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honey? Sorry to disturb you.’ ‘What does she want?’
    ‘I don’t know,’ he said, leaving the room. I’ll tell you in the morning.’
    The only other phones were downstairs. He moved familiarly along the dark hall and down the steps, across the living-room carpet and onto the cool, vinyl floor of the kitchen where he switched on the fluorescent light above the sink. In its sudden glare he squinted and reached for the phone on the counter.
    ‘Hello?’
    ‘Yes,’ Maggie replied
     
     
    ‘There, we can talk now. I’m downstairs. Well, Maggie, what a surprise to hear from you.’
    ‘I really am sorry, Eric. It was stupid of me not to consider the time difference. You see, I just finished talking to Brookie - she’s the one who gave me your number and suggested I call you. We had such a great talk, by the time I hung up I never gave a second thought to the time.’ ‘Stop apologizing.’
    ‘But what will your wife think?’
    ‘She’s probably already gone back to sleep.’ Eric heard the click as Nancy hung up the bedside phone. Dressed only in Jockey shorts, he settled gingerly on a kitchen chair, taking the phone with him. ‘She travels a lot, so she’s used to sleeping in hotels and on planes, wherever she needs to. When she’s here in her own bed, sleeping’s no problem for her, believe me.’
    ‘Brookie told me you were married, and to a very beautiful wife.’
    ‘Yes, she is, thanks. Her name is Nancy .’
    ‘She’s not from
Door
County
?’
    ‘No, she’s from Estherville ,
Iowa
. I met her my last year in college. How about you? You’re living in Seattle and ? His inflection left an open blank.
    ‘And I was married for eighteen years. He died a year ago.’
    I’m sorry, Maggie . . . I read a mention of it in Advocate.’ After a pause, he inquired, ‘How about kids?’ ‘One. A daughter, Katy, seventeen.
    You?’ ‘No, unfortunately, none.’
    His reply left a gap. Groping for something to fill it in, she put in, ‘Brookie says you’re running your dad’s charte boat.’
    ‘Yup. Out of Gills Rock with my brother Mike. You remember Mike, don’t you? He was two years ahead of us?
    ‘Of course I remember Mike. We used his car to go to the prom.’
    ‘That’s right, I’d forgotten. We’ve got two boats now and Ma runs the radio for us and does all the shore work and the bookings and sells the licenses.’
    ‘Your mother- I smile when I think of her. How is she?
    ‘Unstoppable. Looks the same as ever - like a eros between Burgess Meredith and a Persian lamb coat.’
    Maggie laughed. The sound, coming across the wire seemed to roll time backwards. ‘Ma never changes. She’ still full of sass,’ Eric added, settling more comfortably the chair.
    ‘Your mother was such a spunky lady. I liked her s much. And your dad.., he’s gone now, I think my mother wrote. ‘
    ‘Yes, six years ago.”
    ‘You were always so close to him. I’m sure you must miss him.’
    ‘We all do.’ It was true. Even after six years, Eric still felt the loss. The values he had learned had been taught to him by the old man. He’d come by his occupation wrapped in the old man’s arms, with his powerful hands covering Eric’s own on the rod and reel, and his voice in Eric’s ear, ordering, ‘Never jerk back on the line, son! Keep ‘er steady!’ More than half of Eric’s charter customers were old-time repeaters who’d been fishing on the Mary Deare since the early days of Severson Charters. Eric’s voice held gruff affection as he added, ‘Ah, well.., he had a hell of a good life, drove the boat till the end and died right here at home, holding Ma’s hand with all four of us kids around the bed.’
    ‘That’s right- I forgot about your other brother and sister - where are they?’
    ‘Ruth lives in Duluth and Larry’s in Milwaukee . I see your folks around every now and then, your dad mostly when I go into the store. He always wants a report on how the fish are biting.’
    ‘I’m sure he