Seer

by Robin Roseau

  “You lean to steer,” Solange yelled. “The wake can be hard to handle at first, but it’s smoothest if you get outside the wake like she is now.”

  Aubree went gently back and forth from one side of the wake to the other, and we made a big circle of the bay. I thought she was pretty good.

  Then Aubree was outside the wake on the side closest to shore. She did something, lifting her foot from the boot of one ski, and then she lifted her foot all the way out, dangled it in the air behind her for a moment while balancing on one ski, then slipped her foot into the mini-boot on the back of her single ski.

  Solange sped up slightly, and then Aubree was really moving back and forth, whipping from one side to the other, throwing water up in a big wall at each corner.

  “Wow!”

  “She’s gotten pretty good,” Solange yelled back.

  “You don’t expect me to do that, do you?”

  “Not for a few years,” she said. “Aubree’s good.”

  We went twice more around the bay before Aubree whipped from the offshore side of the wake to the shore side and let go of the rope. She curled towards shore, then threw a big wall of water before coming to a stop, standing up.

  Solange whipped the boat around then idled back. She killed the motor, and we drifted to a gentle stop at the end of the dock.

  “Wow!” I told Aubree. “You were amazing.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “Solange, were you going to go next?”

  “I’m going to help Sidney, then when she takes a break, I’ll take a turn, then we can let her go again. Then we’ll rotate around until everyone’s done.”

  Aubree shucked out of her life jacket and set it and her ski on the dock, then she swam out and found the ski she’d dropped off, swimming back with it.

  “Oops,” Solange said. “I should have picked that up. I forgot she dropped one.”

  Aubree got back with the ski and set it on the dock. A moment later, she was out of the water, grabbed her towel, and then plopped down into the boat.

  It took about ten minutes to get me ready. Solange helped me back into the life jacket. Then she helped me fit the skis for my feet and talked to me quietly, offering far more advice than I was going to remember.

  “This is a combination of being stubborn and having balance, but not too stubborn. You don’t want to be dragged all the way across the lake. Also, if you fall, let go of the rope. I’ve never known of anyone to get hurt falling.”

  I nodded.

  She nodded to Aubree, who started up the boat and pushed off from the dock. Solange retrieved the rope, floating along behind the boat, and passed it between my skis. Eventually she gave me the handles then moved behind me to support me.

  “I’ll hold you upright at first, but only for a few steps. Relax now. Knees bent, skis at an angle.”

  “Ready, I think,” I said.

  “Hit it!” Solange yelled to Aubree.

  I stayed upright perhaps ten feet or so, then I fell off to my side, got dragged a short distance, and let go. Solange came out to me, dragged me back to shallower water, and then collected the rope.

  It took me five tries to get up. I fell about fifteen seconds later, but I had skied!

  Aubree picked me up in the boat, lowering a ladder for me, and we boated back to shore.

  “Try again,” Solange said. “That was really good.”

  “You go,” I said, “Then I’ll go again.”

  “Do you need your towel?”

  “I’m fine.” It was a warm day.

  Solange started on one ski. I couldn’t tell, but she looked as good as Aubree.

  “Isn’t she amazing?” Aubree said. “She’ll treat you very well, Sidney. All she asks in return is loyalty.”

  I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I nodded.

  For Solange, Aubree drove a big figure-eight pattern out in the bay. Solange went back and forth, back and forth, water flying everywhere. It was beautiful.

  “Is she as good as I think?” I asked.

  “Probably better. I’m probably as good as you think, and she’s a lot better than I am.”

  “She picked up bicycling awfully easily.”

  “She does everything easily,” Aubree replied. “So I’m not surprised.”

  I glanced over at her, wondering if there was a little hero worship going on, and wondering if there was going to be a little jealousy going on. Aubree read my look.

  “I love her to pieces, but we’d be horrible lovers. We have to work too closely together, and it would be too much. Don’t worry, Sidney. I see her as a big sister.”

