02 The Moon And The Tide - Marina's Tales (24 page)

“You could be famous,” she said,
unswayed.

“Fame is overrated,” I mused, thinking of
Evie.

We left the coffee shop and drove back to
Abby’s. I pulled up and parked.

“Thanks for being so cool,” said Shayla.

“What happened anyway?” I asked, worried.

Shayla looked out the window like she wanted
to escape. She sighed and looked at me, “My mom’s boyfriend is a
total jerk. Sometimes he... he hassles me... when she’s out of
it.”

“That’s terrible,” I said quietly, “Does she
know about it?”

“He denies it.”

I had a sick feeling in the pit of my
stomach, “You need to get out of there.”

“I’m not gonna drop out like my mom. After
graduation I’m totally getting a job and a shack.”

“You know, anytime you need to get away you
can come over and hang out,” I said.

“It’s no biggie, I can handle it. You weren’t
home last night anyways...” she looked at me seriously, “Marina,
going out at night alone is way dangerous. You’re so totally gonna
get munched down by sharks. They hunt at night.”

“Sharks are not my problem,” I said, getting
out of the car.

We went in the house and flopped down on the
couch, full and tired. Abby swept in the room with a cheerful
smile. Pregnancy agreed with her, and she was even more bubbly than
usual.

“Good morning girls, you’re sure up early!
Can I fix you some breakfast?”

“No thanks Abby,” I said, “We just ate.”

“Okie dokie honey, I’ll be out in the garden
if you need anything.”

Shayla looked skeptical, “Is she always that
nice?”

“
Always
,” I said with a smile. Abby
just seemed to have a talent for happiness that she shared with
everyone around her. “She’s like the sweetest person on earth.”

“Is she your mom’s sister?” she asked.

“No, my dad’s.”

“So the rich one is on your mom’s side?”

“Um, no. My Aunt Evie isn’t really related to
us. She’s our neighbor in San Francisco, but I call her aunt
because she’s like part of the family.”

“Seriously?” she looked incredulous, “A
neighbor just bought you a car?”

“Yeah, well... she doesn’t have any kids and
she just kinda adopted me... I suppose.” It did seem a little weird
when Shayla put it that way. You had to meet the force of nature
that was Evie to really appreciate her. She wasn’t like most
people.

“That’s off the wall, man,” she said.

“I guess,” I said with a smile.

“You are so totally lucky,” she sighed.

“I wish people would stop saying that.”

Cruz came staggering out of his room,
yawning.

“Hey Shayla,” he said, “What are you guys up
to?”

“We’re just hanging out, Shayla’s gonna come
with us to see Megan sing this afternoon.” I said, “We need to put
together an outfit for her to wear.”

Cruz’s eyes lit up at the challenge, “Let me
get some coffee and we’ll talk.”

When Megan came over she was wary of Shayla,
but after a little awkwardness they were friendly. We spent the
afternoon listening to music and eating the healthy snacks and
sampling the strange juice concoctions that Abby kept delivering to
us. Megan asked our advice on her song list and showed us a new
outfit she’d gotten for the show. I could tell that Shayla
remembered how she’d picked on Cruz and Megan, and spending time
with them showed her how terribly wrong it had been. When Cruz took
Megan to his room to check out a new creation she looked
ashamed.

“I can’t figure why they don’t like, totally
hate me.”

“They’re giving you the benefit of the
doubt,” I said.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because they’re nice people,” I pointed
out.

“I haven’t been very nice,” she said, looking
down.

“You can fashion yourself into anything you
want to be, and every day is a brand new start,” I smiled, “At
least that’s what Evie always tells me.”

She smiled, “I guess I could use a new
start.”

“Come on,” I said, “Let’s go find you
something to wear.”

When Shayla came in my room she looked around
wide eyed. It looked like a clothing store exploded on a shoe store
topped off with a whole bunch of paintings.

Shayla sat on the bed while I went to my rack
and flipped through the clothes.

“We’re about the same size,” I was thinking
out loud, looking at Shayla’s long thin frame, “You’re taller than
me so pants won’t work… you’ll have to wear a skirt.”

“You made these paintings about surfing,” she
observed solemnly, “They make me feel like I’m right in the
water.”

