Chasing a Lass

Summary

• Ethan Mack, the owner of a Shop-Way and former docker from Kilberry, Scotland, breaks his own store rules by smoking a pipe on a bench in front of his shop late into the foggy night.
• Despite having lived in the United States for forty years, Ethan fondly remembers his native home and connects the fog to his memories of Scotland.
• He recalls a failed romance with a woman named Cindy, with whom he travelled across the United States before finally settling in Aberdeen, Washington after their van broke down and Cindy left him.
• Ethan mentions his hard life in Aberdeen, working as a longshoreman, enjoying early morning tea while watching the sea, and dealing with health issues that moved him inland nearer to the city.
• Upon retiring with a modest pension at age fifty-five, he bought the grocery store Shop-Way for the purpose of keeping himself busy.
• Ethan worries about the safety of a late-night shopper named Tova, and instinctively wishes to ensure her safety, but he reminds himself not to make the same mistakes he did with Cindy.
• The appearance of a reckless young couple in his store resurfaces memories of a tragic incident involving his sister Mariah's death due to a road accident, increasing his concern for Tova's safety on the road at night.