Water Town

by Laurel Veil

  “Oh my gosh! They’re so cute,” Danielle said as she hugged one of them.

  Sophie cuddled the other. “Are they yours? Can we have one?”

  “They are mine, but if your moms say it’s OK…”

  Danielle and Sophie looked at their moms with pleading eyes. As soon as they were told they could have the kittens, they ran inside to play with them.

  Jade and Sophie’s mom, Ruth, took the opportunity to come over to me and talk.

  Ruth tried to speak, but then her face crinkled up and she began to cry, and all she could do was hug me. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she choked out.

  “It’s OK. You don’t have to. I know.”

  She rubbed her eyes. “I feel like I’ve been given a second chance, thanks to you. And I’m not going to mess it up this time. I’m getting away from Daryl, taking my girls and starting over.” She pointed to my aunt. “Pam said they would help us get a loan so we can get a place of our own. I’ve got a pretty good job, thank God. It’s all going to work out. It just might take a little time.”

  “I want to help,” I said.

  “Oh, honey. That’s so sweet. You already have.”

  “Miss Betty left me her house. I’ll be leaving soon to go back home for school, and I won’t be back for almost a year. You, Jade and Sophie can stay there until you save enough money and find a place of your own. That way you can get away from Daryl immediately.”

  Ruth stared at me in disbelief and then looked at my aunt. “Is she serious?”

  “Sounds like it,” said Aunt Pam.

  Ruth threw her arms around me once again. “My gosh, who are you? My guardian angel?”

  “I do have one small favor to ask, though.”

  “Anything. Name it.” She wiped her eyes.

  “My friend, Toni. She needs a place to stay.”

  “You’ve got it.”

  As Jade, Sophie and Ruth were leaving, Jade looked at me. She didn’t say anything, but she nodded. I was almost certain it meant thanks.

  ***

  Later that afternoon, I heard a knock at the door.

  “Hey.” I opened it and saw Dane standing on the other side. I had to bite my lip so I wouldn’t smile too much. I wondered if I would ever stop being this excited to see him.

  “What?” I asked when he didn’t say anything. I noticed then, that he had his hands behind his back.

  “I have something for you.” He grinned. “Close your eyes.”

  I couldn’t wait to see what he’d brought me. I closed my eyes, then flinched when I felt his mouth touch mine.

  I reached up and held his face, then slowly pulled him inside and closed the door.

  He laughed. “I really do have something for you. I just couldn’t help myself.”

  “That’s OK, this is better.” I tried to kiss him again but he pulled away smiling to show me what had been behind his back. “It’s a shadow box. My mom helped me.” He blushed. “I told her about you.”

  I looked down at the glass case with lightly stained wood trim. “It’s beautiful.” I lifted the lid and marveled at a seashell and a starfish that were lying on the black velvet liner.

  “I found those for you. I thought you could put your sand dollar in here too.”

  I immediately went to retrieve the sand dollar from the windowsill in the kitchen and returned with it. I gently placed it inside the box. “I love it, Dane.” And I did. But what I really meant was that I loved him.

  ***

  We sat around a toasty fire that night on the beach—Me, Dane, Toni and Jimmy—and I couldn’t help but be amazed that I’d come to this water town with no friends and now, I had three best friends, four including Miss Betty. And, I never would’ve imagined how this water town became a ghost town, in the prime of summer.

  “I can’t thank you enough, Ronnie,” Toni said for about the millionth time.

  “Believe me, you have.”

  “I am so glad I don’t have to live with that witch anymore, but I still get to live here. And I still can’t believe you own a home! How crazy is that? I mean, you’re still in high school.”

  “I still can’t believe it,” I said.

  “I promise, we’ll take really good care of it.” She reached over and gave me a hug. “I can’t wait until you come back. I’m going to miss you so much.”

  “Me too,” I said. Dane caught my eye. He’d been looking at me, and he looked as sad as I felt. I had to look away before I started crying. There was so much I would miss.

  ***

  For the next couple days, following the funeral, Dane, Toni and Jimmy helped me pack some of Miss Betty’s things away so Jade’s family and Toni could move in.

  On the last evening, after we’d finished, Jimmy and Toni left and Dane and I sat on the couch to rest.

  I could feel myself getting emotional. The closer it got to my departure date, the more sensitive I was to everything. I was hyperaware of Dane’s presence. I felt a constant stream of electricity oscillating between us that I knew was going to make his absence that much more painful.

  “Stop it.” Dane placed his hand on my knee and squeezed.

