Never going to have the thighs I want by eating Fritos, you know."

  Emilia tilted her head, then gave Jenni a hug. "See you in the morning, then. I'll see if I can get a couple more guys to drop in so you can check them out. Just remember you can always drop over by my cabin if you can't sleep."

  It turned out that Jenni couldn't get much out of the TV either. Or the book she'd brought with her. Or the out-of-date women's and fishing magazines.

  She could hear the rain drumming on the roof and she felt inconsolably sorry for herself. At one point she looked out. The lake and the woods were a sea of darkness, but the deck was dimly lit. She saw Matt, covered in a rainproof coat and hat, go to the office, then the lights on the deck were turned off. Matt's flashlight led to a deck chair overlooking the darkness. He was barely lit by lights from three of the rooms, and seemed to be sitting there, watching the darkness. After fifteen minutes she saw another flashlight. As far as she could tell, it was the bald guy, Lenny. He seemed to have brought a can of beer or something for each of them. They sat there for one beer, apparently talking about fish or sports or whatever men talk about when they sit in the darkness in the rain. Then Lenny left, and Jenni's room phone rang.

  "Hi, Jenni. It's Tanya. How are things going?" Tanya always had a quizzical note in her voice, like you’d better not lie to her.

  “Pretty good. Not bad. Can’t complain.” She paused. “Raining outside right now.”

  “You sound a bit down. Not getting along with Emilia?” There was concern now in Tanya’s tone.

  “Oh, Emilia and I get along just fine. Like I told you, we were good friends in high school before she got into parties. And stuff.”

  “Lots of stuff, I hear, but she got past that, you said.”

  “Oh, she did. Rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings twice a week, and she’s cheerful, chipper, and married.”

  “They have AA meetings up there in the deep woods?”

  “She’s part of an online group, and she’s driven into Bancroft twice for afternoon meetings there.”

  “Well, I guess you’ve only got a week or so before you return to civilization, and get your divorce at the same time, so hang in there. If Emilia’s not treating you right, I’ll have a word with her.”

  Jenni rushed to say, “Oh, Emilia’s good. We talk a lot and laugh about things.”

  “But?”

  Jenni thought about it a bit. “She was my best friend once. It seemed like a good idea to get back together.”

  “It’s not the same, now is it? Couldn’t be, of course. Not with what you two have been through.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, she’s not going to be the same person after having come through her bad years. You had to expect that. And divorce is hard on a woman. You’re going to have a callous on your heart for an incarnation or two.”

  “I think you’re right about that. And how are you doing?”

  “Fine. Met any good-looking fishing hunks up in the woods, or a sasquatch who’s taken a fancy to you? Unless you’ve been doing things you don’t tell me about, you’ve been waking up alone longer than a person should.”

  “The people who come here are families with kids and bald old guys who probably make out with the fish they catch. Handsome dudes have big boats and fish bigger places than Hawk Lake.”

  Tanya laughed. “Sorry to hear that. And since Emilia’s married, I guess she’s not going to be making any passes at you.”

  “She’s married to a guy who’s good looking, bright, friendly, and loves her like crazy.”

  “But she puts him down, I bet.”

  “Well, yeah. She doesn’t appreciate what she’s got.”

  “Seen that before.” A pause. “So what’s making you blue, Jenni? Need to come into town and do the singles bars?”

  “Oh, I’m not looking for love for a while. Happier on my own.”

  “You don’t sound happier. You’ve got to find a companion eventually, you know.”

  “Next summer for sure.”

  “Old bald guys who like to fish aren’t all that bad, you know. I think. Probably.”

  “Maybe,” Jenni said, “I can get fitter this winter. Join an exercise group or something.”

  “Feeling Out of shape. Hm. Who is he?”

  “What?”

  “Don’t kid me, old friend.”

  “There’s this guy who came in this afternoon. Planned to go canoeing, but stayed overnight because of the storm. He’s out in the dark sitting in the rain right now.”

  “Been making obscene suggestions, has he? Men are such pigs.”

  “Well, he’s married…”

  “Married men are worse. At least for more than a night.”

  “No, no. He hasn’t said anything to me. Matter of fact, he ignores me and talks to Emilia instead.”

  “Ah. You’re feeling ugly and old and rejected. And about to be divorced. And soon to come back to the big city to join the unemployed.”

  “Maybe that’s it.”

  “Trust me, any guy who ignores you needs better glasses. Or a shrink. Or a boyfriend.”

  “I’ll be fine in the morning.”

  “I’ll call you in the morning. If I can.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Jenni said.

  "Oh.... I should tell you; Julio called a few days ago, asking about you. I told him you'd already run off to Australia with a surfer dude."

  Jenni shook her head. "As long as he gets the message to keep away, it'll be okay."

  Afterwards she looked out into the rain, but Matt wasn’t out there anymore. It took a long time and a the last half of a really bad movie on TV, but Jenni eventually drifted off to sleep, dreaming of ads for exercise gizmos that would reshape her thighs, if not her soul.

  ***