All the Major men bore a resemblance to one another. They were a sturdy lot with ruddy faces, big girths, pale, shifty eyes, and thinning hair. As a child, Trader had enjoyed a spree of pyromania and had never been caught. To this day, no one on Tangier Island knew that little Major was the one who torched a shed on stilts that turned out to be a soft-crab plantation. Thousands of crabs in the midst of molting had been killed, the year’s harvest lost, the economy ruined. To make matters worse, the fire could not be contained and spread up several creeks, incinerating scores of bateaus before the blaze was finally extinguished alarmingly close to Hilda Crockett’s Chesapeake House, known for its long family-style tables, crab cakes, clam fritters., home-baked bread, ham, and more.
Young Major Trader also became adept at sneaking the family flare gun out of the wading boot where his father hid his liquor. By experimenting with lighter fluid, gasoline, and bourbon, Major realized he could torch places from a distance by filling a milk jug with a flammable liquid and, when nobody was looking, fire a flare at the jug and cause a small explosion, much like what he had done to the fisherman.
Pony also had led a lawless life as a young one, but unlike Trader, Pony lived with remorse and an overwhelming sense of shame and regret. Having grown weary of watching Regina play pool while her father stood idly by, tapping cigar ashes wherever he thought he saw an ashtray, Pony and Andy had wandered out into the garden. They sat on a granite bench in the cold and began to talk.
“May I get you anything, Mister Andy?”
“No. You’re really nice to keep asking, but why don’t you just take it easy for a while and tell me about yourself. Why do you call yourself Pony?”
“I don’t,” Pony replied, his breath smoking out and reminding him he longed for a cigarette. “You mind?” He pulled a pack out of his white jacket. “My daddy called me Pony because when my sister was born–she’s older than me–she used to tell my daddy she wanted a pony. We couldn’t afford a pony, so when I was born a few years later, my daddy named me Pony and says to my sister, ‘Now you got a pony.’ ”
Andy didn’t comment as he tried to discern whether the story was heartwarming or simply depressing.
“It’s not a name that’s helped me out much, you want to know the truth,” Pony continued. “The other inmates make comments about it ’til they figure I’ll fight ’em if they think for one minute they gonna ride me in the showers, you know what I mean?” He shook his head and grinned, several gold caps gleaming in the dark. “I had my share of scuffles, but I’m stronger than I look. Did some prizefighting when I was younger, know karate pretty good, too.”
“How long you in for?” Andy asked.
“Another two years, unless the governor lets me out. And he could, but he won’t. Thing is, I do a good job and none of the Crimms want someone else. They’re used to me. And if I do a bad job, they’ll just send me back to lockup. So I’m kinda stuck.” He flicked an ash. “I should never have stole that pack of cigarettes.” He shook his head again and sighed.
“You’re in jail for stealing a pack of cigarettes?” Andy couldn’t believe it.
Pony nodded. “It violated my parole. Before that, it was two pints of apricot brandy at the ABC store. So I pretty much ruined my life over things that ain’t good for me anyway. It runs in my family.”
“Stealing?” Andy asked.
“Self-destruction. How ’bout you?”
It was rare anyone asked about Andy’s life and he had always been cautious about what he revealed.
“Tell me about yourself, Mister Andy,” Pony encouraged him to talk. “What about a girl? You got someone special?”
Andy dug his hands into the pockets of his uniform winter jacket and hunched his shoulders against the unseasonable chill as helicopters churned up the night.
Clouds had moved on, and the moon was a sliver that reminded Pony of a gold smile.