It was Saturday morning. The doorbell rang. Abby heard Grammy answer it, and then she heard the high pitched voice of six-year old Samantha Carter. Next came the awful part. Abby gritted her teeth and pulled her pillow over her ears. Samantha began her warm up exercises. Abby groaned. Samantha sucked at piano. As the child hit another wrong note, Abby felt a headache take root. Samantha began to play "The Animal Fair." From her bedside table, Abby pulled her rifle range headphones and shoved them over her ears. They were the only thing that the melody of “The Animal Fair” could not penetrate. How she had grown to hate "The Animal Fair." It was the first real song that every piano student learned. She got up and went to take her shower. She turned on the shower before she took off the headphones. Running water muted the music but it could not obliterate it.

After Abby got out of the shower and dressed she turned off the water. She reached for her headphones but realized the house was silent. That was weird. Samantha's lesson wasn't over yet. Maybe she was just eating a cookie. Abby went to her room, got her bag, and a book to read. Saturday there were piano lessons all day and Abby did not stick around. She was NOT a music person. Usually she went to the park or to the pier. As she put on her shoes she realized the house was still silent. Worried, she went downstairs.

In the living room seated at the piano was Samantha. Her tiny blonde head barely an inch above the keyboard. Her little fingers frantically hovered over the keys. She started to strike one then pulled her finger back, studied her book and started to strike again, only she didn't. Grammy, who sat beside her had a dazed expression on her face.

Abby said, “Grammy.”

Grammy jumped. She turned her glazed eyes to Abby like she didn't recognize her.

Samantha whimpered, “I can't find the next note. I lost it. Where is it?”

Oddly, Abby saw Grammy’s eyes tear up too. She hugged the child and said, “That is okay. We all loose someone some time."

Abby asked, “What?”

Flustered, Grammy said, “Go eat your breakfast so I can finish this lesson.”

“Whatever.” Abby stomped into the kitchen, grabbed a banana and juice box from the fridge and stuffed them into her bag. She shouted, “I'm going to the pier."

Grammy didn't answer. She always answered. The music, if it could be called that, finally started up again. Hurt, Abby banged the door closed behind her. Stupid move. David probably heard it. Anxiously, she crept to the edge of the fig tree. In the shadow of it, she scanned the house across the street. The window of David's room had it curtains closed. Hopefully he was still asleep. She wasn't up to his dumbness this morning. Quickly she walked to the garage, rolled out her bike and pushed it to the curb. She climbed on and rode into the street.

Humid gusts of wind blew off the bay. The black tipped wings of gulls sliced the sky above her. As she peddled faster, the breeze pushed against her. She turned into the park. The bay spread before her in a shimmering expanse of blinding light. It was so big and so beautiful. The sight of it always made her wish for wings. She hopped off her bike and chained it to the bike rack. The long fishing pier was lined with people of all ages and ethnicities.

Abby went into the bait house and paid the pier fee. She got her ticket and took it to the man who stamped her arm so she could have access to the pier all day. Absorbed in her own thoughts she made her way down the pier. She kept her eyes straight ahead. She didn't want to talk to anyone. At the end of the pier, her favorite spot, she sat down and pealed her banana. A gull swooped at her wanting to share. A few others darted around her. Once they realized she was not going to share, they flew away. As she ate she stared at the horizon line. The white sunlight caused her eyes to tear up, at least that is what she told herself. One tear had just crested her eyelashes when a hand touched her shoulder. She rubbed the tear away and turned. Ryan, David's older brother, narrowed his eyes at her. "Hey you okay?"

Abby didn't answer. She popped the last of her banana in her mouth and slowly chewed it. She hoped he would take a hint and go away. He didn't. He put down his fishing pole and started digging through his tackle box. When he sat down beside her his long leg bumped against her shorter one. "Sorry."

Abby didn't respond.

He cast his line with skill. She watched the lure sink far away. She had never got the hang of fishing. They sat for several minutes in silence before Ryan said, "Sure are quiet this morning."

Abby shrugged.

"What's the matter?"

Ryan could be so nosey. She turned her back to him.

"So, you want me to leave you alone, well I'm not. You might as well tell me what's wrong? You know I'll just bother you until you do." It was true the Spenser boys were very tenacious.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Abby took a deep breath, let it out, turned to him. "Chester is coming for a visit."

"Your dad?"

Abby frowned at him. “Don’t call him that.”

"Do you want to see him?"

