ISLAND STATE OF MIND

By Atonia Walpole

Set in Savannah, new and exciting romantic adventure with Tully Cunningham, a Russell-based

character.

Chapter 1:

Whoever came up with the godawful name of Toliver Emanuel Alexander Cunningham was long gone. He had been Tully as long as he could remember. There was nobody left to ask. He was a 34 year old orphan and had been for a long time.

He was standing on the end of the pier watching the brown pelicans glide low over the water looking for dinner. The blue baseball cap was pulled low over his eyes, eyes covered in Ray Bans which scanned the horizon once again before turning back to the pelicans. He watched them diving under the surface, disappearing and then launching back toward the sky. It was time to go. There were no answers here.

He walked slowly back, head down and hands in the pockets of his jeans. The music and laughter from the Pier Bar never touched him as he passed by. He crossed to the parking lot and mounted his bike. Gunning the Harley a couple of times, he moved out onto the sandy asphalt and turned toward the mainland.

The wind was ripping through the faded blue denim shirt he wore, pulling it from his waistband and flapping it behind him across the causeway. He slowed as he came to the stoplight and turned left. Down the shaded street to the blue house; he pulled around back and parked his bike. The General was barking at the back door to greet him. Lavishing him with wet kisses as if he had been gone for a long time, the big awkward Golden Retriever nearly knocked him over as he squatted to rub his head.

“Hey boy, calm down. It’s only me. Are you hungry?” He filled The General’s dish with kibbles and set it down by the fridge.  Opening the fridge, he took out a bottle of beer and walked over to the table; the papers were still there. They came this morning in their official black and white heart-numbing, life-changing envelope.  Ten years of his life ended by a signature. He took off his cap and lay it on the table, ran his hand through his hair and took a long drink from the bottle.

 Over the table the lighter oblongs on the wallpaper told of things missing. Bare tabletops in the living room, an empty closet upstairs, bare vanity space in the bathroom said she was gone. Even the air smelled different; no tell-tale scent to fill the rooms.  The air was flat. The blinds in the living room had not been opened in a month. It had become a dead zone. Tully was either in the kitchen or the bedroom. He ate little and he slept badly. He went to work and he came home to

a house lifeless except for The General.

The General knew life had changed for Tully and did the best he could to cheer him up. Now would be a good time for a walk so he nudged him and smiled, tilting his head toward the back door. Tully needed to get out of the house; it wasn’t friendly in here anymore.

Tully reached out and scratched The General behind the ears. “Okay, we’ll go out and down the road.” He picked up the lead and opened the door.  The General led him around the house and down the road to the path leading to the intercoastal waterway. There were people walking on the path and they smiled at The General. He smiled back, wagging his tail; a cheerful fellow trying to make up for Tully who hadn’t smiled in a long time.

They walked down to the remains of an old abandoned pier where Tully sat down, letting The General off his lead. This was The General’s territory, he knew how far he could wander and not get into trouble, so he made his rounds. Tully lit a cigarette and watched his dog sniffing and peeing every few feet or so. He turned at the sound of a motor. A boat was slowly making its way up the channel and he watched it for awhile.  It seemed to be making for his pier so he stood up, shading his eyes. The motor cut back a little as it drifted toward the side of the pilings. He walked over to the side and grabbed the ropes that were flung at him.

“Hi, would you like to go for a ride?”

Tully didn’t immediately respond. Her sun bleached hair was caught back in a ponytail and she wore a large faded red tee shirt over her cut-off denims. She had a wide smile in her tanned face and looked up at him out of light blue eyes.

“I have my dog here, thanks, but no.” He was still holding the ropes.

The General heard the boat and came running to investigate. He heard what Tully said but not the invitation. He bounded up on the pier and walked over to Tully.

“This your dog? Hi, fella, wanna go for a ride? Oh he’s a sweetie. Come on, I love dogs. We’ll just go up the channel for a ways, there’s a landing that sells my kind of wine. Sure you won’t change your mind?”

