Return to Gray Harbor

by Bryant, J. J.

  “Oh, um, thanks and no, I didn’t buy it. My parents still live there,” said Michael.

  “Wait. You’re not Michael Malone, are you?” asked Robert.

  Michael was taken aback — should he know this guy?

  “Um, yes, yes I am. Have we met before?”

  “Well, you probably don’t recognize me. I’m Bob Adams. My eldest sister dated your brother,” Bob looked serious for a moment, “He was a good guy. I know it’s been a lot of years but I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Bob Adams. Jenny’s little brother ... and Beth’s. He could see the similarity but Michael didn’t think they’d ever really officially met. Seemed like a nice enough guy, though.

  “Oh, yeah, that’s right, nice to see you, Bob. Thanks again and I’m sorry for your loss as well.” There was an awkward pause, as Michael struggled for something to say. “What have you been up to?”

  Bob had always been a nice kid. He was a few years younger than Michael, and Michael remembered some of Jesse’s friends giving Bob a hard time when he was young. That changed once Jesse started dating Jenny.

  “Well, I’m doing a little interior design, contracting here and there, and working here at the hardware store. It’s been fun. Every day is different, you know?”

  Michael nodded. Ahh, this must be who Jonah had mentioned.

  “All right, let’s talk shingles. So gray, you said?”

  Michael nodded, “Actually, I have something specific in mind. Do you know the Warren Inn? I’m looking for something like that.”

  “Of course, sure, I know it well! I picked out all their furnishing myself actually, and they happened to purchase those shingles right here at McAllister's,” he said with enthusiasm as he smiled proudly. They walked towards the back of the store and Bob pointed to exactly what Michael was looking for.

  “These are them right here. But just so you know, they don’t start out gray, they’re more of a natural color and then they weather over time. Have you ever installed them yourself?”

  “I hate to say this, but I’m not particularly handy,” Michael admitted. He never liked to admit a weakness to another guy, but he wasn’t about to pretend with the hardware store guy that he knew the first thing about shingles, home repair, or for that matter, which screwdriver was called a Phillips head. He also felt that Bob wouldn’t care very much either way. He seemed very much like his own person, and that was something Michael had a lot of respect for.

  “I’m not sure if you’re interested in this, but we do have an installation service here.”

  “That actually sounds perfect. Do you need to come out and do an estimate?

  Bob smiled. “Yeah, I’ll send someone over tomorrow morning. Let me just take down all your information and make note that these are what you want,” Bob said, as he made notes on his clipboard. They made some small talk about sports, restaurants, and New York, while Bob was setting everything up. Bob was a big fan of New York but hated the Yankees and New York City cabs. The conversation was pleasant and he mentioned that Tuesday was a big night at the Warren Inn. Apparently they got a pretty big crowd when the Red Sox played. Bob said it was more of a wine crowd to watch the game rather than a regular pub vibe. He wasn’t much into it, but he said the wine selection was great. That sounded exactly like what Michael needed. He wasn’t a big drinker but he liked a nice glass of wine or even a beer every now and then.

  Bob helped him with a few more purchases, including a door knocker, a screen-repair kit, and the steam cleaner for the carpets. After thanking Bob for all his help, Michael went off in search of Jonah. This was perfect. He’d have things in order at his parents’ in no time.

  “So guess who I saw today,” Bob said, as he pushed his way through the kitchen at the Warren Inn.

  His sister Beth Adams looked up from her pastry dough and pushed a strand of hair out of her face before saying, “Who this time, Bob? Did the Ben Affleck look-alike come to the store today?” She couldn’t help but smile. Bob was always checking people out and telling Beth all about it.

  “Oh, no, way better than him!” He paused for effect. “I saw Michael Malone at the hardware store!”

  Oh, God, thought Beth. Michael Malone … Mikey ... she hadn’t thought about him in years. She was still trying to forget him.

  “Anyway, he’s back in town and I helped him pick out shingles for his parents’ house. He’s doing some renovations there.”

