by K. C. Hilton
Just ten more minutes. That’s all I need. Within moments, the sounds of the water had rocked him back into a deep, peaceful sleep.
“Are you going to get up today?” a chipper voice called from above.
“Leave me alone,” Collin grumbled, curling an extra pillow tighter under his arms.
“The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and you’re still asleep at two in the afternoon!” the voice practically sang. Whoever his tormentor was, he moved around as loudly as he could, banging boxes and pots, stomping heavily on deck.
Collin rolled over onto his back, arm slung over his eyes. “What day is it?” he managed.
“What day is it? It’s Mom’s and Dad’s anniversary.”
Anniversary? What in the world? Who was that? Collin shook his head, confused as everything from the night before flooded into his mind.
This had to be a dream. And he wanted it to go on forever. Because the voice calling down to him sounded exactly like Joey’s voice, and that wasn’t possible. Was this some sort of sick joke?
Collin swung his legs over the side of his bed and managed to stand, though his legs felt wobbly and weak. He glanced in the mirror to make sure he wasn’t actually dreaming and combed his fingers absently through his hair, staring at his reflection with disgust. He was a mess. Not bothering to fix either his hair or his clothes, he climbed out of the boat and stepped onto the path to the house. By now he was practically vibrating with curiosity. Ignoring his pounding head, he raced up to the house and stumbled through the door.
He stopped short, staring at the apparition before him. Joey. It couldn’t be possible. But there he was. Joey stood in front of him, as alive as he had been the morning before. Joey was alive! Had all this been a bad dream? Or was the alcohol playing with his mind? Could this possibly be real? Collin squeezed his hands against his temples, trying to hold in the confusion.
“Where’s the Tylenol? I have a headache.”
Joey was flipping through a book Collin hadn’t seen before. Or maybe he had - just the morning before. “It’s on the shelf, where you left it yesterday,” Joey said sarcastically. He definitely had inherited his unique brand of sarcasm from their parents. “Are you going to work on the yacht today? It’s going to be a great day. We could go get some more supplies if you need and I’d be glad to help.”
“No, not today,” Collin mumbled. He filled a glass with water, preparing to take his first dose of Tylenol for the day. “I have other things to do.”
What was going on?
Suddenly Joey slammed his fist on the table, making Collin jump. “You know what, Collin? You always have other things to do! But here’s the thing - I don’t see you doing anything! Nothing! All you do is drink. You never used to drink. And I’m sick of it. I’m sick of your whole self-serving attitude, the whole poor me thing you’re doing! They were my parents too, you know!” Joey shouted.
Collin flinched and closed his eyes. God, his head ached.
Joey kept on lecturing. “You don’t see me moping around, feeling sorry for myself. Grow up, man. You’re twenty-five years old, for Christ’s sake! I’m only nineteen and I know you’re acting like a baby.”
Joey stood up, gaining momentum. He moved closer to Collin and jabbed one finger into his brother’s chest. “You’re supposed to be the adult, Collin. But in case you haven’t noticed, I’m the one taking care of you. What would Mom and Dad say if they could see you now?”
“Look, you little bastard!” Collin shouted, reacting instinctively. “You don’t have to take care of me! I’m doing just fine!” He turned toward the kitchen table, fighting a coughing fit.
“Oh, yeah,” Joey replied, looking disgusted. “You sure do look like you’re doing fine. You said you were going to fix up the yacht. You said you were going to take me away, that you and I were going to get out of this place and sail around the world. Forget everything that happened and be happy, out on the water, just you and me. That’s what you said.”
Joey’s hands were squeezed into fists, his knuckles white with rage. “Were you lying to me? Come on, you idiot. It’s been a year. An entire year. I’ve been waiting a year! Is that day ever going to come? Answer me, you fucking drunk!”
Collin froze, taking in everything Joey had just said. Almost everything had been true - except for the part about his being drunk. Collin hadn’t had any alcohol in the last two days. Collin met his brother’s gaze, then replied as calmly and as straight forward as he possibly could, given his current confused state of mind.
