“It’s okay, Jo. I’m really glad I came. What you do for the animals is really awesome. I’d like to come again another time, if you don’t mind.”
She looks surprised but nods anyway. “Of course I don’t mind. I’d love to have you around.” I smile at her and she pats me on the back before walking away.
I follow Dillon to the truck and we get inside.
“Your aunt’s pretty cool,” he says. “She’s rescued a lot of animals. Have you been to the rescue center yet?”
I shake my head. Dillon is back to his old self. The tension between us seems to be gone.
“You’ll have to come inside when we get there. It’s nice.” He stretches his arms behind his head and closes his eyes.
We wait until they load the animal in the truck and then we’re off. We reach the rehabilitation center quickly. Jo drives the truck up a long driveway, goes around the building, and parks near a back door.
A whole bunch of people come running out of the building and Jo and Dillon help them take the sea lion inside. I don’t know what to do so I sit in the truck until Jo returns. As she pokes her head out of the building, she asks, “You doin’ okay?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you come inside? I’ll show you around. There are a lot of happier stories in here.”
I jump out and follow her through the doors. Just seeing this one part of the building, I know the rest is huge. Large cages with seals and sea lions are everywhere. Some swim happily in their pools, others relax on the sides. The pools look like normal swimming pools but I know they’re filled with salt water. And freezing cold, I’m sure.
I peek into the closest pen and see a sea lion lying on the side near the gate. It has a huge bite mark in its skin. It’s not as bad as the one I saw on the beach but it still looks awful. It looks up as we walk by and moves away to slide into the pool of water in its pen.
Jo stops at one particular gate and smiles. “This is Benny. I found him when he was just a pup. He was severely dehydrated and sick. We couldn’t locate his mother, so we brought him here. She probably died, since sea lions don’t usually leave their pups for very long.” She leans down and smiles at the sea lion. “He’s doing well enough now that we’re going to release him next week. It’s always bittersweet.” She gives him one last look and continues walking.
There are so many animals here. Seals, sea lions, a few dolphins. It’s amazing how much Jo and her team do for them.
“I need to check on that female we brought in earlier.” She studies me. “You can sit in my office if you want or you can come with me. It’s up to you.”
I shrug. “I’ll come with you.”
“You’re sure?”
I nod. I can’t explain why I want to see it again. The fact that it’s dying is sad, and it does bother me, but what if I could do something like this? What if I could save animals from the fate that this sea lion is going to suffer?
Jo walks through a hallway and past a few doors. She goes into a white room where a bunch of people surround the hurt animal. “How’s she doing?”
One of the vets, I assume, looks her in the eye. “We’re going to have to put her down. She’s not going to make it.”
Jo sighs and pats the guy on the back. “It’s been a bad few months, hasn’t it? I wish we could train the animals to stay away from boats, but alas.” She frowns. “Let’s not let her suffer anymore. And if it’s okay with you, I’m going to take my niece out of here.”
“I’m really—” I want to tell Jo I’m fine but she’s already pulling me out the door.
“I’ll take care of her,” he says. He gives me a sad smile and turns back around.
Jo looks past him at the sea lion on the table and lets out another sigh.
“Come on, Oakley. You don’t want to see this part.” She turns and grabs my hand, pulling me out of the room.
“She’s going to die then?”
She nods. “There’s too much trauma. She’s not responding and her heart rate is very low. It’s a miracle she made it this long.”
“Like you said earlier. She’s a fighter.” I look back at the closed door, wishing I could comfort the creature before she dies.
“Yes, she is. We’re able to rescue most of the animals we bring in but there are a few who don’t make it.” She runs a hand through her messy curls. “I wish boaters would pay closer attention to their surroundings. This happens way too often. Sometimes when the sea lions are under the water there’s no way you can see them, but all too often the driver just isn’t paying attention.”
I fold my arms across my chest as she leads me back the way we came. Dillon is waiting for us. “My dad called. He should be here in about ten minutes. They found a dolphin stranded on Newport Beach and he wants you to go with him.”
“Can you take Oakley home? This one will probably take a while.”
