02 The Moon And The Tide - Marina's Tales (32 page)

“How much do you know about her?” I asked him
point blank.

“She vill be doing the talkings vith you
soon. My job is the gettings you home.” He got up to sit in the
back of the plane, avoiding me.

It was a long flight home as I sat alone with
my thoughts. I had a brief glimpse of the truth and my whole
foundation of belief had just shifted. I didn’t know what was real
and what wasn’t anymore. I felt like a stranger, and I was coming
home wearing a stranger’s clothes. I thought about seeing Ethan
soon, and that was the only thing that made it bearable.

I closed my eyes and slept.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Betrayal

The limo pulled up in front of Abby’s little
house early on a sunny Sunday morning. Trees all along the street
were blanketed in pink blossoms that fluttered down to the pavement
in the light breeze. The air felt soft and spring-like.

I turned to Boris with a conciliatory smile,
“Will you come in for coffee?” I asked him. He had kept me at arm’s
length the whole trip home, for he simply wouldn’t talk about Evie
without her permission. I wasn’t angry; you had to admire that kind
of loyalty.

He shook his head no and turned to me with a
serious face, “Marina, voch out for the strangers. Do not be
talkings to nobody.” He handed me a new cell phone to replace my
lost one, “Call at first sign of trouble.”

Abby came rushing out of the house and threw
her arms around me as I stepped out of the car. I noticed a little
belly on her for the first time; her pregnancy was finally starting
to show. I waved goodbye as the limo pulled away with Boris in
it.

“Oh Marina! Martin just called an hour ago!
Are you alright?” she took me by the shoulders and studied my face,
“A helicopter crash! He told me how brave you were... come in and
get something to eat.”

“Thanks Abby,” I was relieved to be home,
“But I could really use a shower right now.”

She walked me in, her hand on my back. Cruz
welcomed me home with a hug and a load of questions about the
crash. I told him as much as I thought was prudent as Kalypso’s
face flashed into my mind, making me wonder even more about Evie.
Cruz blasted me with dozens of questions, wanting to know every
detail about the crash and rescue.

I didn’t want to talk about it, so I turned
the tables.

“How did your day with Evie go?”

Cruz chattered on and on about how well
Shayla had done at her first photo shoot.

“Evie set the whole thing up with a
professional photographer and a makeup artist and everything!
Shayla was great, she really did my clothes justice,” he said,
shaking his head in wonder at the memory. “She listened to everyone
and ended up working like a pro… Wait till you see the photos! She
could really do this for a living... who would have believed
it?”

I smiled, not surprised at all. Shayla was
going to experience the world and go places she couldn’t even
imagine right now. Thinking about it made me feel happy and
relieved some of my nervous anxiety. I’d see Ethan soon and
everything would start to make sense. Cruz excused himself,
explaining that Megan would be showing up any minute, and he had to
finish some alterations on a skirt she needed for an interview.

I wanted to see Ethan so badly I could taste
it, and I knew he was at work just down the street. I was dying to
know what he would say about Kalypso. He was the one person in my
whole life who had ever questioned or challenged Evie. The
indisputable fact that she was also part mermaid was earth-shaking,
and Ethan was the only one I knew that would believe me about it.
He was the only one I needed right now.

The familiar little house welcomed me home as
I went down the hall to my room. Charlie was sleeping on my bed and
I fell on it, burying my face in his furry belly. His purr soothed
my troubled mind; I sighed with relief to be back home. I shivered
with anticipation as I picked out clothes and raced for the shower.
I was going to see Ethan and I wanted to look my best.

I slipped into a pretty dress to match the
sunny spring day, blow drying my hair and putting on a little
makeup. I snatched my purse and keys and rushed out of the house,
feeling better with each passing minute. The market was busy that
morning, filled with fresh greens and colorful flowers perfuming
the air. I made a bee line for Ethan’s stand and was surprised to
see Long working there in his place. He looked up at me and quickly
turned away, his face clouding over. I sighed, disappointed. I
suppose I would always freak Long out, but I wasn’t going to let it
get to me today. Ethan must be with Lue, I thought, as I raced over
to his spot.

