‘Trust me, trust me.’

Was chanted in Ever’s direction intermittently to ease any doubts.

Jeff was the man to have on the front line. I’ve got your back would mean a lot. Ever turned away as the tarpaulin was being wrapped and the chains were secured around the body.

*

He returned to the house and sat in the main room.

Listening to Lana and staring at WELL, DID YOU EVER?

The fire would burn on the beach during the journey out to sea and, because of the weight, only Jeff, Manita and Ever would be in the boat. The priest, Francisco, would say his prayer and final blessing on land; Lomita wasn’t even a Catholic, Ever thought, but this was Manita’s wish. The ceremony should be kept low-key and essentially a secret.

The sun was going down and the sea, in reflected sunset, turned a vermilion red.

*

The Vermilion Sea.

The moon would be in its second night of fullness and a bottle of tequila was brought down in preparation to toast Lomita’s departure. It was now a celebration. A private celebration of a private life. The priest started his prayers.

Dios te salve, María;
llena eres de gracia;
el Señor es contigo;
bendita Tú eres entre todas las mujeres, y bendito es el fruto de Tui vientre, Jesús.
Santa Maria, Madre de Dios,
ruega por nosotros pecadores,
ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte.
Amén.

With the Ave Maria completed, the four of them struggled to lift the coffin into the boat, which was floating in the shallows, buffeted by the waves that rolled in. They waited for a lull in the set, the engine motored to keep the boat steady as possible. The coffin was lifted aboard.

They would wait for moonrise. Manita and Ever climbed on, drenched to the skin waist down. With practicality taking over from emotion the boat motored out to meet the whales, the priest making the sign of the cross in the distance lit up by the flames.

There was silence during the journey out, the boat travelled slowly, the moon started its rise over the horizon, a red-painted giant; they headed towards it to the east and a straight beam of moonlight shone directly across the boat. They followed its reflection on the water like a calling. The moment came for the drop of the body into the sea, having sailed beyond the current line. Jeff and Ever lifted the end of the coffin to the edge of the boat, the boat leaned with its weight, countered by Manita on the opposite side of the boat, the balance of the coffin continued to tilt the boat seaward, washing water onto the boat. The lid was removed, the coffin turned and the tarpaulin-covered body started its slide into the dark blue.

*

There was a sense of presence and the noise of some motors.