Second Chances in New Port Stephen - Chapter 43

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Second Chances in New Port Stephen - Chapter 43

December 24, Christmas Eve
Nick drove over the bridge that spanned the intracoastal waterway and headed down the
causeway, a narrow two-lane road that was flanked by water on either side. It was the same
route Nick took to reach the Thirsty Manatee, and he knew it like the back of his hand. In the
past, there had been nothing of real interest on the stretch of road, just strips of sand on either
side where people could pull over and fish if they liked. Families with small children would go
there to swim even though the real beach, the one facing the actual ocean, was only three
minutes away. Nick had never understood it until he had Zoe. Now, the thought of her being
swept out into the Atlantic on a riptide made him reconsider the more enclosed, murkier
waters.
These days, however, only the causeway’s south side had any beach to speak of. The north side
had been redeveloped into New Port Stephen’s downtown waterfront. Brick walkways wound
past the water’s edge with tall cabbage palms placed every twenty yards. Concrete benches
offered a view of the boats tooling around the water. There was even a little visitor center next

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to the paved parking lot with public bathrooms and a wooden manatee standee where you
could stick your head through a hole where the manatee’s face should be and have someone
take your picture.
And, of course, this was the spot where the town put up the municipal Christmas tree every
December with a ceremonial “lighting” on Christmas Eve. (It was technically lit as soon as it was
erected after Thanksgiving, but the town
council turned it off and then back on for the annual gathering.) The tree was more an idea of a
tree: an upside-down cone covered in lights and shiny balls. Nondenominational oversized
snowflakes were bolted to the nearby light poles. An oversized menorah was also there off to
the side, but as with the one at the Anvil, it felt like an afterthought. Nick always felt bad for
that menorah—the Christmas Eve festivities, the music, the boat parade were all clearly in
honor of the tree.
He pulled into the parking lot next to the visitor center with what he had assumed was plenty of
time to spare, but the causeway was already packed. He was fortunate to snag one of the few
remaining spots. Up and down the waterfront, people milled about, many of them with kids in
tow. Nick watched one such family stroll by with a surly goth teen bringing up the rear, playing
with a lip ring. He felt a stab of sympathy, both for the kid and the parents. On the one hand, he
understood the urge to wrap himself in all-black everything and take himself out of the running
for normalcy. On the other, he thought about what he might do if Zoe came home with a facial
piercing in ten years. Probably burst into tears. Fuck, when had he gotten so uncool?
“Dad?”
His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror to see Zoe sitting in her booster seat, craning her neck to
try to see what was happening. “Yes, sweetheart?”
“Can we go watch the boats now?” she asked.
Nick unbuckled his seatbelt. “Yep, Dad spaced out a little there. Let’s go see the boats.”
Zoe beamed as Nick went through the motions of opening the back door and unclipping her
harness. She had been looking forward to the boat parade for weeks. Every few days, she asked
Nick or Laurie to confirm the facts: Yes, there was going to be a parade. Yes, she could go with
her dad. No, they weren’t sure what would happen if it was raining, but it would probably be
rescheduled. “Reschedule” was what people did when things didn’t work out as planned. That
last one, Nick had taken great pains to explain, wondering privately if his life needed to be
rescheduled since that really hadn’t… worked out as planned.
In years past, Laurie and Nick would come to watch the local boats slowly chug along the
causeway, decorated in increasingly elaborate Christmas light

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displays. Once Zoe was born, they’d bring her bundled up like a little hot dog against the—
admittedly mild—night air. But now that they were divorced, Laurie had magnanimously given
up the boat parade, telling Nick that he should be allowed to have Zoe for Christmas Eve since
she’d spend Christmas Day with Laurie after an early dinner at Grammy Kay’s house.