Chapter 19: The Yard Turns

On Thursday noon, Nils's lawyer asked me to sign one last page at the yard.

I was in the front office with the pen in my hand when the long shop began to fill for chowder.

From the window I could see the whole room.

Birgit came in at five past twelve, in her good coat and pearls, carrying the big blue pot in both arms.

She set it on the table at the head, where she had set it every Thursday for thirty years.

She lifted the ladle.

Nobody moved.

The crew stood along the wall with their empty bowls, thirty of them.

I watched Birgit look around for one face that would meet hers.

The foreman was the one who spoke.

He was a big gray man who had worked for her husband since before Anders was born.

"Birgit," he said. "We're going to eat at the diner today."

"The diner."

"Yes, ma'am."

"It's Thursday."

"Yes, ma'am. It's Thursday."

He set his bowl down on the end of the table, clean and dry.

Then he walked out.

One by one the others followed, setting bowls down in a row.

A welder tipped his cap to her on the way.

I couldn't tell if it was an apology or a goodbye.

When the shop was empty, Birgit was standing alone beside her pot.

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