It’s been three years since the death of my dear, sweet husband, Joseph Meng. Stricken by this loss, the other wives and I only stuck together for a while before going our separate ways. As, for me, I fell in love with a small fishing village up in New England, about 80 miles out of Boston.
Well, to be honest, Carillon Point is more like two cities. Divided by the Rivier van Klokkenspel, the town consists of a primarily Dutch quarter on the north shore and everying else you can imagine on the south side of the river. Embracing my Dutch heritage once and for all, I moved into a small apartment on the north side of town looking out over the pier, in a quiet neighborhood called “Nieuw Rotterdam”.
At first I was terribly lonely without my Joseph, but I managed. I fell in love with the town’s peaceful way of life, and eventually my sadness dissipated. Of course moving here had its challenges. On the river, there is a lonely houseboat owned by a WWII veteran named Thurgood Marshstomp, and something tells me he’s stepped on one too many land mines in his day! The noise of his 12-gauge shotgun firing at any overpassing aircraft used to rattle me at first, but I’m certainly used to it by now.
My view is still obscured by that ugly rusted old crane out on the docks. What a legend it has! They say it moves around on its own and drags children into the ocean when no one’s looking. I always get a little sad when I hear this story. Joseph never wanted to have children.
But maybe I’ll get another chance. I met a lovely man today, a janitor at the “Reptile House” on Belangrijkste Avenue. He’s a young man named Wilhem Keehl. He immigrated here 20 years ago and joined the LDS church shortly after. And here’s the most interesting part: he only has four wives! Imagine that!
The End
By Docta Haus
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