Dev’s gone to see Nancy and I’m trying not to think about it much. The sailmaker is pleased to see me. Turns out he knew who I was in the first place. It comes about when we’re having eggs and bacon for lunch out on the verandah and I ask him if he’s lonely out here. I’m thinking of Dev. He’s got me, but I’ve often thought there could be some other ways he’s lonely. Vern’s not lonely at all. ‘I’ve got Olsen, the birds . . .’ he says. ‘Even this island is my friend. That’s why it’s hard to see her slippin’ away like she is. She’s like a beautiful ship to me, boy, her sails unfurled; the lighthouse is the mast. The birds love her too, but she’s sinking and there’s nothing more miserable than that.’ Nah, he’ll never leave; captains don’t leave sinking ships. He’s quiet for a while and I’m thinking maybe an island seems like a woman to a guy as old as the sailmaker, but what about Dev?
