Page 95 of Troubles in Paradise
Huck reveals that he’s a charter fishing captain who has lived on St. John for over twenty years. His boat is called theMississippi.Irene is from Iowa City; she moved to the island in February because she needed a life change.
Huck wraps his arm around Irene’s shoulder and pulls her in close. “She sure changedmylife.”
Who are Huck and Irene waiting to call? Family back in Iowa?
“Most of my family is here,” Irene says. “My son Baker and his girlfriend, Ayers, had a baby last night at home.”
Margaret thinks she must have misunderstood. “They had a crying baby last night at home?”
“Theyhada baby last night,” Irene says. “Ayers gave birth in the bedroom with a nurse practitioner who happens to be a friend of the family. So I have a brand-new granddaughter.”
Margaret can’t help herself. “Will she be named Inga?”
“Oh,” Irene says. “I hope not.”
“No,” Huck says. “They haven’t settled on a name yet, but rest assured, it will not be Inga.”
Irene says, “And that’s not all. My other son, Cash”—here, Irene pivots and casts a concerned glance behind them, at the water—“is over on Lovango Cay with his friend Tilda. Her family is building an eco-resort on Lovango, and, if I’m not mistaken, Cash and Tilda are the only two people on the entire island. I’m going to try to call Cash to make sure they made it through okay.”
This is such a good local story that Margaret feels like she hit the jackpot on the first try. She asks Huck and Irene to repeat all of this—including the shtick about the name Inga—with the cameras rolling. She has Linda get a close-up of the cookies and then she asks Linda to pan across the water toward Lovango Cay.
When they finish filming, Irene says, “I’m not one to play the name game but I think you know my cousin.”
Margaret smiles. She loves this woman, this couple; they’re authentic and charming, and even if Margaret has no idea who Irene’s cousin is, she might pretend she does. “Who’s your cousin?”
“Mitzi Quinn,” Irene says.
Ha!Margaret thinks.Ha-ha-ha!“Mitzi? Mitzi is yourcousin?”
Irene nods shyly. Huck looks lost. “Who’s Mitzi?”
“Mitzi was married to my ex-husband for many years,” Margaret says. “Mitzi’s son, Bart, is my children’s half brother.” She beams. “We’re practicallyrelated!” She pulls out a business card and hands it to Irene. “Please, let’s keep in touch. If you ever need anything…”
“Thank you,” Irene says.
Margaret tilts her head. “Before I move on, I have to ask one more question. How did the two of you meet?”
Irene and Huck smile at each other and Margaret can see something pass between them that seems to indicate it’s a story too complicated for a sound bite.Of course,Margaret thinks.All the best stories are.
“We could tell you,” Huck says. “But you’d never believe it.”
Irene
Cash and Tilda are okay. The cell phone reception when she’s talking to Cash goes in and out but the gist is that they’re going to stay on Lovango for a few days to try to clean up before they take the skiff back over to St. John.
“It was scary,” Cash admits. “The cottage shook so bad, we felt like dice in a cup. During the worst of it, I looped my belt through the handle of the front door and pulled, and Tilda sat behind me, bracing me. We knew if we lost the door, the roof would be next.”
Irene gets a chill.You should have stayed with us,she almost says. The Happy Hibiscus didn’t sustain any damage because it’s made of stone, because it’s sheltered from the water, because the yard has only bismarckia trees, no palms. The wind was loud, the windows rattled, they could hear the branches of the trees coming down, but that was the worst of it. The baby cried a little, which was a sound everyone loved, and Winnie whimpered, which was a sound nobody loved but everyone tolerated. “Isn’t it lonely being the only two people on that whole island?” Irene asks.
“Actually,” Cash says, “it’s kind of romantic.”
Well,Irene thinks,looks like Tilda is back in the picture.“We have a surprise for you when you get home,” Irene says.
“A what?” Cash says.
“A surprise!” Irene says. There’s no answer. “A surprise!” She turns to Huck. “I think I lost him.”
Suddenly she hears Cash say, “Thanks, Mom. Hug Winnie for me.”
