In For a Pound

by Joselyn Vaughn

  They trudged the last hundred yards out of the weedy shallows, fighting the buoyancy of life vests that tore their feet away from the sand. With each step, the water level dropped below his ribs, then his waist, and finally low enough he could raise his feet out of the water for unimpeded steps. His legs felt like he had dropped a hundred pounds. As they reached the shore, he yanked the canoe forward and thrust it out of reach of the water line. Sidney grabbed his hand, and they dashed up the beach—or so he imagined. The sand grabbed his feet like running through peanut butter. They stumbled across the finish line with the announcer recording their time.

  Sidney let go of his hand and braced herself on her knees as she panted for breath. Without her hand, Joshua wondered if there was anything left to keep him on his feet.

  “Nice job!” She held her hand out for a high five, but Joshua’s arms had the rigidity of wet noodles. He couldn’t make contact. He tumbled to the ground and rolled on his back, ignoring the sand clinging to his soaked body. With his last bit of strength, he popped the clips on his vest and took his first full breaths since the beginning of the race. Oxygen, it almost made him feel human again. Sand clung to his arms and legs as he gaped like a landed fish and hoped a seagull didn’t mistake his mouth for a target.

  He made a mental note to stay as far away from Aunt Penny as he could for the rest of his dad’s convalescence. He brought his arm up to shield himself from the brightness of the sun. His glasses had disappeared somewhere in the lake or on the beach. Aunt Penny owed him a new pair. Loose sand dropped from his arm into his mouth. He spit it out, groaning as he turned his head.

  Someone kicked his foot, and he squinted his sand-free eye open.

  “Thanks,” Sidney said, her hair haloed in sunshine and her figure a fabulous shadow that stirred the only part of him not exhausted by the race. He quickly sat up and propped his arms on his knees. His arms trembled.

  “Here’s some water.” Sidney handed him a sweating bottle as she took a long pull from her own. “We definitely beat Missy and Zach. I don’t know if they were disqualified or not. I can’t believe they snuck a trolling motor on the course. Well, actually I can believe it, but I can’t figure out how. Wouldn’t one of the officials have seen it before the race started?”

  Joshua managed to convince his fingers to grasp the cover of the bottle and twist it open. The clear liquid washed away the muddy taste of lake water. He swished his mouth clean of grit and spit into the sand.

  “You want a bagel or something?” Sidney asked. “I can get you some yogurt.”

  Joshua shook away his exhausted fog and blinked at Sidney. “I think I better start moving, or I won’t. I’ll come with you.”

  Sidney extended her hand, and he grasped it, wondering if his legs would hold him. Straightening slowly because his muscles had already tightened, he groaned. “Ow.”

  He followed Sidney to the refreshment tent, his legs moving like a cowboy’s in an old western movie.

  “There are bagels, bananas, yogurt, ice pops. I think there’s granola bars somewhere too.”

  He reached for a chunk of bagel as Sidney took a cup of yogurt. Joshua doubted he had the dexterity to maneuver the spoon to his mouth without a bib. His movements were loosy-goosy enough with the bagel.

  A familiar head of reddish hair rammed through the tent. “You guys won! Congratulations!” Aunt Penny enfolded them in a hug, squeezing water out of their life jackets and eliciting another yelp from Joshua. He raised his arm to see a raw scrape across his underarm where the vest had chafed. He masked a hiss with a drink of water when he found a matching burn on his other arm. Clenching his teeth, he focused on the conversation.

  “Were Missy and Zach disqualified?” Sidney asked between sips of water.

  “No.” Aunt Penny rolled her eyes. “Well, yes and no. They were stripped of their points for this race, but they are still eligible to compete in the race on Labor Day.”

  Sidney shook her head. “How could they not be banned?”

  “It’s a travesty, I agree. One of the officials saw the motor, but no one can corroborate it. And they can’t find where Zach dumped it.” Aunt Penny waved her hand toward the lake.