  Beth couldn’t believe it. He had left for college and never looked back. After Jesse’s death, Michael had changed. She couldn’t imagine what he was like now.

  “Speechless much!”

  Beth quickly snapped out of it. “Oh, shut up, Bob! I am not speechless. I was trying to remember the last time I saw him. And besides, I don’t have the most positive memories when it comes to the Malones.”

  “Oh, please, you and Annie hang out all the time!”

  “Bob, that’s different. Besides, after what happened to Jen and Jesse ...” Her voice trailed off.

  “Yeah, I guess I can see that ... too bad, things could have gotten a little more interesting around here, that’s all,” Bob said, as he left the kitchen.

  But that wasn’t all. Her sister’s death was only part of it. The worst part of it. But her feelings for Michael were ... complicated.

  Chapter 3

  Michael couldn’t believe it was only Sunday night. He had only been home since Friday, but it already felt like he’d been there an eternity. After leaving the hardware store, he and Jonah went to the diner and got a bite to eat and then headed home. They set down drop cloths and prepared to paint the next day. Michael and Jonah steam-cleaned the rooms in the house that weren’t being painted. It was starting to look good. While they were doing that, Judy dusted, took out the growing recycling pile, and even cleaned the draperies. By the end of it all, the three of them were exhausted and were cleaning out the contents of the refrigerator by eating anything and everything in sight.

  At that moment, Michael’s mother walked in with bags of food. “Hey, kids, help me with these bags. I brought home a few things for dinner. We’re going to keep it simple tonight — just some rotisserie chicken and some salad fixings.”

  “Aww, come on mom, I’m a growing boy. If I keep eating this chick food I’m going to start to grow boo—” at that moment, Michael kicked Jonah hard under the table. Jonah bit his lip and glared at Michael.

  “Sounds great, Mom, we’re famished.”

  “Famished, eh? Well I can tell … what happened to this place?” Martha finally noticed the paint cans lined up on the wall and walked into the hall and saw the freshly cleaned green carpets. “Oh, wow, I forgot these carpets were even green, it’s been so long since I could tell.” She looked around at her kids, and she was glad they were all here together. And she was glad Michael was helping keep things in order.

  She was tired, too, so this was a nice surprise. It had been a long day. She had run quickly to the hospital to see James on her way home from the market. He wasn’t himself, he was struggling. The nurses said he was improving but that he had such a temper! Ahh, her James had always had a temper. But he also had a gentle way about him, and it pained her to see him hurting. James always had the last word. Hell, he always had the first. That was part of the reason she loved him so much. There was never a dull moment with James, that was for sure. Sure, sometimes his pig-headedness was tough, but there wasn’t another man out there who cared more for his family than James. But for a man of so many words, there were two that didn’t seem to be in his vocabulary.

  She knew James was sorry about the things that had happened between Michael and himself, but he just never had the words to tell his son. He was just so God Damn stubborn. She also knew he was proud of his son. He was proud of what Michael had accomplished. He had never told Michael that he was proud of him, but she knew he was. Whenever they were out and would bump into friends, they would ask about Michael. James would interrupt Marty before she could even speak and tel
l everyone his son was trader of the year, a big hedge fund manager in New York and an MBA, who would have thought a Malone with an MBA. Michael was the first member in the family to go to graduate school, that was a point of pride for James.

  James hadn’t spoken a word tonight, just grunted hello. And now she feared he never would. He looked miserable. The nurses said he would recover, but he would never be 100 percent. He really needed to put in the work to get better, but something was holding him back. Perhaps tomorrow she would get all the kids to go, maybe that would perk him up. And besides, it was about time that he and Michael confronted their issues. Although it scared her to think of it, she was worried they might not have much longer to patch it up. She was worried that if he and Michael didn’t patch things up now, when something so big and life changing had happened, that they might not ever.

