EMIT (THE EMIT SAGA)

by Barbara Cross

  As we walked, he told me all about the Great Barrier Reef.

  “So for six months, all you did was play in the sun and tan?” I asked and put my pale arm next to his. I was white as a ghost!

  “Mostly, I did read some books though.”

  “Anything good?” He was definitely too good to be true.

  “I don’t think you’d like my taste in books. I read a lot of non-fiction stuff.”

  “Non-fiction and poetry? You’re right; you are a strange nineteen year-old.”

  Daniel shrugged his shoulders and said, “I told you so.”

  “I’m kidding. Are you reading anything now?” I wondered.

  “Not yet. I just finished reading a book on Einstein.”

  “Einstein vacationed out on the North Fork of Long Island near my Grandma’s house!” I said trying to impress him.

  “I recall reading something about that,” Daniel said grinning. “So do you like Byron’s poetry?”

  “Some I like, some I hate, and some I don’t understand at all.

  “If you ever need help, just ask.”

  “I might take you up on that.” Even if I had to pretend I needed help, I thought. “Did Lord Byron really go to your school or were you joking?”

  “He did a long time ago, not with me,” he said and winked. “As a matter of fact, Lord Byron wrote a poem about the school.”

  He looked at his vibrating cell and said, “Wow. I have to run. I have an appointment. Do you want to have breakfast or coffee tomorrow morning before work?”

  Anything, anytime, but I couldn’t really say that, so I casually said, “Sure.”

  “How’s eight o’clock at that cafe.” He pointed to a little place right on Columbus Avenue.

  “Okay,” I blushed. I couldn’t believe this; I had a breakfast date with Daniel. Daniel bent down, petted Amber goodbye and as he walked away, he winked and my heart jumped. His looks weren’t the only great thing about him.

  Mom was on the phone when I came in. She covered the receiver and whispered that Dad had gotten stuck on a long-distance call and dinner would be later. If I was hungry, I should help myself. I said I’d wait and went to call Lily.

  She was on the train and the clamor was ear shattering. She couldn’t hear me at all and said she’d call me back. I was daydreaming about Daniel when Lily’s call forced me back to earth. As I told her the whole saga about Reed and Daniel, she was silent and didn’t interrupt once. She was obviously riveted or incredulous; I wasn’t sure which.

  “Unbelievable.”

  “I know, but why is he talking to me?”

  “You’re pretty, smart and fun. Anyone who dates you would be lucky,” she added.

  “I just don’t get it.” I was being such a baby. Now that he was talking to me, I was getting insecure and scared. Talking to Lily did quiet some of my concerns.

  When I heard Mom calling me, I got off the phone. As I reached for the plates to set the table, I started humming.

  “You seem better. How was your talk with Reed?” Mom asked.

  “Oh Mom, it was a misunderstanding. A friend of his posted it as a joke. Do you believe it? We’re still friends,” I beamed happily. “Everything’s fine!”

  My phone vibrated, alerting me to an incoming email, which reminded me of all the problems I’d been having with my phone. “Mom, I’m still having issues with my phone.”

  “Can you make calls?”

  “Yeah, it works outgoing.”

  “You’re going to Lily’s tomorrow so, we’ll take care of it next week.”

  “Okay, but it’s a mess. I’m not getting all my calls, email or notifications from Facebook and my call log is not working at all,” I added.

  I called Lily and we finalized our plans to meet at Uncle Ian’s office on Park Avenue.

  I kept talking about Daniel and Lily interrupted me mid-sentence and said, “Enough. I’m going swimming. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I grabbed my poetry book and looked for the two poems that Daniel had mentioned. I found the “Darkness” poem. There was such an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness. Words of destruction, depicting the end of the world and the end of humanity, made the poem nightmarish with all the horrible images and connotations. Shocked, I couldn’t fathom how this poem could be his favorite. Perhaps Daniel discovered this poem after he lost his parents and could relate.

  Quickly, I started looking for the other poem, to rid my mind of this one. Only one poem had the word Harrow it was called “On a Distant View of the Village and School of Harrow On The Hill.” The poem was full of memories and recollections.