  “At least it’d take a miracle for her to get back in the running for the trip.” Sidney sighed. “Speaking of which, did Colin show up?”

  Aunt Penny pursed her lips and wagged her head from side to side. “No. I don’t know if he called. I stuffed your phone in your bag, so I wouldn’t drop it in the water while I was cheering.”

  “Thanks again, Joshua,” Sidney said. “I’m going to see if Colin sent anything else.” She darted away into the crowd, and Joshua couldn’t help but wonder when he’d see her again. And that burned as much as his underarms.

  ****

  Sidney found her phone stashed in her rucksack. She pressed the wake button and was greeted by a screen clear of notifications. What could have kept Colin away from their race? She held the phone to her mouth and commanded it to call Colin. The call went straight to his voicemail, so she left another message. Then the phone almost vibrated out of her hand with the warning of an incoming call. “Colin!” She frantically tapped the screen. “Hey honey, what happened?”

  “Sorry I missed the race.” His voice was calm, relaxed. Not frustrated like he was stuck in traffic, not irritated because he was railroaded into a never-ending meeting, or pained because he was trapped in the emergency room. And definitely not regretful like he had missed the race that was supposed to fund their honeymoon.

  “Where are you?” Sidney pressed her thumb into her ear to block out the cheering of the crowd around her.

  “Other side of town. Great opportunity. Couldn’t get away.”

  “Couldn’t you have called earlier? I waited on the starting line for you.”

  “I didn’t want to miss anything.”

  Sidney’s jaw dropped. Miss anything? The canoe race had been important to him a few days ago. Before she could formulate a response out of her shock, he asked, “What happened with the race?” Colin’s voice was as muffled as if he stood in a crowd as big and loud as the one surrounding her.

  “Some guy Aunt Penny knows filled in.”

  “What rock did she find him under?” Derision filled his voice.

  “A pretty good one. We barely edged Missy out, but she snuck a motor in.”

  Colin laughed. “Up to her usual tricks. How does she think of these schemes?”

  Sidney pulled her phone away from her ear. Was that admiration? For Missy? Because she cheated in the race? This day had taken a strange turn.

  “Anyway, we’re still in the running for the trip.”

  “That’s great, but we won’t need to win the race to go on our dream honeymoon.”

  Sidney blinked. They were scraping together every spare penny for the wedding as it was. Her parents had offered to help with expenses, but she decided to have them put the money towards her future children’s college education rather than spend it all on one day.

  Besides she liked crafts. She could put together a lot of things herself. She’d worn her fingers raw this morning attempting to wire silk flowers and twinkle lights together for the arbor. The snipped wires had jabbed her fingertips, but the end result wasn’t half-bad. She pictured the drooping daisies and the mangled leaves. Shaking her head, truthfully, it was all bad. She could manipulate all manner of fabric with ease, but wire and flowers left her with three extra thumbs. Tomorrow, she’d try to salvage what she could. If only something with this wedding would go right the first time.

  “We’ve got it made now.” Colin was almost breathless. “I went to this seminar this morning and spent the rest of the afternoon talking with the speakers. I can’t wait to get in on the ground floor.”

  “I thought your seminar this morning was for work.” Colin was a customer service manager for a local call center. They frequently had training seminars on Saturday mornings when there were more calls to be monitored and evaluated. He’d assured
her he would be done with plenty of time to make it to the race.

  “No. Somebody from work recommended I go. The potential for big bucks is there. In a couple months, I could make enough for us to go anywhere in the world, not just some teeny-weeny islands in the Puget Sound.”

  Sidney’s mouth moved to respond, but she wasn’t sure what she should tackle first. The San Juan Islands and whale watching had been on the top of her dream list since she was a freshman in high school. Colin knew that. Big bucks so quickly sounded too good to be true. With his long hours at work and all the training he conducted, she barely saw him. When would they spend any time together if he got a second job? She rubbed her hand over her forehead, finding a coating of sand. “Which buddy?”