  I nodded.

  “But she is damned intimidating, isn’t she?”

  “Yeah. We already talked about that.”

  Aubree waved back at the house. “It’s only a little ostentatious.”

  “Yeah.”

  “She’ll be mad if you let it get in the way.”

  “She already did. We talked. I’ll do my best.”

  Finally we dropped Solange off. I could hear her whoop of delight.

  “I wouldn’t have expected this of her,” I told Aubree. “She seemed so prim and proper.”

  “That’s her work presence. This is her loving life presence. This is the real her. She approaches everything she does with everything she has. The results are amazing and damned infectious besides.”

  We looped around. Solange caught the boat and guided it to the dock, and then it was my turn again.

  It took two tries to get up, and I made it halfway around the lake before I fell. I was grinning broadly by the time Aubree circled around.

  “You have a choice,” she said to me. “You can try to get up out here. You’re ready, and it’s what the rest of us do when we fall.”

  “You fall?”

  “Sure. So does Solange. If you never fall, you’re not pushing yourself. If you were to the point you were dropping a ski like I did, but not getting up on one, we’d have a spare ski in the boat for you to use. Your other choice is to take a ride back. Unless you’re tired, I think you should try it.”

  “How do I get the rope?”

  In answer, she drove the boat around me in a circle, which basically wrapped the rope around me, but ten feet away. “Paddle backwards to it,” Aubree called out. So I did, grabbing the rope. I poked my skis out of the water, passed the rope between them, then let it slide between my fingers until I had the handle.

  “Hit it.”

  I fell twice more, but on the third try, I got up, all by myself, and I made it all the way back. But by then I really was tired, and when I saw Solange waving, I let go, coming to a gentle stop out in the water. She swam out to me and collected the skis. We swam back to shore together.

  “I did it!” I said. “I did it!”

  “You certainly did,” she said. “Good job.” She high-fived me. “Again?”

  “Pooped. Maybe later.”

  “All right. You can ride in the boat for a while.”

  Aubree and Solange each went again, much longer rides than I was ready for, then they started in on me. It didn’t take much arm twisting. They both rode in the boat this time. I got up on the first try and made it all the way around without falling, even managing to go back and forth a few times. I almost wiped out when we went over our own wake, and again when we went around the wake of another boat, but I held on and didn’t fall.

  But I was ready to be done after twice around.

  The two of them put everything away, and we sat down in the lawn recliners. Aubree played waitress for us, and then the three of us relaxed.

  “That was great,” I said. “I think I’m going to hurt tomorrow, though.”

  “Hinting for a massage?”

  “Asking if you have ibuprofen and hoping I don’t hurt so we can do it again.”

  Solange laughed. “Any time.”

  * * * *

  We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, Aubree eventually disappearing to shower and get dressed, although I thought perhaps she
was giving us some privacy.

  “I could get used to this, Solange,” I said.

  “Good,” she replied. “I hope you do. I could get used to your company.”

  “Yeah, me too,” I said. I reached over, and we held hands. We lay quietly for a while before I said, “If you have all this money, we do you work so hard? Aren’t you tempted to just kick back and be the jet setting playgirl?”

  “I’ve done some of that,” she admitted. “But honestly, I love what I do, and I get bored if all I do is play. I don’t feel fulfilled unless I’m doing something valuable.”

  “You could manage your money.”

  “I do, but mostly that means invest carefully and leave it alone. I’m not interested in get rich quick schemes.”

  “You’re already rich.”

  “Still, you know what I mean.”

  “Yeah. Even if you offered to keep me, I’d still want to work.”

  “Your job is convenient,” she said. “You have to negotiate with your clients, but if we want to go somewhere, we probably can.”

  “Slow down on that thought,” I said.

  “What’s the fun of that?” she asked. We looked at each other and she was grinning. “Relax. Live in the moment for a few days. It’s good for you.”

