02 The Moon And The Tide - Marina's Tales (2 page)

“How soon do you think I can make my escape?”
he asked, looking around at the crowd that was starting to mill
about.

“Martin! You should stay and enjoy yourself
until the last possible moment!” Evie exclaimed.

“If I wanted to enjoy myself I would have
ordered room service and eaten in with my family,” Dad grinned,
“How about you all come up to my suite for a nightcap?”

Abby smiled gratefully but insisted she was
tired and ready to turn in. The rest of us agreed to meet, getting
up from the elaborately appointed table. I insisted on walking Abby
to her room, for I was eager to have a moment alone to phone Ethan.
My father was staying at the hotel’s lavish Nobel suite, and Evie
had managed to procure adjoining rooms on a lower floor for us– no
mean feat considering how full to capacity the place was during the
gala event.

As we took the elevator up I couldn’t help
but notice how melancholy Abby was looking. Her normally tranquil
eyes were weary, and she hugged her arms into her chest
protectively.

“You miss Dutch, don’t you?” I asked with
sympathetic eyes. She’d fallen in love with Ethan’s father just
before the accident and they’d been inseparable since his return. I
figured she was feeling about as lovesick as I was.

“Yes,” she said, swallowing hard. She looked
like she was about to cry.

“Oh Abby,” I said as I gave her a big hug,
“We’ll be home after two more days. We just have to humor Evie and
Cruz with a little bit more shopping and sightseeing.”

“I know,” she said with a forced smile.

When we got to the room I scrambled to find
my phone and went off by myself to talk to Ethan in privacy.

“Hello?” he answered right away.

“It’s me,” I said, glad to hear his voice. “I
hope I didn’t wake you up.”

“No, I’ve been wanting you to call. How’s
everything going?”

“OK, but I wish I was home.” I told him a
little about the award ceremony but mostly asked about how things
were back in Aptos. I wanted to hear about surfing; ever since we’d
gotten to Norway I’d been having vivid dreams about happy times
playing in the sea with Ethan. He’d taught me how to surf and I
couldn’t stop thinking about it. He didn’t want to talk about
it.

“I bet your dad’s happy to see you,” he said,
changing the subject.

“Yeah, it’s good to see him after so long… We
had a long talk the first night. I guess I can understand why he
kept so much from me.”

“Did you tell him everything?” he asked, his
tone serious.

“No,” I sighed, “I don’t want him to be
stressing out about something that isn’t going to happen
anyway.”

“He should probably know.” Ethan was worried
about the fact that I still had several years to make a final
choice. He was afraid that I’d somehow change my mind and choose
life as a mermaid, even though I had repeatedly tried to reassure
him that I wouldn’t– that I couldn’t. I knew my own mind, and I
don’t think he realized how stubborn I could be.

“If I tell him, he’ll probably make me leave
Aptos.” There was a moment of silence and I knew he was considering
the truth of that statement. Then it was my turn to change the
subject, “Abby is miserable here,” I added.

“So’s Dad,” said Ethan, “And me too. I miss
being your bodyguard.”

I sighed, “I miss you too... I got used to
having you around.”

Ethan had spent many nights by my side,
keeping me from sleepwalking into the ocean in answer to the
mermaid’s psychic summons. Those nights were both the most horrible
and the sweetest times of my life. Just thinking about being near
Ethan made my heart beat faster.

“Dad found a new boat, and it’s a whole lot
nicer,” he said, telling me about how they’d been hunting around
for a replacement with the insurance money. I was glad he was
getting back to his normal routine and told him I’d be home
soon.

“Do you know that the sun sets at three in
the afternoon here?” I asked. “And it’s freezing cold all the
time?”

“So hurry back,” he said, “I can warm you
up.”

“I love you,” I said.

“I love you too.”

I changed out of my dress and took the
elevator up to my father’s suite. Evie was entertaining Dad and
Cruz with a tale of some wild night in New York in her younger
years, gesturing expansively with a brandy snifter in her hand. The
guys had removed their ties and were settled comfortably on the
couch with their feet up, laughing at her story. Dad was right,
this was a much better time than sitting at a formal banquet. I
snuggled up on the couch between them and we talked and laughed
until it got very late.