“When it’s time, I’ll tell you. Then we’ll leave, no looking back. We’ll just go, leave everything behind. I’ll tell you when it’s time.”
Joey practically vibrated with fury. “Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me!” he shouted. He got up and strode towards the front door, then looked back at Collin. “I’m going to get the damn mail. Do me a favor, would you, brother?” he said mockingly. “Try to pull yourself together. And do me another one. Take a shower. You smell like a fucking brewery!”
Then it all clicked into place. Déjà vu. Collin had heard of it, but never actually experienced it. His mother had told him that déjà vu was an experience in which a person was positive they had already experienced an event that was happening again at that moment. This seemed rather extreme, though. He had been under the impression that they could go for no more than a few seconds, though. But that’s what it had to be. There was no other explanation.
Well, this time he could do something about it. Dream or not, this time Collin wasn’t going to take any chances. The yacht was ready and fully equipped. It’s time, thought Collin. It’s time.
“Joey, wait. Just wait!”
Collin shouted at Joey, catching him just as he was walking out the front door. “I’m sorry, Joey. Listen to me. The yacht - it’s ready. It’s time. Do you hear me? It’s time to go. We can leave right now if you’re ready.”
Joey stopped dead. After a moment he turned slowly, his hand still on the doorknob. He looked Collin straight in the eye, frowning suspiciously, but hope lurked behind the suspicion. “It’s ready? It’s time? Are you sure?” He took a tentative step closer to his brother. “You’re saying we can leave? You and me? We can leave now?”
Collin’s heart threatened to break yet again, seeing the distrust and welling tears in his brother’s eyes. He knew Joey hadn’t been able to depend on him over the past year.
“Yes, Joey. It’s for real. Yes to all of it. It’s time,” Collin told him, a big smile growing across his face. He blinked against the onslaught of his own tears but was too late. He felt them rolling down his cheeks. Joey closed the gap between the brothers and Collin grabbed him tightly, never wanting to let go.
In Collin’s recent memory he clearly recalled two final hugs with Joey. The first had been at their parents’ funeral. The second had been in the moment that Joey had breathed his final breath. That was never going to happen again.
“I love you, Joey. I’m sorry about everything that’s been going on this year. I’m going to take care of you, you’ll see. It’s time. Let’s go.”
Joey squirmed. “Hey! You’re squishing me. I can’t breathe,” Joey mumbled into Collin’s shirt. Collin’s laugh started from deep within, bubbling up as he let Joey go. Joey was grinning, too.
“Oh my God,” Joey said, suddenly excited. “This is awesome. I have to get some things together. Clothes, and - oh, we’ll need some food. My books, my laptop, and you’ll have to get some stuff, too. This is so awesome. I can’t believe it! We’re finally leaving!” Joey glanced around the kitchen, finally grabbing a pad of paper on which their mother had made so many lists in the past. He started writing things down, his pen flying over the paper. “Jeez, man. You could have given me a little notice. It’ll take half the day to pack!”
“No, Joey. We don’t need to take anything,” Collin said. “We’re leaving everything behind. If we need anything we’ll get it at the next port. It’ll be okay. You’ll see. Let’
s get going.”
Joey looked uncertain. Collin was aware he wasn’t making a lot of sense, but he wanted to get out of there before anything could happen. Of course Joey was expecting to at least take some of his things. But Collin couldn’t wait.
“Well, at least let me check the mail,” said Joey.
“No!” Collin cried, startling Joey. “There is nothing coming in the mail today. No packages being delivered and nothing of any importance. I’ll contact Mom and Dad’s estate attorney, and he will take care of every little thing. A management company will oversee the house, so we won’t have to worry about anything. Our stuff will be packed up and put in storage and the house can be rented out to vacationers. Everything will be okay. Trust me. No worries.”
“Okay,” Joey said, sounding reluctant. Suddenly he seemed to be having trouble leaving everything behind, even though that’s what they’d talked about all along.
“It’s okay, Joey. I promise. I know you’re scared, but I promise I’ll look after things. I’ll change.”
