Agoraphobia

Day 774-775 (Houseboat)

Three days after Frank's death, Uncle Peter and I were walking across the dock to where the houseboat was moored. I carried a supply box while Uncle Peter toted a bushel of apples.

"Hey! Welcome back!" greeted Dr. Harman, stepping from the houseboat's cabin onto the covered deck. He had purple bruises on his arms, but his overall appearance wasn't nearly as bad as before.

"Holy cow!" declared Uncle Peter. "You look a LOT better."

"I feel a lot better, thanks to you. Come on board and say hello to my step-daughter and fiancée. They can't leave the cabin because they are both 'building agoraphobics'. For some reason I'm able to go onto the deck. Perhaps because it has a cover on it."

The three of us entered the cabin. Uncle Peter was immediately hugged by Tabitha. She kissed him on the cheek, the lips, and then the other cheek. Then she hugged him again.

"You wonderful man!" exclaimed Tabitha, cupping Uncle Peter's face in her hands. "We found CHOCOLATE in the bags you gave us! And you gave us toothpaste! The kind for people with sensitive gums..." She hugged him again, and her voice became pleasantly melodic. "...because you knew we needed it!" The hug lingered, and I briefly wondered if she was expressing sexual attraction towards him. I had just decided she was merely grateful when she unexpectedly wrapped one of her legs around my uncle, pulling him a little further into her embrace.

"Jesus, Tabitha!" protested Jackie. "Why don't you just strip him naked and do him right here on the floor?"

Tabitha released Uncle Peter. She leaned forward and whispered something intended for his ears alone. I think it was, "Maybe later."

"Wow!" I marveled. "If she got that excited about toothpaste, I can't wait to see how she reacts to the pies."

"You brought pies!" squealed Tabitha, gleefully clapping her hands. "What kind?"

"Apple and pumpkin."

Tabitha screamed so loudly, it hurt my ears. "I LOVE pumpkin pie!"

We brought in the rest of the food and ate together.

Dr. Harman was charming, intelligent, and distinguished.

Tabitha, Dr. Harman's stepdaughter from his previous marriage, was smart and pretty. She also possessed an endearing, positive attitude.

Jackie reminded me of my mother: very forthright. 

"Now 'Samber' is an unusual name," observed Jackie. "I bet there's an interesting story behind it."

"There is." I admitted. "Neither of my parents wanted to name me Samber. My mother wanted to name me 'Samantha' while my father wanted to name me 'Amber'. Since both were adamant about their chosen names, a friend proposed 'Samber' as a compromise. Both of my parents rejected that idea. They needed a name on my birth certificate, so they flipped a coin. Heads - Samantha. Tails - Amber. The coin went up, bounced, and spun on the table. Finally, it landed... on its EDGE. My parents decided the 'coin had spoken'. And 'Samber' was put on my birth certificate as a temporary placeholder. But, as is the case with many things originally intended to be temporary, it soon became permanent through inaction."

As we all ate together, Uncle Peter and I shared all we knew about the outbreak, our personal stories of survival, and details of Frank's betrayal and banishment.

"If Frank was heading north to Canada," asked Dr. Harman . "How did he end up here a year later?"

"He broke the conditions of his banishment," answered Uncle Peter.