Summer of the Loon

by Deanna Lynn Sletten

  "On time, as usual," Ben said as the loon skimmed the water and came to rest, leaving a V-shaped trail in its wake.

  Ali watched as the loon dipped its head down in the water, then dove and disappeared. "Do they look down into the water first to spot their prey?" Ali asked.

  "Yep," Ben replied.

  "They look funny when they do it," Ali said. "I've noticed they can stay underwater for a long time."

  "That's right. A loon can stay down there for up to a minute. They grab their food and sometimes even have it eaten before they come up. They also eat small pebbles from the lake floor. It helps their digestive system grind food up since they eat the fish bones and all."

  Ali listened intently to her grandfather. She was intrigued by the loons and wanted to learn everything about them.

  "That's why I'm so careful not to let a line break when I catch a fish," Ben continued. "When that happens, hooks, sinkers, and sometimes pieces of tackle end up on the bottom of the lake and the loons pick them up and swallow them by mistake. The lead is poisonous to them. Not to mention any loose line that they can tangle up in. I once saw a duck with fishing line tangled tightly around its neck. Poor thing was going to slowly choke to death just because some fisherman wasn't careful."

  Ali frowned. She hated thinking about any living creature suffering. "What happened to it?"

  "I shot it. Put it out of its misery."

  Ali's mouth dropped open. "You what? You killed it? Why didn't you just try to help it?"

  Ben looked over at Ali, a crease appearing between his brows. "It was a duck. The damn thing would never have let me cut fishing line off its neck. Besides, it was hunting season, so shooting him was legal. And he tasted good, too."

  Ali just stared at her grandfather, not sure if he was kidding or not. She decided he wasn't. "Well, I hope you never shoot one of the loons," she said crossly.

  "The loon is the state bird. It's illegal to kill them. Besides, even if a person did, they aren't worth eating. Too much bone and too little soft flesh. If I can't eat it, I'm certainly not going to kill it," Ben said matter-of-factly.

  "Well, that's good to hear," Ali said, rolling her eyes.

  After sitting in silence a while longer, Ben spoke up again. "I saw you and Chase out in the canoe last night. Did he show you the loons' nest?"

  Ali's eyes lit up. "Yes. It was so cool. He said he'd take me to see another one, and maybe we can even go hiking on the old Indian Trail by the cliff sometime."

  "Well, that's nice. Chase, he's a good kid. And smart, too. You know, he plans on going to college this fall," Ben said.

  Ali glanced guardedly at her grandfather. "Yes, I know. He said he's looking forward to it. He doesn't want anything to get in the way of his going."

  "That's right. I wouldn't get too attached to the boy if I were you. You wouldn't want to do anything to muck up his plans."

  Ali took a deep breath to calm the anger rising inside her. She knew exactly what her grandfather was getting at. He didn't want her getting in Chase's way of going to school. As if she'd want to trap him in a relationship or worse yet, get pregnant like her mother.

  "You don't have to worry about me," Ali said, turning away from him. "I don't plan on hanging around forever, either."

  Ben didn't reply. Ali hoped he got the message.

  ***

  Ali spent the rest of the morning helping Jo finish cleaning the cabins and washing linens. Chase had school for the next two weeks, so he was gone all day. Shortly after noon, Jo and Ali stopped for a bite to eat and then Jo told Ali to go relax for a while. "The cabins are clean and ready for this weekend. Why don't you go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather?"

  Reluctantly, Ali slipped on her sweatshirt and headed outdoors. It was still chilly outside compared to the weather she was used to in California, but it felt good. She thought she might go up to the cabin and dig out her Kindle so she could sit out by the lake and read. She hadn't packed any of her favorite books because they would have been too heavy. Megan's mom, Amy, had given her an inexpensive Kindle e-reader for Christmas last year, and thanks to all the freebies on Amazon, Ali had filled it up with books she wanted to read.

  As Ali passed by the resort's dock, she noticed her grandfather was in one of the smaller motorboats working on the motor and grumbling to himself. She was still upset with him over what he'd said that morning in the boat, so she decided to steer clear of him. It seemed every time they started getting along fine, he said or did something to mess it up. It was almost as if he didn't even want to try having a good relationship with her.

