Life, Liberty, and Pursuit

by Susan Kaye Quinn

  So, here’s a snippet in return, from the Marek Family Archives: One day, when Tea was about seven, she came home proclaiming that Santa did not exist. Being the sweet older brothers that we are, Tomasz and I concocted a plan to convince her that the jolly old elf was real, but that he only brought lumps of coal to naughty little girls that didn’t believe. Tomasz was going to sneak out onto the roof after Wigilia (the Watch), our Christmas Eve meal. He would stomp around and ring some bells. My job was to tell Tea that Santa had arrived early, and then guide her to the freshly placed charcoal briquette in her stocking. Tomasz, eleven at the time and already over-confident, managed to fall off the roof. He screamed the entire way down and somehow survived by landing in the bushes. Needless to say, Mom and Dad were not impressed. Tomasz and I improvised a story that Tomasz was going to convince Santa to still bring Tea presents, but one of the reindeer bit him and made him fall. Tea, to this day, has an unnatural fear of deer. If that doesn’t drive you away from wanting to join the Marek family, I’m not sure what will.

  I hope this letter reaches you by Friday. I can’t wait to hear your sweet voice again. It’s the sound that fills my dreams. Unfortunately, next week I will have to call my parents to reassure them that I haven’t died while at boot camp.

  I’m not sure how it’s possible, but I miss you more each day.

  Always Yours,

  David

  Whenever she thought of the letter, she giggled, which she was doing right now in the middle of camp. A few of the kids glanced at her. This week they started a new camp, Undersea Creatures, and Lily was back in her class. Lily had explained, in enthusiastic detail, that she and her family had gone to Hawaii for two weeks, which accounted for her absence. Unfortunately, Carter started coming through the pickup line again. He seemed to finally have gotten the message, though, as he only made casual conversation and didn’t push for more.

  Friday night pizza with the other camp counselors had become their regular gig. She enjoyed it, as long as she was home in time for David’s phone call. Addison had been around more, and Eliza hoped that meant Nicolas was over the worst of the trauma. Addison and Eliza didn’t talk about it, and Nicolas still hadn’t called. Originally, they would have been going to Princeton together, but now she just didn’t know. Meanwhile, Tea and Addison were busy trying to coordinate on-campus housing at CSU Monterey Bay, having decided they needed to be roommates. She would have been happy to have either one of them for a roommate, but instead she was off to an uncertain future at Princeton with Nicolas, her maybe-friend. She sighed.

  The July heat scorched the pickup area. The YMCA had erected shades over the tables, but she stood in the pickup line, feeling her skin getting crisper by the minute. Carter’s ridiculous red convertible was one of the last cars through the line.

  “Hello, Eliza. Are you glad it’s Friday?” The sun reflected off the dark glasses hiding his eyes.

  “Yes, I am.” She didn’t try to hide her enthusiasm. Friday was phone call day. He lingered as Lily climbed into the car. There was no one behind him, so he didn’t rush off.

  “Do you have plans tonight?” He was trying to sound casual, but she had been through this with him before.

  “I do. Going out with some of the camp counselors for pizza.”

  “Really? What pizza place are you guys going to?”

  “I don’t know. Addison’s setting it up.” And I wouldn’t tell you if I did, she added in her thoughts. She didn’t like his too-innocent questions.

  “Oh. Well, you should try Nick’s sometime. They have great pizza.” There was finally someone behind him. “Have fun! See you later, Eliza.” He waved as he drove off, and she felt a little guilty about jumping to conclusions. He was only being friendly; he had been nice all week. She found herself waving good-bye.

  They drove home in Addison’s car, a shiny blue Fiesta that thankfully had air-conditioning. Eliza’s car spent most of its time resting at her house. Addison stopped to drop her off.

  Before Eliza got out, she asked, “Have you talked to Nicolas recently?” She kept her hand on the door, ready to go if Addison didn’t want to talk.

  “Yes,” she said, cautiously.

