Knockdown (13 page)

Makala snuggled close to her sister. “Sissy, I can’t sleep,” she whimpered.

“Want me to tell you a story?” Angelina brought the blanket up to cover Makala’s shoulders.

“Uh-huh.”

“Then you know the rules. You have to close your eyes.”

The boat grew quiet and I wondered how many onboard were listening.

In a soft voice Angelina began. “Once upon a time
, there was a beautiful mermaid.”

Makala popped up. “What was her name?”

“I think maybe it was Ariel. Eyes closed, remember.”

Makala lay down. “It was. Her name was Ariel.”

Angelina continued. “Well, one day Ariel swam close to a large blue sail boat. On board the boat she saw a handsome young man. But he had legs instead of…”

I tried to listen, but
my mind raced. What if Cole needed a hospital? What happened to my parents? What did Takumi’s kiss mean? I couldn’t believe I slept in his arms.

I refocused on An
gelina’s story and finally fell asleep. I dreamt I was with my family on our yearly sailing vacation. The boat rocked and I smelled sausage. Mom was making breakfast. My stomach gurgled and startled me awake.

The dream had been so real. I ached with missing
Mom. I wanted my unbroken world back. My eyes squeezed tight. I shoved the blanket in my mouth to muffle the sobs and let the tears flow.

Makala woke up whimpering and crying
, “Mommy.” Angelina quieted her. I worried that somehow Makala had felt my sadness.

I wiped
my eyes and straightened the cover. “Do you smell breakfast?”

Makala stopped crying and sat up. Her little nose twitched
as she sniffed the air. “Sausage,” she cried. She threw the covers back and climbed out of bed. “Sissy, can I get up now?”

Angelina nodded. Tears welled in her eyes
too. Makala scampered out of the bedroom in her Little Mermaid pajamas. Angelina’s shoulders shook and she buried her face in a pillow. I patted her leg and closed the bedroom door behind me.

The Morning After

The boat rocked gently from side to side. I held tight to the overhead hand rail. Jervis and Nick were still in bed, propped up on pillows. The door to Cole, Dylan, and now Zoë’s cabin was closed.

Makala ran and leapt on top of
Jervis. “I’m squish’n you,” she squealed.

“Get off, get off
. I can’t breathe.” He pretended to struggle. Makala laughed, sprang up, and plopped down again.

“Whe
re’s Angelina?” Nick stared at the girls’ berth. Jervis frowned and followed Nick’s gaze.

“She
just needs some time alone,” I said.

“Is she…?” Nick sprang out of bed.

“She’s fine. Give her some space.” I searched the main salon for Takumi.

A stack of pancakes and a jar of syrup rested on
top of the chart table. Sausage sizzled in a skillet over the gas stove.

Takumi smiled at me from the galley. “Good morning.”

“Wow, you’ve been busy.” I avoided looking at him.

The refrigerator door was open, and everything from inside the fridge was ou
t. Jars of jelly, yogurt, mayo, milk, and bottles of water, soda, and beer were scattered around and in the sink.

“What are you doing?” I studied the empty fridge.

Takumi reached into a garbage bag and pulled out a drippy egg carton. “Eggs smashed against everything. I’m cleaning up with kitchen wipes.”

He
began moving the links to a plate. “Since we can’t keep the fridge running, I decided to use up some of the stuff that would go bad.”

There was a jar of real maple syrup. And the sausage
s on top of the meat in the freezer had already thawed.

“Need
help?”

“Sure. You can get the plates and silverware.”

The thick plastic plates had been stored in a closed cupboard, and fared well, although a couple had cracks. I took out forks and a knife.

Takumi blocked my way out
of the kitchen. “You okay?”

I hung my head
. “Umm…no. I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Guess that was a stupid question.” He stepped aside.

Zoë emerged from the bow. “Oh. My. God. A real breakfast!”

“Guess
you’re feeling better.” I dropped the dishes on the table.

She hurried across the salon to fix her plate. Dylan followed and did the same.

“How’s Cole?” I asked.

Zoë
stabbed a pancake. “His eyes seem less dilated.”

“He got out of bed and
walked to the bathroom and back by himself,” Dylan said.

I relaxed my shoulders
. “He can get up. That’s a good sign, right?”

“Dylan.” Takumi moved the pancake plate over to make room for the sausages. “Do you know how to check the water tank? We should figure out how much water we have left.”

Dylan took a bite. “The tank’s right under here.” He patted the end of Takumi and Nick’s bed. “I’m sure we have plenty. We filled it before we left yesterday.”

“Yeah, but it wou
ldn’t hurt to check. And Toni, do you have black markers on board?” Takumi asked.

“I don’t think so. Why?”

“We’re almost out of bottled water. I think we should each have our own. I’d like to mark them somehow.”

“I have nail polish in the bathroom
. That would work.” I went to the head and came back with hot pink polish.

Makala saw the bottle and her eyes lit up. She rolled off
Jervis and watched as I handed the polish to Takumi.

“Do you like to have your nails painted?” I asked.

She nodded eagerly.

“
If it’s okay with your sister, I’ll paint your nails after breakfast.”

Makala smiled.

Jervis got out of bed and fixed a plate with pancakes and sausages cut in tiny pieces. “Makala, scoot up here.” He cleared a spot at the end of his bed.

“You’re good with little kids.” I smiled at
Jervis.

“Yeah. I have three little sisters. The youngest is ab
out Makala’s age.” He handed Makala a piece of paper towel.