He looks at me and smiles. “Sure.”
“I’ll be home later, Oakley. I have my cell if you need me.”
“Okay.” I watch her pull out her cell and walk away quickly. I frown and look at Dillon. “Wait. Didn’t you ride with us this morning? How are we gonna get home?”
He produces some car keys and dangles them in front of my face. “Dad always has an extra car here.”
“Oh. Well, that’s convenient.”
He smiles. “Shall we?” He leads me out the door and to the parking lot. I don’t know a lot about cars but his is super nice. Like, really nice. I’m sure Lucas would know what it is but all I know is its really shiny and black.
I’m quiet as Dillon drives. I feel weird around him. He always seems to bring up Carson and it’s not any of his business what I do in my free time.
“So, how long are you gonna be here again?” He looks over at me as he drives.
“Until April or May. My mom said we’d be leaving before summer starts.”
“Why are you here anyway?”
I sigh. “It’s a long story.”
“You were just looking to meet me, right?” He laughs at the expression I give him.
“That’s exactly it,” I say. Not really. I am, however, very glad I met Carson. I wonder if he’s off work yet.
I change the subject. “Do you always go with Jo when she has a rescue?”
He shakes his head. “Only sometimes. Carson goes more than me. He actually enjoys it. But he works at the surf shop a lot more than I do so he can’t go as often as he’d like. When he can’t go, I fill in. Sometimes we go together but usually Jo only wants one of us.”
“You don’t like to go?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it, I’d just rather be surfing. My dad’s a vet, so he’s trying to pass on his love of animals to me.” He shrugs. “Not in my world. I like animals well enough but that’s not what I’m going to do for the rest of my life. He’s cool with it. At least he says he is. Not like Carson’s old man. He’s pretty set on controlling Carson’s future. Been that way since we were in middle school.”
“Oh.” Poor Carson. “So, what do you want to do if you’re not going to be a vet then?”
He shrugs. “Not sure. I have all the time in the world to figure it out though. I’m hoping I can move to Hawaii. I have relatives over there.”
“I’ve never been.”
“Me neither. Yet.”
I think about what I want to do when I get back to Utah. Everything there seems like it’s so in the past. If I can get a little braver, working with Jo would be really awesome. She seems to love it. And I love animals. It would be hard to see some of the ones I’d have to rescue but if I can help them in any way, it might be worth it. I’ll have to talk to her and see how hard it is to go into her field. Maybe it will be easier if I know her. I’d sort of have an in.
Dillon pulls into my driveway and my eyes widen when I see Carson sitting on my front steps. He has a bunch of papers in his hands and looks up when he hears us. I swear he looks upset when he sees Dillon with me but he relaxes just as fast.
/>
“Hey,” I say, stepping out of the car.
“Your old man let you out early today?” Dillon asks.
Carson nods and stands. “We were a little slow so he said he’d stay and close.”
“Good to know, bro.” Dillon claps Carson on the back. “We’ve been out saving sea lions today.”
He glances at me. “Jo took you to a rescue?”
I blush under his gaze. “Yes.”
He studies me for a second and the corner of his mouth turns up. “Did you see the facility?”
I nod. “It was really cool. I can see why you want to go into that field.”
Dillon laughs. “If you like that sort of thing. Anyway, we rescued a sea lion today. She was pretty messed up. Hit by a boat. They had to put her down.”
“That’s too bad,” Carson says. He’s still watching me, a strange expression on his face.
“Well, I’ve gotta get this car back or my dad will freak.”
“Thanks for the ride,” I say.
He winks, which freaks me out a little. “Anytime. We should do it again. Soon.” He climbs into his car and drives away.
I turn and face Carson, who’s still looking at me. “What?”
“Nothing.” He looks away and sits back down on the porch steps. “I was just looking through these college applications. I’m not sure what to put down for my major.”
He has college applications? I wonder if his dad knows. “When are they due?”
“The end of March, so I only have a couple weeks left to mail them in.”
“I thought you wanted to be a veterinarian?”
“I do.”
I frown. “Then why don’t you write it down?”
