The Lighthouse Keeper
BY DANIEL W. DRAKE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
As I desultorily swept the pine needles on the deck early this Tuesday morning, Hawkeye swooped down and perched on the top of the fence. I was reveling in the warmth of the rising sun as I pushed my broom this way and that, and I wasn't sure that I was ready for anything which would require me to be at the top of my game.

"Hi", Hawkeye squawked. "You look like you're enjoying yourself."

"I'm not sure that 'enjoying' myself is the phrase I would use," I said. I have done this more times than I can even count. But the sun is warm and this mindless sweeping is a good way to relax, after such a busy week."

"I wasn't talking about your busy week," Hawkeye responded. "I know your week was pretty full, but I was talking about the busy week for the island."

I wasn't really getting into the conversation and Hawkeye was quick to pick up on that.

"Would you rather I left you alone?" he asked. "I still have mouths to feed and I'm sure that the little darlings are screeching away at their mother because I haven't brought home any groceries. They are like teenagers who have just gotten their drivers licenses, for crying out loud. They go off and have all kinds of fun, but they always come home to eat. It's impossible to keep up with them."

"No, please stay," I said. It had been just a couple of weeks since we talked, and I figured that it was time for another Hawkeye fix to dispel my mental languor.

"I was just thinking," I continued, "that it would be nice to have the time to do some nosing around to follow up on a phone conversation I had a couple of days ago. The call was about the Dreamland Theater deal and the person who telephoned wanted to fill me in on some of the background. According to my source, there was some behind-the-scenes maneuvering that went on to kill the deal…"

"Who are you?" Hawkeye interrupted sharply. "Carl Bernstein? You are a columnist - and not a very good one at that; certainly not an investigative reporter. You deal in opinions, not facts. What's this palaver about a 'source'? Get real!"

"Before you interrupted me and, in one sentence, destroyed my entire self-esteem," I continued, "I was about to say that I would like nothing more than to be able to spend some time to see if I can get the story confirmed. Given everything on my platter though, it's just not going to be possible. If I didn't have to write a column this week, I could spend the time following up on the story, but you can't have it both ways.

"Anyhow," I said, "the story will come out, maybe as soon as this week."

"How do you know?" Hawkeye asked.

"I can't tell you," I said. "It would jeopardize my source. Just keep your eyes open. And, I promise, if the story doesn't come out soon and there is anything to it, I will make sure that it's out there.

"Jeopardize, schmeopardize," Hawkeye protested. "Whatever! Did you get to any of the Film Festival films?"

"No, I replied. "The film festival kind of came and went before I realized it was here. I understand that there was an excellent documentary about a rower, which I was sorry to miss."

"I love movies," Hawkeye said in a tone much more empathetic than normal. "And, I am kind of star struck. I saw a bit of glitter; obviously HDC-approved glitter, but glitter nonetheless. It was fun to rub wings with some of those people - the glitterati.

"To be honest," he went on, "I love the idea of movies. I have never seen one. I was going to watch the documentary about the rower the other night but it was so cold and windy, they moved the venue indoors and I missed out. There wasn't a seat for me."

"I hadn't thought of it before," I mused, "but there is kind of a surreal connection between the Film Festival, the Dreamland and the third big story of the week, Cape Air's shutting down its service to make some repairs to an engine part in all its planes. What with both Cape Air and the Dreamland out of commission, not to mention the aforementioned weather, the Film Festival had quite a time of it. Maybe next year, it will all come back together for them. They should get one of their principal venues back, people will be able to get here once again and the weather. ... Who knows?"

"Don't feel too sorry for them, Hawkeye said. "The Jeeps got here, trucked all the way from Detroit and with snappy Michigan license plates. I watched them come off the boat all bright and shiny. People have been tooling around in them all weekend looking like they were actually enjoying themselves."

"I know," I said "For cars that come to Nantucket, they could do a great business by installing a pollen-washer. I don't know why nobody has thought of that before. When the Jeeps go back where they came from, the engineers will be puzzled by the thick, yellow-green film that has dulled the cars' sheen. Eventually, after it rains, they will figure out the pollen washes off and they will then clean up those vehicles and sell them as brand new..."

"On top of everything else," Hawkeye observed, "that murder trial is going on. That's a big deal."

"It is," I said. "I haven't sat in on a murder trial since I was in law school. I was looking forward to going, but I haven't had time. It is interesting, though, that the trial hasn't attracted the kind of circus one might expect in such a high-profile case. It is probably just as well that I have not attended, though. I would have been second-guessing the judge all the time.

I continued. "I do understand from Mary Lancaster, The Independent's reporter who has been covering the trial, that there was a very touching moment yesterday in the courtroom. After testifying, the defendant's mother approached the victim's mother. The two women sat and talked quietly for a moment or so and then they embraced."

We were both silent. Finally, Hawkeye stretched his wings.

"How did your busy week go with the conversion to the free paper?"

"Thank you for asking," I said. "Someday I may write about it, but I think, for now, one word pretty well sums it up. Great!"

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The "Lighthouse Keeper" reflects the views of the author and does not represent the editorial position of The Nantucket Independent. Please send any ideas or comments to drake@nantucketindependent. com.