Officer Temple walked into Dove's Pub.
"Come and have a beer, Officer Temple."
He turned to the bar, smiling.
"Lindsay, right?"
Lindsay smiled back at him.
"Dave, right?"
Officer Temple sat on a barstool, at the end of the bar.
"Yea. I'll have a Stella, if you have one."
"Of course."
Lindsay opened the beer and passed it to the Officer.
"Never used to carry dis beer, until Bill come along. He has upgraded our tastes 'ere."
"Thank you."
Officer Temple looked around the Pub.
"She will be on in a 'alf hour or so."
"Ah, who?"
"Yolanda."
Officer Temple shrugged and sipped on his beer.
Lindsay laughed, putting her hand on his.
"Look, Dave. You have to relax. Dis is not some big city. Dis is da Bay and 'ere you is one of us. No one will be judging you 'ere."
He took a deep breath.
"I am trying. I am used to being invisible, when I am out of uniform."
Lindsay laughed.
"Well, youse will never be invisible 'ere. So, youse might as well accept that fact.
And da women 'ere speaks dere mind, so youse best get a tan."
"A tan?"
Lindsay patted his cheek.
"With the way dat youse blushes, Dave, youse best covers it with a good tan."
Officer Temple started turning red.
"Like that," Lindsay laughed.
She looked past the young Officer.
"And Ise 'as a feeling dat youse is about to turn a real deep red."
"Why?"
He felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, if it isn't my cousins new boyfriend."
Valerie leaned against the bar and stared at Officer Temple.
"Youse need a tan. Cover up those red blotches on your cheeks."
She kissed his cheek.
"Cute though."
Valerie skipped away and behind the bar, immediately putting on an apron.
"Honestly, Val. Youse is such a bitch."
Officer Temple closed his eyes.
"I apologize for my cousin."
The young man turned to see Yolanda standing next to him.
"Hello."
"Nice shade of red."
He quickly finished his beer.
"I should be going."
Yolanda put her hand on his arm.
"Please. Just sit and have another beer."
He nodded and sat back on the stool.
Yolanda walked around the bar and pointed at her cousin.
"You stay away from him."
Valerie laughed and walked out from behind the bar.
"Blah, blah, blah."
Yolanda opened another Stella and passed it to Officer Temple.
"So. How are you settling in?"
"Its okay. Its kinda hard having a roommate for now. I am thinking about trying to get a room to myself, but I don't know if the RCMP will spring for the tab."
"Well, there's not a lot 'ere in the Bay, either than the Motel. I don't know of anyone who has any kind of apartment."
"Well, I am sure I will make it work for now."
He nervously picked at his bottle.
"That label doesn't come off."
He started blushing again.
"Maybe I better go."
"Please don't."
"I am not very comfortable."
Yolanda got a sad look on her face, as a realization came to her.
"Oh. Okay," she sighed, biting her lip.
"I understand."
She started walking away.
"Wait. No."
Yolanda walked back.
"Its okay. I just thought that there was a little something there. I mean here."
She turned and looked at Valerie who was taking an order at a far table.
"Val is the more fun one."
"No. No. Its not that."
"Oh," Yolanda gasped.
"I am so sorry."
She leaned forward.
"Are you gay?"
Officer Temple sat up straight.
"What? No. Fuck, no."
He sat, opened mouthed for a second.
"I apologize."
"For what?"
"I usually don't swear in front of women."
Yolanda laughed.
"Well, Officer Temple, youse are most certainly in the wrong fucking village."
She stood and stared at the young man for a moment.
"Look, I will leave you alone."
She turned to walk away.
"Dave."
Yolanda turned.
"What?"
"My name is Dave."
Yolanda smiled.
"Yolanda, but you can call me Landa."
"I would prefer Yolanda. Its a beautiful name."
"Fuck. I'm gonna puke," Valerie commented, as she approached the bar, sticking a finger in her mouth.
"Don't you have a small village to terrorize," Yolanda yelled at her.
"Just give me four Black Horse, bar wench," Valerie laughed.
"You know I hate you."
"Youse two be nice," Lindsay warned them, as she sat on a stool next to Officer Temple.
"And get me a rum and coke. Bar wench."
Yolanda put a drink in front of her aunt.
"Now go away," Lindsay ordered, waving her hand.
"Don't listen to a thing she says," Yolanda suggested.
"Be gone, bar wench."
Lindsay turned on the barstool to face Officer Temple.
"Can Ise give youse some advice?"
"Sure."
"Well it will work better if youse actually looks at me."
The young man turned to face Lindsay.
"Sorry."
"Look Dave. I have no idea what youse went through, as a kid or a young man, but there be obviously something that tormented youse.
