Chapter 12

Sonorous snoring roused Tony from sleep. He rolled over and looked at Tim in the other bed, on his back, mouth open, arms flung up over his head. He shook his head. He had thought Tim would snore when Tommy wasn't there, and there it was.

Tony sat up and considered the situation. So far, he'd managed to distract Tim from probing about the reason for the timing of the trip. He wasn't sure that, today, where they wouldn't be in a rush, he could keep Tim from pushing if he thought of it again. But it wasn't foregone that Tim would think of it. They were having fun and Tony had admitted to some anxiety already. Maybe Tim would think that was it.

Besides, it wasn't really a problem and having fun was all he wanted.

Decision made, he decided to put a stop to Tim's snoring before the hotel was destroyed by the force of the sound waves. He grabbed his pillow and had a moment of wondering how long Tim would wait to get revenge for this one and then threw it at Tim.

The pillow hit him right in the face and Tim sat up very quickly, looking around blearily.

"What... did I?" Then, he woke up and looked at the pillow which was now on his lap. Then, he looked over at Tony and his eyes narrowed. "You threw a pillow at me."

"You were going to attract a moose into the room with how loud you were snoring, Probie. Maybe you have some kind of medical problem."

"Delilah has never complained about my snoring and you know she would."

"So basically, what you're saying is that you don't care about disturbing my sleep, but you do care about hers."

Tim smiled a little. "Well, that fits."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. You ready for a day of Acadia?"

"As long as we get to watch the whales."

"What if you don't see any?"

"I will."

Tim yawned once and then got out of bed. As he walked by Tony toward the bathroom, he deliberately dropped Tony's pillow on the bed and did not attempt to smack Tony with it. Tony grinned, knowing that Tim was just biding his time. ...and since he'd managed to bide his time for two years last time, Tony knew that he could never really anticipate when Tim would get his revenge. Tim was really good at waiting.

They both got ready quickly and then it was down for the free breakfast. Neither of them wanted to linger there when there was so much to see (they thought), so they ate and then headed out to the car.

"Where to first?" Tony asked.

"I don't know. Just a sec," Tim said. He pulled out the atlas and started to look at the options. "There are a lot of different entrances, but there's a big loop road that we can go on."

"Just so long as we get back to Bar Harbor in time for the whales," Tony said.

"When does the boat leave?"

"Around one."

"Okay. So if we start going around the loop and stopping at places, we can always go back to Bar Harbor and make sure we're there in time," Tim said.

"All right. Then, let's get going!" Tony said.

"All right. Drive south, then. We can take the Sieur de Monts entrance."

"Whatever that means, sounds great."

They set off, but they'd only been driving for about a block when Tim suddenly laughed.

"Tony, I know where we can go to get lobster tonight," he said, pointing through the windshield.

Tony looked at started laughing, too. Just ahead of them was a McDonald's and on the marquee, they could see an ad.

"Lobster rolls. Only nine dollars," Tim said, still laughing.

"Not exactly what I had in mind, Probie," Tony said, but he was entertained by the idea, too.

"Of all the places to be able to get lobster, I never thought McDonald's," Tim said. "Not in a million years."

"Well, I've heard that they sell lamb burgers in India since they can't sell beef," Tony said. "I guess they adapt to location."

"I guess."

"But we're still not eating there."

"Fine by me," Tim said, "but you still need to go south."

They passed by the McDonald's and headed out of Bar Harbor, down toward one of the many entrances to Acadia National Park. They turned off the main road and headed into the park.

"There's a place called the Wild Gardens of Acadia," Tim said. "Do you want to stop there?"

"At gardens?"

"It's the first place showing up on the map and the turnoff is coming up on the left. It's an exhibit of the park's plant communities," Tim read.

Tony thought quickly and then bypassed the turnoff.

"Nah. We can see plants everywhere. We'll come back there if we run out of places to see."

"Okay. Then, follow the road around and you'll get to the loop road. There, we only have one choice of direction."

"One way, huh. Okay. Works for me."

Tony followed the road and got to the loop and pulled on. Since it was relatively early in the morning, there was very little traffic. That would like change in the afternoon, but for now, they had the road mostly to themselves. As they neared the station where they'd have to pay, Tim looked to the side.

"There's a little loop road that goes up to an overlook," he said. "Want to check it out?"

"Sure."

Tony turned the car and they drove up the narrow road to a parking lot for Schooner Head. They both got out and followed the signs to a rocky outcropping that looked out over a small bay. They could climb all over the rocks and they could even see a lighthouse out on a small island.

"Wow. Nice view," Tony said.

"Yeah. Better than I thought, based on the road."

"Looks are deceiving, I guess. Okay. Pictures."

They took turns posing and then, they climbed around on the rocks for a few minutes, getting different angles and admiring the large house right on the coast across the bay.

"How much do you think that house cost to build?" Tony asked.

"Probably more money than I'll make in a lifetime."

"Even with your book?"

