Water Town

by Laurel Veil

  Water Town

  Laurel Veil

  Copyright © 2018 by Laurel Veil

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.

  For Opal

  Contents

  Long Goodbye

  New Beginning

  The Boardwalk

  Danielle

  The Orphanage

  Miss Betty

  Fins

  Roomies

  Off to Market

  A Guy, A Girl, & A Truck

  The Nightshift

  Four

  Looking for Answers

  Search for Clues

  Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

  Getting to Know You

  Digging Deeper

  Confession

  Table for Two

  Edmond Thorton

  Breakfast at Betty’s

  The Cave

  Sneaking Around

  More Than Friends

  Reunited

  Goodbyes & New Beginnings

  1.

  Long Goodbye

  “So… you’re gonna be all right… right?”

  I looked up to see my dad standing, yet again, in the doorway of my bedroom.

  “Yes, Dad,” I assured him, and continued packing.

  “You’re sure you’re okay with this?”

  I nodded and then tried my best to ignore him. He was making me uncomfortable. Uncomfortable. U-n-c-o-m-f-o-r-t-a-b-l-e. Uncomfortable. I rummaged through my chest of drawers. Thanks to Holly, our housekeeper, everything smelled of Gain and Downy.

  “I’m hungry,” my dad said. “You feel like grabbing a bite when you’re done here? It will be our last—” His voice caught, but he continued, “last dinner together for a while.”

  Oh, brother. Melodramatic. M-e-l-o-d-r-a-m-a-t-i-c. Melodramatic. I had a nice mental laugh, which helped me not get upset. “Sure,” I said.

  My childhood therapist (that my dad insisted I see right after my mom left) had always encouraged me to express myself. She’d tell me to let others know what I was thinking and how I felt. “Don’t make them guess,” she’d say. “Make it clear. Spell it out for them.” Since I loved spelling and was already participating in bees, for fun, I took her advice literally. To my surprise, it ended up being great therapy. I still catch myself doing it today, only now—thank God—I spell inside my head.

  “I’ll meet you in the car,” my dad said.

  I tossed everything into my bag and zipped it, grabbed a sweater and headed outside.

  I gazed thoughtfully at my dad for a moment as he drove, feeling like I needed to study him, so I wouldn’t forget exactly how he looked while we were apart. Because what if I never saw him again? The rational part of me knew I was being ridiculous, but when your mom takes off when you’re a kid, it tends to make you fear the worst in most situations. I could hear my therapist’s voice in my head, “Abandonment issues, blah, blah, blah…”

  My dad was tall and fit and still had most of his hair. He made decent money selling insurance and would probably never retire, even though he could afford to. I don’t know why my mom ever left him. Of course, I still couldn’t figure out why she’d left me. How do you walk away from your own child? Even though I still spent most of my time being angry at her, I wished I had studied her more when I had the chance—her mannerisms, the way she looked—so I could remember her better.

  The ding of the blinker pulled me from my thoughts and we coasted into the parking lot of Chan’s China Bistro. It was a quaint, little restaurant sandwiched in between a postal store and a nail salon.

  As I had expected, it was chilly and dark inside. Multicolored paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, and my dad sighed as he sat down and gazed up at them. I knew what he was thinking before he even said it. “Your mom used to love coming here.”

  I still missed my mom some, but not near as much as he did; and the little bit I did was mainly for his sake. My dad deserved better. I felt sorry for him.

  Before he even opened his menu, he asked me once again, “You’re sure you’re OK with everything? I can back out if you want me to.”

  He had plans to travel with a group of friends. They were going on a Flintwood Tour of Europe for the summer, so I was going to stay with my aunt and uncle. I was feeling a little anxious to say the least, but I was doing my best to hide it.

  “I think it’s a great idea you’re going, Dad. I want you to go. You never do anything for yourself. I mean, when’s the last time you took a sick day, much less a vacation?” He needed to go for another reason, too—to find someone special to grow old with. He had a few good friends, but he was an introvert, which made it almost impossible for him to date. He needed more in his life than just me and his handful of male friends. I was hoping he might meet someone on this trip. Now that I was old enough to start dating, it would be nerve-racking enough without having to worry about my dad at home alone.

  His face didn’t look as worried now. “Thanks, Ronnie. This means a lot to me. I’m really looking forward to it.”

  I felt relieved. Relieved. R-e-l-i-e-v-e-d. Relieved.

  While we waited on our food, he made small talk about where he planned to visit. My own thoughts accidentally drowned out his voice. I was preoccupied with the fact I was going to be spending my entire summer with relatives I hadn’t seen in forever. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I only knew I was going to get lots of opportunities to earn future tuition. I would be a senior when school started in the fall, and college would be here before I knew it.