Now, Ise don't want to knows what it was. That bes your cross to bear and something youse has to deal with, but, youse are safe here."
Lindsay sipped her drink.
"I knows that youse joined the RCMP to break out of your shell and shit like that."
"How would you know that?"
Lindsay laughed.
"Dave. There are no secrets 'ere in the Bay. And there is no reason to be embarrassed here."
She looked over at Yolanda, who was serving Billy Rideout.
"That young woman over there is one of the sweetest girls you will ever meet."
He blushed slightly.
"And I believe that youse just might 'ave a little crush on her."
Officer Temple took a deep breath and looked back at his beer bottle.
"Can I tell you something?"
"You can, if youse looks at me. Ise not talkin' to a beer bottle."
He turned again and looked at Lindsay.
"I had a shitty childhood. My Dad got my Mom pregnant when they were both just out of highschool. They fought all the time and they were constantly cheating on each other.
They tormented me my whole childhood, blaming me for every shitty thing that happened in their life. If it were not for my grandmother, I probably would have jumped off a bridge. She took me in when I was fourteen, but ...
the damage was already done."
He finished his beer.
"I was a skinny, pimple faced, longhaired freak, that no girl would even look at. I didn't party. I didn't have dates. I had no childhood, no teenage life.
When my grandmother died, she left me her house. Before she died, she told me to sell the house and everything in it and start a new life."
Yolanda brought another beer and put it in front of Officer Temple.
Lindsay stood up, putting her hand on the man's arm.
"Tell her."
Lindsay patted the stool she was sitting on.
"I know you were listening. Come and talk. I will cover for a while."
Yolanda opened a beer and walked around the bar.
"You okay?"
"You heard all that?"
"Yea. We're all kinda nosey here. That's why there are no secrets here in the Bay."
She took a sip of her beer.
"I understand if you are not interested in me."
"No," he said quickly.
"Its not that at all."
"Then what is it?"
"Don't laugh."
Yolanda laughed, immediately.
"Can't promise that."
Officer Temple looked at the pretty young woman and a smile came to his face.
Yolanda stared at him.
"What's wrong?"
"I am trying to decide if I like that shade of red or the darker shade you had earlier."
Officer Temple took a deep breath.
"I am so not good at this."
"So, Dave. Did you keep any of your grandmother's things."
A smile came to his face at the mention of his grandmother.
"I kept quite a few things."
"Like what?"
"Her rocking chair. Her favourite books and her bible. A whole bunch of things like the old end tables and even her table and chairs. They are solid wood, so I kept it.
A lot of the old furniture and antiques. I have it all in storage in St. John's.
I am hoping one day that I will meet someone who appreciates the old stuff, like that."
"I love antiques," Yolanda smiled.
"I mean, look around. Tuckamore Bay is fucking antique."
Officer Temple smiled and stared into Yolanda's eyes.
"Well not everything," he smiled, barely blushing.
"Okay. Now I know I am going to fucking puke," Valerie joked, as she approached the bar.
"Aunt Lindsay? Why did you have children?"
"I have no idea, my love."
Lindsay stared at her daughter.
"You want to clean the bathrooms?"
"Fuck no. Wike just came out and youse knows da stink he makes."
Valerie turned toward Wike's table.
"Can't you do that at home?"
"Wife won't lets me, Val. Says Ise stinks up da 'ouse."
Officer Temple started laughing.
"I think I am going to like it here."
He stared at Yolanda.
"I really do."
Yolanda finished her beer and stood up.
"I better let Auntie go home."
She kissed Officer Temple on the cheek.
"You gonna stick around for a while?"
"Sure."
Yolanda started to walk away from him, when she saw Wike and his brother stand up.
"Sit," she yelled at them.
"Wese jest gonna ..."
Yolanda cut Billy Rideout off.
"Ise knows what youse just gonna do and Ise tellin' youse that youse not gonna."
The two men stared at Yolanda.
"I'll cut da both of youse off."
The two sat down muttering to each other.
"What was that?"
"Sorry, Landa," Wike sneered.
"Wimp," his brother snapped at him.
"Youse go deal with her," Wike suggested.
Billy turned at looked at Yolanda.
"Nope. She bes too tough fer me."
Valerie started laughing.
"Youse two really gotta stop sharing one set of balls."
The Pub erupted with laughter.
Officer Temple stared at the young woman, as she walked around the bar and put on her apron. He was suddenly overtaken by a warm feeling and as he looked around the Pub, he realized what it was.
He was home.
He looked at Yolanda.
"Can I buy a round for everyone?"
Yolanda pointed at the wall.
"Just ring the bell, love."
He looked up and saw the ships bell over his head.
He stood, grabbed the rope and rang the bell loudly.
A cheer went up from the bar.