  “I was just wondering,” Eliza said. “You don’t have to tell me what he’s said or anything, I only wanted to know how he was doing.” She felt bad about putting Addison in the middle.

  Addison took a deep breath. “He’s doing better. A little better.”

  She nodded. That was enough, for now. “I’ll see you around six?”

  Addison smiled and nodded. Eliza hopped out and hurried to check the mail as Addison drove away. Nothing. Her heart sank a little. She consoled herself by re-reading his letter from yesterday and writing one of her own.

  His words about joining the Marek family thrilled her, and she let her fantasies run wild. The fact that they weren’t even in the same state had no bearing on what was possible in her daydreams. She could see his mom and dad welcoming her to their home for Christmas. She imagined the famous Dr. Marek had a mansion estate, and David was bringing her in the front door, home for the holidays. His mom embraced her and called her “dear.” The reserved Dr. Marek hugged her as well. Tea, of course, would float over and put a silly Santa hat on Eliza’s head. Eliza would tease her about biting reindeer. Tomasz would wrap her up in a Christmas hug. She didn’t know what kinds of Polish festivities happened during The Watch. But later, after everyone was nestled in their beds, she would sit in front of the fireplace with David and snuggle and kiss and kiss some more and …

  The doorbell interrupted her rampant daydream. It seemed too early for Addison, and a quick glance at the clock showed it was only five thirty. Wondering who it could be, she skipped down the stairs, still basking in the glow of her thoughts of David. That came abruptly to a halt when she opened the door.

  “Hi, Eliza!” Carter’s sunglasses were pushed up on his head, revealing his pale blue eyes.

  “Carter.” She frowned. “What are you doing here?”

  “I hope you don’t mind me stopping by.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “I was hoping to catch you before you went out with your friends.”

  “Addison’s coming to pick me up soon.” She didn’t like having him on her porch.

  “I won’t keep you long,” he said. “I just have something to tell you. I’ve wanted to say it all week, but I never found the right moment.” He shrugged. “I’m not really good at this, sometimes. This talking thing.”

  She sighed and some of the tension eased out of her body. She knew he wanted to talk before, and he really had been pleasant all week. “What did you want to tell me?”

  He seemed to relax, too. “First, I wanted to say I was sorry for acting like a jerk before.”

  “Which time?”

  “Ouch.” He recoiled slightly as if she had slapped him on the face, grinning while he did. She bit back a smile. “Okay, I deserved that,” he said. “But I can take it. Here.” He jutted his jaw out, inviting her to slap it for real. “If you want—it’s long overdue.”

  She smiled for real this time, but crossed her arms in front of her.

  “Seriously,” he said, “it was not very cool, prying into your business. Remember when you said you were working through some things?” She nodded, thinking things were still not settled with Nicolas. “Well, I was working through some things, too, and … I wasn’t very nice about it.”

  She was kind of curious about all that craziness before. Since he had come back from vacation, he seemed much more reasonable. Maybe he had gotten over whatever had made him act so strange?

  When she didn’t respond, he said, “So, look, how about if I drive you to meet your friends. I know I’ve said this before, but maybe we could talk a little on the way?” He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, holding it out to her. “You could call Addison and tell he
r I’ll bring you instead. That way she’ll know we’re coming.”

  She looked uncertainly at the phone. She didn’t want to spend time alone with him, but they were already alone on the porch and he seemed okay. If she gave him a chance to talk, maybe that would finally be the end of it. When she didn’t reach out and take the phone, he pulled it back. “Or not, if you’re not comfortable with it. Maybe another time?”

  He was letting her say no, and somehow that made the difference. She pulled her own cell phone out of her pocket. “I’ll call Addison and tell her you’re bringing me. But that’s it, okay?”

  A smile broke out on his face, which made her slightly nervous. Addison picked up right away.

  “Hey, Addy, where are we going for pizza tonight?”

  “Lorenzo’s, why?”

  “Carter is going to give me a ride over there, so I’ll meet you there,” Eliza said, knowing what was coming next.