  "Hey, Ali. Come here a moment, will you?" Ben hollered out to her from the dock.

  Ali sighed, but turned and walked down the dock to where he was.

  "Will you hand me the wrench?" he asked, not even looking at her. "I have this dang thing apart and can't let go of it or it'll fall to pieces."

  Ali knelt down and looked into the metal toolbox. She pulled out the smaller wrench, since what he was working on looked small, leaned over, and handed it to her grandfather.

  "So, you know what a wrench is," Ben said, taking the tool.

  "I've used one a time or two," Ali said. There'd been many times Ali had to fix a leaking faucet or pipe under a sink in one of the many old apartments they'd lived in through the years. The building managers were never around, there was never extra money to hire a plumber, and her mom didn't take it upon herself to fix things, so Ali learned how. But she wasn't about to share that information with her grandfather.

  "These damn old motors, they're useless," Ben said as he pulled the starter cord and nothing happened. "Should just dump them all and buy new ones."

  Ali stood there, not quite sure if she should leave, or stay and listen to him complain. Just as she thought she'd leave, her grandfather looked up at her.

  "Are you all done with your work?" he asked.

  "Yeah. Jo said we're all done."

  "Good. Why don't you make yourself useful?" Ben reached into his pants pocket, pulled out a ring of keys, and tossed them to Ali. Ali reached out and caught them before they fell into the lake, a startled look on her face.

  "I need some more spark plugs and a roll of screen so I can fix a few window screens in the cabins. Do you know where Chet's Hardware Store is in town?"

  Ali nodded.

  "Do you remember how to get to town?"

  Ali nodded again.

  "Good. I'll have Jo call Chet so he'll have everything ready when you get there," Ben said.

  "You want me to drive into town alone?" Ali asked, surprised.

  Ben frowned, the crease in the middle of his eyebrows growing deep. "You're sixteen, aren't you?"

  "Well, yes, but I only have my driver's permit. I don’t have a license yet," Ali told him.

  Ben frowned deeper. "How long have you been sixteen?"

  "Since January," Ali told him.

  "Well, why the heck didn't you get your license yet?"

  "I took all the classes and driver's training," Ali said. "But between going to school and working after school, I never got a chance to take the driving test." Ali had actually spent every bit of her money to pay for driver's training classes, which were expensive, and simply couldn't afford to go and pay for her license. But if she told him that, he'd have too many questions about why her mother hadn't paid for it.

  Ben let out a long sigh. "Well, we can't have you living up here and not driving. How the heck are you going to get to school every day if you can't drive yourself?"

  Ali shrugged. "I guess I thought there'd be a school bus."

  "Dang school bus doesn't come all the way out here. You have to go two miles down the road to be picked up. If you're going that far, you might as well drive all the way yourself."

  Ali didn't know how to respond. He was making her feel bad for not having a driver's license, but it wasn't her fault.

  "Well, now we're going to have to go to the county offices and get you a dang driver's license," Ben
said, sounding disgusted. "That means we have to make a trip into Grand Rapids. I'll call over there to see if we can do it all in one day, otherwise it will mean two wasted days."

  Ali's first reaction was to apologize, but then she decided she shouldn't have to. It wasn't her fault she didn't have a driver's license. Besides, she would have had to get a new one here anyway.

  Ben picked up a rag and wiped his hands. "Guess I'll be making a trip into town. Can't finish working on this motor without spark plugs." He stepped out of the boat and walked past Ali, heading down the dock. A few steps away, he turned and looked at Ali, who still had the truck keys in her hand. "You coming?" he asked, then turned and walked away without waiting for her to reply.

  Ali suddenly realized that going into town meant she might be able to text or chat with Megan. She started walking fast to catch up to her grandfather. "I'll just grab my phone," she told him as he headed into the fish cleaning house to wash his hands. Ali had left her phone in the kitchen where she could recharge it. She ran in and grabbed it. Jo was standing at the butcher block island, mixing up some batter.