  “What?” I said.

  “You’re thinking about leaving. You’re robbing us of now.”

  I couldn’t even remember what I was going to say when he leaned over and kissed me. I could barely breathe, much less think.

  I wasn’t sure how it happened, but the next thing I knew, I was almost on my back and Dane was coming with me. His mouth moved from mine to my cheek. When his lips touched my neck, I had a jolt of clarity and sat up. I couldn’t go there with him. Leaving him was going to be hard enough; I couldn’t afford to make things any more difficult.

  “Sorry,” he whispered breathlessly.

  “No. Please, don’t be.”

  He got up and made his way to Miss Betty’s old record player that sat beside her phonograph. He thumbed through her albums. “Jo Stafford.” He raised his brows. “She’s hot, but can she sing?” He slipped the record onto the turn table. When he placed the needle on it, it hissed and popped and then began to softly play “You Belong to Me.” It was beautiful and so fitting.

  Dane reached out, and when I took his hand he pulled me close and we swayed. With the combination of the old house and the song, it felt like we had traveled back in time. It was magical, but the harder I tried to get lost in the moment, the more I thought about my long, lonely drive home.

  ***

  We were just about to switch off the lights and leave when we heard a car door. Dane peeked out the window. “It’s a man.”

  I shrugged and took a look. “Oh my gosh.”

  “Who is it?” asked Dane.

  I swung the door open. “Dad! What are you doing here?”

  “I couldn’t wait and I thought I would surprise you!”

  After a long hug, I pulled him towards the house. “I have so much to tell you. I don’t even know where to start.” I stopped when I saw Dane standing at the door. “Never mind, I know where to start. This is Dane, Dad.”

  My dad looked at me for a moment. I knew I was beaming. I couldn’t help it. It was what Dane did to me.

  My dad proffered his hand. “Tim Easton.”

  “Dane Akins, sir.”

  We stepped inside and I proceeded to tell my dad everything that had transpired, of course leaving out some of the details only Toni and I shared.

  My dad looked stunned, to say the least. And of course, he almost lost it when I told him I’d gone inside the mansion instead of to my uncle for help.

  “All’s well that ends well though, right?” I smiled meekly.

  “I suppose,” he said.

  “So, how was your trip?” I asked, happy to change the subject to something other than me.

  “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  He seemed way too serious to be talking about his vacation.

  I braced myself for the possibility he was about to tell me he’d either married Ra
chel or was about to.

  “It’s about your mom.”

  I was glad I was sitting down. I don’t know why I assumed he was going to tell me she’d died, but I did. His voice was just so serious. And if I was being completely honest with myself for once, my mom dying before we had a chance to make things right was my biggest fear. And it always haunted me.

  I felt dizzy and my ears were ringing. I couldn’t hear a thing my dad was saying.

  All the times I’d lied and said I didn’t care about her anymore and that I didn’t miss her played over and over in my head. I didn’t hate her—I hated that she’d left. I loved her. And now there was no hope we might fix what was broken.

  “Are you OK, Ron? You look like you feel sick,” my dad said.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Anyway, she was going to tell you herself, but you blocked her number after she texted you a photo she took of me in Paris.”

  “Wait—what?”

  Two Days Later

  The tires hummed as they rolled along. I read a sign that passed outside my window: Thanks for visiting Thorton Island. Come again soon! I brushed a tear from my eye. I couldn’t believe how fast the last three months of my life had gone. In a million years, I never would’ve predicted my summer would’ve turn out the way it had.

  “Whatta ya thinking about?”

  I turned my attention to Dane.

  “I still can’t believe this is happening. That you’re actually with me,” I said.

  “Me either.”

  “So, you really think all my things are going to fit in the bed of your truck?” I asked.

  “Piece of cake.”

  ***

  A couple hours later, Dane whispered, “Wake up. According to the GPS, we’re here.”

  I lifted my head from his shoulder and saw Chan’s China Bistro. “This is it,” I said. I suddenly felt so nervous I considered bailing, but then Dane put his arm around me. “This is what you wanted. I’m here for you. You can do this.”

  I nodded. I glanced in the rearview mirror and then let Dane help me out of his truck.

  We stepped inside. I squeezed Dane’s hand as I looked over and saw my dad looking deeply into my mom’s eyes under the warm glow of the paper lanterns. And the best part was, she was beaming. I recognized that look. She loved him. I could see it.