  “What?” Addison asked, outraged. “Eliza, you can’t be serious.”

  “Yes, I am,” she said. “We’re leaving now.” She looked at Carter, who was nodding. “We’ll be there soon. Meet me there, okay?”

  “Eliza!” she said. “This … isn’t good.”

  “It’s fine, Addy. I’ll see you soon.” She hung up, and noticed Carter’s red convertible parked next to her nearly defunct car. “Okay, we’re meeting at Lorenzo’s.”

  His smile hadn’t dimmed, and he swept his hand out, letting her lead the way. His car was so low to the ground, it was like sitting in a shoebox. He had the top up, and the engine purred over the blast of cool air from the vents. Some soft music played, and she had a feeling he had planned all of it.

  As they pulled out of her driveway, she got right to it. “So, what did you want to talk to me about, Carter?”

  He looked sideways at her, looking her up and down with a very satisfied expression on his face. A victory for him, she supposed, as he had wanted to get her alone to talk for weeks. She sighed, hoping this wasn’t a mistake like Addison thought, and looked at him expectantly.

  Finally, he said, “You’re still going to Princeton in the fall, right?”

  Words escaped her. Of course she was still going to Princeton in the fall. Naturally, he had heard that she had gotten in—it wasn’t that big of a school. She had been accepted, so of course she was going to go. Wasn’t she? Then why couldn’t she answer?

  “Um, yeah, that’s the plan,” she stumbled, wondering why her heart was lurching.

  “Me, too,” he said softly. Her eyes went wide. As far as she knew, she and Nicolas were the only ones who had been accepted to Princeton from their school. She looked anew at his car. How much money did his family have? Could he have gotten in on a legacy admission? Her head started to spin.

  “Really?” she said. This only encouraged him.

  “Yeah. I found out last week.” He looked at her with a soft expression on his face. “Eliza, all along I’ve felt like there was some kind of connection between us. I know you’re not dating anyone.” There was a gentle admonishment in his voice, as though he had caught her lying.

  She stared at him. “What? Have you been watching me?” Horror crawled up her back.

  He laughed. “You make it sound so creepy, Eliza. I’ve just been looking out for you. I know Perez’s heartbroken over you, so you’re obviously not dating him. And I know you go home every night after camp and don’t go out again, so it’s not hard to figure out.” He smiled that sheepish smile, but there was a little too much wolf behind it.

  She gaped at him. “You’re stalking me?” Her skin prickled. She wondered how far it was to Lorenzo’s.

  “I’m not stalking you!” His eyes flashed, but then he took a deep breath. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the sign for Lorenzo’s. She considered bolting from the car as soon as he stopped. After a moment, he said, “I thought I had blown it with you last fall, and then when I saw you this summer, it seemed like we were given another chance. And then my Princeton admission finally came through. Don’t you see? We’re supposed to be together. If you’d just give it a chance, you’d see.” His eyes were shining now, and her head was spinning like a mad Ferris wheel.

  “We’re not supposed to be together, Carter. I told you, I’m not going out with you.” He had stopped the car in front of the door to Lorenzo’s. She could see the gang of counselors seated by the window, only ten yards away. She was pretty sure she could make a run for it. “Good-bye, Carter.” Her hand was already on the door, yanking it open.

  “Eliza, wait!” His voice was a shriek, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her back inside the car. She yanked her arm out of his grip and glared at him, trembling from the adrenaline pulsing through her body. He looked stricken, like he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

  “Don’t. Touch. Me!” She huffed out each word, panic seizing her chest. He cringed away from her. In the next instant, his door flew open and someone hauled him out of the car and threw him down onto the pavement. She sucked in a breath and jumped out of her half-open door. Nicolas stood over Carter, who lay crumpled on the pavement. Nicolas’s fist was pulled back, ready to pummel him, and Carter reflexively had a hand up to protect his face.

  “Nicolas, don’t!” she yelled. Nicolas’s head jerked up, red fury darkening his face.

