Page 14 of The Spotted Cottage By the Sea
Russell had to keep the smile off his face, if only to avoid infuriating her more. “He told me he was intending to sell at eight hundred thousand.”
She paused, puffing out her cheeks. “I’ll admit, I don’t know the market around here, but that seems very cheap for ten acres.”
“I thought so too,” he said with a shrug.
“It’s not a done deal.” She pointed at him. “Don’t talk to Brian anymore.”
He opened his mouth to respond as she added a curt “Please.”
It was getting extremely difficult not to laugh. Truth be told, he hadn’t thought much about the land. It was something offered to him, not something he’d sought out. He wasn’t even sure if he could afford it.
But it was best to keep up the façade for her benefit. “Okay. If you say so. I won’t talk to him anymore.”
She spun a black purse to her hip, digging inside, and pulled out a business card. “If he contacts you again, I want you to tell me. Call the cell, not the, uh, other number.”
Sheila Dennet, Accountant.“You’re a numbers person, eh?”
“That’s right,” she said, and before he could ask anything else, she spoke again. “I’m going to call Brian right now and clear this up. Have fun on your kayak.”
With that, she spun around and stormed back up the hill.
Russell stood there, watching as she grew smaller and smaller. A laugh escaped from him, and he scratched the back of his head and looked around.
Had anyone else witnessed that?
It seemed not. The beach was deserted, and apart from a few seagulls, he was alone.
Life could still surprise him, apparently.
He stooped down to pick up his paddle and saw a newspaper clipping clinging to the rocks.
He picked it up, shaking the few drops of water it had managed to absorb, and called out. “Sheila! You dropped something!”
She was too far gone, and the wind carried his voice over the sea. He unpeeled a stuck corner, the headline catching his eye.
BELOVED KILLER WHALE DIES BEFORE CHANCE TO RETURN HOME
August 19th, 2023
Only months after her release back to the ocean was announced, Tokitae, also known as Lolita or Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, died yesterday in Miami. She was 57 years old.
Believed to be four when captured off the coast of Washington State in 1970, Tokitae was known for her gentle nature and lively spirit. During her capture, four baby whales drowned while trying to reach their mothers, and whale hunts were banned soon after.
The decades of captures had a lasting effect on Washington’s Southern Resident whales, known as J, K, and L pods. It’s believed approximately 40% of the population was captured or killed, and the population remains critically endangered to this day.
Tokitae was the last living captive member of the Southern Resident whales, and her death comes as a shock to many. Animal welfare activists and the Lummi tribe have fought for years for her release from captivity. In recent years, there were plans to retire Tokitae to her native waters to live the rest of her years in a sea pen.
Orcas are social animals, and despite not living with other orcas in decades, Tokitae still called out in her native dialect. There were hopes of a reunion between her and her mother, L-25 Ocean Sun, the oldest-living Southern Resident whale.
An autopsy will be completed to investigate her cause of death.
Eight
Pushing away the vague feeling she was acting rashly, Sheila pulled out her phone and called Brian. She was halfway back to the cottage when it dawned on her that she hadn’t heard Brian’s voice in over a year.
She slowed her pace. Normally, they did all their communicating through email. Sheila’s lawyer had suggested it years ago, and it worked well enough. Communicating with him was an area where she’d had to build grace.
His emails were so cold, so measured. It felt like she was talking to a stranger, not her husband of twenty-two years. Her favorite email was from before their divorce was finalized. The subject was “FYI,” and the content was, “I will be moving to New York in six weeks. My attorney will be contacting you about our parenting plan.”