  "We're going into town," Ali told her. "Do you need anything?"

  "Why, isn't that sweet of you to ask, dear. That old Ben wouldn't have thought to ask me. But no, I don't need anything today. You go ahead. I'm just going to finish making these chocolate chip cookies."

  Ali's eyes lit up. She loved chocolate chip cookies. "See you in a bit," she said and turned to run out the door, almost slamming into her grandfather.

  "I would have asked you if you wanted anything," he grumbled to Jo. Jo grinned at him but didn't reply. "Well, come on, girl. Let's get going."

  Ali followed her grandfather up the hill to the cabin where his truck was parked. She reached out to hand him the keys, but he brushed them away.

  "You drive. I want to make sure you know how."

  Ali stopped and stared at the big pickup truck. She'd never driven anything so large before. She walked around to the driver's side, pulled herself up into the seat, put the key into the ignition, and started it up. The truck hummed. Ali studied the dashboard and steering wheel to make sure she knew where the turn signal and lights were, adjusted the seat so she could reach the pedals, then adjusted the mirrors. She was happy to see the truck was automatic and not stick shift.

  "Let's get going," Ben said. He was already belted into the passenger's seat.

  Ali bit her lower lip, pulled the seatbelt around her, sat up a little straighter, put her foot on the brake, and snapped the gearshift into drive. Hesitantly, she pulled the big truck out of the driveway and turned left onto the gravel road.

  Ali drove slowly down the gravel road, not quite knowing how fast she should go. There were no speed limit signs, and the road was narrow and curvy, so staying on the far right was difficult. She was afraid if she took a turn too fast, she'd hit a car if it was coming from the other side. She was just starting to feel comfortable behind the big truck's wheel when her grandfather spoke up.

  "You drive like an old lady. You can go faster, otherwise we'll never get to town."

  Ali reddened, more from embarrassment than anger. "I'm just trying to get used to driving this thing," she blurted out. "I've never driven anything this big before."

  "What kind of car did you drive?" Ben asked.

  "We had a Cavalier. It was really small compared to this." Ali thought back to the old, beat-up car. Her mom had bought it used and they'd been driving it for over five years. The body was rusting out, the tires were bald, and the engine leaked oil. There was never any money to put into it, and sometimes it just didn't run at all. Ali got used to taking the city bus or getting a ride from friends most of the time.

  Ben cocked his head, looking interested. "What happened to the car? Did you sell it?"

  Ali shrugged. "It really wasn't much of a car. Amy, Megan's mom, said she'd see what she could do about it and send me any money she could get."

  "What about your furniture and other household items? What happened to all of that?" Ben asked.

  Ali kept her eyes on the road. She was uncomfortable with her grandfather's questions, especially since he hadn't bothered to come out for the funeral or to help her move out of their apartment. She wanted to ask him why he cared all of a sudden when he hadn't cared before, but she didn't dare start a fight with him while she was driving.

  "Amy helped me store some of it, and she was going to sell the rest for me. We didn't own all that much that was worth any money, so it doesn’t really matter what happened to it."

  "Hmmm," Ben said thoughtfully. "Well, I know this might feel like driving a tank to you, but you can go a little faster."

  Ali pushed down a little more on the gas pedal and sped up, happy that the conversation had turned away from her life in California and back to driving.

  As they entered Auburn, Ben interrupted the silence. "Why don't you drive on down to the coffeehouse and you can stay there while I go get my supplies. You can have one of your fancy coffees and play with your phone. Nothing but a bunch of nosy old men in the hardware store anyway. No sense in you standing there being stared at."

  Ali turned right and drove down to North Country Coffee. She pulled into one of the slanted parking spaces and put the truck in park, but left it idling. As she opened the door to hop out, her grandfather nudged her arm.

  "Here," he said, offering her a ten dollar bill. "Might as well get a snack, too."

  Ali looked at the money but hesitated in taking it. She wasn't used to anyone giving her money.

  "It's okay. Take it," her grandfather urged her as he slid over behind the wheel. His tone had softened and his face wasn't creased in its usual frown. "I'll come get you in a bit."

