Of Sea and Cloud Read Online Free PDF

there, Jonah? It’s smooth as a frog’s belly.
    Christ, Captain. Any woman can do that. That ain’t just Erma Lee.
    It’s just Erma Lee for me.
    When he left Jonah stood with his back to the door and listened to the trailer rattle in the wind. He was exhausted and wished he could lie down and sleep for twelve hours straight but knew that if he went to bed he’d be alone with the wind and the flexing trailer walls and his father’s pound like a heart and he didn’t want that. He wanted warmth but more than warmth he wanted time and he couldn’t put his finger on why.
    He finished his beer and opened another and another set of headlights pulled into his driveway. He peered out the window and saw Virgil’s truck and saw Virgil flick his cab light on for Jonah to see who it was then it was dark again. Christ, he muttered. He pulled on a sweatshirt and put the hood up and his rubber boots on and took his beer outside. Virgil put the little dog on his lap when Jonah got in.
    I figure this rain as the Lord shitting on Captain Bill, Virgil said. What’d he say?
    What’d Bill say?
    Yes, Jonah, what’d Bill say?
    About what?
    About Erma Lee. When Bill was here, what did he say about little Slush?
    I guess he said she weren’t slushy at all, Virgil. Said she was like a frog’s belly is what he said. Fine as frog’s hair.
    Don’t fuck with me, Jonah.
    I don’t know. I suppose he’ll marry her.
    Your old man would have laughed his ass off then beat the Captain’s ass off. Hell, we knew you’d be trouble before you even come out shittin’ and gettin’ on the floor, but we had hopes for the Captain.
    Guess I ain’t been much trouble.
    Not so bad as we thought.
    Drove the old man a bit mad, Jonah said.
    Virgil coughed and lit a cigarette and reached down with one hand and wrapped the fingers around Jonah’s wrist. The touch was warm and comforting. Virgil squeezed hard.
    Jonah kept his eyes on the pale and shaking hand.
    That wasn’t you, Jonah. You know that. That wasn’t you at all. Virgil squeezed even harder then let go and sipped his glass of brandy and milk. He shut the wipers off and the rain streamed down the windshield. They sat in silence for a minute.
    I got a favor for you is why I come by, Virgil said.
    A favor.
    I got four hundred new traps to sell you. You seen them in my dooryard.
    You got four hundred new traps to sell me.
    Five footers.
    Hell.
    Hell is right. You don’t need to go clamming or some dumbshit notion. Old Nicolas would want me to instruct you on that. You need a new gang of traps is what you need.
    I might go partners in the pound.
    Virgil turned his head to Jonah. He scratched the dog’s ears. Shut up, Jonah, I’m talking to you. I been thinking about you this night. Your gear’s all shit and you don’t catch half what me or Bill catch. You’re not going into the pound. You’ll get that new gang rigged and get you a sternman and you’ll fish the
Cinderella
offshore with me and the Captain.
    And Osmond.
    The hell with Osmond. He’s not fishing there yet.
    He’s all around you though.
    But he’s not on top of me yet, and he’s not ever going to be on top of me. Even if he gets the Captain up his asshole, he’s not fishing on me.
    Jonah looked out the windshield at his trailer gleaming silver in the headlights. The woods around the trailer were a black wall of spruce and fir. The wind tore over the roof of the truck and everything shook and howled and Jonah figured it would be a quick relief to see his trailer ripped from its pad and flung like a dead gull against the tree line.
    The Captain said the wharf’s gone under.
    Virgil nodded and waited.
    Biggest tide he’s ever seen, Jonah said.
    We’re not talking about the tide, Jonah.
    My gear’s fine and I got all the old man’s traps if I want them. Hell, they’re already set, just