  * * * *

  Aubree drove separately, and Solange indicated she thought it was her turn to drive. We pulled up in front of Dolores’ house, and Aubree was already there. I got out of the car, but Solange sat where she was. I looked down and across to her. “Nervous?”

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t be.”

  “This woman is important to you. What if she hates lawyers?’

  “She’s going to love you, just like everyone else does,” I said.

  “I feel like I’m going home to meet your parents.”

  “I’ll take you to the cemetery sometime.” It was said lightly, but Solange flinched. “Hey, okay, maybe that was in poor taste.” I closed my door and walked around the car to her side, opening her door for her. I had to nearly drag her out. “What’s the matter with you?”

  She looked at me. “You know, I don’t know. It’s been a long time since someone I was dating introduced me to anyone, I guess.”

  I grabbed her arm, pulling her to the door.

  Dolores and I had stopped knocking when we were expected. Instead it was knock, open the door, then holler out. This time I said, “Ding-dong. Avon calling.”

  “Kitchen!” I heard Dolores say. That’s what I expected, anyway. I led a clearly-nervous Solange through the house.

  Like me, Dolores had a pretty good kitchen. There was no peninsula counter, but we both had a large island with a cooktop and a hood over it. Mine was glass and stainless; hers was hidden within beautiful oak. We both had stools lined up on the other side of the island, and that’s where we found Aubree, sipping from an iced tea and nibbling on some sort of snack.

  “Stir this,” she ordered, handing a whisk to Aubree. Then she came around the island and pulled me into a hug and, as was her habit, kissing me briefly. I think Solange was surprised, but she didn’t say anything.

  Then Dolores broke the hug and turned to Solange, noticing the glower. She didn’t wait. “Solange! I’m so happy to meet you.” She hugged the woman and gave her a quick kiss, too. I was really sure Solange didn’t know what to do about that.

  “She kissed me, too, Solange,” Aubree said. “Don’t get all worked up.”

  “Oh. Um.” Dolores looked flustered. “Should I apologize?”

  “No,” Solange said. “I was just surprised. I thought perhaps there was something in this relationship I didn’t know. I’m pleased to meet you, Dolores.”

  Dolores retreated behind the stove and took the stirring duties back from Aubree. “You know where everything is, Sidney.”

  I retrieved drinks for Solange and me, and we took stools. “Do you need help?”

  “Almost done,” she said. She put a cover over the skillet on the stove, checked a pot of water, and said, “We’ll let that simmer for a bit then throw the pasta in. Dinner is simple tonight, but it’s a good thing Aubree arrived when she did and reminded me that garlic breath might not be a good idea this early in your relationship.”

  “Thank you, Aubree,” Solange said. “You’re right.” She leered at me.

  “So,” Dolores said. “Your first date was last night, but you already taught her to ride a bike, and she taught you to water ski. Now you’re introducing her to one of your friends and we’re teaching her to play cards. A busy twenty-four hours.”

  “Yeah,” I said. I reached over and took Solange’s hand. “It’s been a whirlwind.”

  “What can I say?” Solange asked. “I’m just that entrancing.”

  Aubree scoffed.

  “What?” she said. “I am. I have it on good authority.”

  “I have no doubt,” Aubree said. “No doubt at all. Dolores was telling me about your card parties and was just getting to something about booby prizes.”

  “Do you know about the booby prizes, Solange?” Dolores asked.

  “She does,” I said, “but we’re not doing that tonight. It wouldn’t be fair to the newbies.”

  Dolores mock-pouted for a moment. “Oh, all right,” she said. “But next time…”

  “Next time,” Solange agreed. Then she switched to French and began talking quietly to Aubree for a moment or two.

  And damned if Dolores didn’t chime in, in French. I have no clue what she said, but I stared at her, and when she was done, I asked, “Just how many languages do you speak?”