  Tired of reading poetry, I put the book away and started writing a song. Inspired by my crazy emotions, I called it ‘Longing.’

  Still long to feel the touch of your hand once again

  To feel the warmth of your skin.

  Even after you left,

  Your voice still lingers in the air.

  I can’t stand when the sound of your voice enters

  my heart and my head and all I can think of is you.

  Trying to pretend your standing right beside me

  and there’s the times I picture your face.

  And believe you still care.

  But how could you ever care about me?

  All my longings are just illusions of the heart.

  That can never come true.

  To long now that you’re gone

  I can see that without you by me

  It’s like a part of me has simply gone away.

  You left me my heart shattered and cracked

  and it will not be whole again.

  The footprints you left on my heart

  will never be washed away.

  Trying to pretend your standing right beside me.

  And there’s the times I picture your face

  And believe you still care.

  But how could you ever care about me?

  All my longings are just illusions of the heart.

  That can never come true.

  4. STORM

  “What does a fish know about the water in which it swims all its life?” Einstein

  I woke up out of a fitful sleep. Since I first noticed Daniel, I hadn’t slept well. I was having really weird scary dreams. Snippets of the dream came to me and I remembered being terrified. It was probably caused from reading that horrible ‘Darkness’ poem. I showered and dressed.

  Mom, still in her bathrobe, was pouring water into the coffee pot as I entered the kitchen.

  “Good morning. Why are you up so early?”

  “I couldn’t sleep. I got up to finish packing for Lily’s,” I explained.

  “Can you take Amber out since you’re all dressed?” she asked.

  “Sure.” I walked towards the foyer with Amber close behind.

  Mom called out, “Paige, do you want anything for breakfast? I could make you eggs.”

  “Oh no, thanks. I’m meeting a friend for breakfast,” I said matter-of-factly and left.

  When I brought Amber back, Mom was upstairs and Dad was in the den on a phone call. I waved and quickly ran out the door.

  As I approached the cafe, I worried about being stood up. Thankfully, I saw Daniel walking from the opposite direction and I waved.

  “Hi. I wasn’t sure if you’d be here.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked since I was just thinking the same thing.

  “I’ll tell you inside,” he said and opened the door.

  We sat at a table near the window and I stared at his beautiful almond-shaped eyes. He had on chinos and a pale blue polo shirt, which made his eyes look even bluer. He had a chiseled jaw and there were a few tiny freckles on the top of his nose that I hadn’t noticed before.

  “Why did you think I wasn’t coming?”

  “What I meant was, if something came up, we wouldn’t have been able to reach each other. I wasn’t positive you’d make it.” He handed me a business card. “That’s my phone number for the future. ” />
  “Thanks,” was all I could say. I had his phone number and his name was Daniel Haydin. “Haydin? If there was an e, you could say you were the Hayden from the Hayden Planetarium.”

  Daniel asked, “Oh, really? Do you still want to have breakfast with me even though I have the wrong name?”

  “Hmmm....Let me think about it,” I joked. Daniel gave me a hurt look. “I’m kidding.”

  When the waitress came over, I ordered Earl Grey tea and over-easy eggs and Daniel ordered coffee and a mushroom omelet.

  “You’re a coffee drinker. That’s not very English of you,” I teased when the waitress left.

  “I have coffee in the morning to wake up. The rest of the day, it’s tea. No coffee for you?”

  “No, don’t like the taste. I do like cappuccinos though.”

  He kept asking me questions about school, teachers and my friends. I answered them because I didn’t want to be rude, but I wanted to hear more about him.

  When I asked if he was on Facebook, he said, “No. It doesn’t interest me.” Too bad, that meant I couldn’t lurk him.

  “Daniel, the day we met in the park, what were you doing?” He looked at me like he didn’t understand. “You were picking nuts and flowers then putting them in a plastic bag.”

  “Oh, a friend in DC asked for those samples. I mailed them to him.”

  “What was he doing with them?”

