The Leaving Year by Pam McGaffin

Author:Pam McGaffin [McGaffin, Pam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781943006816
Publisher: SparkPress
Published: 2018-08-14T07:00:00+00:00

THE gray light of morning brings the ferry’s janitors, then families with young children, followed by families with older children. Finally the couples and groups of friends in their late teens and twenties emerge, carrying Styrofoam cups of coffee.

The second day drags on much longer than the first, though the scenery is beautiful. I stare out the window at emerald green islands reflected in sun-dimpled waters. Fish jump here and there. Seagulls glide by. We pass a rock covered with sea lions. I walk around the deck to take in the sights on both sides, but feel stupid carrying my luggage around, so I head back to my booth, which I staked out with my coat.

For breakfast, I eat another sandwich but no orange. The citric acid combined with my nerves probably had more to do with my stomach upset than the bear-woman story did. In the light of day, my reaction seems silly, so silly I pick up the book again and read more folktales, including a couple more about trust and betrayal that end with violent revenge, an eye for an eye. Have the Aleuts never heard of forgiveness? Sheesh! I prefer the stories without beheadings, drownings, poisonings, and death, the stories that playfully explain nature, like why frogs sing and why the stars don’t come out on cloudy nights. The Raven stories are okay, too, but even they’re meaner than they have to be. Apparently, our hero was not above pooping on people to make a point.

“Must be a good book.” The voice is male, maybe twenties. I don’t look up to check. The big grimy backpack and the sharp smell of tobacco and sour milk tell me all I want to know. I feel his eyes wander over me. I continue to read without reading.

“I’m just trying to be friendly here.”

Yeah, and I’m just trying to read. That’s what Dena would say, but I only think it.

“I’m going to Alaska, see if I can get on one a’ dem salmon boats. Can make a year’s salary in a few months. He sounds like he’s trying to convince me to go with him. “Gonna take that money and get me a place in Tucson. I like the desert.” He chuckles. “That’s ironical, ain’t it? Desert-lovin’ man going fishing.” He pauses and the seat squeaks as he changes positions. “Hey, you sure got pretty hair.” He leans forward, releasing a waft of stink. Still looking down, I get a fix on the handle of the suitcase at my feet, a strap sticking out from the backpack at my side.

One. Two. Three.

I grab my things and bolt once again to the ladies’ room, spilling my book in the aisle. I don’t stop to pick it up.

“Hey!” he yells after me. Safely out of reach, I glance back at a big, oafish guy holding up my book. Maybe he was just trying to be friendly, but a Mom-ism lodges in my brain: “A woman alone always has to be on her guard.

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