  “Only four,” she replied. “English, German, French, Italian. I started learning Spanish, which wasn’t that hard, but I haven’t visited Spain to practice yet.”

  “Mexico isn’t far,” I pointed out.

  “True.”

  “Well, maybe three of us speak French in this house tonight, but four of us speak English.”

  Solange said, “I only told Aubree that if we intend to play this game more than tonight, then in self defense, we were going to need to find a chance to practice before we are subject to your booby prizes. I do not care to wear a tee shirt that proclaims me to be bi-curious.”

  “She told you about that?” Dolores asked. “Hang on. I have to show you something.” She pulled out her phone, punched some buttons, and I began to groan, hiding my face. A moment later, she was holding her phone out to Solange. I tried to snatch it before Solange could take it, but she was faster, and then she turned her back, keeping me from taking it from her.

  “Is that Sidney?” Solange asked.

  “Uh huh. There are more.”

  “Sidney, darling,” Solange said. “You look lovely. When will you model it for me?”

  “Shut up,” I said. “Give me that.”

  I tried to take the phone from her, but instead she fended me off and handed it to Aubree. Then she ran interference, pulling me into her arms so I couldn’t take the phone away.

  Aubree saw it and laughed. She returned the phone to Dolores and turned to me. She spoke in very slow, careful French.

  “Aubree says, if you will dress like that, we should teach you French,” Solange said. Aubree continued to speak slowly. “She suggests we teach you the same way she learned, but I know how Aubree learned French, and if that is the method to be used, then I will be your only teacher.”

  I turned around to look at Solange. “Oh?”

  “Yes,” Aubree said, reverting to English. “An old lover taught me. I would learn a phrase, and then the next day, I would be tested. If I did everything right, there was a reward. If I did anything wrong, then I was tormented until I spoke properly.”

  “Tormented you?”

  “Yes. My lover was very creative in these torments.”

  “What kind of torments?”

  “They would seem mean if I told you,” she said, “but they were in fun, even if they were very good incentive at the same time. I did not mind my language lessons, althou
gh I pretended otherwise.”

  I looked back to Solange. “Does she speak with an accent?”

  “I believe she speaks with an accent similar to her teacher’s,” Solange replied.

  “An improper accent led to torment,” Aubree said. “By the time we were together for three months, I was only allowed to speak French, and I was tormented terribly for any slips.”

  I cocked my head.

  “Do not judge,” she said. “The lessons were my idea, and it was even my idea to offer rewards and punishments. But at the time, I did not know how creative my teacher could be.”

  I noticed that Aubree had been careful to hide the gender of her teacher. I didn’t pry.

  From behind me, Solange wrapped her arms around me and said into my ear, “I would happily teach you this way, Sidney. You would enjoy the rewards.”

  I laid my head backwards against her shoulder and clasped her arm. “We’ll see,” I said. “But not if I am to be tormented for an accent.”

  “If I can learn to speak English with three different accents, you can learn French in a single accent.”

  “Three accents?”

  “I believe,” she said, sounding quite different, “that I could pass as British.” And I thought she was right. The she changed her voice again. “Or even as American Southern.” She paused, then spoke in what was clearly a French accent. “Speaking this way is actually the most difficult for me, as the others have become ingrained.”

  Then she switched back to her midwest American accent. “But when I speak French, it is only with my native accent. I cannot make myself sound like an American speaking French. It hurts my ears too much. And Sidney, it would hurt my ears to let you have a poor accent.”

  “We’ll see,” I said. “Lets get through more than a weekend. I admit, I wouldn’t mind learning French.”

  Solange smiled and nodded.

  “What accent does Dolores have?” I asked.

  Solange turned to Dolores, and the two spoke back and forth for a minute. “She sounds like a well-traveled American,” Solange declared. She smiled at Dolores. “Aubree could cure your accent if you asked her, but you might not care for all her methods.”

  Dolores smiled. “Not this week. I think I have a pretty good idea what those methods would entail.”