“Marina, so nice to see you!” Lue Khang
smiled up at me.

“Good morning!” I said cheerfully, “Where’s
Ethan?”

Lue looked surprised, “He took a day
off.”

It was my turn to look surprised, “Oh...
Why?”

Lue just shrugged noncommittally, so I said
goodbye and wandered back to the parking lot, disappointed.

For a minute I was worried, thinking he might
be sick, but surely Lue would have mentioned it if that was the
case. I shrugged, thinking maybe he was playing hooky to surf on
the beautiful spring day. It wouldn’t be like him, but just
imagining it made me yearn to be on my surfboard. I wondered what
Lorelei was up to as I pulled into the harbor lot.

Nobody was home and his truck was gone.
Looking up the stairs at his apartment I could see his wetsuit
hanging up to dry. He wasn’t out surfing, and he never carried a
phone. Dejected, I drove the short distance home.

“Welcome home Crash!” Megan cried as I walked
in the front door. She got up to hug me, shaking her head, “You
have the craziest luck of anyone I know!”

“Tell me about it!” I said, smiling
sardonically. It was good to see her. I noticed that she was
dressed in one of Cruz’s outfits and made up beautifully.

“You look really nice this morning,” I told
her.

“You think?” she looked nervous, “I have an
audition today. Hey! Do you think you could go with me? I always do
better when you’re around.”

“Sure,” I said, grateful for the distraction.
“What’s it for?”

Megan told me all about it as I drove her
into Santa Cruz.

She was singing her regular gig at the
coffeehouse when she was approached by a local restaurateur. He was
looking for some live music for the piano bar at his upscale
restaurant. She would be performing old standards for a
sophisticated crowd, and was nervous about whether or not she’d be
able to pull it off.

“Sounds like the perfect job for you!”

“It’s the most expensive place in town!” she
fretted, “And it pays double what I make at the coffee house. I’m
just not sure I’ll be good enough...”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Just sing like you did
at Evie’s and they’ll absolutely love you!” I enthused.

She turned to me, breathlessly excited, “I’m
going to be accompanied by a pianist, and I’ll need to really dress
up...”

“That would sure make Cruz happy!” I
exclaimed, making us both laugh at the thought.

We drove to an upscale little shopping
district in Santa Cruz, Megan nervously rattling off some of the
songs she was considering.

“Just relax,” I said as I parked and turned
towards her, “What was your grandmother’s favorite song?”

I kept her talking as we walked up to the
giant windowless facade of the restaurant. There was a neon sign
outside that read “La Mer”. I noted with grim amusement that it
pretty much described where I’d just spent the past week of my
life.

We pulled open the tall heavy doors and
entered a dimly lit reception area. To the left of us was a
welcoming lounge with an opulently carved mahogany bar,
romantically glowing with pricy art glass sconces. There was a
sleek black baby grand piano in the corner; a bespectacled young
man in a dark suit played softly for several tables of red-faced
businessmen enjoying their three martini lunches. It was like going
back in time.

“May I help you?” an attractive hostess in a
long, slinky, low-cut gown asked.

“I’m here to see Mr. Samadi... for an
audition,” Megan said in a squeaky nervous voice.

“Just a moment, I’ll get him,” she floated
off. I looked around, surprised to find a place like this in Santa
Cruz. It reminded me of a San Francisco club.

“Evie would love this place,” I said.

A handsome older gentleman came strolling out
in an impeccably tailored suit.

“Ah, Megan, so wonderful to see you,” he said
warmly.

“Mr. Samadi, this is my friend Marina,” Megan
introduced me and we shook hands.

“Charmed to meet you,” he said, bowing a
little, “Please call me Omar,” he turned to Megan, “If you’ll come
this way I’ll introduce you to my pianist.”

We followed him into the bar and I excused
myself to sit out of the way. Megan conferred with the handsome
young man at the piano and took hold of a cordless mike nervously.
He played a few bars and she launched into a jazzy rendition of
“They Can’t Take That Away From Me”. The businessmen stopped
talking to listen and I beamed. She definitely had the job.

