“I can’t just sit here, Danny. I must see what’s happening.” Elizabeth’s voice rose, nearing hysteria.
“There’s nothing we can do until they get back. We’ll be all right.”
Elizabeth dashed to the front door. “Where are you going?” I called.
“I have to look.” Elizabeth bolted out the door. I ran after her.
Standing in the driveway, our eyes focused northbound up Pacific Coast Highway. The sun was setting, but it wasn’t dark. In the distance entire hillsides were ablaze, mountains of orange and red with thick billowing smoke. Elizabeth and I stood transfixed by the sight, so frightening but at the same time stunningly beautiful.
Grey-white ash floated down like a surreal mid-summer snowstorm. It left a thin layer on the driveway and stung the eyes of Elizabeth and me, two petrified kids holding each other for the only support available.
Fire trucks, lights and sirens blaring, raced past us. Elizabeth clutched my arm. Only wearing shorts and a tank top, she seemed so small.
“Danny, I’m scared,” Elizabeth said breathlessly, her eyes wide.
Instinctively I draped my arm around her shoulders. Elizabeth was shaking.
“Let’s go inside,” I suggested, though I didn’t really want to. The fire was mesmerizing in its ferocity.
Inside, Elizabeth began crying. “I wish we were home,” she whimpered.
I gathered her in my arms and rubbed her back. Already five-nine, I felt like a giant holding my miniature best friend.
“Eli, don’t cry. We’ll be fine.” I repeated over and over as a mantra. I hoped she believed me. I didn’t.
The phone rang. Randi!
“Danny, they won’t let us through. The police have closed Coast Highway.”
In the background I heard Mom frantically pleading with an officer, “Our children are alone.” “Ma’am, we’re evacuating. All lanes are going southbound except for emergency vehicles.” “Do you know who I am?” “Yes, and even you and Ms. Jordan can’t enter Malibu tonight, Mrs. Newman.”
“Listen carefully Danny. You’re on your own. Go to the kitchen and find the flashlights. The electricity could go at any moment.”
I walked into the kitchen and removed two flashlights from a drawer. Elizabeth watched my every movement. I was fearful for the first time.
“Do you see the car keys on the counter?” Randi asked.
“Yes. Why?”
“Put them in your pocket. Danny, can you drive a car?”
“I’m only fourteen, Randi.”
“I know how old you are,” she said crossly. “I’m not asking if you’re allowed to drive, only if you can.”
Was Randi really asking me to drive her Mercedes? Sweet!
“On a straight road. Probably if I don’t have to park,” I understood it was important for me to say I could.
“If the police order an evacuation that’s what you’re going to do. Danny, you only have to get as far as Gladstone’s.”
I was dumbfounded by Randi’s request, but if it was an emergency.
“And Danny,”
“Yeah, Randi?”
“Take care of Elizabeth. She must be petrified.”
I put the phone down. Anxiety was etched across Eli’s face.
“Danny?” she asked tentatively. “They’re not coming, are they?”
“PCH is closed, Eli. The police won’t let them in.”
“What are we going to do?” she wailed and burst into a fresh round of tears.
Elizabeth was so vulnerable she really was like my kid sister tonight. The eighteen-month age difference that was usually of little importance was an impassable chasm, a glaring reminder that I was the mature one and had to act it.
“We’ll be fine,” I said reassuringly. “If we have to evacuate. I can drive.” I took the keys from my pocket to show her.
“You can drive?”
“I don’t have a license, but yeah, I can drive,” I confidently answered. I prayed we wouldn’t have to find out.
Eli looked at me in awe. “I didn’t know!”
I grinned. I had just passed an important milestone if you’re a Southern California man – impressing a girl with your car.
“Let’s watch a movie,” I suggested, “Your pick.”
Settled on the sofa for a Harry Potter marathon, our nerves were on alert. Every wind gust, and they were frequent, startled us. With each one came a temporary strengthening of the pungent smell of burning brush, leaving us staring at each other, waiting for the call to evacuate.
