The Summer Guest

You know the one. The house that sits on the edge of the woods. On the bend, just after Cove’s. She takes it every summer. Well, since Arthur died. So it’s been at least eight years. Eight years anyway, the kids have been renting it out. Nine, maybe ten. No, not ten. A good eight, anyway.

You know her. I know you know her. If you saw her, you’d know her.

She comes in every morning, picks up her paper, a loaf of bread, whatever. She likes Harold’s tomatoes. She’ll buy a tomato.

I don’t know what her story is. Not a mystery lady, though. Very pleasant, very nice. Always very pleasant. Asks how you’re doing. Always the nice smile.

Harold says she teaches someplace. I believe that. Reads the New York Times. She might be a teacher.

I know you know her. I know you’ve seen her walking to the lake. Keeps a canoe at Vye’s dock. Goes out to the island all the time. I know you’ve seen her there. Sitting on the ledges in the sun. With a book or something.

That house all to herself all summer. Not really, though. Doesn’t exactly keep to herself. You know how that is.

I don’t think she comes here looking for that sort of thing. She’s just one of those people that has herself a summer.

Summertime and a world full of lonely people.

Not that she’s had a fling every summer. I don’t know about every summer. I don’t keep track.

Jim Darling. Must have been the first or second year. At least Mary was dead. Jim was pretty lonesome then.

There was that couple from I think someplace below Albany. Well below Albany. They were staying at The Cottages and he couldn’t help himself. His wife was a piece of work.

Who was the guy with the snackbar before Don Trombley? Before Don. Tom somebody. Only lasted one year. His wife, her name was Mary now that I think of it. She was nice. Just an awful lot of sawdust upstairs.

There’s been a few. I don’t keep track. I don’t see it as a problem. I’m not a judge. People get lonely. We all get lonely.

Harold’s nice to her. Kind of sweet in a way, but a way that doesn’t make you think about it one way or the other.

None of us are kids anymore. None of us has to make ourselves crazy about anything.

I don’t worry about Harold.

I know I’ve told you this already, but it still means something to me that even when things were as bad as they were, he told me he wasn’t going anywhere. Even when I told him I was going he said, Well the store’s still here.

All that’s different now, or different enough. Except he’s waited so long I don’t know if he’s waiting anymore. He used to show he was waiting in little ways, but I wasn’t having it, so he stopped. So I don’t know. Because there are nights when I’m so close to reaching over to let him know he doesn’t have to wait anymore, but I’m afraid. I’m afraid he’s really done waiting.

I guess that’s the long way of saying I get it. I mean I don’t blame her. I’m not recommending it, I’m saying I get how she might feel.

It’s summer. Nobody should be lonely.