  My dad had told me the other night how they’d run into each other while in Europe. He’d said her feelings for him had rekindled and they’d spent the rest of their time together.

  I caught my mom’s eye, and she came to embrace me. I held my breath. I couldn’t believe I was hugging her instead of screaming at her—which, if I hadn’t briefly thought she’d been dead the other day, I probably would’ve been. I can do this, I told myself.

  We wound up having a great evening. I never would’ve even imagined, when my dad and I had promised to meet up again for dinner at Chan’s, my mom and someone as wonderful as Dane would be with us.

  Dane was excited to see my home later that night, and he enjoyed teasing me about my old stuffed animals and the other nick knacks I had in my bedroom. It was surreal to see him in there, and I relished every second.

  ***

  The next morning, I went downstairs to wake Dane, who was still fast asleep on the couch. I watched him for a moment, committing every detail to memory. Then I got down on my knees next to him. “You ready to get started?” I whispered softly in his ear.

  He grinned before opening his eyes, then raked his fingers through his tousled hair. “Yes, ma’am,” he said in a husky whisper.

  I could’ve attacked him right there.

  The two of us, with my mom and dad’s help, had my room packed and loaded in the back of Dane’s truck before noon.

  Over lunch, my dad reminded me he’d registered me for school online, but that I should probably stop by and meet the counselor before the first day.

  I was glad when I finally got my dad alone for a moment in the kitchen. “So, dad. I can’t tell you how happy I am for you.”

  He gave me a quick hug. “Thanks, Ronnie. Are you sure you want to finish your senior year in a new school?”

  “I have never been more certain about something in my life, Dad. I am very happy.”

  He smiled. “I can tell. You made some really nice friends this summer. And Dane’s a good guy.”

  “He really is.”

  “Well, I just want to make sure you didn’t feel like you had to leave, like you’re not welcome here.”

  “I don’t feel that way at all. Aunt Pam and Uncle Bill still have some things they want me to do to the beach house, so I couldn’t imagine passing up the opportunity to keep living there. And Toni’s going to be my roommate now instead of living with Jade, so that’s pretty awesome for everyone. And besides, it’s good for you and mom to have some time alone while you’re figuring things out.”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  “You two plan to visit me a lot at the beach house, right?”

  “Definitely.”

  ***

  My dad and I said our goodbyes, and then he and Dane talked while my mom and I said goodbye.

  “I can’t wait to visit, Ronnie. I want us to spend some time together, just you and me.”

  I had waited my whole life to hear her say that. “Me, too.”

  “There’s so much I feel like I need to explain

  and—”

  “Let’s just take it one day at a time, Mom.”

  Her eyes teared. “You are so wise for your years. I always thought you were an old soul. I admire that about you so much, but I have to admit, it’s pretty intimating to us flighty folks.” She smiled.

  “I’m glad you’re here, Mom.”

  “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”

  “It’s incredible you ran into Dad like that.”

  “I know. It was a last-minute decision.” She rolled her eyes. “Imagine that. Something just told me to go. I was even dreaming about it. In fact, one night this beautiful woman in a gorgeous hat—she looked like she was from the early 1900s—came to me in one of my dreams.” My mom shivered. “Oh my gosh, look.” She held up her arm. “I have goosebumps. Anyway, after she told me to go on the trip, she turned, and a little girl ran up to her and into her arms and they embraced. They were so perfect, they looked like a picture.”

  Suddenly, I was the one with the goosebumps when I remembered the picture Miss Betty had shown me of her and her mother. I believed with all my heart that it was Miss Betty’s mother who’d visited my mom in her dream and helped my family to mend.

  My mom dabbed the corner of her eye. “I woke and all I could think of was you and coming here. I almost did because I’d already been thinking for months about coming back. If I had though, you two wouldn’t have been here.” She sighed. “So, I made my reservations for the trip. And when I saw your Dad that night…” Her voice caught. “I just knew it was meant to be and everything else would fall into place.”

  I hugged my parents one last time, and then Dane and I got in his truck and left.

  A few miles down the road, I said, “I have to admit, I am a little nervous about starting a new school my senior year.”

  “What’s to worry about?”

  “You’re right, Toni and Jimmy will be there.”

  “And…?”

  “And… Nick,” I teased.

  “You had to go there.”

  I laughed and looked up at him. “And you’ll be there.”

  He nodded smugly. “We got this.” And then he pointed at his cheek where he wanted a kiss.

  “Yeah, we do,” I said. And then I leaned over and kissed him.

  The End

 

 

 
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