Intermittently, fire engines raced past, interrupting the steady hum of vehicles on the road. Elizabeth looked to me for reassurance and I provided it as best I could.
The back of Professor Quirrel’s head morphing into Lord Voldemorte did not scare either of us anymore. Elizabeth and I had seen this movie so many times. The professor’s head was nearly unwrapped now.
Lights flickered. The television flashed. Blackout!
“Danny!” Elizabeth shrieked, and she grabbed me.
“Shit!” I reached for the flashlight nestled against my thigh and flicked it on.
“What do we do?” Elizabeth cried, shaking.
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Time to be the adult. Elizabeth was completely dependent. Time to be strong.
“Let’s look outside.” I wanted to gauge the wind’s direction. The beam from the flashlight guided us to the front door.
The burning hillsides were an even more fantastic inferno than before. The conflagration appeared closer. Red and orange flames lit up the night sky. An eerie orange haze obscured the nearly full moon. But the wind was not blowing our way!
Emergency vehicles continued racing northbound. Luxury cars, SUVs and pick-ups with horse trailers attached, all filled with frightened people, their pets and as much cargo as could fit, marched southbound in an orderly double column.
Somewhere north of us, conditions were so bad evacuations had been ordered. Through it all, nobody noticed two kids staring fearfully at the horizon from the side of the road, armed with nothing more potent than a flashlight.
“The wind’s blowing the fire away from us,” I said. Elizabeth nodded. It wasn’t clear that she understood. “Eli, we’re safe. Let’s go inside.”
Elizabeth followed me like an obedient pet. Inside, I shined the beam on my wristwatch. Ten-thirty. With our adrenaline pumping, we weren’t sleepy.
“Let’s play chess again,” I suggested. “We can see with the flashlight.”
Eli tentatively went along. She was petrified, incapable of decision-making.
Chess was an excellent diversion. Our competitive desires to win took our minds off the inferno. Deep in concentration, we blotted out the chaos.
“Check mate!” Elizabeth proclaimed, a grin stretching across her face. She had bested me two out of three, and I would never let her know it had been deliberate on my part.
Eli was a good chess player, just not as good as me. We had a lively rivalry, but had I not let her win sometimes, she might have quit. If she kept at it, soon she would beat me honestly, then the fun would begin.
“Great match,” I said. “Tired?”
“Maybe,” she yawned.
“Me too.” I shined the flashlight on my watch. “It’s almost one. We should get to bed.”
“Danny, I’m scared. What if we don’t hear the police come when they come?”
“We’ll hear them. The police will break the door down.”
Elizabeth started crying again. I folded her into my arms.
“Let’s go upstairs. If you’re sleeping, you can’t be scared.”
The flashlights guided us up the stairs.
“This way, Eli,” I said, and I led her to my parents’ room. Through the windows we saw the waves breaking at the shoreline. “It’s the biggest bed in the house. We’ll feel more comfortable.”
“That’s silly,” Elizabeth laughed. “We’re kids.”
“I’m almost fifteen, Eli. I’m
not a kid. I’m a man.”
“You’re a man? Yeah, right.” Elizabeth laughed.
With the beam from the flashlight focused on my face, she saw I was serious.
“Oh,” she stammered as realization dawned on her. “When did that happen? You’re not dating anyone.”
“It’s not your business. A gentlemen doesn’t kiss and tell.”
Elizabeth was dumbfounded, not knowing what to make of my revelation. I hoped I hadn’t rocked her world too badly.
I opened the sliders and closed the vertical blinds. With the power out, it was getting uncomfortably warm. This was one of the few weeks each year when even Malibu required air conditioning. The breeze would hopefully cool us, though I doubted the salty ocean tang was strong enough to cover the acrid aroma of the fire.
I had to keep Elizabeth calm while now being scrutinized. In the soft flashlight glow I studied Eli’s puzzled face as she sat cross-legged on the bed in deep thought.
“I know what you’re doing,” I lay down and propped myself up on my elbow. In the dim light, Eli’s blush showed. She was embarrassed. “Little wheels in your head are spinning.”