  Colin murmured a name she couldn’t quite make out. It sounded like Wesley. Colin had introduced them at the company Christmas party. Wesley had proceeded to study her plate of hors d'oeuvres and pick out the ones he wanted. He sucked the little weenies off the toothpick and returned the licked stick to her plate. Sidney had quietly dumped the rest of her plate in the garbage. Then he’d talked her ear off about mortgage rates and the government conspiracy to penalize anyone who didn’t pay extra points. Not the person she would take financial advice from. She’d ended the evening with a migraine and an empty stomach.

  “How long has this person been involved?”

  “Only a month or two, but the cash is really flowing.”

  “Maybe he can afford his own food now,” Sidney muttered.

  “Look, I gotta go. There’s another meeting. This could be the thing for us. Sorry about the race. Love you, honey.” And he hung up before Sidney could say anything else. She pulled the phone away from her ear and thumbed the end call button, but continued to stare at the phone as if she could either send or receive some message from Colin regarding this scheme. What was it actually? How would he make money, and how could he do it while working his other job?

  And what did he mean by dismissing her dream vacation?

  She wouldn’t have been as miffed if one of his work seminars had gone overtime, or if he had bothered to call, but this… this attempt to change the game plan for their wedding and their lives. It didn’t make sense at all.

  Chapter Three

  Joshua compared the unpronounceable name on the orange bottle with the list the nurse had left. How was anyone supposed to keep track of all these medications? His dad had fifteen prescriptions to organize. Some had to be taken once a day, some twice, some with food, some on an empty stomach, and this rice-sized thing had to be cut in half. Luckily the nurse had made a chart with names, doses, and special requirements for each drug. If it sorted chronologically, it would be even better. Joshua had to match the bottle with the list before dispensing. To keep track of the doses taken, he had to draw up his own chart.

  He found the correct listing and ran his finger across the chart. ‘One pill a day before bed. Take with water.’ Joshua pressed and twisted the cap. His arms were so wimpy he could barely twist the child-proof cap from the bottle. He shook one pill on the table. His hands trembled.

  This was hard enough to do with a capable mind. The drugs caused fatigue and blurred vision, and the exhaustion affected his dad’s mental function. No wonder he couldn’t keep any of this straight.

  Joshua reached in the cupboard for a glass. Sticky notes clung to the door with reminders scribbled in spidery handwriting: “Garbage Monday,” “Turn off coffeemaker,” and “Penny’s neighbor: Sidney.”

  Joshua stared at the last one for a moment. So that was the connection between Aunt Penny and Sidney. For some reason, a vision of Sidney in a white dress at the altar of a church popped into his head. It made him grin. Like a groom. He raised his eyebrows. Really? His mode of operation was to flee from anything remotely sniffing of permanence. If it didn’t have wheels, or smack of temporary, it wasn’t for him. Marriage, a house, a family topped that list. All those things could be ripped away by a gust of wind. He saw it so often, as he worked to help people. First the house was destroyed, then the family lost their footing, and the marriage collapsed; all doing more damage to everyone than the flying debris of the storm. He wanted no part of it. Why set himself up for irreversible destruction?

  The contents of the notes had him concerned about his dad’s mental capabilities. He seemed to do fine during Joshua’s quick visits, but those visits didn’t allow him to see how his dad operated on a daily basis. Since he’d been staying with his dad, deficiencies were becoming more evident. He relied on meals from his church care group. When one of those wasn’t available, he resorted to some food wrapped in cardboard that could be nuked in the microwave. Joshua’s cooking skills weren’t much more sophisticated, but his dad had been known for his grilling prowess. He hadn’t even suggested breaking out the charcoal in the last week.

  This cancer thing appeared out of nowhere. And maybe that was what had stuck everything on its ear. Joshua had come to help him through the cancer treatments. When Joshua arrived, he learned his dad had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and several medications to regulate both. Add cancer drugs on top, and it was one big pharmaceutical cocktail of confusion. Missed doses, wrong times, wrong pills. If the cancer wasn’t the cause of his dad’s forgetfulness, would Joshua need to look into professional care when his job required him to head to the next disaster site? Hopefully, the doctor would have some recommendations.

