Life, Liberty, and Pursuit

by Susan Kaye Quinn

  As he stepped up to knock on the door, his father pulled it open, apparently leaving.

  “Ah, David,” he said, crinkling a smile. “Dzień dobry.”

  “Dzień dobry,” David greeted him in Polish. They often spoke in his father’s native tongue when they were alone. But he knew his father wasn’t in charge of this trip. David peered around him, looking for his mom, and saw the cabin was empty except for Teagan’s twiggy frame sprawled on one of the beds. “Um, what’s the plan for today?” David asked.

  “Your mother wishes to visit the Fifties Grill for lunch.” He didn’t seem very enthused at the prospect and then frowned at David’s sweaty appearance. “You might want to clean up, son.”

  David refrained from explaining that he understood basic hygiene and gave a short nod. A smile quirked the corner of his father’s lips. “So, how is our lovely patient today?”

  David gaped, caught off guard. How did he know?

  “She’s …” Beautiful. Intriguing. “… fine,” he stumbled. His father’s smile grew, but didn’t reach his eyes.

  “She hasn’t called me, so I assume she is recovered, no? Any residual cough?”

  “No, she … she sounds good.” David swallowed. He knew his father was emphasizing Eliza’s patient status on purpose. David hoped the guilt wasn’t obvious on his face.

  “That’s good to hear,” his father said. “You handled last night well, Dawid.” His voice was warmer now, as he used David’s real name. David gave him a tight smile. He knew his father would prefer if he made emergency rescue and resuscitation his calling. “Don’t be late to lunch.” His father smiled and turned to leave.

  David grimaced at his father’s retreating back. He knew better than to be late for lunch with his mom. He sighed and poked his head inside the cabin.

  “Busy?” he asked Teagan, perched on her bed with a dozen teen-girl magazines spread around her slender body.

  “Hey, come on in.” Teagan swept flame-red waves of hair back from her shoulder as she looked up from the glossy pages.

  “Did you really bring all those with you?” he asked.

  “No, I bought them at the newsstand. Besides, don’t think I don’t know about your secret stash.” Teagan gave him an impish grin, her blue eyes sparkling. He held his hands out, portraying innocence, and wondered if she had seen him pack his Navy manuals in his suitcase. His mom had banned him from bringing any boot camp materials on the cruise, insisting it was a vacation. He flopped down on the bed, bouncing Teagan and her magazines. He gazed at the ceiling while she leafed through them, brushing up on the latest celebrity gossip and letting him think for a while. Teagan tolerated his moods better than anyone else in the family.

  “Tea, I have a question for you,” he said after a minute.

  “Oh?” She glanced over her shoulder at him. Tea delighted in giving advice, especially to him.

  “If you wanted to date someone older than you, say a couple years older, do you think Dad would be okay with that?” he asked, obfuscating as best he could.

  “Don’t be silly! Dad’s not going to let me date until I’m thirty,” she said, laughing. “But what he doesn’t know certainly won’t hurt him.” He laughed, but her answer made him uneasy. She turned to face him, lying on her stomach and balancing her head on her folded hands.

  “I heard you were a hero last night.”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “That’s cool. Apparently, the family is pretty pleased with you.”

  “What do you mean?” He propped himself up on his elbows to look her in the eye. Her hair had fallen forward, a wavy red curtain pooling in front of her.

  “Well, I happen to know that the girl you saved—wait, what’s her name?” A small smile played on her lips, teasing him.

  “Eliza.” He gave her a look that said she better give up the goods soon or he was not going to be happy.

  “Well, Eliza’s parents stopped by this morning and invited us all to sit with them at dinner tonight—you know, to thank you for saving their daughter?” She ended with a grin, guessing what he would make of this.

  Oh, no. He groaned and fell back on the bed again.

  Tea laughed and poked him in the ribs. “Oh, it’s not going to be that bad.”

