The Constellations

With Roy back at work

WiTH roy Back aT Work,Eric and Cammy walked toAunt Phyl’s house after school. Few of Eric’s friends lived in town so he usually passed the time enjoying Phyl’s superior TV reception or talking to her in her garden. Eric admired the flair for decoration that led Aunt Phyl to encourage her tomato vines to infiltrate a pair of old lattice shutters Uncle Cowell had bought for a quarter each at an estate sale and, out of respect for Midwest storms, had hammered three inches into the ground. Her carrots and peas grew in precise lines. Bunches of azaleas rounded off the garden’s corners.When Eric asked to plant flowers, Roy insisted they were too hard to grow. His request for a trellis only elicited a sigh.“You could make one with your tools,” Eric had insisted.“You’re good at finding me work to do,” Roy replied. Uncle Cowell arrived driving a blue number Eric had never seen before. At any given time Cowell and Phyl owned at least three vehicles—his pickup, her burnt-orange station wagon, and whatever car (or cars) he happened to be repairing, sometimes for resale and sometimes as a favor. A few minutes later he joined Eric on the porch, a glass of iced tea in his hand.“What’re you doing out here?” he said in his scratchy voice. “Watching the sky,” Eric said. “It’s fixing to storm. Don’t need a weatherman to know which the wind blows. Hold this for me.” He handed Eric the iced tea and lit up a cigarette. Then he reached into his shirt pocket and traded the contents for the glass. “It’s a harmonica,” Eric said, turning it over in his hand.“Harcerz , Made in Poland” was engraved on both sides. “Call it a harp,” Cowell said. “I know what a harp is. This is a harmonica.” Kevin Cunningham 43 “Here I get you something, and you’re sassing me. Listen. This is a different kind of harp. Over the weekend I found a box of them at a garage sale. Bought them all for two bucks. I don’t see many curved like that one. Give it a try.” Eric blasted away. “It tastes like wood,” he said. “Just what I thought myself,” Cowell said. “You can see the middle piece there is wood. I didn’t know they played harp in Poland. Fellas must do it when they can’t afford an accordion.” Phyl put a bowl of popcorn between them.The wind rolled a few kernels across the porch. Cowell tilted his head back and dropped several pieces into his mouth in a slow cascade. Eric watched in admiration, but kept to eating two or three pieces at a time. “When did you learn to play the harmonica?” Eric said. “Back when I was little, like you,” Cowell said as he chewed.“I learned more in the Navy.” “Did you go on boats?” “I fixed engines, same as I do now.At first I worked on trucks, then I started on helicopters later on.” “Was the Navy fun?” Eric said. Cowell smiled through the cigarette smoke.“Okay, I guess. It’s hard to have real fun in the Navy, though.” “Did you ever get marooned?” “What makes you ask that?” Cowell said. “I read about Magellan,” Eric said.“He was an explorer.” “Mmm.” “When he was going around the world, his ship got stuck because the wind wouldn’t blow. He ran out of food, and the sailors on the ship had to eat their boots. Why didn’t he take the boat close to the land and find food?” “There’s no telling with officers,” Cowell said. Aunt Phyl came to the door. For a moment Uncle Cowell huddled with her through the screen. Eric pretended interest in the harmonica but heard her mutter, “He should be done with the landlady by now.” A moment later Cowell sat down next to him with a groan, swirled the ice around his glass. 44 The Constellations “What kind of car is that?” Eric asked. “A ’68 Chevy Nova,” Cowell said. “Close to seventy thousand miles, though—they must’ve driven it to Alaska a few times. She runs good, but I’m worried about some of that rust.” “Are you going to keep it?” “A hot rod like that? I’ll sell her to some...