  Ali reached over and took the money. "Thanks." She hopped out and headed inside the coffeehouse without looking back.

  Ali's nerves calmed the moment she entered North Country Coffee. The smell of the sweet coffees and the baked goods was soothing. Entering the coffeehouse reminded her of going to Starbucks with her friends back in California, and all the tension from the morning drifted away.

  The place was practically empty again, except for two older women sitting in the back corner with bowls of steaming soup. As Ali walked up to the counter, the woman who'd waited on her the first time, Kat's mom, came up behind the counter with a welcoming smile.

  "Hi," she said. "It's Ali, right?"

  "Yes," Ali replied.

  "I'm Karen," the woman said. She wiped her hand on her apron and reached over the counter to shake Ali's hand. "It's so nice to meet you. The first time you came in, I didn't know you were Ben's granddaughter, until Kat told me. I was sorry to hear about your mother's death. She was a sweet person, and pretty, too. Now that I look at you, I can see a lot of your mother in you."

  Ali stood there uneasily. It felt odd that everyone knew who she was and had known her mother. "How did you know my mother?" she asked.

  "I went to school with her here, although she was two years ahead of me. Everyone knows everyone in a small school. Your mother was very smart and always nice to everyone. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I was sorry, and if there's anything I can do for you, let me know."

  Ali nodded. She thought it was nice of this stranger to be so kind to her.

  "Speaking of which, Kat said she asked you if you'd like to work here this summer. I think that's a great idea. Are you still interested?"

  In the excitement of getting the job at the lodge, Ali had forgotten about the job offer at the coffeehouse. "Thanks, but Jo offered me a job at the lodge so I accepted that. I figured it would be easier to work right near where I lived so I wouldn't have to drive into town."

  Karen smiled at Ali. "That's wonderful. Jo's a sweetheart, you'll love working for her. Kat will be disappointed, though, but I can see how it will be easier for you to work there at the lodge. So, what can I get you? The same as you had before? A caramel cappuccino?"

  Ali looked at Karen in surprise. How did she remem
ber what she'd ordered last time? "Yes, please," Ali said. She considered getting a brownie, too, but decided against it. There were always plenty of homemade baked goods at the lodge to eat.

  Karen made up Ali's drink, then poured it into a large cup and popped a lid on it. After Ali paid, Karen picked up one of their customer appreciation cards and punched three holes in it, then handed it to Ali.

  "Once you have ten punches in this card, you get a free coffee. I gave you credit for the two you already bought, and a punch just for being new to our little town. I hope to see you in here often," Karen said with a warm smile.

  Ali thanked her, then looked around for a place to sit. The two women in the back of the coffeehouse were looking at her and smiling, so Ali smiled back. Do they know who I am, too? Does everyone in this town know who I am and about my mother? Ali decided to sit outside instead and left the building. She sat down on the wooden glider bench just outside the coffeehouse.

  The town was fairly quiet, but there were a few people milling around. The bar across the street, The Loon's Nest Bar & Grill, was open, and every now and then someone would walk in or out of it. Ali supposed people were eating lunch there. Just down the street was another bar, The Beaver's Den, and it looked to be open, also. Farther down the street were a post office and a small bank, which surprised Ali. A bank in this tiny town? Amazing.

  Ali sipped her coffee, and then turned her attention to her phone. It was almost two o'clock, so it was noon in California. She hoped Megan would be out of class heading to lunch and would be able to text or chat with her. Ali sent a message to Megan and waited for a response. The video chat screen popped up almost immediately and there was Megan's smiling face, staring at her.

  "Wow, it's about time I heard from you," Megan said excitedly. "I'm still not used to the fact that I can't text you or talk to you anytime of the day or night."

  Ali smiled wide. It felt so good to be talking to her best friend from home. "I know. It seems like forever since we last talked. So, what are you up to?"

  Megan said she was just sitting down to lunch with their friends at school and she passed her phone around the table so everyone could say hi to Ali. Seeing all her school friends made Ali feel homesick.