  She made small talk with the kids while she put together dinner. Judy took down the plates and began to set the table. She was such a good kid, her Judy, but a little on the quiet side. She was a mix of Michael and Jesse, she thought. She had Jesse’s startling good looks and Michael’s quiet manner and smarts. That girl would go far if she let herself, but hopefully she wouldn’t sacrifice as much of herself as Michael had. You could see it weighing on him whenever he walked into a room. Such a serious boy — such a serious man. God, the time flew. She really wanted to get Michael alone so she could speak to him about James and about their situation, but she couldn’t seem to get him away from the others.

  They all sat down and ate and exchanged pleasantries. Jonah relayed the story of how Michael got him out of bed that morning and they all had a good laugh. After dinner Michael, Jonah, and Judy did the dishes and Marty headed to the den. They soon followed in with popcorn and they all sprawled out on the couches and the floor to watch television. All the chairs were full except the lazy boy chair James always sat in. It had always been his chair and his alone.

  “Kids, I saw your father today,” Marty said. Everyone grew quiet.

  “He’s looking a little better. I could tell because he looked like he was going to kill his nurse half the time.” She chuckled a little, remembering the looks he had given the nurse earlier that evening, “So I think he’ll be back to his usual self in no time.” She attempted a happy expression and hoped she both looked and sounded convincing.

  “That’s great, Mom,” said Judy. “Can we maybe go see him tomorrow?”

  “Yes, of course. Visiting hours end at eight o’clock, so why don’t we head there after work? Maybe you can all pile into Michael’s car and meet me there?” Marty looked around the room and her eyes rested on Michael. He looked uneasy, but she was waiting for his response. It was time he stopped being a coward and went to see his father. Enough was enough. She knew it hadn’t been more than a day and a half, but she had hoped he would have taken the initiative and gone there today on his own.

  Granted, she knew he had done a lot around the house and had all sorts of plans for repairs to the place—which she appreciated, of course—but it was time. It was time for Michael to face his father, and maybe it was exactly the kind of boost James needed to get him motivated to work harder to get better. Marty was counting on it as she looked more intently at her son.

  Michael felt like she was boring holes through him. No getting out of this one, he thought. “Sounds good, Mom, and maybe we can pick up some burgers or something from the Dairy Barn on our way home and maybe even a movie.”

  Michael took a pause and then said, “Not that I don’t love broadcast television but I bet we can find something fun to watch while we’re hanging out after we see Dad tomorrow? What do you guys think?”

  Judy nodded, and Jonah said,

  “Yeah, cool, and maybe we can rent the new Call of Duty video game? It’s supposed to be awesome!”

  “Sounds good,” Michael said with forced enthusiasm.

  Marty tried to relax, settling in on the couch next to Judy and staring blankly at the television. All of the stress was weighing on her. She had had a sense that James was hiding stressful news, but she couldn’t be sure. Maybe with Michael here, she’d get down to the bottom of it and James could come home and not be so stressed anymore. She hoped. She let out a sigh and shut her eyes. She was trying to control her feelings of anger. Maybe this would all work out after all?

  She was at least hopeful now and she had to admit the house did look a lot better today, and she was grateful that Michael had taken a look at all those bills. James had always handled all of those things in the past and with him in the hospital these past few weeks, she had no idea how to make heads or tails out of their finances. And with James being in the hospital she was sure that the bills would just keep piling up. Same thing at the store.

  Marty looked stressed. He didn’t blame her, of course. This was a stressful time. But he felt like she was hiding something. And he was worried that he didn’t know the extent of the problems going on here. Something was up and he wasn’t even sure his mother knew the whole story. Now that he’d taken a look at the house books, he knew it was time to do what he promised Annie. He’d head over to Malone’s Market tomorrow and see what he could do. With that second mortgage out on the home, he knew something was up, and he didn’t like the feeling he had. He had avoided it today, but he just knew Malone’s Market needed help. He just didn’t know why it was in the position it was, or how exactly to fix it.

