Back at our marina, the mechanics come by. I love Roberto's gentle accent. In his office, just yards west of me, he keeps a sweet parrot. We're going have to take the boat out the water. Once the engines are done, we take it for a test-drive. The part of me that is on land thinks, oh dear, I'll have to make sure I have what I need from the place. The part of me that has been re-balanced by sea-legs sways inwardly throughout rehearsals, standing, sitting, and most everything in general, thinking, ahhh, finally. A test-drive! In fact, as I sit here I am aware that though the boat is swaying and rocking, my activated sea-sense—is that natural, or is this a result of inner-ear imbalance?—is causing more of the motion than the actual motion.

Sirens across the way now, but the yellow and white reflections dancing in the water almost drown out the single spot of red-and- blue.

A sailboat has just pulled in two slips over, but outside the dock. It can't be going behind the dock—there's no room. But someone is indeed arriving, and there are others to greet him here.

Perhaps I know to trust these people—the mechanics, the locals, and everyone who lands up here—because I have some experience in the marina, through D., whose residence here has made me so close with these aquatic villagers. But it does seem that this world is at a rather extraordinary remove from the rest of the City—even New Jersey. Somehow, things are just looser. There's no need to lock doors. I don't even fully close up the boat; D.'s trawler is standing open. Most everyone opens the hatches by day. Some keep to themselves, but most have an eye on comings and goings. There is no shame in being nosy. there is also no shame in being anti-social. the only shame would be not to enjoy the lovely surroundings, which most people I know here seem to relish. Even the mechanic is a total sweetheart, nineteenth of a Puerto Rican farm family, recently converted from being an auto mechanic. He rides D.'s little folding bike around the marina; D. is in Japan for ten days, on tour.