A Perfect Life nd Other Stories Read Online Free PDF Page B

dyke.
     
    THE NEXT EVENING in the ship’s lounge, while
the naturalist pointed to a photo of a raven projected on the screen, Kate
stared through the front window, watching Tracy out on the bow until it became
too dark to see. The last she had seen of her, Tracy was leaning over the rail,
watching the anchor as it dropped. Another crew member manned the machine that
lowered the hefty chain. Kate had no idea what ravens ate or where they lived.
    When the door to the bow opened, Kate had been
nodding off but looked up in time to see Tracy breeze past her, oblivious that
another lesbian was thinking of her, so close by. In the nick of time, she
thought to check Tracy’s left hand. No ring. She sighed.
     
    “GOOD MORNING, SEA Star,” the naturalist announced through the
cabin’s intercom. “Are you ready for a lovely morning in Tracy Arm?”
    Kate startled awake by the voice. Then the words sank in. Tracy
Arm? Tracy . She sat up abruptly. That was it, the perfect excuse. Today she
would talk to her. She leapt out of bed and rushed through washing up.
    Stephanie peered out from under her blankets as Kate got dressed.
“What’s got into you?”
    “Glaciers. Icebergs,” Kate said, dodging the answer. “Tracy Arm is
supposed to be the best place to see ice calving off the glaciers.” She grabbed
her camera and binoculars. “I’ll see you on deck.”
    All morning Kate wandered the ship,
alternating between looking for Tracy and staring, mesmerized by the steep
walls of the narrow inlet and the towering glaciers. She craned her neck at the
granite cliffs on either side that rose two thousand feet almost straight up to
an azure sky, unmarked by clouds or airplanes. Below her, bits of icebergs in
various shades of blue and white floated by in emerald green water. Other than
the hum of the engine as the ship motored slowly toward South Sawyer Glacier,
there were no sounds except occasional pops and cracks of ice breaking off,
then a roar as an avalanche rolled down the face of the glacier and splashed
into the water. The naturalist described the long, arm-shaped fjord, with its
ninety degree bend at the “elbow,” and pointed out bare rock that just five
years earlier had been covered by a glacier melting rapidly due to climate
change. The ice glistened, wet and vulnerable in the bright sun, and Kate tried
to comprehend a world too warm for glaciers.
    Everyone, it seemed, was out on deck, except for the elusive
lesbian crew member. By noon, Kate despaired of ever seeing her again. Then,
right after lunch, there she was, in a sweatshirt and jeans, binoculars around
her neck, playing tourist like the rest of them. Of course, she couldn’t work
24/7. It took almost an hour for Kate to gather the courage to approach her,
standing by the rail on the bow.
    “So, Tracy, what do you think of Tracy Arm?” she asked,
immediately convinced that was the dumbest possible question.
    Tracy looked confused for a second then smiled shyly. “Ah, the nametag.”
She patted her sweatshirt, but there was nothing there. “I like it. You?”
    Kate nodded in agreement and returned the smile, relieved. “Off
duty?”
    “Yeah.”
    “That’s nice. I’m Kate.”
    “Tracy.”
    “I know.”
    “Right!” Tracy blushed.
    Oh my, Kate thought. She’s nervous too.
    “This your first trip to Alaska?” Tracy asked.
    “Yeah. You?”
    “I live here.” Tracy paused, then added, “In Juneau. Not, you
know, here . . .” She nodded to take in the boat and relaxed against the rail.
    “So, how’d you get this job?”
    Tracy met Kate’s gaze then looked away. “Well, that’s kind of a
long story, but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while.” She looked back
at Kate. “The short version is, they were hiring and I was available.”
    “I’d love to hear the long version.”
    Tracy’s eyes narrowed and her smile vanished. The effect gave Kate
chills. What had she said? Was Tracy angry?
    People began to press around them. Things