The Way of the Sea

Chapter Six: What Happened on the Dock

Aidan leaned over a table in the dim light of Fitz's Net Repair Shoppe, staring blankly at the large fishing net laid out before him. His job was to repair the net, but his mind was wandering against his will. The sound of waves lapping against the docks of Church Bay continuously drew his attention to the sea.

Finally, in an effort to keep himself on track, he turned around and headed for his boss's office. Aidan knocked on the open door with a lopsided grin.

"Hello, Mr. Fitz," he greeted, leaning against the doorpost.

"Aidan, m'boy!" the middle aged man said in light voice. "Done already? I must have lost track of time, sorting through these order forms..." He motioned to the stack of papers scattered around his desk.

Aidan shook his head. "No, sir, I was just stopping by to ask your permission to mend my last net out on the dock. A few minutes by the sea would do me some good."

Mr. Fitz relaxed back in his chair. "Of course, Aidan. You know you can go out there any time you'd like."

"Thanks, Mr. Fitz." Aidan walked away with a smile. Fitzgerald Campbell was the most content man he had ever known in his eighteen years. He insisted that people call him by his nickname, Fitz, but with the exception of his father, Aidan felt wrong not addressing any older man as a "mister."

It was even stranger to Aidan that he felt more at home in the net shoppe than he did in his own house. For a moment, he found himself jealous of the family waiting for Mr. Fitz to come home from work.

He must be a great father, Aidan mused. But he pushed away that thought quickly. Envy wouldn't help him in the end.

Back at the corner table, he pushed up his sleeves and hoisted the net over his shoulder, walking out the door and down toward the dock. The ferry from Ballycastle was docked, probably about to head back to the mainland.

Aidan had only been sitting on the edge of the dock for a few minutes when he heard movement on the shore. He looked up and promptly wished he hadn't. Five teenagers approached, and Aidan was filled with a combination of dread and annoyance. Maybe if he focused hard enough on the net in his lap, they would pass him on their way to the ferry and he would go unnoticed....

As they came closer, Aidan couldn't help but overhear their conversation, though he kept his gaze down toward his work.

"I swear, Declan, if you follow this eejit onto that ferry, I'll never speak to you again."

Aidan knew that voice. Finley Gallagher was the most prissy student in his class. Her pinched, nasally voice made him want to roll his eyes every time she spoke.

"We know what we're doing, Finley," Declan answered. "Gavin knows the recruiting officer. He's a family friend."

"A family friend likely to be shunned when mum finds out he finagled her only son into enlisting!"

This was another voice. Aidan recognized it, too. Clare Braxton, Gavin's twin sister. He didn't know much about her, other than that they agreed that Gavin was a complete idiot who got way too much attention than was good for him.

"I'm old enough to make my own decisions, Clare," Gavin said, annoyed.

"But are you responsible enough to?" Clare muttered under her breath.

The group passed Aidan, bickering among themselves and paying him no attention. He let out a sigh of relief.

They were close enough to the ferry to board, but their voices hadn't disappeared yet. Aidan risked a glance in their direction and realized that they had stopped right beside the loading ramp. All five of them were deep into their conversation, and it was quickly turning into an argument. Aidan couldn't tell what they were saying, anymore, but it sounded like Clare and Finley had the most to say, and Gavin wasn't having any of it. Declan and Delaney seemed to be having their own conversation since the others were talking so fast that they couldn't get a word in.