The next day we went with Evie’s itinerary.
After a light breakfast in our rooms Cruz and I were swept off to
shop at some of the most fashionable boutiques in Oslo. Abby and my
father both declined to come along, wanting to stay in and read by
the huge fireplace in my father’s suite. We planned to meet up for
dinner later at the hotel restaurant.

Evie was the perfect tour guide, for she knew
everything there was to know about international shopping. She
directed the taxi to take us to the exclusive boutique district,
where she had planned several stops.

People in the know about fashion knew who
Evie was, and the fashionistas of Oslo didn’t disappoint. We were
fawned over at every stop, and several people begged to have a
picture taken with Evie. I was used to a little of this, although
people in San Francisco tended to be a bit more jaded when
confronted with celebrity. I guess I had always taken it for
granted, but Cruz was in heaven, so proud to be alongside Evie he
veritably glowed.

“It’s just like a dream!” he gushed.

“Yeah, if you sleep inside a cooler,” I
grumbled.

December days in Norway started out frigid
and warmed up to freezing, so we explored stores stocked with all
kinds of luxurious knits, woolen coats and furs. Evie found some
exquisite wraparound sweater dresses in the softest cashmere
possible. She insisted on having me try on several different
colors, always looking for perfection with her educated eye. Evie
treated Cruz to a wildly impractical overcoat with a fur trimmed
collar; it made him look like a glam rock star from the seventies.
I found some velvety soft cashmere accessories and bought scarves
for Abby and Ethan along with a beret for my good friend Megan back
in Aptos.

Just about when I thought I’d drop from
exhaustion, Evie and Cruz finally had their fill of shopping for
the day. Laughing about how we looked in the ridiculous fur hats
we’d tried on, we piled into the lounge between our suites to
deposit our shopping bags. Abby was curled up on the couch and sat
up wearily, asking us about our day. She looked a little better,
and we gathered around, showing off what we’d bought. Cruz twirled
for Abby in his new coat and she literally turned green before our
eyes. She got up and raced back into her room.

“It must be the fur.” Cruz said, feeling
guilty about offending his vegan mother, “I didn’t realize how
sensitive she was...”

“Don’t worry sweetheart, I’ll go talk to
her,” said Evie. We packed away our new clothes as she went over to
Abby’s door and knocked softly.

“Abby dear, it’s Evie. Can we talk?” The door
opened and Evie slipped in. Cruz and I settled down on the couch
and started going through some pictures on his camera.

“How can I possibly go back to my normal life
after all of this?” Cruz complained, gesturing with a dramatic
sweep of his arm.

“I’m freezing,” I said, “I can’t wait to get
back to California!” I wrapped myself in a throw blanket from the
couch.

“I don’t mean the weather, silly,” Cruz
looked at me mournfully from under his long bangs. “Spending time
with Evie– I totally feel like a different person, like someone who
gets taken seriously...”

“I know what you mean,” I commiserated,
“Going back to school’s going to be weird.”

Cruz sighed, “I guess nothing lasts forever,”
he said dolefully, “Except mermaids,” he added with a wicked smile.
I cast a scathing look at him and got up.

“What’s going on in there?” I rapped softly
on Abby’s door and opened it a crack. I was surprised to see Evie
sitting on the bed with her arm around Abby, who was wiping tears
from her cheeks. Evie looked up at me.

“Give us a few minutes honey. I’ll be right
out.” I sat back down with Cruz, perplexed.

“How’s mom?” Cruz asked.

“I don’t know,” I said, “But I don’t think
she’s upset about the coat.”

Evie bustled out of the room, “She’ll be
fine,” she announced, “She just needs a little rest before dinner.
That gives us just enough time to visit the hotel spa for our
treatments– they do a fabulous seaweed facial... and I hear the
salt scrub pedicure is to die for!” She pulled us up by the arms,
surprisingly strong for a woman of her age, “Let’s go you two! Time
is flying!”

Evie never met a spa treatment she didn’t
like, and she’d made reservations for a variety of exotic
ministrations. Cruz and I were overcome with the giggles, peeking
out at each other from under cucumber slices, faces covered in
green goo. We returned to the room a few hours later, scrubbed and
buffed till our skin glowed. Abby was up and dressed for dinner,
and she gave Cruz and me both a reassuring hug, telling us she was
feeling much better.