  “I really don’t know.” He shrugged and changed the subject. “Any plans this weekend?”

  “I’m going to Lily’s in Westchester.”

  “Really? I’ll be up there too.”

  “Where are you going?” I asked curiously.

  “Visiting an aunt in Chappaqua,” he answered.

  I stared at him with my mouth open. “I’m going there too!” It had to be fate. Daniel in Chappaqua! I got excited thinking about it.

  “You’re kidding? I’m driving up tonight. Would you like a ride?” he asked.

  “Thanks… I’m catching the train with Lily and my uncle.” Going with Daniel would’ve been great, but my parents would never allow me to drive up there with a total stranger.

  “No problem. If something happens and you need a ride, call me,” Daniel said.

  He said he’d like to meet Lily and asked about having breakfast in Chappaqua. We made plans to meet at Susan’s Café at ten o’clock the next day.

  His cell beeped all through breakfast, but he’d look at it and never answer it.

  “Maybe you should answer it. It might be important.”

  “It isn’t. Should I swing by and pick you two up in the morning?”

  “Uh, I think it’s best if we meet you there,” I stumbled over my words awkwardly.

  Daniel realized what I meant and said, “Oh, a stranger taking you both away in a car.”

  “It’s just that my aunt doesn’t know you and she’d want to meet you,” I said.

  “And you’re embarrassed to introduce me?” he asked, sounding amused.

  “Oh…no…no…I’m not,” I stammered, mortified that he thought that.

  “Don’t worry. I understand,” he said smiling and insisted that he wasn’t insulted.

  Daniel’s cell phone went off again and this time he excused himself and went outside.

  When he returned, his mood was gloomy. He angrily thrust his cell phone down and it slid across the table. Before it fell off, I grabbed it and handed it to him.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  He nodded, but he seemed upset. “Tell me about Lily. Does she have any pets?” Daniel was adept at switching conversations mid-stream.

  “No. Her Dad’s allergic to animals and has to stay away from Amber. On second thought, she does have a fish named Bubbles.”

  “Interesting name.”

  “Yes, Lily’s very creative. She’s had Bubbles for six years now. Isn’t that awfully long?” I asked. Daniel didn’t respond. “I was positive her parents were replacing Bubbles whenever he died, but Lily said it wasn’t possible because Bubbles had special markings.”

  Daniel just stared at me and I felt so self-conscious.

  “How long do fish live?” I asked and waited for him to answer. It felt like eternity.

  “I really don’t know.” Daniel looked down at his phone. “I’m sorry, but I have to get going.”

  Outside on the sidewalk, Daniel said, “I’ll see you tomorrow at Susan’s Café.” He rushed off and grabbed a cab at the corner.

  My cell rang and I fumbled around in my bag to find it. I answered without checking. “Lily?”

  “No, it’s Daphne. Who were you with in the coffee shop?” she asked excitedly.

  “Oh, hi. That was Daniel. Where are you?” I asked, looking around to see if she was nearby.

  “At work. I had to come in early for a delivery. Reed and I walked by and Reed almost had a heart attack.” Reed seeing us was actually a good thing. “So who is he?”

  “A guy I recently met.” No point in telling her that he was a total stranger that I met in Central Park. “What were you doing with Reed?”

  “We bumped into each other and he walked me to work. He talked about you, of course, and then when we saw you, he got very quiet. I felt bad for him.”

  “Oh…I wish you two would date.” That would be the best solution. If things didn’t work out with Evan, I would try to get Daphne and Reed together. They would make a great couple.

  “Daphne, I have another call. I’ll call you later.” I hung up with her to take Lily’s call. I told Lily about our new plans for breakfast and she said she couldn’t wait to meet him.

  Now, because of Daniel, I was thrilled to be in Manhattan for the summer. Honestly, I didn’t know how long he’d be around. I expected him to disappear the same way he had materialized.

  When I got back it was eight thirty and Dad was still home, so we walked to work together.

  At the end of the day, I was really excited knowing that I’d see Daniel tomorrow. When I arrived at Uncle Ian’s office building, they were waiting outside.