  Joshua grabbed a glass from the shelf and filled it with water, noticing the pressure had slowed to a trickle. The filters were overdue to be replaced. The task hadn’t made it to his dad’s sticky notes, so it had been overlooked. Joshua would take care of it… when he could move his arms enough to work the wrench needed.

  He thumbed the faucet off. Even his legs ached. How could his legs be sore when he’d been sitting in the canoe?

  “Dad, I’ve got your last pill for the night.” Joshua winced as he padded into the living room. Even his bum was sore. He’d blame the hard seat. His dad lounged in his old recliner with his feet propped on the footrest with an extra pillow. Joshua handed him the pill and the glass of water, then pinched his ankles to test the swelling. The skin looked strained, but not any worse than this morning when the nurse checked him over.

  “Whatcha watching?” Joshua lowered himself to the nubby green couch that had been the featured background in almost every birthday picture he could remember.

  His dad downed the water and set the glass on the end table. “Baseball game starts in half an hour. They’ve got all this ballyhoo on before.”

  “Sounds like my kind of night.” Joshua grabbed the corduroy pillow and stuffed it under his head, ready to veg out in front of the game. He suspected if he fell asleep here, he wouldn’t be able to get up until morning, but it was a risk he’d have to take. He was too comfortable—and too stiff—to make the journey to his bed.

  “That Sidney sure is a sweet girl,” his dad said during the next commercial.

  Joshua had closed his eyes, but he cracked one open to peer at his dad. A delighted face framed by damp golden hair filled his mind. “Really, Dad?”

  “You’re single. She’s single.” His dad shrugged.

  Both Joshua’s eyes popped open. If he had been able to move, he would have sat up as well. His dad was playing matchmaker? He’d been pretty sure the underworld wasn’t going to freeze over earlier this afternoon. Of course, he also hadn’t envisioned winning a canoe race either. “She’s engaged.”

  Off limits. Perfect. It was enough to keep him from wanting more and risking the devastation so many of the people he worked with suffered.

  His dad grunted and thumbed the volume up on the baseball game.

  ****

  Sidney settled into the church pew on Sunday morning and flipped open her bulletin while she waited for the worship service to begin. She’d read over the announcements and prayer requests three times before Colin plopped down beside her. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and whispered, “Sorry about yester
day.”

  Sidney nodded. What else could she do? A long night of tossing and turning had led her to one conclusion. The race was over. She couldn’t change the past. Colin never let her down before. Surely, she would do the same to him sometime. If she failed him, she hoped he would forgive her, understand neither of them always made the best decisions, and move on. It hurt that the first time was something so important to her, but she tried to be understanding. That’s what relationships and marriage were about, right? Forgiving each other and being there for each other.

  It was even the theme for the sermon this morning, so she’d better start practicing it.

  Well, he hadn’t been there for her, but he’d also discovered something he could be passionate about. He was such a hard worker. This opportunity could make life better for both of them. They’d have to discuss the San Juan Islands and this business thing.

  After the service, they stopped at her mom’s for coffee, and Sidney hoped Colin would be able to tell her more about the seminar, but he excused himself after gulping down a steaming cup, saying he had some paperwork to go over and he’d call her later.

  She sighed as he dashed out the door, without giving her a moment to ask about any of the hundred things on her mind: their honeymoon, the race, the seminar, or any of the details of the wedding. But then, he’d never been all that interested in those.

  “Is it wrong to want to strangle your fiancé before you even get hitched?”

  “Your dad would drive me up the wall, but I couldn’t stand to be away from him.” Her mom wiped her hands on a towel and slipped it through the handle on the stove. She inched out a chair from the table and sat. “Men get strange ideas, but you just have to work them around.”

  Sidney scowled at her coffee cup. How could she work him around to anything if he wouldn’t even talk to her? “I’m still on the never-ending choke hold side.”