She
wiped her face and “mummed” with every bite.

Dylan and
Zoë returned to the food table, forks poised in the air.

“No seconds until every
one’s had a first.” Takumi waved his spatula in the air.

“Fine.” Dylan handed his plate to
Zoë. He stepped to the end of Takumi’s bed and lifted the cushion. A huge opaque plastic storage tank was under the seat. Dylan leaned down to study it. Takumi, Nick, and Jervis watched him.

“I can’t believe it
,” Dylan said.
“What?” I leaned over to see too.

“We used up over a half tank of water yesterday.”

I glared at Zoë.

“Don’t look at me!” she said.

“You kept running the water in the bathroom.” I pointed to the head.

Zoë
put her hands on her hips. “That was salt water.”

“Not the water you used to wash your hands or b
rush your teeth. I heard you. You just let the water run and run.”

“You can’t blame this on me.”
Zoë put her hands on her hips. “Tell her, Dylan.”

“
It’s all of us. We have to be more careful. It isn’t like at home. There isn’t unlimited fresh water. From now on, water is just for drinking. At least until we figure out how we’ll get more.”

Dylan put the cushion back. “No hand washing. Maybe we can make some kind of hand wipes.”

“We have paper napkins. I’ll cut them up and soak them in gin or vodka. And later we can set up the sun shower to wash up with.” I walked across the room to the napkin drawer.

Zoë
continued to glare at me.

“I’ll put our initials on water bottles. Let’s start with only filling them twice a da
y. Sound fair?” Takumi asked Dylan.

“Fine
.” Dylan nodded.

I fixed a plate and car
ried it to Cole. His skin seemed pale in the morning light. “How are you feeling?” I asked.

He struggled to sit
up and grimaced at the food. “I’m good. Not sure I can eat much, though.” After a few bites, he handed the plate back. “Don’t look so worried. I’m okay. Really. Zoë told me to stay in bed today, so I will, just to make her happy. But tomorrow, I’ll be good as new.”

“Cole,
if something were to happen to—”

“Toni, I’m fine. I promise.
” He laid back and sighed. ”Finish my breakfast. Don’t want to waste it.”

I took a few bites, gave him a bottle of water and a kiss, then went back to the main salon.

Makala, Jervis, and Nick were still eating.

Takumi sat at the chart table holding his plate. “There’s room here.” He scooted over.
“Come join me.”

E
veryone was watching us. I wished I could turn invisible. “That’s okay. Feels good to stand.” I leaned against the kitchen counter.

Takumi’s eyes narrowed. He finished chewing and placed his plate on the seat. “We need to talk.” He took my plate f
rom me and sat it on the counter.

“What are you doing?” I mumbled.

Takumi glanced around the cabin. Both the aft and bow bedroom doors were closed. He grabbed my hand. “Come with me.” He pulled me across the main salon and into the bathroom. He put the toilet lid down and sat me on top. He closed the door and stepped into the only extra space in the tiny room, the shower.

I pulled my legs up on the stool and hugged my knees.

“Are you mad at me?” he asked.

“Hell
, yes,” I said. “You totally embarrassed me just now.”

“No, before this. Yo
u’ve been distant this morning.”

“Takumi, we almost died yesterday. I may never see my parents again. My brother is…”

Takumi shook his head. “Would you go to Homecoming with me?”

“What?”

“Would you go to Homecoming with me?”

My mouth opened and closed but no sound came out. “You’re crazy
,” I finally whispered.

He knelt on the floor next to me and took my hand.
This was getting weird. I jerked my hand back.

“Look,” he said. “I never a
sked a girl to Homecoming. There wasn’t a girl I wanted to ask. Now I’ve met someone and there won’t be a Homecoming dance. But if there was one, would you go with me?”

I tipped my head.

He grinned up at me.

“Yo
u are totally insane.” I smiled.

“Well, would you go to Homecoming with me?”

“Okay. Yes, if there was a Homecoming to go to, I would go with you.”

“Good.”

“Is that what you wanted to ask me?”

“Yeah. I know we just met.
I know we might not survive all this. But I need to have something, some positive thought, or person to think about. I want to lie in bed at night and imagine what it would be like to go on a date with you. To give you a corsage. To sit with you at a fancy restaurant…”

His e
yes began to water and he faced away. I slid to the floor and reached for him. He took me in his arms. We hugged and cried silent tears for all the ways our lives had changed.

I wi
ped my eyes. “What color dress would I wear?”

“I don’t care…
No, wait. Not black.”

“Okay, no black. But pink’s good?”

“Pink’s good. Red would be better.”

“Red, huh?”

“Yeah, I like red.”

“Okay, if we could go to Homecoming, I would wear a red dress.”

“Thanks, Toni.” He took my chin in his hand. Our eyes met and we smiled. Then he kissed me. A soft and gentle kiss.

And my heart became his.

Chapter Fifteen

Twelve Days to Southern California

A loud thud rocked the hull. Takumi and I stared at each other, held hands, and hurried out of the bathroom.

Dylan leapt
up the steps and began taking out the boards that sealed in the hatch opening. Nick waited impatiently to follow him. Jervis stood in the main salon cradling Makala in his arms. Zoë nibbled on a pancake and peered out the salon windows.

F
ear gripped my stomach. What had we run into?

Another sharp jolt
bashed the port side of the boat. A small thump resounded on the right.