  He flinched away from her prodding slender finger and groaned again, letting her think his protests were his usual aversion to family dinners in general and dinners with company in particular. He didn’t mind making conversation or spending time with his family—it was just difficult to compete with the amazing Dr. Marek and his paramedic son, Tomasz. He was always the son who didn’t … do something. But dinner with Eliza and her family? How was he going to pull that off? Tea knew something was up. She looked quizzically at him, but graciously resisted grilling him.

  The rest of the day passed uneventfully. The Fifties Grill was tolerable, and his dad talked them into a round of family mini-golf. David got roped into a game of water volleyball with Tomasz, which helped take the edge off the hot and muggy day. Afterwards, several female admirers distracted Tomasz, giving David a chance to sneak off on his own to check out the ship. He wandered up to the bridge, hoping to see the operations or talk to the captain. But apparently the cruise ship nearly drove itself, with only a skeleton crew at the helm.

  As evening approached, he was increasingly nervous about dinner with Eliza and her family. The cruise had a dress code for dinner. Although the days of wearing tuxedos and ball gowns had disappeared, Tea made sure they were appropriately dressed. The dark suit, white shirt, and light patterned tie that she had picked out for him seemed sensible enough and would hopefully make him presentable for Eliza’s parents. He just hoped he could avoid making a fool of himself by staring at their daughter.

  By early evening, the weather had taken a turn for the worse. A gentle rolling motion swayed the ship as though it were a massive seesaw. Passengers crowded the dining hall, milling around the tables and finding seats. White uniformed crew weaved between them, setting places and bringing drinks, which made crossing the dining room a little treacherous. The five of them slowly made their way through the hall, looking for the table where Eliza and her family were sitting.

  His mom kept close to his side, her long auburn hair brushing his shoulder. Her green eyes scanned the crowd for Eliza’s parents, seeming overly eager for this dinner. But if his mom was acting strange, his sister appeared about to jump out of her skin with anticipation. He didn’t understand why all the fuss, but they were making him even more nervous. Finally, he spotted her at a table near the back—in a corner of the immense, gilt draped dining hall—and immediately realized he was in serious trouble. In keeping with the dress code, she was wearing a sleeveless cocktail dress that clung in all the right places. It was an amazing deep green color that was striking with her pale skin and long, dark hair. How was he going to keep himself from gaping at her the entire night as he was currently doing? She stood at the table, looking through the crowd for them. He managed to shut his mouth before she spotted him. She waved timidly, and he guided his family in their direction.

  The table was set with formal gold-ware, china, and crystal. He tried to not look at Eliza while he introduced his family and she introduced hers. There was a horribly embarrassing moment when Eliza’s mom, Mia Stanton, introduced herself, kissed him on the cheek, and thanked him for saving Eliza, but it passed quickly. When they were finally settled, his mom and dad were sitting on one side of the table with Johnny and Mia, while Tea had quickly taken the spot next to Eliza. He was relegated to sitting between Tomasz and his mom—with an excellent view of Eliza and that dress.

  She seemed to avoid looking at him, which was just as well. Tea’s outsized personality soon captured Eliza’s attention. Johnny peppered Jozef with questions about being a doctor in Green Bay, and his father was inexplicably interested in Johnny’s wrestlin
g exploits, which suddenly helped David understand Johnny’s enormous size. David overheard Mia tell his mom, Fiona, that they lived in Albuquerque, but that they might be traveling this summer if Johnny got picked up by one of the big wrestling promotions. Tea seemed to be chattering away about Eliza’s dress with her and thankfully not talking about him. He and Tomasz were keeping their heads down. Unfortunately, the conversation somehow turned to him, and Mia asked him where he was attending college.

  “At Lakeland College. It’s a small community college in Green Bay.” He noticed that Eliza had stopped talking to Tea and was listening to him. He tried to keep his focus on Mia. “So, you live in Albuquerque?” he asked, trying to steer the conversation safely away from himself.

