I spend my Wednesdays with Ed.
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., I sit in the Isle au Haut town library with coffee and some kind of baked good. Usually I’ll throw some muffins together; if I’m feeling particularly adventurous, I’ll make bagels. Islanders are free to stop by, grab some coffee and food and check out a book.
During the spring, summer and fall, the library is bustling with activity. People are constantly coming and going, and it seems to be a tradition for folks who leave for the winter to swing by the library as way of announcing their arrival back on island.
But from December through March, when the population of Isle au Haut hovers around 30 and it takes a lot of effort to shovel out and get to town, Ed is the one person I can count on to always show up.
And while sometimes, I admit, I secretly hope no one comes so that I can finish that grant I’m working on or get my quarterly report written, without fail, Ed is sitting there waiting for me to arrive. But once we start chatting, I immediately push all the thoughts of work out of my head and thoroughly enjoy listening to his stories.
He has led the most interesting life. He’ll talk about the time he hitchhiked through Nevada, how he was photographed by famed photographer Diane Arbus, and what it was like living on a sailboat while raising kids.
He is easily the most well read person I have ever met. He talks about how is attempting to translate some poems by Voltaire (because why buy the English translation when you get the French version and then translate it yourself?) and starts describing obscure British historical events with such a matter-of-fact tone that I feel guilty for not knowing what he’s talking about.
I am eager for my friends to get back to the island. I’ll be so happy that day when Brenda, Kathie, Al, Nancy, Ted, Judi, Jeff, Susan and Martha walk through the door. But Ed avoids the library in the summer (there are too many people, he can’t hear himself think) and prefers to catch up with folks on his own terms.
This week I was an hour late to library. I got caught up in something I was doing for the Isle au Haut Community Development Corporation and the library slipped my mind. As soon as I realized my mistake, I tossed my laptop in a bag, threw some muffins in the oven and raced to the library as quickly as I could. I expected Ed to have gone home under the assumption I had forgotten about him. I was pleasantly surprised to see him still sitting there, waiting for me to unlock the door.
“Ah! There she is!” he said, his long gray beard failing to hide his smile. “Only a few more weeks until summer folks get back—and I want to talk to you some more about Voltaire!”
I’m glad Ed enjoys our talks as much as I do.
Megan Wibberly is an Island Fellow on Isle au Haut through AmeriCorps and the Island Institute.