  “Hi Duncle,” I said and hugged Uncle Ian and then Lily. Duncle is what I’ve called Uncle Ian since I was young. One day, Lily and I combined the words dad and uncle together, so we could call Uncle Ian the same name. Uncle Ian’s been like a second dad to me, always there in his quiet, reserved manner. Lily eventually reverted back to dad, but every once in a while I still call him duncle.

  In ninth grade a teacher started calling me Buttercup and it stuck with the kids at school in ninth grade. At first, I was annoyed, but I eventually got used to it. On one of my school sweatshirts instead of monogramming it with Paige or Devon, I put Buttercup. In tenth grade, the kids stopped and that’s when the nickname moved to my house.

  After Dad heard Daphne call me Buttercup, he started calling me that. When he said it in front of Nana, she said that the name really suited me and from that day on, also called me Buttercup. Thankfully, Mom and Grammy never jumped on the ‘Buttercup’ ship.

  We rushed to Grand Central and on the train; Uncle Ian sat elsewhere to read the paper, knowing that Lily and I wouldn’t stop talking.

  “Noelle’s meeting us tomorrow at Susan’s Cafe,” Lily said. Oh, no!

  “Why?” I moaned.

  “I changed the sleepover for tomorrow night. She asked why and I told her about breakfast."

  “I only wanted you to meet him. He’ll think I’m such a baby bringing my friends along.”

  “He wanted to meet me, just tell him that I already had plans with Noelle.” When I continued to look miserable, she said, “We don’t have to come.”

  “No, never mind. Maybe it’ll be better with you guys there,” I conceded.

  My cell was buzzed and there was a text from Reed. ‘Have a great summer. Call you when I get back.’ Reed was a problem to deal with in the future and I wasn’t wasting any more time on him. As for Daniel, now that was another story.

  When we got to Lily’s house, Aunt Cecile was busy cooking dinner. I lov
ed being at Lily’s. After spending weeks there during summer vacations, the moment I’d passed the threshold, I always felt at home. The house was a split-level, so walking through the door; the front entry was halfway between the upper and lower floors. There were two short sets of stairs, one running upward to the living room, kitchen, dining room and bedrooms, and one going downward toward a finished basement area with Uncle Ian’s office, the family room and the guestroom where I slept whenever I visited.

  After I dropped my bags in my room and changed, I found Lily in the kitchen eating chips, salsa and guacamole. While Aunt Cecile put the fruit crisp in the oven, we munched on the food and talked.

  Aunt Cecile made her famous shrimp corn chowder. After we ate, Lily and I were stuffed and couldn’t move from the table.

  “I guess we’ll have the quesadillas for lunch tomorrow,” Aunt Cecile said.

  Lily moaned, “There was more food?” I was unable to say anything.

  “It’s not my fault you guys ate too many chips,” she scolded us. “What about the fruit crisp?”

  This time, I groaned, “No more food.” Lily and I plopped on the couch in the living room.

  “Do you like working at your dad’s office, Paige?” Aunt Cecile asked.

  “It’s alright. I’m just filing and photo copying.”

  “Do you get to see your dad? I know how big that firm is.”

  “I’m on another floor, but I sneak by and see him.”

  Lily told Aunt Cecile about meeting Noelle for breakfast.

  “Sure, I need to run errands in town anyway,” Aunt Cecile said.

  We didn’t mention Daniel. Since I hadn’t told Mom yet, it was better not to bring him up.

  

  In the morning, I felt like I slept better, but it was probably due to sheer exhaustion.

  I jumped in the shower before heading upstairs. Lily was in her room making a scrapbook of our Paris trip from the summer before. It had been Lily’s sixteenth birthday and her parents surprised her, and me for that matter, with a trip to Paris. My parents didn’t tell me in case I blabbed to Lily.

  On Lily’s birthday, we spent the day exploring Paris. We had dinner on the island of Île Saint-Louis and afterwards, took a taxi to the Eiffel Tower. The views were amazing and Lily and I took tons of pictures.