  “Yes! Eliza just graduated. She’ll be the first Stanton to go to Princeton.” Mia’s pride gushed out. David couldn’t help stealing a glance at Eliza. She was blushing a delicate shade of pink that stole his breath. Eliza stared hard at her mom, no doubt willing her to silence. He realized he was staring and tore his eyes away from Eliza, afraid his thoughts would be plain on his face.

  “That’s wonderful,” he said to Mia, trying to sound casual. “Princeton’s very hard to get into.” He knew Eliza was smart, but he didn’t know she was Ivy League brilliant. He was sure his community college credentials weren’t looking too impressive right now. Fortunately, the servers chose that moment to bring them the first course. It was some kind of chowder with bits of baby octopus and other seafood. The servers filled the bowls only halfway, no doubt taking into account the rocking motion of the boat, which slightly changed the level of the soup from one minute to the next. Everyone busied themselves with their food, and the conversation drifted to other things.

  As Mia chatted with his mom about the weather in Albuquerque, he noticed how different she was from Eliza. Mia was bleach-blond and blue-eyed, completely unlike Eliza except for the same long, slender figure and delicate hands. Mia’s bubbly personality also seemed at odds with her daughter’s more reserved style. He stole another look at Eliza, who seemed to be playing with her soup while listening to Tea’s animated conversation about celebrities. He glanced back at Johnny and Mia and noticed that Eliza looked even less like Johnny. His sandy blond hair and blue eyes didn’t seem from the same family as Eliza’s dark haired, dark eyed beauty. He wondered if she was, perhaps, adopted.

  “Eliza, are you okay?” Tea’s voice floated over to him, very soft and concerned. His eyes flicked to Eliza, and she did not look okay at all. She was still staring at her soup, but her fine featured face had taken on a greenish cast. In his alarm, he failed to remember not to stare. He was about to say something when she shot up from the table and fled the room, heading for a nearby door. His wide-eyed questioning look to Tea was met with a shrug. He glanced at his father who, along with the rest of the table, had noticed Eliza’s sudden departure. David was halfway out of his seat when his dad nodded and inclined his head, indicating David should follow after her. He didn’t need any more encouragement and stumbled out of his chair to follow Eliza.

  The door led immediately to the outside railing of the deck, and a blast of stormy air hit him as he stepped out. The wind blew fine sea mist along the deck, making it slick. Eliza stood several meters down the deck, slightly sheltered by a curtain that was battened down but still flapping in the wind. She clutched the railing and was taking great gulping breaths of air. He came up quickly beside her, the noise of the wind decreasing in the small pocket where she stood.

  “Are you okay?” He bent his head to look at her face and placed his hand lightly on her back, unsure if she would mind.

  “Seasick,” she said between deep breaths, eyes closed. She had a little more color than before.

  “Oh. I thought maybe you just didn’t like the soup.” He was rewarded with the barest of lopsided grins. He gently rubbed her back and tried to ignore the incredible softness of her dress as it glided over her skin. “Just keep taking deep breaths. It would probably help if you opened your eyes.”

  She opened them, glancing at him and then looking away, as though embarrassed. Several stories below them, the wind whipped the sea into frothy peaked waves. The horizon was barely discernible between the dark clouds and the tumultuous sea.

  “Look out to the horizon. If you can watch the horizon, it will help unscramble the signals to your brain that are causing the seasickness.”

  She did as he said, but not before shooting a glance at him, probably wondering if he had any idea what he was talking about. She seemed to be breathing less forcefully.

  “Better?” he asked. She nodded, still staring at the horizon. He stopped rubbing her back because it was far too distracting to him, and he was here to help her.

  “I’m really grateful you came out here,” he went on, trying to divert her attention from the rocking motion of the boat. “I didn’t know if I was going to make it through dinner without embarrassing myself further.”

  She gave him a questioning look, but quickly turned back to the sea, taking another gulp of air.

  “I’ll talk; you watch the horizon.” He turned his back to the waves so she could see him without having to turn.