“Yeah,” I said with an embarrassed smile, “I
guess I’ve been a little obsessive.”

She nodded slowly, “You’d have to be to surf
at night.”

I tossed a few skirts and blouses on the bed,
eager to change the subject, “Try these on. I’ll be in Cruz’s
room.”

I closed the door behind me and stepped into
Cruz’s room. He was showing Megan a few pieces from his latest
collection and talking excitedly about going to Evie’s.

“Can you come to Evie’s tomorrow?” I asked
Megan as I took a seat on Cruz’s bed.

“I can’t, I have plans tomorrow,” she
replied.

“Too bad,” I said, “I’m sure she’d like to
see you again. Oh, and... I want to thank you guys for being so
nice to Shayla.”

“Don’t thank us! You’re the one she beat up!”
snorted Cruz.

“Shayla’s nice when you get to know her.
She’s having a hard time at home. I told her she could come and
hang out here when there’s trouble,” I said.

“That confirms it,” said Megan, “I have a
theory that all bullies learn it at home.”

“She’s really starting to change.”

“You have that effect on people,” said Megan,
looking up at the ceiling with a shake of her head.

I looked towards the door, expecting Shayla,
“She’s trying on some of my clothes, can you guys just be
positive?”

“Oui... But of course....” Cruz spoke in an
exaggerated French accent.

“
Naturellement
,”
added Megan the same way, cracking up at some private joke between
them.

“Marina?” Shayla called from out in the
hall.

“In here,” I replied, and Shayla came in. She
looked lanky and lean in a bead embellished silk blouse paired with
a short leather skirt that showed off her long legs.

“What do you think?” she asked, standing in
the doorway awkwardly.

“You look great!” I said. I meant it.

“You really do,” Cruz said, taking her in
with a critical eye, “Have you ever considered modeling?”

“Me?” said Shayla.

He turned to me, “Nice choice on the outfit.
You should do her makeup; I mean look at her... she’s as tall as
Evie!”

Shayla looked mortified, and then angry, “Are
you making fun of me?”

“Of course not!” I said, a little offended,
“My Aunt Evie was a famous fashion model. And Cruz is a designer. I
think he knows what he’s talking about!”

“Oh... sorry,” she said.

“Can you do my makeup first?” Megan asked, “I
need to get there a little early tonight. And before I forget– Bill
called, he sold three more paintings and wants you to bring
replacements. He said to bring extras if you can.”

We went to my room and Shayla watched closely
while I did Megan’s hair and makeup. When I finished Megan looked
just the way she sounded, like a sophisticated diva.

“Whoa! She looks totally different! I mean...
she looks really nice,” said Shayla.

Megan cocked an immaculately shaped eyebrow
at her, “Should I be insulted?”

“Uh– no– um–” Shayla stammered.

Megan burst out laughing, “Just kidding! I
know what you mean, Marina’s a real artist. You should let her do
yours.”

Shayla nodded and switched places with Megan.
Being the one girl that hung out with the surfer crowd that
actually surfed, she didn’t wear much makeup. When she did put it
on it was not very flattering, just gloppy mascara with too pink
blush. I studied her face, deciding what to do.

“You really have a very good face for
makeup,” I said.

Shayla grimaced, “Thanks a lot!”

I laughed, “What I mean is, you have good
bone structure– you could pull off lots of different looks.” She
had a symmetrical face, with strong features set well apart. I
decided to go for the Brigitte Bardot style cat eye with a neutral
face and rosy lips. I rummaged through the makeup in my giant
tackle box; her eyes really popped with the heavy liner and
lashes.

Like me, Shayla wore her long hair back in a
ponytail most of the time, and I took it down, surprised at how
pretty she looked. I put in some curls and backcombed it at the
crown for height, shielding her face as I cemented it with
hairspray.

I turned to Megan, “What do you think?”

“She looks like a model,” said Megan.

“Thanks,” I said. I froze in my tracks as I
felt the now familiar twinge of pain behind my eyes.

Shayla was on a photo set, surrounded by
stylists fussing with her clothes and hair. She looked incredibly
sophisticated and completely at ease. She posed for a cover shot,
smiling enticingly as a wind machine blew back her hair.

