✯ North Star ✯

3 - When The Marsh Whispers

We kept working for what felt like weeks- lifting walls, setting beams, hauling lumber, arguing, sweating, bleeding, and somehow laughing through all of it. Building a surf shop is a lot more "holy shit" than HGTV makes it look.

But eventually, it started to look like something.

"Damn that looks good" John b says, hands on his hips, face glowing in the sun.

"Whoo!!" JJ cheers from the roof, doing a victory dance that's one slip away from a hospital bill.

I kneel in the sand with a paintbrush, painting our old beat up surfboard and writing the shop name across it. Kie and Sarah work on the garden, hands buried in dirt. All four of us stand back as the boys hang the fake shark they found.

"Bring it on home John b!" JJ shouts as they finally get the thing up.

Now it was onto the inside- wires, lights, shelves, signs, the whole deal. JJ even fixed up the Poguelandia flag like the one we had on the island. Something about it makes my chest warm. Like we're carrying a piece of that old freedom forward.

We're almost done, just the last touches. I had just finished helping JJ paint his little "Captain Maybank Charters" sign. He plants it proudly beside the boat like it's a monument.

"Hey guys" JJ calls.
"I think we did it. We're in business baby! Wow! Oh my gosh this feels good! Look at this look at that! Like oh my God!" He's practically vibrating.

"That boy is mad" cleo laughs.

"Captain Maybank at your service! Now that has a ring to it. Nothing can stop a pogue! Nothing! Whoa, that's what I'm talking about!" JJ yells, jumping, dancing, and doing everything in between.

"Is he okay?" Sarah asks gently.

"Yeah yeah" kie smiled

"He's more than okay" I add, watching JJ spin and shout joy into the sky. He finally has something that's his. A home. A purpose. A future. I swear my chest aches in the best way.

"Yeah, he's just never really had a home. He's happy" kie said softly.

Kie walks down toward him, smiling, and Sarah wraps an arm around me.
"I love you, Sarah" I said, squeezing her.

"I love you too" she smiles, then shoves me at John b.

He pulls me in, kisses the top of my head, and then we all explode into cheering as JJ and Kie kiss.

We did it. Somehow, impossibly, the Pogues actually did it.

"It's a nice day" kie says later.

"Yeah" Sarah nods.