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We started out right after lunch was completed. We embraced each other, one by one, and wished each other farewell. This was an honest farewell, in the spirit of Jennie's words. I noticed tears in Jack's eyes as I climbed down the rope ladder that we had brought along for a different purpose. Jack handed me the heavy coats that we had brought from Alaska. He commented that Jennie's velvet jacket was too thin and no match for the cold northwestern that swept in across the beach.
Jennie followed me down the rope ladder. Igor came last. I helped Jennie jump. The ladder didn't quite reach to the sand.
Before the three of us walked away I went to the back of the plane and inspected the undercarriages. I touched the wheels that had brought us to a safe stop. Everything was in perfect condition. The plane appeared to be totally new; the landing gear, the tires, the huge engines; or it might have been newly refurbished. I felt it was a terrible shame to let this beautiful airplane corrode by the sea. I told Igor so.
"But what else can we do?" he asked.
"Our first allegiance must be to ourselves," said Jennie, "never to a hunk of tin no matter how grand it appears. Our allegiances must be to the requirements of our life."
We walked away, happily, with this thought. I felt no regret. We turned around several times and waved back to the others who stood at the front cabin door, watching us. "Are you quite sure your mind is made up?" Jack called after us.
"Yes!" I shouted back to show him that nothing had changed.
"Good luck then! God be with you! Good luck to all of you!" Jack shouted to us in return.
"Thanks, and the best luck to you, too" I shouted back.
We continued walking after that, without looking back. It was too painful. Parting was difficult in this time when so much of humanity had been lost that it appeared more precious now to hold on to than at any time in the past.
It took us some hours to hike to Tofino. We hadn't expected it to be quite so far, nor to find the place totally deserted. From what we could see, it had become an instant ghost town. We saw cars parked in the streets. The stores were still open, lights burning. Even the bank was still open for business.
"The Navy has been here," said Igor. "When the military is commanded to evacuate, no one has a choice. At least, that's the way it would be in my country."
"It might also have been that they couldn't afford to waste time," I said. "I am sure the task force didn't sit idle for them. The operation was probably a sideline project, carried out while the force was steaming ahead at full speed. The longer the choppers waited on shore, the farther they would have to go to catch up with the fleet, and the fewer people they would be able to rescue. The people were probably given no choice, because there was no choice out of necessity. So they had to make it snappy."
"I guess you have a point there," said Igor.
"I know I have," I said to him, "just look at this!" I pointed to the open vault at the bank, as we walked through it. "They wouldn't have left the vault open if they had time to close it."
Igor went into the vault and came back with a bundle of money in his hands. "You're absolutely right," he said, "see!"
"But Igor! You shouldn't!" Jennie chided him as he stuffed the money into his coat pockets.
"We will consider it as a loan," he replied. "We may need it. Who knows where we may end up? When things are back to normal, we will pay the money back," he promised.
Before we left the bank, Igor closed the vault. We went on to the harbor.
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