  “So, I was wondering how long it would take before my mom was going to start bringing out my baby pictures, or possibly worse, and I really would much prefer to be out here in a torrential rainstorm …” with you, he thought, hoping that didn’t show too much in his voice. “Sure, I might get soaked, and Tea will probably never forgive me for ruining the expensive tie I’m sure she spent hours finding for me, but at least I’m spared the indignity of explaining how exactly I broke my arm in the third grade and that it really wasn’t my fault.” His prattling earned him an actual grin, which he quickly returned before continuing.

  “You, in fact, spared us both from having to endure Tomasz’s endless stories of his heroic rescues, or at least rescue attempts, as a paramedic in the vast metropolis of Green Bay, Wisconsin. For that alone, my lady, I will forever be in your debt.” She let out a short laugh and graced him with a smile. He stopped talking because she was looking at him again, and he had a hard time concentrating with their faces close.

  She took a deep breath, exhaling warm air on him.

  “Here you are, saving me again,” she said, smiling. “I never really thanked you for the first time.”

  And then she leaned over and kissed him. The breath completely went out of him as she brushed his cheek with hers and lightly pressed her lips to the side of his face. His hand automatically went around her waist. It felt like the most natural thing in the world that he should pull her closer, hold her tight against him and press his lips to hers—but he didn’t do that. She was thanking him. A surge of guilt went through him for even thinking about kissing her. She drew away from him, back to the railing. Looking into his eyes again, she said, “Thanks.”

  He quickly removed his hand from her waist, as if burned by an iron, and tried to find his voice. He couldn’t think of anything coherent to say.

  “You’re welcome.” It sounded completely inane. She looked down at her hands, now folded on the railing and not clutching it as before. Somehow being unlocked from her gaze cleared his mind.

  “So, uh, you’re going to Princeton in the fall?” he asked, trying to make some kind of conversation. She grimaced.

  “Yeah, well, my mom makes a big deal out of it.” She looked at him again, measuring him, as though trying to decide if she wanted to say something—probably wanting to spare his feelings since he only attended community college.

  “My mom didn’t go to college. She had me straight out of high school and never went back. Ever since I got my first A in junior high, she’s wanted me to go to an Ivy League college.”

  “Don’t you want to go?” he asked.

  “Sure,” she said, clearly leaving something unsaid.

  “You know, you can
tell me.” He tried to smile sincerely, but he was afraid it only came out looking mischievous. “I promise I won’t tell.”

  She was still measuring him. She dropped her eyes down to her folded hands. “Well, there’s this guy, Nicolas.” A guy—of course. He kept smiling, to keep her talking, despite the sinking feeling in his chest.

  “Anyway, he’ll be going to Princeton too, and well, I think he wants there to be more than there really is—you know, between us—and …” She paused, shaking her head. “You know, I can’t believe I’m telling you this. I mean, we’ve just met and I …” His heart took a giant leap. She was confiding in him.

  “Your secrets are safe with me.” That amazing blush came back up into her face. He thought his heart would burst right out of his chest. The gym had nothing on what Eliza could do to him. She looked away from him again, out to the open sea.

  “What about you?” she asked.

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you. What are you studying at Lakeland?”

  “Well, I’m actually not going back to Lakeland in the fall.” He surprised himself by barely hesitating to share with her. “I’ve enlisted in the Navy. I leave in two weeks for Basic Training.” He watched her carefully. People usually had one of two responses when he told them about his plans to join the Navy. Either they couldn’t believe he would throw his “future” away, or they were horrified that he would join the War on Terror. They usually quickly changed the subject. Mostly, he avoided talking about it in the first place. But for some reason, in their private bubble in the storm, he wanted her to know.

  She was studying him again, looking him up and down, which gave him the oddest feeling of satisfaction. Finally she said, “I would never have guessed. You don’t seem like you have the right hair to join the Navy.”

  He laughed at the sheer unexpectedness of her answer. He ran his fingers through the mop on top of his head and smiled. “Well, they’ll probably take care of that first thing when I get to Chicago.”