  I planned on getting a part-time job, and my dad said Uncle Bill and Aunt Pam had some things for me to do as well. One of which was babysitting my little cousin Danielle.

  “…and Rachel wants to see the Eiffel Tower

  and—”

  “Wait. What? Rachel? Rachel is going too?” I interrupted.

  “You knew that.”

  “No. I’m pretty sure I would’ve remembered. I thought you were just going with Ed, Tommy and James.”

  “There are women in our bowling league, too. This whole trip was Rachel’s idea. Were you paying attention during any of our past conversations?”

  “Apparently not. That woman is dying to get you to the altar. You’d better not elope. Not with her.”

  “Would that be so terrible?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Uh… she’s a bitch.”

  “Rhonda.”

  “Sorry. But you know it’s true. And she doesn’t suit you at all, Dad.” I knew I wouldn’t be living with my dad much longer, but I couldn’t imagine sharing our last year together—with her. She was a very loud and obnoxious woman. The three of us had only gone out once, and Rachel had been incredibly rude to the waiter. Before we left, she’d had the manager at our table and every eye in the restaurant on us. I’d promised myself I would never go anywhere with her again.

  When we finished our meal, my dad said, “This was fun. Let’s plan to do it again the minute we both get back.”

  I smiled. “OK.”

  In no time, we made it back to our tiny little one-story wedged between other identical houses.

  “I’m pretty tired; I’d better hit the hay. See you in the morning, sweetie.” He turned to go, but then stopped and picked up one of my many spelling bee trophies proudly displayed on the fireplace mantel and looked at it teary eyed, like I had just died.

  Sheesh. “Goodnight, Dad.”

  “Goodnight, pumpkin.”

  ***

  I let my thoughts wander as I enjoyed a small bowl of chocolate-chip ice cream for dessert.
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  It was true—I was little nervous about being away from my dad and not knowing what to expect with my relatives, but there was another reason I was feeling anxious. The last time I’d visited my aunt and uncle on Thorton Island was just before my mom had left, so I was pretty young. My mom, dad and I had taken a tour of Thorton Mansion, and on the tour, I’d seen a man—or at least I thought I had, dressed in an old-fashioned suit. No one else seemed to notice him, much less care that he’d followed us around the entire time.

  Towards the end of the tour, he came so uncomfortably close to me, I started to cry. He’d frightened me. I was just a kid and I believed he wanted to hurt me. I remember reaching out to my mom, so she would hug me. Not only did she not comfort me, I’d embarrassed her so much, she wouldn’t even acknowledge me. I tried desperately to explain to her through my tears how scared I was of the man I’d seen. I heard her tell my dad in an angry, hushed whisper that I was lying. That I was just throwing a tantrum for attention. As always, my dad ended up being the one to console me. And he believed me when I told him about the man even though he said he hadn’t seen him.

  That was one of the last memories I have of my mom. So many times, I’d wished I could go back and change the way I’d behaved. If I hadn’t acted like that or said anything to her, maybe she would still be here. She’d thought I was a brat, a liar and probably crazy. Who would want to deal with that? It was my fault my mom had gone, and my dad was lonely. And to this day I’m not really sure what happened on that tour. I was pretty sure I’d seen a ghost.

  I sighed and rinsed my dish before placing it in the washer. Everything was going to be fine. I needed to earn money and there would be plenty of work opportunities to keep me busy and my mind off ghosts. So, I had to stay positive, for myself and my dad.

  I locked up before heading upstairs to my room. When I slipped off my sweater, the crinkling of cellophane reminded me I had stuffed my fortune cookie into my pocket. I’d always enjoyed Chan’s fortunes because they weren’t “for sissies,” as my dad always joked. While other restaurants gave benign fortunes that said, “Have a happy day,” and “Good luck is coming your way,” Chan’s had always had more of an edge.

  I cracked it open with anticipation and pulled the little white paper out.

  Adventure awaits, but so does danger. Be leery of strangers.

  C-r-e-e-p-y. Creepy.

  2.

  New Beginning

  “I know you don’t remember a whole lot about your Uncle Bill, but he was the best little brother a kid could have.” My dad smiled as he tossed my duffle bag into the back of my Jeep. “You’ll love him. You always did when you were a kid.

  “And your Aunt Pam—aw, she’s great, a real peach. I can’t tell you much about their daughter, Danielle. She was a toddler the last time we were around her. I know she’s quite a bit younger than you, but I hope you two can form a friendship. Oh, when I talked to Bill earlier this morning, he gave me details about one of the jobs he has lined up for you, if you’re interested.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “An elderly neighbor of his needs someone to check in on her to make sure she takes her meds, and help her out a little around her house. That sounds right up your alley, future RN.”

  I’d told my dad that I wanted to be a nurse when I was like ten, and he’d held me to it for the last seven years. The truth was, I had no idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

  He gave me a giant bear hug that took my breath away just before I slid into my Jeep and fastened my seatbelt.