Tim laughed. "I'll bet that house is several million dollars. I never made even close to a million from Deep Six. Maybe if I'd kept going, but I sure don't have time now, and you forbade me from ever publishing again."

"You bought a Porsche and a whole new wardrobe. It's like you suddenly became stylish," Tony pointed out.

"Yep. And that used up a lot of the money I made. I'm not a millionaire, Tony. I promise."

"Uh-huh," Tony said, infusing doubt into his voice.

Tim just laughed again.

"Imagine that I am, if it makes you feel...worse."

Tony laughed at that. They took a couple more pictures and then returned to the car. Back down the road and into the park.

"Okay, Probie. There was a place called Thunder Hole that looked really neat. We need to stop there. Find it on the map," Tony said.

Tim took the park map and unfolded it.

"There's a beach. Want to stop there?"

"Sure, but just for a few minutes. We've seen beaches."

"But not Maine beaches."

"Beaches are beaches, unless they're black sand or rock, McGee," Tony said, didactically. "It's the water that's different."

"That sounds very deep and meaningful," Tim said.

"Don't worry. It's not."

Tim laughed and went back to the map.

"Well, Thunder Hole is the next stop after the Sandy Beach."

"Good."

They took the turnoff for the Sand Beach and walked around for a little while. Tim found a crab walking across the sand and followed it for a little while. Tony took pictures of Tim staring down at the sand. And then took more pictures when Tim crouched down by the crab and began examining it...without touching it. It was like something Tommy would do, only with less noise and more purpose.

After a moment, Tim looked up and noticed that Tony was taking pictures and he looked a little embarrassed.

"I don't know if I've ever really seen a crab just out on the beach before," he said. "It's cool."

"I was just thinking that you looked like Tommy would if he was here."

"Tommy wouldn't be able to resist touching it," Tim said, getting back to his feet.

"I'll bet you wanted to."

"Sure, but I'm an adult and I can keep my hands to myself."

"Unless you're spitting on salt and throwing it at me."

Tim grinned. "I got you good, Tony," he said. "You're just upset that I got you."

"No. I'm upset that you basically spit on me."

"I spit on the salt."

"Which you then threw at me."

"Tony, it was years ago. You didn't notice at the time, and you've probably washed that shirt dozens of times, if you even have it anymore. Let it go."

"Don't hold it back anymore?" Tony suggested, almost singing.

"Oh, please. Do not start singing that song. It was everywhere when that movie came out."

Tony laughed put his arm around Tim's shoulders. "Do you want to build a snowman?" he asked, almost singing again.

Tim pushed his arm away.

"No. Please."

"Don't like Disney?"

"I don't like overplayed songs. I swear that I couldn't turn on the radio for a year after Frozen came out because some version was always on."

"Well, enough of that. Let's go to Thunder Hole."

"Okay."

Back to the car and they drove just for a few minutes before getting to the parking for Thunder Hole. They parked and got out. Tim checked the map one more time.

"Is this it?" he asked.

"That's what the sign says," Tony said.

Tim looked around. "I don't see any holes, thundering or otherwise. It's just a rocky section of the shoreline."

"Well, let's take a look and see. It's got to be more than that with a name like Thunder Hole!"

"Okay."

They crossed the road and walked toward the shore. There were a few people climbing over the rocks, but then, they saw railings.

"Aha. That's got to be it," Tony said, pointing. "Let's go."

Tim followed and then, they got a look at Thunder Hole. It was a crevice where the waves had clearly eroded the rock over thousands of years, leaving behind a narrow space for the waves to come in. The ocean was much louder here than in other places they'd gone.

"Let's go down there," Tony said.

"Those rocks look wet, Tony," Tim said. "I wouldn't be surprised if the waves got pretty high in there."

"They don't look high right now."

"Yeah, but..."

Before Tim could finish, a wave suddenly seemed to explode into the crevice. The water surged up and went completely over the walkway. Then, it ebbed and was gone as if it had never been there.

"See?" Tim said.

Tony grinned.

"What's life without a little risk?"

"Much drier, in this case," Tim said.

"Come on, McGee! Let's go and get a couple of pictures. Then, we'll go back up. Just quick. And even if we get a little wet, we'll dry!"

"I'm going to regret this. I just know it," Tim said, but he allowed Tony to pull him down to where the walkway ran parallel to the hole.

"No, you won't."

They went down and Tony got Tim's picture first. Then, they switched places and Tim took his picture.

Right as another wave came in. It wasn't as high as the last one, but Tim ran up the steps and got out of the way while Tony got a pretty good splash. He wasn't soaked, but he was definitely wet. He wiped the salt out of his eyes and saw Tim grinning at him...from his safe vantage point.

"See?" he said.

"Well, you don't have any reason to regret it, and I don't regret it anyway," Tony said. "So there."

Tim laughed. "You wouldn't admit it even if you did."

"Well, while I'm drying off, let's walk around a little more."

"Okay. No pushing me into the water," Tim said. "It was your idea."

"I wouldn't do that here. It'd be dangerous and Delilah would kill me."

"Good."

