And The Sea Called Her Name Read Online Free Page A

And The Sea Called Her Name
Book: And The Sea Called Her Name Read Online Free
Author: Joe Hart
Tags: thriller, Horror, Monster, ocean, scary
Pages:
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of rock rising on either
side, flanked by a sickle of beach sand that had grown fine as
sugar over the years. To the locals it was well known but not
overly visited. Many nights we would climb the small trail leading
over the northern mound of rock and sit for an hour or more on the
beach, our feet and toes pressed into the sand. The water would be
alive with the last day’s light, the waves gentle and lit with
golds and reds that reminded me of Del’s flower garden. Our
favorite pastime was to expound on what our child would become when
grown, each guess becoming more elaborate and unique until we were
telling each other complex fantasies that nearly always drew
laughter from one of us. We would trek back to the house in the
near dark, the surf gathering enough light for us to make our way
home, if the moon or stars shone at all. Then, of course, there was
the planning of the baby’s room, which I was converting from the
former guestroom beside our own. Del would stand in the doorway and
watch me work when she felt too tired or sick to help, her stomach
seeming to grow each day, the tautness in her shirts more
pronounced along with the clothing expenses that came with new
maternity wear.
    The first sign that anything was wrong was
when she quit packing me lunches and snacks on her days off.
Normally I rose an hour or more before she did and gathered
something reasonable into my lunch bag before brewing a thermos of
coffee and heading out the door. But on days she was off from the
university she would get up with me, either cooking me something or
piecing together a meal from leftovers. I didn’t notice her
sleeping in at first, but as the weeks passed it became apparent
that some days she wasn’t asleep but made no effort to get up with
me. I didn’t question it, as I’d told her many times she didn’t
need to wait on me, especially now that she was pregnant. But with
each morning that I climbed from bed, her soft form facing away
from me, I felt a slight but unquestionable rift that was left
unsaid. It wasn’t that she couldn’t get up, it was that she didn’t
want to. As I drove to the harbor on these days, I imagined her
rising the moment she heard my truck leave the yard, going to the
kitchen to make her own low-fat breakfast in the silence of our
house. Our lovemaking had also tapered off to almost nothing. I
hadn’t attempted any advances in over two weeks and she hadn’t
shown any interest or passion whenever we would kiss goodnight or
goodbye. Even then I cut the head off the snake of jealousy each
time it reared inside me. It was simply a change, one of many I was
sure, that came with pregnancy. I’d heard tales from other friends
my age about how their wives had become strangers for nearly nine
months and then returned to their usual selves once the baby had
been born. Either way, I didn’t blame her and even went so far as
to chastise myself about noticing something as trivial as food
preparation.
    It was on the day before my first promising
job interview that the rift seemed to widen between us. I’d applied
at a law firm in Portland for a partner’s assistant position weeks
before and completely written it off. I got the call on the drive
home after having cleaned the boat of the sea’s detritus. They
wanted to interview me the next day. Could I come in the morning?
Of course. The man on the phone said that the firm had been
thoroughly impressed by my answers on the application and that they
were looking forward to meeting me.
    I hung up consumed by an elation I hadn’t
felt in years. A light had broken through the encasement that
surrounded my career, a small chink that might widen into a hole I
could pull myself through along with my family. The thought of the
short commute to Portland wearing a tie and loafers instead of
jeans and rain boots was like the dose of some glorious drug.
    I entered the house and heard music playing
somewhere upstairs. There was the heavy smell of fried food in
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