“They are not,” Eli protested.
“Spin, spin, spin,” I said while twirling my finger against her temple. “You’re trying to remember every place and every person I’ve mentioned all summer,” I laughed.
“Danny! C’mon, tell me. I’m your best friend. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Some things are private, even between best friends.”
“If I were a boy, you’d tell me.”
“Eli…” She was probably right, but I wouldn’t admit it.
“Do your parents know?”
“Don’t go there, Eli.”
“Steve must know. But I wouldn’t tell Ellen, either.”
I grabbed the pillow and playfully swatted her. “Eli, cut it out! I’m never going to tell you so quit badgering me.”
“That’s so fair. I would tell you if it were me.”
“You really think I would want to know?”
Eli’s downcast eyes showed her hurt.
“I thought you would. What if you don’t like him? Don’t you care?”
“Of course I care, but I really don’t think you’ll want me to know. I doubt you’ll call me the next morning. That would be awkward, wouldn’t it?”
“Shut up, Daniel! You’re just jealous ‘cause it won’t be you!”
I burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“I hate you!” she squealed. Eli grabbed the pillow and hit me. My hands shielded my face from her assault while I kept laughing.
“Eli, cut it out. You’re gonna hurt me.”
“Good,” she answered curtly.
I hugged Elizabeth to the bed and smoothed her hair.
“You don’t mean that. Eli, you love me.”
“No, I don’t.” Elizabeth twisted out of my grasp and turned away, hiding. “Is this going to change our friendship?” she whimpered.
“Of course not. I’m just growing up sooner than you are because I’m older.”
“Maybe you won’t find it fun being with a girl you can only hang-out with.”
I smiled. So that was her real fear. “Nothing’s going to change. We’re still BFFs. It’s not like I have a steady girlfriend taking up all my time.”
“Why can’t I ever do anything first?”
“You’re only thirteen, Eli. You better not have done this one first.”
“It’s still not fair.”
“Someday, Eli. Someday,” I sighed. I was propped up, Eli lying beside me. “You probably don’t want to hear this, but you’re a very special girl.”
“Danny, you sound like my parents.”
“I’ll try not to,” I laughed. “But you should wait until you meet the right guy to fall in love with.”
“You still sound like my parents.”
“If you became a slut you’d be unhappy, and I’d be disappointed.” I laid my arm around her. “I expect better from my kid sister.”
“I’m not your kid anything and you are such a hypocrite, Danny.”
“You’re acting like my kid sister. And I am not a hypocrite. Overprotective, maybe.”
Elizabeth stuck out her tongue. “I promise I will never do anything to besmirch the Newman name.”
“Funny, Elizabeth,” I said sarcastically.
“I wasn’t being funny,” she pouted “You said I was your sister.”
“Hey, Eli,” I said softly, “You’ll find the right guy. He’ll have to be amazing or he won’t stand a chance, but you’re only thirteen. Eli, you have plenty of time.”
“What if it doesn’t happen?” she sniffled.
Elizabeth turned away, embarrassed again. That’s what was bothering her. Eli might attractive, but socially she was an awkward geek.
“Eli, hey. I have an idea. I’m certain it won’t come to this, but if you return home after freshman year of college still a virgin, I’ll do it with you.”
“Seriously?”
“Completely.”
Already I regretted it. If I had to recruit and bribe a guy, I would. I couldn’t imagine anything weirder than sex with Elizabeth. Waking beside Eli the next morning; no, that would be weirder. I had six years to find Elizabeth a boyfriend. It was doable.
Eli smiled. “Okay, it’s a deal,” she laughed.
“Time for bed,” I announced, glad that this emotional crisis was over. Discussing sex with a thirteen year-old girl was very uncomfortable even if the girl was, no maybe because she was, Eli.
“Can I have a good-night kiss? My parents always kiss me before I go to bed.”
I looked at her skeptically. “Here’s your kiss.”
