Page 120 of Wayfarers

“How do you know about Anne Bonny?”

“You say that like you know about Anne Bonny.”

“I do from reading old-timey ship novels for dads. How do you know who she is?”

“From watching Black Sails when I was way too young. Pirates had sort of a moment there in the zeitgeist.”

“They were always pretty well respected in the circles I grew up in.” What I kept to myself: there was a lot of esteem in particular for the stealing and doing whatever you wanted.

“You gonna sing Map Girl some sea shanties? By the way, do shanties come in any flavor but sea?”

“They must because otherwise it would be redundant to say ‘sea shanty.’”

“I’d like to see someone drop a sick dance shanty.”

“A baby-making shanty.”

“Spicy! Getting a little Knox After Dark here.”

“Talking about dropping pants like you drop an anchor.”

“Ew, no. On second thought, I don’t think I care to hear a baby-making shanty.”

“Something about all hands on deck.”

“Knox!”

“Raising the—”

“I deeply regret suggesting the existence of alternate shanty-verses. So, for a very welcome change of subject: What was your favorite part of House on the Rock? And if you steer us back to the subject of shanties by saying the Heritage of the Sea exhibit, I’m leaving you by the side of the highway.”

“‘Steer us back to Shantytown’ was right there, Sylvie. Right there.”

She smacks the steering wheel. “I blew it.”

“That’s going in the baby-making shanty.”

“No it is not. And I’m now looking for a safe place to pull off.”

“Okay, okay, I did love Heritage of the Sea but my favorite was the Japanese garden.”

“Really.”

“Yeah.”

“How come?”

“Because before now I’d see stuff like that and it would bum me out that I’d never get to see a place like Japan.”

“And now?”

“My life feels more my own. Like it’s imbued with more possibility.”

“Imbued.”

“Sorry, it was the only word that sprang to mind,” I say.

“Don’t apologize; I love the way you talk with these random fancy words that people read and write but never say.”