“
She IS going to be a model!
” I said,
amazed at how poised and confident she looked. It was actually a
relief to see it, for now I knew for sure that Shayla would find a
way out of her unpleasant home life.

I rubbed my temple and looked over to see
Megan’s serious face.

“Sit down,” she told me firmly and turned to
Shayla, “Could you go show Cruz your makeover... please?” Shayla
looked at me quizzically and left the room.

“Don’t tell me,” I said as I rubbed my
eyes.

“Can’t you hear the difference when you speak
it?” Megan looked worried.

“No,” I shook my head, “It just comes out
when I talk to Lorelei or the...” I was going to say the animals
but stopped. Megan knew immediately I was hiding something.

“The what?”

“Long story,” I said as my head cleared.

“I’ll bet!” she said with a sideways
look.

I sighed, I really could use someone to talk
to that wasn’t going to freak out over every little thing like
Ethan did. I was starting to think I had a problem and I needed
some level headed advice.

“Can we talk sometime? In private... maybe
tomorrow?”

“Sure,” she said with a concerned look, “But
will you tell me what you said just now?”

“Oh yeah, Shayla will end up becoming a
model. I saw it.”

“Wow!” said Megan, “Could you please have a
premonition of a record deal for me? Or better yet… how about a
Grammy Award?” I laughed, for Megan’s quick wit and quirky sense of
humor was medicinal, and the pain between my eyes eased instantly.
“I gotta go,” she said, patting my knee, “Don’t forget to bring
some more paintings!

As Megan left the room, Cruz and Shayla came
in.

“What did I tell you?” he said, gesturing
towards Shayla. “Look at her! You totally made her into a model.
She’s got legs for miles...” He inspected her with his educated eye
and frowned, “I’m afraid we have a problem.”

“What?” Shayla asked, looking to Cruz for
validation.

“Those flip-flops,” he said through gritted
teeth, “are
really
unfortunate.”

I rolled my eyes at Cruz and scrutinized
Shayla’s feet, “What size do you wear?”

She was a couple of sizes bigger than me but
I managed to rummage around and find a pair of stiletto heeled
slides that would work. Her toes and heels bumped over the edge a
bit but it wasn’t too obvious.

“I can’t walk in these!” she cried as she
staggered around the room.

“Girl, if you’re gonna be a model you better
learn,” said Cruz, taking her out in the hallway to practice.

“I’ll be getting dressed,” I told them as
they left.

I threw on a blue shift dress with some
slingback pumps and fluffed up my hair. My necklace picked up the
color of the dress perfectly, and I reached up to touch it. I
hadn’t taken it off since Ethan put it on me, and every time I
passed a mirror it caught my eye, reminding me of him, making me
smile inside.

“Ready?” Cruz called out from the
hallway.

I picked a stack of canvases and we all
loaded in my car, Shayla insisting Cruz take the front seat. When
we arrived at the coffee shop the two of them took a table while I
hauled my paintings over to find Bill. The girl behind the counter
directed me to his office in the back.

“Hello,” I said, poking my head through the
open door.

“Marina!” Bill smiled up at me, “Come in and
have a seat.”

I propped my paintings against the wall and
sat across the desk from him.

“Did Megan tell you we sold three more
already?” he asked, “Maybe you should raise your prices again.” He
slid another envelope of cash across the table to me.

“Minus your commission?” I smiled at him.

He laughed, “Easiest money I ever made! Lots
of people are really into your paintings, some interior decorator
came by and bought two! Surfers totally dig them.” He looked over
at the new ones I brought, “Excellent, we’ll get those up right
away.”

“How’s Megan doing?” I asked.

“Awesome! She’s a huge hit with the regulars.
You girls have certainly brought a lot of life into this old place.
I really can’t thank you enough. ”

“Thank
you
,” I said with a grin as I
got up to go, waving the envelope at him.

“My pleasure,” I could hear him chuckling as
I left the office.

“Lattes are on me,” I said as I plunked down
at the table with Cruz and Shayla, trying to stuff the thick
envelope into my little clutch.

“Check it out,” said Cruz, gesturing towards
a corner table. Megan and Brian were sitting with their heads
together, oblivious to everyone around them.