He sighs. “You know why.” He frowns. “If my dad sees anything but business or accounting or something on here, he’d flip.”
“But you don’t want to go into those things.”
He closes his eyes and shakes his head, rubbing at his temples. “My mom’s on board but he’s so stubborn. He’ll never change his mind about this.”
I sigh and put my hand on his arm. “He can’t control your life.”
He frowns. “You don’t know him like I do.”
“Well, no, but it’s your life. He should support whatever you want to do.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“It is that simple. He should at least give you his blessing.”
He stands suddenly. “He won’t. I already know what he’ll say. He’s already said it before. It all comes down to the same thing. The stupid shop. That’s all he cares about. He won’t help me out if I go into something else. And there’s no way I can afford to go without his help.”
“Have you talked to him about how you feel about being a veterinarian? Really talked to him about it? Or do you just drop it altogether when he says something?”
He clenches his jaw and doesn’t say anything. His whole body is tense and, by the way he’s acting, I have a feeling he’s mad at not only his dad, but me as well. I don’t know what I’ve done to make him angry though.
“Talk to him. Tell him what you’re going to do and just do it. I’m sure he’ll come around.”
“I’ve tried,” he snaps.
“Maybe you should try harder.” I shut my mouth. I shouldn’t be giving him advice when I can’t even talk to Mom.
I shrink under his glare, thinking he’s going to yell at me, but he doesn’t. He just takes a step back and looks at the papers in his hand again. “You know, I’m tired. I should go.” He doesn’t look at me, doesn’t say goodbye, just walks back to his house. I stare after him until he goes in and slams the door behind him.
What just happened?
CHAPTER 14
I go straight to my room. As usual, I read a letter from Lucas to make me feel better.
DEAR OAKLEY,
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT HEAVEN LOOKS LIKE? I HAVE. I’VE HEARD IT’S BEAUTIFUL. PEACEFUL. I’M HOPING IT’S TRUE. I DON’T THINK I COULD DEAL WITH UNICORNS AND RAINBOWS OR SOMETHING WEIRD LIKE THAT.
I WONDER IF THEY PLAY BASKETBALL THERE. THAT WOULD BE ALL KINDS OF AWESOME. YOU SHOULD PICTURE ME PLAYING BASKETBALL WHEN THERE’S A THUNDERSTORM. THE THUNDER WOULD PROBABLY BE ME SWEARING THOUGH . . . HA HA.
I HOPE IT’S WARM. WITH LOTS OF SUNSHINE AND TREES AND GRASS. GREEN. ALIVE. A PLACE I CAN BE CONTENT AND HAPPY. PARADISE.
LOVE, LUCAS
I reread the letter several times. Not because it doesn’t make sense, but because Lucas seemed to have it all figured out before he died. I hope he’s playing basketball every day.
The front door opens and I put Lucas’s notebook away before going to see who’s home. Dad sees me first and I run to him. He picks me up in his big arms and squeezes me tight. He smells like he’s had a cappuccino. I love that smell.
“I’ve missed you,” he says. He sets me down and looks me over. “You look too skinny. Has Jo been feeding you?”
I laugh. “I haven’t even been here long enough to starve, Dad. And Jo’s feeding me just fine.”
“Good.”
Mom appears behind him and gives me a small smile before going in the kitchen and pouring herself a glass of water.
Dad sits down on Jo’s couch and pats the cushion next to him. “Tell me about surfing. I want to know how you managed to learn something as cool as that.”
I tell him. About everything. Surfing, Carson—making sure to leave the kissing part out, of course—the whales, going to Jo’s work. It’s just like it used to be. He listens and laughs. It’s like he’s been here with us the whole time. Like nothing’s changed. We sit there for what seems like hours. It takes me a while to realize something’s missing.
“Where’s Mom?” I ask and look around.
Dad shrugs and glances at his watch. “She’s tired, I think.”
“Oh.” Just when I was starting to feel like I belonged to a normal family, she disappears. Did she want to leave us alone? Or was she avoiding Dad?
Dad taps his fingers on his knee and glances at his watch again.