“I think the lack of sunlight is making me a
little blue,” she smiled, with just a touch of stress around her
sad blue eyes.

It was our last night together with my
father, who was itching to get back to work early the next morning.
Everyone said their goodbyes at the restaurant; I followed him up
to his room for a final talk before we parted ways again.

“Next time I see you you’ll be seventeen,” he
said, getting sentimental. My birthday was coming up in January,
and dad wasn’t due back until August. “How about you fly out to
meet me for a spring break vacation? We can celebrate your birthday
then.”

“That would be nice,” I was surprised, “I can
come to Afghanistan?”

“I was thinking about meeting you in
Greece.”

“Greece?” I asked, confused.

“I’ve been thinking about how we talked about
visiting the islands someday to see some ancient ruins. This could
be our last chance before you start college. You can fly into
Athens and I’ll meet up with you at the airport.”

“OK... sounds like fun.”

“I’ll plan it then. Have you decided on a car
yet?” he asked with a smile.

“I was thinking about something I can carry a
surfboard in.”

“Surfboard?” he exclaimed, looking
surprised.

I smiled, “Yeah, it turns out that I really
do like swimming, and I’m learning how to surf. Ethan’s been
teaching me.”

“I don’t know if I like that idea,” he said
with a frown.

“Don’t worry,” I said soothingly, “he’s even
more cautious than you are.”

“Just be careful,” he said meaningfully. He
handed me a bankcard, “For gas, and whatever you want. You can use
it when you find yourself a car. I made Aunt Abby your legal
guardian, so if you need anything signed...”

“Thanks Dad, but I was thinking about getting
a job or something.” I was tired of always being seen as a spoiled
girl by everyone.

“I want you to focus on your studies,” he
said earnestly, pressing it into my palm, “I want to make things
easier for you. They’ll be plenty of time for working after
college. Besides, we’ll be back in the city soon, and you can get a
summer job then. Didn’t you want to train to be a docent at the art
museum?”

I wasn’t sure how to break the news to him,
but I tried, “Dad, I’ve been thinking about staying on in Aptos...
and applying to the university in Santa Cruz.”

He looked a little disappointed, and it made
me uncomfortable.

“I guess if it’s alright with Abby,” he said
hesitantly, “We’ll think about it...”

“OK,” I said, hugging him tightly as we
parted again. I couldn’t help noticing how much easier it was
letting him go. After everything I’d been through I no longer felt
like a child, and I had gotten used to deciding for myself. I was
also growing accustomed to keeping things to myself, and I wondered
if that was such a good thing. In my case, it probably was.

Our final day in Oslo dawned, cold and white.
Evie wanted us all to go boutique hopping again but I begged off,
wanting to pack my things and call Ethan. Abby wasn’t interested in
doing anything, and Cruz just shook his head sadly at the two of us
not wanting to shop. Evie gave Abby a warm hug, and we watched her
and Cruz as they bustled out on their shopping adventure, leaving
behind a trail of perfume and cologne in their wake.

I gave Abby her scarf, and she seemed to
cheer up a bit.

“Thank you,” she said, looking at me fondly,
“You’re so thoughtful, and after everything you’ve already done for
us. I’m sorry I’m not better company.” Abby had repeatedly
expressed her eternal gratitude for my role in rescuing Dutch; I
was starting to get tired of her bringing it up.

“Uhm, Aunt Abby,” I said gently, “I saw you
crying yesterday. What’s wrong?” She met my eyes and I could see
she was terribly upset about something. “What is it?” I asked her
again, alarmed.

She took a deep breath, “I suppose everyone
will know soon enough,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.
She covered her face with her hands.

“Abby?”

She looked up and met my eyes, “I’m
pregnant,” she said, and burst into tears. Startled, I leaned over
to give her a hug. She started crying even harder and I patted her
back, not knowing what to do.

“It’ll be okay,” I said, hoping it was
true.

“How could I be so stupid?” she wailed, “I
can’t believe what an idiot I am.”

“Oh Abby, don’t be so hard on yourself. What
did Dutch say?”

She sniffled, “He doesn’t know. We thought we
were being careful. I found out after we got here– I mean I
suspected, but I didn’t know for sure... I can’t... I just can’t
tell him over the phone,” she started crying harder, “I– I need to
see his face.”