The General nudged Tully’s leg. This sounded like fun and she was a nice lady. He looked up at Tully. 'Please, please can we go for a ride?'

“Well, you’re sure you don’t mind the dog? Okay, why not.” He jumped onto the boat, followed by The General.  

Tully settled down in the seat and The General walked up to the front of the boat. He liked the wind in his ears.

“What’s your dog’s name?”

“The General," Tully replied.

“That’s an unusual name. My name’s Casey,” she said over her shoulder as she backed the boat out into the waterway.

“I’m Tully.” He looked into her face and she narrowed her eyes and turned around back to her wheel.

“I’ll bet that’s a nickname for something awful.”

“You don’t want to know.”

“Oh, but I do. I want to know all about you. I’ve seen you around.”

“Where? I don’t think I’ve seen you around.” Why was he being so hostile? He ran his hand over his face and looked toward the island.

The General turned around and gave him a disapproving look.  'Come on, Tully.'

“I saw you on the pier today. You go out there quite often I’ve noticed.  I also saw you in Jack’s Tavern and other places. I bartend sometimes at the Pier Bar if they need someone to fill in.”

A bartender?  Why in hell did he get on this boat? “How far is the landing?”

“Other side of the causeway, on the island side, if you’re thinking of jumping ship.”

The General walked back to see about Tully.  What was the matter with him? He nudged his leg and looked up at his face, wishing he’d take off those sunglasses so he could read his eyes. Tully wasn’t being nice.

Tully knew he wasn’t being nice. It shamed him but he couldn’t seem to help it. She drove the boat standing up and he looked her over. She was tall, well shaped, long tanned legs; very attractive if you were looking. Tully wasn’t looking.

“Are you hungry? They make some great shrimp po' boys at the landing. I’m gonna have one

so I don’t have to think about fixing anything tonight. We can eat them by the water. They have tables and everything.  Probably get a burger for The General, if you don’t mind.  You’d like a burger, wouldn’t you fella?”

The General said he would love a burger and he gave her a kiss on her leg. He stood by her wagging his tail glancing over his shoulder at Tully. He knew Tully liked shrimp po' boys.

Grudgingly Tully gave in. He was hungry and his dog had turned traitor on him. “Sure, why not?” He glared at The General but it was lost behind his Ray Bans and never reached the target.

She guided the boat into the visitor’s dock and Tully jumped out to handle the ropes. The General waited for Casey then followed them up the hill to the store. Tully told him to stay and he sat down by the door with a big smile.

Casey found her wine bottle while Tully ordered the po' boys and a plain burger with cheese for The General.  While they waited for the sandwiches Tully ordered a beer and asked her if she would like one.

“Yes, thank you, Tully. They'll bring the sandwiches outside if you'd like to walk out to the table with The General.”

Tully paid for the order and picked up the beers. They found a table in the shade of a tree and sat down. Tully lit a cigarette and looked out toward the open water.

“You don’t say much, do you?”

“Maybe I don’t have anything to say?”

“Everybody’s got something to say, Tully. Maybe you haven’t had anybody that wanted to listen?”

“You don’t know me, Casey.”

“No, but I’d like to.”

The General had picked a spot in the sand, careful not to lie in any sand burrs. His ears pricked up when he heard Casey say she’d like to know Tully. He hoped Tully would be nice; he could be when he wanted to. He laid his head on his paws and looked up at Tully.

Tully didn’t answer her. The boy brought the sandwiches  to their table and he became busy with the wrappings. He broke The General’s burger in pieces to cool and began to eat his sandwich.

“Do you live near the old pier?”

“No, not really, down the road a bit.”

“I live on the island in a tiny little cottage that belonged to my grandmother. It's mine now. I do a little of this and that to keep groceries in the house. What do you do?”

He looked up at her over his Ray Bans and hesitated. “I’m a special investigator with the Savannah Police Department.”

“Oh!”

ON TO PART 2

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