“Do you have somewhere to be?” I ask.
He smiles, though I can tell it’s forced. “I do, actually. My flight leaves in a few hours.”
“What?” I look around and notice he has no luggage with him. “You’re not staying?”
He shakes his head. “I just came here to see you. I wanted to see how you’re doing. Mom told you what’s going on, I’m sure.”
I nod and swallow the sudden lump in my throat. “You’re getting divorced.” So it’s really happening then. And I had the false hope that they were going to work things out. Like in that movie, The Parent Trap, I used to watch as a kid.
He closes his eyes and rubs a hand over them. “We can’t fix this, Oakley. We’re both broken. We care about each other, of course, but it’s not enough to save our marriage. It’s for the best.”
“Have you even tried to work it out? Have you talked about it? I’m sure there’s something—”
“I’m sorry, pumpkin.” He grabs my hand and squeezes it. The look on his face says it all. He’s done trying.
I look down at our hands. “Why did you even come here then?”
“I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“You could have called instead of wasting your time and money.”
“I’m not wasting my time. I want to make sure you’re okay with this. And to see if you like it here. If you don’t . . . I mean . . . if you’d like to come back home with me, you’re more than welcome.”
I stare at him. “You want me to live with you instead of Mom?”
He nods. “If you’d like. You’re almost eighteen, so you can make your own decision. All your stuff is where it was before you left. You can come back with me right now and things will be like they were before.”
I smile a little even though I know he’s wrong. Things will never be like they were before. Not without Lucas, and not without Mom. His offer is tempting. Part of me wants to go home. I haven’t eve
n seen Lucas’s headstone yet, and to be honest, I miss my little town. But another part of me wants to stay. I like it here. I like hanging out with Jo and being with Carson. And I know I need to work things out with Mom. Fix the rift that has come between us. I can’t leave. Not yet.
“You don’t want to leave,” he says. He gives me a sad smile. “I can see it in your eyes. You like it here.”
“It’s not that, Dad. I just . . .” I sigh. “It’s just different. And I need different right now.”
He squeezes my hand again and stands. “I understand.” And by the look on his face, I really think he’s telling the truth. He looks at his watch again. “I’ve got to get going. Don’t want to miss that flight. I have to be at work bright and early.”
Work. It’s always about work. He holds his arms open and I go to him. He hugs me tight and I know I’m probably breaking his heart by not leaving with him. It makes me sad to think of him alone in the house with all of our things.
“Thanks for coming to see me, Dad. It’s not the same without you here.”
He smiles. “I wish I could stay longer, but I’m glad I came. And you are welcome home anytime. You know that, right?”
“Of course. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” We hug again as Mom walks into the room.
“You ready to go?” she asks. Her voice is cold as she addresses him and my heart aches. I hate seeing them like this but there’s nothing I can do.
He lets go of me and nods. “Yes.”
“Let’s get going.” She looks at me. “Jo should be home any minute, Oakley. I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
“Okay.”
Dad follows her to the door, gives me another one of his sad smiles, and shuts the door behind him.
I stare at the door for a long time, wondering if I’ve done the right thing.
CHAPTER 15
DEAR OAKLEY,
SOMETIMES PEOPLE SUCK. LIKE THAT ONE TIME WHEN I LEFT MY WALLET AT THAT RESTAURANT AND SOMEONE STOLE IT. THEY COULD HAVE BEEN NICE AND GIVEN IT TO A SERVER, BUT NO. THEY TOOK IT HOME AND STOLE MY TWENTY BUCKS. I HAD TO GO THE STUPID DMV AND GET A NEW LICENSE. THAT WAS FUN. I THOUGHT I’D NEVER HEAR THE END OF IT FROM MOM. AND TODAY, SOMEONE STOLE MY SNICKERS OFF MY LUNCH TRAY. I THINK IT WAS MY NEW NURSE. SHE HAS IT OUT FOR ME, AND I SWEAR I COULD SMELL CHOCOLATE ON HER BREATH WHEN SHE CAME IN EARLIER.
Love, Lucas Page 12