As Collin’s hand urged Joey toward the backdoor, he glanced out the bay window. A classic blue car slowed in front of the house but continued to drive past, not stopping. Collin inhaled, held his breath, then slowly let it out.
“Let’s go kiddo.”
Chapter 33
Joey hadn’t stepped foot on the yacht since the death of their parents, and what he saw amazed him. Collin appeared to have covered every single detail. Joey wandered around, exploring all the fishing rods and equipment, scuba gear, and even the two Sea-Doo watercrafts. By the stern hung an emergency life raft with life vests. Collin had always been thorough.
The living quarters hadn’t been ignored, either. Joey stared in awe as he walked through the doorway. A large, secured TV hung on the wall and a DVD player sat in the cabinet, stocked with hundreds of movies. Another cabinet was stocked with several of their favorite board games and a deck of playing cards.
Joey wandered over to the lower shelves, across the room from the L-shaped couch, mesmerized by the assortment of books he saw displayed. They had obviously been put there with Joey top of mind, because they ranged from marine life, plants, tides, and charts, to various other topics that had peaked Joey’s interest in the past. He’d spent countless hours researching all this at the library. Now Collin had brought the library to him.
On the far wall hung a large framed portrait of their family. It was Joey’s favorite. The bookshelf below the portrait was filled by family photo albums he recognized from the house. Framed copies of the same photos that had been hung in the house were scattered around the living area.
“When did you get all this? You barely left the house to go anywhere.” He frowned. “I can’t believe I never noticed you bringing in all of this stuff!” Joey blurted, still looking around in amazement. “God, Collin. This is a dream come true! How did you do it?”
Collin shrugged, obviously pleased with Joey’s reaction, but staying modest. “You went to the library every day. I ordered most everything online. All the packages and deliveries that came, those ones you were bugging me about? Well, this was what I was doing. All the food is non-perishable, of course. Mom stocked the basic items and I added more to them, stocking up for a long trip of some sort. When it was time, of course. The books were whatever I could remember you talking about after coming back from the library. I did some research of my own on oceanography, figuring out what was studied in the various related topics.” He grinned at Joey’s expression and clamped a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder, guiding the way. “Come on. Let me show you your room.”
Joey was shocked. The idea that Collin had done all of this by himself, without Joey’s knowing anything about it, was absolutely unbelievable. And Joey had thought Collin had been doing nothing all this time but drinking himself into a stupor. When had he had the time to do all of this?
Joey’s room was far more than he could ever have imagined. Collin had made sure it contained all the special, personal things and more. Mom had decorated the entire yacht, but Collin had stocked this room, customizing it for Joey. On the desk lay an iPod, a laptop, and a printer filled with paper. The desk drawer held rulers, gauges, pens, pencils, graph paper, notebooks and more. On the shelves lay oceanographer equipment: a Fathometer, a Salinometer, various measuring tools, thermometers, drift bottles, a few test kits, a microscope, GPS, and a compass. It was amazing. There was no other word for it.
Joey opened his closet and discovered all new clothes. More than he had in his own closet in the house. They still had the tags dangling from them. Joey had his own bathroom, well stocked with toiletries, towels, wash rags, a robe and slippers. Collin had thought of everything.
On the nightstand sat a small box with a card, next to a framed photo of their parents. Joey sat on the side of the bed and picked up the card. Before he opened it he took a deep breath. It had been an interesting year, and he had needed his brother very badly, but he’d been nowhere in sight. Now everything was changing, and he was going to get all he’d ever wanted and more. He opened the card and silently read it to himself.
Joey,
So you will always know where you’re at, what time it is, and what day it is. You’ll never be lost, and you’ll never be alone.
Love, Collin
Joey swallowed hard. Tears filled his eyes so that everything blurred, as if he were looking through a kaleidoscope. He blinked, sending wetness streaming down his cheeks, but didn’t bother wiping it away. Because for the first time in a very long time, they were tears of happiness.
Slowly, carefully, he opened the small box and stared at the treasure inside. After a moment he pulled out a Maxi Marine Divers’ Watch and set it gently on his palm. He blinked tearfully up at Collin, shaking his head.