Grinning, Eli turned her cheek toward me. Instead I leaned a little further and gave her lips a quick smacker.
“Danny!” she gasped while I laughed.
“Sweet dreams, Elizabeth.” Then I rolled over and fell into a deep sleep.
When I woke, it was dark, too early to rise. Elizabeth was snuggled against me, an arm across my chest. How she had ended up in such an intimate position? Last night there had been plenty of space separating us in the king-sized bed.
My blurry eyes focused as best as they could. I felt guilty studying “my sister.” Without her glasses, Elizabeth was stunning. Her thick auburn waves flared like the loveliest halo on a sun-kissed angel. A contented smile played upon her lips. I had never noticed how full they were, or the color that looked like permanent lipstick. Something about Elizabeth’s petite frame felt so right.
I didn’t want these thoughts. She was Elizabeth, my sister-like friend. Enjoying the feel of her body contradicted what our friendship was about.
Walking toward Park Avenue holding Elizabeth’s hand I laughed at how only six years earlier I thought we might have to settle for each other when we were older. My logic had been sound. If I was thirty, and she was twenty-eight, we could both do a lot worse than agreeing to spend life with our best friend.
I smiled at my naïveté. One part was true. I was spending life with my best friend, but I never would have believed how. And it sure wasn’t because I was settling.
Eli glanced at me and giggled. “You have the strangest grin, Danny.”
I stopped and hugged her. “I was thinking how that night I never imagined that only a few years later we’d be in love; completely, totally, over-the-moon in love.”
I traced Eli’s jawbone with my finger. When it reached her chin I kissed her slowly and deliberately.
“I imagined it. I knew you’d come around,” she whispered with a sly smile.
CHAPTER 77 - ELIZABETH
`Waking, snuggled against Danny’s warm body, reality struck. Grateful to be facing away from him, I kept my body still. I did not want to wake Danny.
What an evening! The excitement of last night had clouded my ability to think rationally and make accurate conclusions. In the quiet of early morning, that no longer applied. I couldn’t risk Danny wak
ing until I conducted a crucial analysis. Decision time, and not necessarily a happy one, was here.
My insides knotted. My heart ached. I replayed the encounter with Danny and Reggie over and over, beginning with the moment I first spied them talking. What I couldn’t identify then, was now so obvious.
Danny seemed to enjoy Reggie’s attentions far too much for her to have merely been a neighbor he’d met at the pool. Words and body language that seemed innocuous last night I now recognized for what they were. Only because I knew Danny so well did I expertly decode them.
Clarity led me to only one conclusion, one that I worked overtime to refute. Danny had an affair with Reggie. I knew that now with certainty. There was no denying it. My stomach churned. I swallowed hard, fighting the bile rising in my throat. Nausea threatened to distract me and I needed mental acuity.
Danny didn’t have to admit it, but the truth was obvious. While we shared the sexiest phone calls and Skype sessions, Danny had been fooling around with Reggie. When? Where? Frequency? Even once was too often.
What kind of woman listened to our conversations, knowing Danny had a serious girlfriend, and yet still pursued him? That didn’t matter. That was her sad life.
What was Reggie doing at the premiere? Whomever admitted her should be put to task. How dare she show up at my debut! This was my night! It was my night.
How could Danny do this to me? Why? Since I’d confronted him over Amelia, Danny had given me no reason to doubt his love. Who would doubt the sincerity of a man as devoted as he seemed to be?
Danny frequently professed his love for me, publically. Last night he declared us ‘spiritually married’ and began calling me Mrs. Newman. He kissed me in front of Steve and everyone. The guests, the press, they all observed us being a couple.
A confrontation would require a decision. There would be no getting around it once my knowledge of the affair was out there. I needed to make my decision now, before Danny woke. This was a game changer.
Tears filled my eyes. I couldn’t wipe them away. The motion would wake Danny. I hated being in this position. It had been my night. Everyone received me enthusiastically. My dress was one of the loveliest. I looked great. Danny’s eyes lit up when he saw me. Steve was so proud, too. Ruined now.
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