Three Fates

forbidden to discuss the year of that happy event. Her parents were born here as well, as theirs before them. So she’s in the way of knowing the area and the history. It happens I know a bit about it all myself, so if you’ve any questions when she’s finished talking to you, just shout them out. We’ve a good, clear day, so your trip should be smooth and pleasant. I hope you enjoy it.”
    She reached up, flipped on the lecture her mother had recorded, then settled in to enjoy the trip herself. With her mother’s voice speaking of Cobh’s fine natural harbor, or its long vitality as a port that had once been the assembly point for ships during the Napoleonic Wars, as well as a major departure point in the country for its emigrants, she piloted the boat so its passengers could have the pleasure of seeing the town from the water, and appreciate the charm of it, the way it was held in its cup of land, its streets rising sharply to the great neo-Gothic cathedral that cast its shadow over all.
    It was a clever, even a slick operation, Jack decided. All the while with the charm of simplicity. The daughter knew how to handle the boat, and the mother knew how to deliver a lecture and make it seem like storytelling.
    He wasn’t learning anything he didn’t already know. He’d studied the area carefully. But the friendly voice over the mike made it all seem more intimate. That was a gift.
    The ride was smooth, as promised, and there was no faulting the scenery. As Eileen Sullivan began to speak of May seventh, he could almost see it. A shimmering spring day, the great liner plowing majestically through the sea with many of its passengers standing at the rail, looking—as he was—at the Irish coast.
    Then that thin stream of white foam from the torpedo streaking toward the starboard bow. The first explosion under the bridge. The shock, the confusion. The terror. And fast on its heels, the second explosion in the forward.
    The wreckage that had rained down on the innocent; the tumble of the helpless as the ship listed. And, in the twenty horrible minutes that followed, the cowardice and heroism, the miracles and the tragedies.
    Some of his fellow passengers snapped cameras or ran video recorders. He noted that a few of the women blinked at tears. Jack studied the smooth plate of the sea.
    Out of death and tragedy, Eileen continued, came life and hope. My own great-grandfather was on the Lusitania and by grace of God survived. He was taken to Cobh and nursed back to health by a pretty young girl who became his wife. He never returned to America, or went on to England, as he had planned. Instead he settled in Cobh, which was then Queenstown. Because of that terrible day I’m here to tell you of it. While we grieve for the dead, we learn to celebrate the living, and to respect the hand of fate.
    Interesting, Jack thought, and gave his attention to Rebecca for the rest of the tour.
    She answered questions, joked with the passengers, invited the children to come up and help steer the boat. It had to be routine for her, Jack reflected. Even monotonous. But she made it all seem fresh and fun.
    Another gift, he decided. It seemed the Sullivans were full of them.
    He asked a question or two himself because he wanted to keep her aware of him. When she maneuvered the boat into its slip again, he calculated he’d gotten his money’s worth.
    He waited while she talked to disembarking passengers, posed for pictures with them.
    He made sure he was the last off.
    “That was a great tour,” he told her.
    “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
    “Your mother has a way of bringing it all into focus.”
    “She does.” Pleased, Rebecca tipped back the brim of her cap. “Ma writes the copy for the brochures, and the ads and such. She’s a gift with words.”
    “Are you going out again today?”
    “No, I’m done with it till tomorrow.”
    “I was planning to head up to the cemetery. It seems the way to round out the tour. I could use a guide.”
    Her brows went up. “You don’t need a guide for that, Mr. Burdett. It’s signposted, and there are markers giving the history as well.”
    “You’d know more than the markers. I’d like the company.”
    She pursed her lips as she studied him. “Tell me, do you want a guide or do you want a girl?”
    “If I get you, I get both.”
    She laughed and went with impulse. “All right, then, I’ll go with you. But I’ll need to make a stop first.”
    She bought flowers, enough that he