“This must have cost a fortune. Where did you get it? When did you get it? I don’t know what to say. Thank you so, so much,” Joey said. He grabbed Collin and hugged him. The brothers’ tears soaked into each other’s shirts, and neither one of them minded.
“Whoa. Now it’s me that can’t breathe.”
Joey loosened his grip and smiled.
“Like I said, you can buy most anything on the internet,” Collin answered softly, still holding onto Joey. “And Joey, you’re worth every penny and more.” He cleared his throat. “We have a satellite so you can continue your research and take online college classes. That way you can earn your Oceanographer’s degree while we travel the world. You’ll probably be at the top of your class, with all the specimens and testing you’ll be able to document.” Collin wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “Let’s go, shall we? We’ll stop at the next port and stock up on some fresh food. And I know how much you love sugar and junk foods.”
“Yeah. It’s time to go,” Joey said softly. He wiped his tears on his sleeve and began to smile, releasing his hold on Collin. He wasn’t scared anymore. In a blink, Collin had returned to being the big brother he had been before. They would be close again. As close as any brothers could be.
As they pulled away from the dock, watching their home slowly fade into the distance, Collin asked himself for the thousandth time what was going on. Incredible as it seemed, could it all have been some kind of warning? Maybe from their parents, or maybe sent by God?
He watched the receding shoreline, still thinking. It had all seemed so real. Suddenly a thought struck him, jerking him into instant alertness. If Collin had changed the outcome and saved Joey from death … could he also save Adelio?
“Joey!” he called abruptly. “Take the wheel! I have to make an urgent call to the Coast Guard.” He turned, reaching for his cell phone, then took a few steps away.
“This is going to be awesome!” Joey said aloud, enjoying his new role. He was so excited he was barely listening to Collin’s phone conversation.
“Yes! Yes!” Collin nearly yelled into the phone. “I need to speak to the Coast Guard! A supervisor, actually. Perez. I need Perez.”
Joey glance
d over, curious. Perez? What was Collin so excited about? He shrugged. Whatever. Collin would do what he needed to do. All that mattered was that they were leaving, actually doing this. Finally.
“Perez! Yes! I said Perez! He’s a doctor for the Coast Guard on evening patrols in the Florida Strait.”
“Who is Perez?” Joey asked. But Collin had turned away and was pacing the deck, throwing his hand up in the air as if he were getting frustrated with the person on the other end of the phone.
Then a big grin spread across his face. “Yes! Yes! That’s him! Yes, Perez! I have a very important message for him. His patrol boat needs to rendezvous with a Cuban captain of the fishing boat ‘Adelio’ at five o’clock today,” Collin said. He was speaking fast, which Joey knew meant he was getting impatient.
“This is Captain Collin Scott! He will know who I am. Oh! And one more thing!”
Joey was very curious now. The Coast Guard probably thought Collin had a screw loose or something. If Joey didn’t understand what Collin was talking about, how could they?
Whatever it was, Collin was emphatic. “Tell Perez to make sure to inspect the necklace that the captain of the Adelio is wearing! Yes! I said the necklace! It is a cross, or a crucifix. It is imperative that he see it. This is vital.” Collin threw his hand up in the air again, getting more upset by the second.
Joey frowned at him. “Calm down, Collin. Nobody can understand you when you talk like that. If it’s that important, slow down!”
Collin frowned, then took a deep breath. “All right. Do you have that? Read it back to me, please.” There was a pause while he listened, then nodded. “Yes. That’s exactly right. Please make sure that he gets this message today. Right now, as a matter of fact. This is urgent. It’s a life or death situation. Yes! You heard me correctly. I did say life or death!”
Collin’s eye bugged with frustration. “I am sorry,” he growled. “I didn’t know it had to be a life or death situation in order to get an urgent message through to someone. Okay, fine. Just please make sure he gets the message. Thank you. Yes! Yes, that’s right. Captain Collin Scott. Thanks again. Goodbye!”