  “I feel like I should drive you. Are you sure you know where you’re going?”

  I pointed to my GPS. “I’ve got this, Dad.” At least I hoped I did. I suddenly felt so alone and scared, but smiled to hide what I was feeling. If my dad thought for a second I was upset, he would drop his plans and cancel everything. I couldn’t let him do that. I had to be brave.

  “You do, don’t you? That’s my girl, always so strong and independent.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly. “I love you, Ronnie. Have fun and please be careful.”

  “You do the same. I love you, Dad.”

  I wiped a tiny tear from the corner of my eye as I drove away, then turned my radio up. Thank God, an upbeat song was on. My mood suddenly lightened. I couldn’t believe it—I was going on my first road trip. In three hours, I would be on Thorton Island. I picked up speed in my excitement and the wind whipped my hair around.

  * * *

  The closer I got, the more my excitement turned to anxiety. Anxiety. A-n-x-i-e-t-y. Anxiety. I wished for a moment that I was heading to a vacation destination like most of the kids I went to school with, and not to my relatives’ to work.

  When I finally saw water out my window though, my spirits lifted a little. Even if I wound up being miserable, at least I was going to be miserable near the beach.

  ***

  My phone began to play a melody. “Hey, Dad.”

  “Are you there yet? You should be close.”

  “I haven’t pulled in their driveway yet, but I know I’m on the right track. I see water.”

  “We’re about to board—so, we’ll have dinner at Chan’s just as soon as we can.” His voice was smiling.

  “Can’t wait!”

  The bridge to the island was so tall, I felt like I was on a roller coaster. I held tightly to the wheel with both hands.

  Boats of all sizes passed beneath me, and I tried not to notice. I looked straight ahead until I’d made it safely across. From the center of an esplanade, a large sign surrounded by yellow and red hibiscus bushes welcomed me to Thorton Island.

  Large palm trees lined Main Street. Everything looked so bright and manicured, I felt like I was entering a Polynesian-themed section of an amusement park and leaving the real world behind. How did I forget how great this place was? I guessed I’d just been too young to appreciate it before.

  I glanced at the clock on my dash. I was ahead of schedule, so I pulled into The Lunch Box for a quick bite.

  I carefully carried my tray out onto the sunny patio, took a bite of chili and looked around. My breath caught when I noticed Thorton Mansion in the distance. I felt my stomach twist as I admired its high-pitched roof, jetting up past most everything around it and looming over the town square with a watchful presence. It was a magnificent work of art, but I’d seen on the news that it was no longer open to the public. Someone was actually living there again. I couldn’t imagine calling a house that big home. And I couldn’t help but wonder if they ever saw the ghost I’d thought I’d seen.

  “If you think that place is cool, you ought to see the old orphanage.”

  I turned to see a heavyset girl my age in a Lunch Box uniform standing in front of me. She had wavy, chestnut hair pulled up high in a long ponytail. She sat down at my table and proceeded to take the tomatoes off her salad. Apparently, she was on her lunch break. Great. I didn’t usually prefer the company of females—or anybody for that matter.

  “These things are acidic. If I eat them I will have heartburn the rest of the night.” She glanced over at my bowl of chili. I had topped it off with shredded cheese, chives and diced onions. “If I ate that—oh my gosh! Trust me. You don’t want to know.”

  I laughed.

  I could tell by the grin on her face she was proud of the reaction she’d gotten from me. “You laughed. I guess that means we’ll have to be friends. I’m Antonia. But if you dare call me that I’ll pretend I don’t know you. I swear I think my mom was high during my delivery.”

  “What do you want me to call you then?”

  “I don’t care. Mable—just anything but An-ton-ia.”

  I laughed some more.

  “Just call me Toni like everyone else.”

  “I’m Rhonda, but I go by Ronnie.”

  “Interesting.”

  “What?”

  “Our nicknames are both boy names. I wonder what else we have in common.” She took a long sip from her straw. “So, ar
e you from here?” She stuffed her mouth with a forkful of lettuce.

  “I’m visiting. I just got here. This is my first stop.”

  She swallowed dramatically. “You drive?”

  I nodded. “That’s my Jeep over there.”

  “Wow! I’m supposed to get my license next month. I have almost enough saved for a used car at Smith Auto. I can’t wait. For now, my mommy still drives me everywhere I need to go.”

  I felt a twinge of jealousy.

  “Toni, we need you,” called someone from behind the counter.

  “That’s my manager. I hate this job,” she whispered. Toni frantically closed the lid on her salad, so she could take it with her. “You wanna get my number so we can hang out? I’m still kinda new around here myself; it would be nice to have someone to do stuff with for a change. We can tour that orphanage I was telling you about.”