They began to climb over the rocks as others were doing. The cliffs really were gorgeous and the waves seemed much more powerful here than they had at the beach. Finally, Tony decided they needed to get one of the rare photos together. Knowing that Tim didn't really care for doing the selfies, he found someone nearby and got him to take a picture of the two of them with the ocean behind.

"Thanks," Tony said. "Hey, have you done the whale watching?"

The man nodded. "Yeah. They're pretty impressive and this is a good time of the year for it. You're going?"

"Yeah. This afternoon."

"Good luck, but some of the companies will actually give you a rain check if you don't see whales on your trip. You can come back and try again anytime within the next three years."

"Cool! Sounds great. Thanks."

"Enjoy your trip."

"We will."

"Nice tip, Probie," Tony said as they continued to walk around.

"If the company you bought the tickets from does that," Tim said.

"We can check it out."

"Fine by me. Are you dry yet?" Tim asked, grinning.

"Dry, but still salty."

"Maybe we should go back to the hotel so you can change. We'll get lunch then have some time to get to the harbor," Tim suggested.

"We haven't stopped very many places along here."

"We can come back along the road this afternoon. Some of the stops probably look amazing in the evening."

Tony thought about it. That actually had some appeal. He didn't really want to be salty for the rest of the day.

"Okay. Let's do that. I'll drive the rest of the way back to Bar Harbor, and you have to drive in the evening."

"Okay."

They went back to the car and continued along the loop. No matter how tempting some of the signs were, they didn't stop, although Tim took some pictures from the car as they drove. It was really green and even when they weren't by the ocean, the views were beautiful.

Then, they went to the hotel, Tony changed quickly and they grabbed lunch from a restaurant (not McDonald's). They still had over an hour before boarding began, so they went to the harbor and began to walk around, looking at the various shops, enjoying the parks.

"So... Tony, are you going to tell me why we're on this trip?" Tim asked.

Tony was taken by surprise. Tim hadn't said a word all morning and he had assumed he was free and clear.

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to stall. "We'd planned on doing this two years ago."

"Yeah, but all through this trip, there's been something going on," Tim said. "Every time I was doing something with Tommy, I would look up and you were watching us... looking really strange. I don't know what it is, but there's something going on. At first, I thought it was just dealing with all the things with your family. You have plenty, but I don't think that's it. What's going on?"

Tony sighed. He wanted to lie, but he knew that Tim would really not appreciate that. So he walked over to a bench in the park and sat down.

"What is it, Tony?"

"It's nothing big," Tony said, determined to have that be the truth.

"Then, what?"

"Well...my dad died."

As he had thought, Tim looked shocked by the news.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I mean, I know that things were complicated between you, but... Well, when's the funeral?"

Tony sighed again. "A couple of months ago."

Tim went very still. For a second, he just stared at Tony, looking far more shocked than he had the first time.

"What?"

"He died a couple of months ago. That's when the funeral was."

"And you never said a word to me? Not one?"

"It's not a big deal, Tim."

"Not a big deal?" Tim repeated, incredulously. "Tony, your dad died! That's the last of your family. That's a big deal. Why didn't you tell me?"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't it be my choice about who I want to tell and who I don't want to tell?"

"Sure," Tim said, but there was something in his voice that warned Tony of what was coming. "So why didn't you want to tell me, then?"

Oh. Bad move. Tony knew he'd said the wrong thing.

"Tim... You've got enough on your plate to worry about my dad. He was barely my dad anyway. You didn't need to be..."

"I can't..." Tim laughed, but it wasn't because he thought it was funny. For some reason, he seemed furious. "This is so like you, Tony. I can't even..." Then, to Tony's surprise, Tim stood up and stared down at him. "You know what? You go on the whale watching by yourself. I don't feel like facing seasickness and I'm really ticked off at you at the moment."

Tony stood up quickly. "Hey, Tim. What in the world is wrong with you?"

And then, the incredulous tone was back in Tim's voice again.

"I guess I shouldn't even be surprised that you don't have a clue. Tony, if I keep talking to you right now, I'm going to say things I'll regret later. Go and watch the whales. Maybe I'll be calm enough to talk to you then. Have fun. I'll meet you on the dock when the boat gets back."

Then, Tim turned around and, again to Tony's surprise, he started to walk away. Tony ran after him and grabbed his arm.

"Tim, wait up. What's going–?"

"Tony, leave me alone," Tim said, now overtly angry. "Okay? Can you get that through your thick skull? Right now, I need to be alone, and so do you, apparently."

Tim pulled his arm away and then left. Tony stood there, unsure of what to do, watching Tim walk away. He looked after Tim and then, he looked at the dock where the boat would be boarding soon.

Then, he felt a little annoyed himself. Tim had no right to make him feel guilty for simply trying to spare him some grief. Tim had enough trouble in his life. He didn't need the addition of Tony's trouble. And it wasn't a big deal anyway!

Fine. If Tim wanted to sulk about it like a child, Tony would let him. He stalked away from the park and joined the line of people boarding the ship.

At least he could watch the whales.