  Chapter 4

  Michael couldn’t sleep all night. He kept thinking of his father and replaying their argument over and over again in his head. He tossed and turned. He kept thinking about his father’s heart attack a few years before, and his stroke now. What if it was too late to patch things up? What if his father didn’t want anything to do with him? His father was a stubborn man, but then again, so was Michael. He hadn’t come back in all this time. With so many heavy thoughts weighing on his mind, Michael finally managed to fall asleep in the wee hours of the morning.

  He woke up the next morning and struggled with what he would wear that day, and with facing the day in general. Michael didn’t want to look uppity, but he also wanted to show his father he had changed. Then he stopped himself. His father just had a stroke. It was doubtful he would care about Michael’s outfit. Michael finally threw on a Polo shirt, jeans, and brown Sperry Topsiders boat shoes. He combed his hair and looked in the mirror. His brown hair was perfectly in place, his blue shirt brought out the color of his eyes, and his muscular arms looked tan. He seemed strong and confident, but he was shaking on the inside. Not only was he going to see his father today, but he was also going to Malone’s Market.

  Michael looked over at the other bed, where Jonah was still asleep. He walked over but before he could say or do anything, Jonah said, “Don’t even think about it, I’m getting up anyway. I have to go to the market today for work, and yes, I know those shingle guys are coming any minute.”

  With that, a sleepy Jonah got out of bed and made a beeline for the bathroom. He shouted over his shoulder, “Hey, I’ll drive today if you want. I’ll be down in five minutes.”

  Michael walked down the stairs and was glad in a way that with Jonah going in today, it would keep Michael from making a run for it, which is what he really wanted to do. As he walked down the stairs, the doorbell rang. It was a man from the hardware store. Michael let him in and they made small talk as Michael followed him outside to explain what he was looking for. The man took some measurements, scribbled down some calculations, and told Michael he’d have an estimate out to him no later than the next morning. If all was satisfactory, he could start the following Monday. They shook hands and he was on his way. After the man left, Michael stayed outside and walked around the yard.

  Michael sat on a tree stump that was on the perimeter of the front yard and looked out at the street and back to the house again. This house held so many memories for him — both good and bad. But as he thought about it, the bad outweighed the good—his brother’s death and his estrangement from his father
. He sat there for a long while, lost in thought.

  “Hey, earth to Michael, are we going to go or what?” Jonah asked in an impatient tone.

  “Oh, yeah, sorry. So what’s the rush, little brother?”

  “I don’t like to be late, the guys at the counter will give me hell. That’s all.”

  Michael looked at his brother with amusement. He suspected it was more likely that there was a woman of interest at the market, but he’d let it slide for now. “All right let’s go. Here, you drive,” he said as he tossed the keys up to Jonah. Jonah caught them, let out a whoop, and made a mad dash for the car. Michael trailed behind him.

  Malone’s Market wasn’t far from his parents’ house, just a fifteen-minute drive. It was also just a short distance from the Gray Harbor Lighthouse and the Warren Inn. When they pulled up to a house, Michael didn’t recognize it at first.

  Where were they, he wondered?

  Then he realized in disbelief that this place was actually his family’s market. It reminded him a lot of McAllister's, with the wood exterior, but instead of the whitewash, it was left natural with blue accents, reminiscent of the sea, no doubt. They still had the same old signage, which could use some updating, but overall the place looked great. They got out of the car and Jonah said he had to run and get started with work, but he pointed Michael towards Annie’s direction.

  Annie was the Assistant Manager at Malone’s Market, and their Dad was the General Manager and Owner. Mom helped with operations in general but was sometimes out on the floor of the market as well. Michael saw Annie, who was wearing her blue Malone’s Market t-shirt.

  “Hey, Annie! Wow, this place looks so different,” Michael exclaimed, trying to show enthusiasm.

  “Yeah, before Dad’s stroke he had started to implement all of these changes to the market. We’re not done yet but it certainly is looking better. With all the tourists we’re getting in Gray Harbor these days, we’re trying to keep up. But frankly, with Dad out we put a halt on all updates till he’s back …” her voice faltered and then trailed off.