Sitting in a deep and narrow tin tub filled with hot water, McGauran draws his knees up and sighs. Peace at last.
He thought this precious moment would never come. He’s been dreaming of privacy and silence for weeks. Work at the docks is grueling. Dinners in the Leary’s home are chaos. And he’s been walking to Honoré’s house almost every evening. When he isn’t on the move from one place to another, he lies on his cot, wide awake for hours, his body refusing to rest. He’s been on edge in the last days, full of need. Spring has him feeling like an animal in heat.
By some miracle, he was able to convince his mother and the widow that he wasn’t feeling well, and the whole loud brood left for Sunday mass without him, but on her way out, his mother gave him a long and sad look. Maybe she doesn
