"He said . . . . I heard him say you . . . ."
"I know. He says lots of things, poor fellow. Look, Davie, I'll tell you what happened, but don't tell Jim. It'll just get him more upset.
"Jake and Del and I were best friends. We did everything together, went everywhere, got into tons of trouble -- we were just about as close as kids could be, except I guess Jake and Del were the closest. You know how three's a crowd, right?
"So one fall when we were about your age, there was a storm that lasted for days -- tail end of a hurricane -- and we went down to look at the waves. They were huge. Awesome! We were standing on the headland when Jake stepped down to pick up somethin' he saw caught in the rocks. I never even saw what it was he was after, 'cause suddenly a gigantic wave roared in and caught him. First there was empty beach, and then it was like an enormous hand rising straight up from Hell that reached up and grabbed him. And then he was gone." Dad was staring into the distance, his eyes focused on nothing. "It was just like he'd never been.
"I didn't know what to do. You could see the whole beach from the headland and Jake was nowhere in sight. He was just gone, and the water had pulled back so far it looked like it was a mile away. There was nothing but rocks and sand. Suddenly Del got one of his spells; he'd had them lots of times, but this was the worst. He started to yell and scream but it was more like some kind of honking, then he was climbing down the rocks and running towards the water, screaming for Jake all the way.
"I didn't think; I just ran after him. I knew there'd be more waves, and there's no way he'd survive. Then he fell down on the rocks and started thrashing around and choking. He'd done that before too, but never as bad. So I grabbed him and dragged him back up the rocks. I guess I was half in shock myself."
Dad sat on the edge of his chair with his hands clenched in front of him, as if he still had a grip on Del. "The next wave came in just as I got him to safety; I got my feet wet but that's all. Five seconds earlier and it would have had us both. And by this time he was lookin' real bad; I thought he was going to die 'cause his face was gettin' blue. So I forgot about Jake. I mean, I didn't forget, but I had to make a choice.
"So I carried him up to the road and almost ran into old Mr. Harris. You know Josh Harris at the hardware store? Well, his dad; he was delivering mail. He said later he didn't know which one of us looked worse; I couldn't speak and wouldn't let go of Del, so he just threw us into his truck and took us to the hospital. I bet he never drove so fast in his life."
Dad sighed and slowly relaxed into his chair. "Well, that's all there is, I guess. They never found Jake, and Del never forgave me. Sometimes he thought I killed Jake and sometimes he thought he was still alive. And one day, about two years after it happened, a boat picked up Del a half mile out from shore. He was swimmin' around in circles and yellin' for Jake. That's when they had to lock him up. I mean, by this time he was hearing voices too.
"The police told me this morning about him escaping from the hospital. They've found him, so it's okay now. After all these years, it's a wonder he remembered the way home. I guess when he saw Jim he really believed Jake was alive."
Dad picked up a small piece of wood and turned it over in his hands. "You know Davie, sometimes when I look at Jim it's hard for me not to believe it too."
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