"No. I don’t think Grammy wants to see him either." Abby paused then blurted out, "Grammy lied to me yesterday."

Ryan looked at her funny. He said, "Nuhuh. she is the most honest person I know." Abby used to think so too. He jerked his line. There wasn’t any resistance.

Abby continued, "She did. I swear. Mr. Thomas told me Chester's letter got mixed up with his mail and Grammy claimed there wasn't a letter, but I saw her reading it."

"That's weird."

Abby nodded in agreement. Before she could say more, Ryan groaned. He jerked his thumb behind him.

"What?" Abby turned to look. It was David. He was wearing one of his dad's holy old t-shirts, red flip flops held together with duct tape and ragged cut offs. He looked like a homeless person. Abby asked Ryan, "Think I should jump?"

Ryan shook his head. "If you jump he'll just save you and give you mouth to mouth resuscitation."

“Gross.”

David wedged himself between Ryan and Abby. He smiled, leaned against Abby and asked, "How is my Juliet this fine morning?"

Abby said, "Dead last I heard."

"Aw, come on honey, you know you're not dead." David pecked her on the cheek.

Abby wiped the kiss off.

David slapped his hand across his heart and said, "Gees, you sure know how to hurt a guy." He sniffed and gently dabbed his eyes with the hem of his dad's t-shirt.

Ryan rolled his eyes at his brother. "You're crazy."

"Yes, I am crazy, crazy in love with," he fluttered his eyelashes, "her." Dramatically he sighed.

Abby wanted to push him off the pier, but if she did that she would lose her pier privileges. The only thing she could do was leave. Only, she didn't want to leave.

David turned his attention to his tackle box. It reeked. He pulled out a slimy box of rotting shrimp.

Covering his nose Ryan said, "God, David don't you ever clean that thing out?"

David smiled sweetly. "No." He turned to Abby and asked, "Does this bother you honey?" He pierced a shrimp with his hook.

"Not as much as you do."

David sighed. "Someday you will appreciate my devotion."

Abby couldn't help herself. She laughed.

David said, "That's better." He cast out his line.

*

A gentle breeze from the bay twisted around them. Abby sat at the Spenser's picnic table playing rummy with David. So far he was winning. David’s dad, Hugh, was grilling hot dogs. Grammy and David’s mom, Lila, were down by the water talking. The wind blew bits and pieces of their conversation to Abby. She heard Grammy say, "His plane lands around ten, Thursday morning."

Angrily Abby thought, Thursday morning! When did he call? And when were you planning on telling me?

David said, "Your turn."

"Oh." Abby threw down a two of clubs.

David slapped down his card and scooped up the rest. "I won again, though I must say it pains me to beat the woman I love at cards.”

Abby rolled her eyes at him. David grinned and added up his score, then Abby’s. He asked, "Want to play again?"

Abby shook her head.

Grammy and Lila came into the yard. Lila placed a hand on David’s shoulder and said, "David was just learning to talk the last time Chester was here."

Grammy nodded.

Hugh asked, "What, Chester's coming for a visit?"

Lila said, "Yes."

"Mmm," Hugh said. He pulled Lila to him and tilted her face up to his. "You better not get any ideas about renewing an old flame." She smiled up at him. He asked Abby, "Your Grammy ever tell you Lila proposed to Chester?"

Abby looked at Grammy. It seemed there were a lot of things Grammy had failed to tell her.

Grammy's mouth tightened into a thin hard line. For a second she didn't respond, then she said, "Lila's lucky he said no."

"Hey," Hugh said, "I think I'm the lucky one." He kissed his wife.

Watching Hugh and Lila made Abby feel funny inside. She looked away.

Ryan rode into the yard on his bike. He didn't bother to park it, he just dropped it and left it on the grass.

Lila asked, "Isn't Cathy coming?"

Ryan shook his head and shrugged. "She had other plans."

David smirked. "So you got dumped again?"

"No." He didn't sound very convincing. He sat down beside Abby. Grammy and Lila sat on either side of David. Hugh brought the hot dogs to the table, Gently Lila nudged Grammy.

"I'll take a hot dog Hugh," Grammy said.

Hugh put one on her plate. Lila frowned.

David asked, "Mrs. Pierce aren't you gonna say the blessing?"

Grammy's face got pink. She closed her eyes and said in a trembling voice, "Dear God, Thank you for...for...this, this food. Amen." It was the shortest prayer Grammy had ever prayed.