Next she sang one of Evie’s favorites, “Fly
Me To The Moon”, and even the wait staff started ducking their
heads in to hear. I looked over at Omar to see him smiling and
nodding his head in time. She finished and thanked the piano
player, who seemed as delighted as Omar with her performance. The
three of them conferred and Megan came over to me with bright
eyes.

“I got the job! I need to go fill out some
paperwork in the office, I’ll be right back.”

“Congratulations! I’ll wait here for you,” I
said happily.

I felt eyes on me and looked into the leering
faces of the tipsy businessmen. A platinum blonde cocktail waitress
approached me with a tray.

“The boys over there would like to buy you a
drink,” she said with a knowing smile.

“Uh, no thanks… I was just leaving,” I said,
retreating to the lobby. I waited for Megan at the hostess stand,
picking up a leather bound lunch menu from a pile and leafing
through it. I peeked into the elegantly appointed restaurant, each
table gleaming with an elaborate silver service and multiple wine
glasses. It was definitely an Evie kind of restaurant.

Then I saw him.

It was Ethan, and my heart skipped a beat
when I saw that he was not alone. He was sitting down to lunch with
a blonde girl, her back to me. She turned her head and I could see
her pretty profile smile. When she looked back to face him he
returned her smile, his eyes crinkling the way they did in my
memories. My stomach lurched and I grasped the hostess stand to
steady myself.

The girl reached her hand across the table
and placed it on his in a familiar way. I felt all the blood run
out of my face and I couldn’t breathe. She squeezed his hand and he
didn’t flinch or pull away; there was clearly some intimacy between
them. I was seized by a surge of white hot rage and stood there
stunned, frozen to the spot.

“OK, all done,” said Megan as she came out of
the bar. She took one look at me and gasped, “Marina?” She looked
into the restaurant and her eyes flew open wide. I started shaking,
poised to race in and... and...

“Whoa Nelly!” cried Megan, grabbing me by the
arm and pulling me aside.

“May I help you?” a waitress asked us as she
dropped off some menus in the pile.

“No thanks,” said Megan, turning to me
seriously, taking my other arm. “Cool down and think for a minute.
You don’t want to do anything you might regret...”

I was starting to hyperventilate, “I–
I...”

She looked at me with worried eyes, and then
calculating, “If you make a scene I’m pretty sure I’ll lose this
job.”

I knew she was just trying to calm me down,
and I was grateful to her. I was overcome with a wave of shock and
anger; the pain was following close on its heels. My eyes filled
with tears and I turned to run out the front door. Megan followed
me down the block to my car and we climbed in.

“I’m sure there’s some explanation,” she said
nervously, “I mean, she must be on spring break or
something...”

“Who was she?” I asked, still in shock. She
was quiet. “Megan?” I looked over at her. She was squirming.

“That was his ex-girlfriend... the one that
dumped him.”

I sat there for a minute, letting it sink in.
Why were they together? Did she want him back? Why were they
there
of all places? It was not the kind of restaurant I
would expect Ethan to be in. It occurred to me that I didn’t really
know him at all. Him
and
Evie. I took a deep breath and
started the car.

“Are you okay to drive?”

“Yeah,” I felt numb.

“Let’s go to the coffeehouse,” she said
nervously, “I think Bill needs some more paintings... and I need to
talk to him about my new schedule.”

“OK,” I drove the short distance in silence,
and pulled up in front of the coffee shop. I glanced over at the
surf shop, “Go on in, I need to pick up a few things.”

“Sure,” she said, patting me on the shoulder,
“Marina... I’m sure there’s some kinda good explanation.”

“Yeah,” I said, looking at the surfboard in
the window.

I went in the shop and over to the wetsuits,
pulling out the nicest one in my size. Then I went to the wall of
surfboards.

“Can I help you pick something out?” The boy
with the white blonde hair looked me over.

“No thanks, I want this one,” I chose a board
that looked like the perfect shape.

“Uhm, how long have you been surfing?” he
asked.

“A couple months,” I said absentmindedly.
Just being in the shop was like a soothing balm. The rubbery smell
of the neoprene, the boards and the posters of waves all made me
feel like relief was on the way. I was itching to get out into the
water.