Casting Off
Toni was in Coffs to get her hair trimmed, she was a little early and instead of sitting and waiting she walked down the street intending to get a cup of coffee from Starbucks.
“Mrs. Roberts?”
She stopped her handle on the door of the shop and turned, it was Tee McGee.
“Tee, hey there what are you doing out here?” He had some kind of a frozen looking concoction.
“Waiting on my Uncle Travis we’re going on the boat for a ride.”
Toni let the door close and a nervous flutter took up residence in her chest. “Your uncle is here?”
“Yes ma’am he’s getting a drink and paying up inside.”
“I’m sure you’ll have a great time today Tee,” she smiled at the boy, “I’d better run I have an appointment,” she turned back down the street.
“Toni?”
She stopped and turned around slowly, Travis was standing by Tee, she couldn’t just be rude, “Hi Travis.”
He waited a beat, said something to Tee and walked up to her and pushed her sunglasses up on her head, “Hi yourself. What are you doing in Coffs?”
“Getting my hair trimmed, I hear you’re taking your boat out, Tee sounded pretty excited about it.”
“Yeah he is…come with us.”
“I…I can’t Travis.”
“Why it’s only a boat ride, two or three hours and we’ll be back. Besides I like your hair like it is.” He smiled and tilted his head, “please.”
That nervous flutter was now in her throat, “No…I”
“Say yes, just say it…yes.” He held her eyes reached down and took her hand, “we got another deckhand Tee.” He led her up the sidewalk and took his cup from Tee.
Toni wasn’t the only one with a nervous flutter, Travis felt like his whole body was shaking as they made their way to the docks. He’d been home for four days, and under his mother’s eye had not had a drink. He’d thrown himself into farm work right alongside his men, mucking out stables, herding the cattle in for market, hosing down the calf pens. He’d worked from dawn till dark but today Tee was out of school and he took the day off. He hadn’t expected to see Toni but now that he had her by the hand he wasn’t going to take no for an answer, he wasn’t going to let go of her until she was aboard.
“Welcome to my little tub,” he smiled when she stopped on the dock.
“Travis, this is yours?”
“Yes ma’am it is, Captain says come aboard.”
He gave her and Tee a tour while the crew made to cast off. He left Toni a moment to explain something to Tee; she watched the docks get smaller and smaller as they moved farther and farther from shore. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. They were out in the deep water now and the wind whipped her hair around. She hadn’t called and cancelled the appointment. She’d just walked away with him. She was afraid for herself and afraid for Travis…she shouldn’t have come.
“You want to go below and get out of the wind?” His voice made her jump.
“Where’s Tee?”
“He’s up top there helping steer this tub, come on we’ll get a coke or something.”
Toni found a seat on one of the thickly padded swivel bar stools and he went behind the bar to a little fridge, “Juice, soft drinks and a couple of beers, that’s the choice lady.”
“Juice will be fine.” She noticed he took a soft drink, “No beer for you I’m surprised.”
Travis smiled and leaned on the bar, “I’m off it for awhile, sometimes if I’m down it will get the best of me, it tried and I almost let it. These are trying times for me right now.”
“I know I’m sorry Travis.”
“It helps sometimes to have somebody to talk to.” He walked to the end of the bar and opened a drawer dug around for a minute and came back with a cell phone, he checked it out and laid it in front of her. “Since I can’t call you on your phone, will you take this one?”
Toni stared at him, “Why can’t you call me?”
He took a sip of his drink, “because your husband called me up complaining about his cell phone bill. He wasn’t too happy so I decided not to call you again. I don’t want to cause you problems Toni.”
Toni set her juice down and put her face in her hands, “you do cause me problems.”
“You cause me problems too.” He said quietly.
“I think…this whole mess is my fault. If I hadn’t made Richie answer me about having a baby none of this would have happened, you’d still be happily married and Richie and I would have been okay. Look what I’ve done; I’ve torn apart four lives.”
“Toni, stop that. There is no way my marriage would have lasted, I know that now. You haven’t done a thing; you had a right to have an answer to your question. Richie just didn’t have the right answer. I hate it for you honey, I do. At least he’s still there you’ve got a chance Toni.”
“I don’t know. We’ve patched it up and it’s like all the pieces don’t fit together right.”
“Did he ever get himself to a doctor to fix his little problem?”
“Not yet. I made an appointment but he called and cancelled it, he had to be in court that morning. He hasn’t rescheduled.”
Travis finished his drink and tossed the can under the counter into a built in waste bin, he picked up the phone and dropped it in her purse, “I’ll give you babies, but not today,” he smiled and came around the bar, “Let’s go see where Tee’s taking us to.”
Toni’s mouth fell open, Travis…”
“Come on,” he paused at the bottom of the steps and Toni got off her seat and followed him up on deck.
The rest of the afternoon was taken up with Tee, whether by design or accident Travis was not alone with Toni. She watched him with Tee, the easy affectionate relationship they had, the banter back and forth. Travis told her when he first came to him, he would hardly speak. She shook her head; he was a bright outgoing boy now. Travis had gone up to talk to the pilot and stepped out yelling to Tee to look, there were porpoises. Toni walked over to the side to have a look with him.
“Wow look, wish I’d brought my camera.” Tee exclaimed.
Toni thought about the phone in her purse downstairs, she could have taken a picture and sent it to him but by the time she retrieved it the moment would be over. “They look like they’re having so much fun don’t they?”
“Yeah, they do, Uncle Travis says there will be whales later on.”
“Now that would be something to see. You really love your Uncle Travis don’t you?”
“Yeah, he’s cool. Don’t tell him this but some of my mates think he’s my Dad.”
“Now why would they think that Tee?”
“He came to my rugby practice a few times; I don’t know I didn’t tell them that.”
“You just didn’t un-tell them did you?”
He grinned, “Hadn’t got around to it yet.”
“I won’t tell him,” Toni pulled her sunglasses over her eyes.
“I’m glad you came out with us.” Tee shaded his eyes and turned toward her.
“So am I Tee…so am I” she gave him a little hug around the shoulders.
Travis’s eyes were hidden behind sunglasses too, but his lips formed a smile when he saw Toni hug Tee. The yacht was turning to go back; he came back down and joined them on deck. “There are sandwiches and drinks below how about a bit o’tucker?”
They were back on the docks and Travis wanted to walk her to her car.
“No, don’t do that. I’ve had a great time today, thank you.”
“So have I,” He brushed her hair back over her shoulder, “you got a bit of sun today.” His eyes saying much more “take care Toni.”
“You too Travis,” she touched his arm briefly and turned and walked back toward the street. She wasn’t quite sure who the woman was that opened the door to the familiar car and put the keys in the ignition.