  Carter took that opportunity to taunt him. “You think you’re her boyfriend, Nicky? Well, guess again!” Nicolas’s head snapped back to Carter. He reached down, and she was afraid he was going to hit him. Instead, he grabbed Carter by the shirt, pulling him to his feet and slamming him against the tiny car. Nicolas pinned him against the soft roof.

  “I’m not her boyfriend. I’m her friend,” Nicolas said through clenched teeth. “And you,” he slammed Carter against the roof again, straining the taut fabric, “are neither!” Nicolas hoisted him up and shoved him into the driver’s seat of the car. “Get out of here.” His voice was low and full of menace.

  Carter pulled his door shut, and she closed the passenger side, stepping clear of the car. He screeched out of the parking lot and was gone. She stared across twenty feet of empty parking lot at Nicolas. Her hands trembled.

  “We need to talk,” said Nicolas.

  * * *

  Phone privilege time had finally arrived. He stood in line, waiting his turn and trying not to hear the recruit in front of him sweet talking his girlfriend. Eliza occupied his thoughts, as usual. His letters said all the important things. On the phone, the words almost didn’t matter, as long as the sound of her voice reached him, giving him something to hold onto until the next time. He was already dreading their skipped call next week, but that couldn’t be avoided.

  He stilled his foot, which had been tapping nervously on the linoleum floor, when the recruit on the phone shot him a look. The perpetual waiting of their long-distance romance was slowly driving him mad. If Clayton hadn’t offered his time slot, it would be even worse. Allowing Clayton a moment or two with Eliza seemed like a small price to pay, even if he was still leery of what Clayton might say. But he was quickly becoming David’s best friend, and he actually trusted Clayton more than he cared to admit. In spite of being a ridiculous flirt and prankster, it seemed Clayton got a vicarious thrill out of giving people the things they most desired.

  Finally, the recruit finished, and David dialed Eliza’s number. It rang several times before she picked up, putting him on edge. She usually picked up on the first ring.

  “Hello?” The uncertain sound of her voice pushed him into full-fledged doubt.

  “Eliza, what’s wrong?” he asked.

  She seemed to be holding back tears on the other end of the line, and his heart sank. What happened?

  She didn’t say anything. “Eliza, please, tell me what happened,” he said softly. His mind whirled with possibilities. Was she mad at him? Was she hurt? Did he mis
s something in the letters?

  “David, I’m fine.” But her voice was a sob. “There was this guy, Carter, he was stalking me … ” She seemed to lose her voice.

  What? “Did he hurt you?” His throat tightened. Please no …

  “No, no, I’m fine, David, really.” She was trying to reassure him, but his panic was just getting started. “He upset me, that’s all.”

  The anger welling up in him made his voice gravelly and harsh. “What did he do?”

  “He had this demented idea that we belonged together and was following me. It’s okay, Nicolas stopped him, and I don’t think he’ll be back.” Nicolas. His dormant jealousy raged forth, mixed with the anger, and he was speechless. He clutched the phone, feeling like he wanted to hit something with it.

  “Nicolas … stopped him … from what?” He could barely get the words out.

  “Nothing. He wasn’t going to hurt me. He just grabbed my arm, to stop me from leaving. Honest, David, I don’t think he would have done anything to me. Nicolas straightened him out, so he won’t bother me anymore.” Some guy harassed her and he wasn’t there to stop it. Guilt stirred into the chaos of emotions that wracked his body.

  “Wait.” His brain slowly processed what she said. “Anymore? Has he bothered you before?”

  Now she sounded guilty. “It was a long time ago. And then he started trying to see me again this summer. I didn’t think it was important. I didn’t want to worry you.”

  “Is there anything else you’re not telling me?” he burst out, his face hot with anger.

  “No, David, no … ” She was crying. He had made her cry. Jestem idiota.

  He swore under his breath. “Eliza, I’m sorry.” All emotion drained from him. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

  “I’m sorry, I should have told you. Oh, David, I wish you were here.” She sobbed.