by Wenner, Jody
They look at each other. The woman says, "LeRoy. I don't think so." She smiles with her hand extended toward Zane. "I'm Mara."
Zane just stares at her. I push past him again. "I'm Bekka," I say, taking her hand. "This is Zane, Regina and Frankie."
"Red and John," she says of the men standing behind her. They nod.
"Where are you from?" Mara asks, inspecting me from head to foot.
"A city several days away."
Mara stares at me like I've just fallen from the sky. "I'm sorry, it's just...we don't see many new faces around here."
"What is this place? Is all of this water just here, for the taking?" Frankie asks.
"What do you mean?" Red says.
"We don't have water like this where we came from," I say.
"You realize it's not suitable for consumption, right?" Mara says.
"What?" Zane says.
"The water." She turns and points out toward the blue abyss.
Zane laughs. "All of this water, but we can't drink it? That's a joke, right?"
"No, it's salt water. Taste it," the man with red hair says.
Zane cups his hand and sips some. He spits it out. His face is bleak and he gives me a
look which I know means I told you so.
"Then, how do you live?" I ask.
Red smiles, like he just pulled a funny prank. "We've found a way to desalinate it."
"Huh?" Zane says.
"We have a small solar distillation set up. A process that separates out the salt from the
water, allowing us to drink it," John says. "You want to see it?"
"What do we have to do?" Zane questions.
"Do?" Mara says.
"To live here?" I interject. "We'd like to stay."
"You don't have to do anything. You are more than welcome to stay," Red answers
with a smile. "We have plenty of food from the sea and lots of homes here available for you to stay in. Welcome to Oceanside."
Part 3
Zane
Mara volunteers to host us. The other two, Red and John, say they have work to get back to and head off in opposite directions. We follow Mara through the sand toward the row of homes, which makes me uncomfortable and nervous. We don't know anything about these people. I whisper my sentiments to Bekka as we walk at the back of the train we've formed. Bekka reminds me we have no choice but to trust them. We need food and water.
The homes lining the beach remind me of the ones which sit abandoned in the upper flats of Sacto. They are nothing like the tall apartment buildings I'm used to living in. They all look clean and bright, inviting even. As we head toward a pale yellow one, I notice a few other people on the beach and some walking around outside other houses nearby.
"How many days have you been traveling?" Mara questions, sounding casual, but I can't help but suspect she already knows all about Sacto.
"I lost count after ten," Frankie says.
"Wow! You must be exhausted."
"We are," Bekka says and just hearing the word makes it really sink in, deep into my bones. I am so very tired, even more so than hungry or thirsty at this point. I just want to sleep for a week, but I also want to make sure this place is safe for us before we all get too comfortable. I don't want to be vulnerable ever again. I want to be more like my father and take charge of my own destiny.
We reach the house and enter through a side door. We're standing in a kitchen. It's much larger than any I've been in before, making it feel airy and open, or maybe it's because the row of windows are open, allowing an unfamiliar breeze to come in and cool the space. The walls are painted blue, a shade very similar to the water just outside.
"This is where you live?" Bekka asks her. "It's so nice!"
"Have a seat," Mara says cheerfully, pulling out brightly painted wooden chairs sitting neatly around a table. "Let me get you something to eat and drink."
My mom sits down with a heavy sigh. I reluctantly do the same, not wanting to put my guard down, though it is amazing to sit in a real chair and feel like a human again.
Mara pours us drinks and puts some food on a plate and brings it over, nibbling on something herself. "Help yourselves," she says. The others dive in. I sip my water slowly and inspect Mara, who stands near the open windows. She is a youngish woman, probably just a few years older than Frankie. I wonder how she ended up in a leadership position, being this age. She wears loose clothing that matches her laid back attitude. Her ash brown hair is tussled with sun-bleached streaks running through it. She has a very relaxed vibe like she isn't phased by much. I can't help but feel like it's put on, a trap to make us get too comfortable.
"How many people live here?" I ask.
"Maybe a hundred or so. Some of us moved out here from a larger community down the coast to the south about an hour. We built our distillation system based off their design."
"Why'd you leave?" I say trying to sound casual, but I can tell it comes off too direct based on the look Bekka gives me.
"No real reason. They were running out of housing there and some of us younger people thought we could do things better, or at least our own way." Bekka looks as me and smiles. Mara adds, "Why did you guys leave your city?"
"Similar story," Frankie says. "We needed a change."
"Well, we actually have lots of open places here. We can set you up with a house and some jobs if you want."
"We haven't decided that yet," I say quickly. Bekka shoots me an even dirtier look than the last one.
Mara looks at us, squinting a little as if trying to read between the lines, then says, "Okay, well, there's no obligation or anything. You can check it out for a while if you want."
"What kind of job assignments do you have?" I ask.
"Assignments? We don't assign jobs. We have a pretty chill system. If you want a job that's cool...if not, that's fine too. There isn't that much work, really. The people here keep things super easy and simple and try to be pretty self-sufficient. If you feel the desire to work, then just try a few jobs out until you find something you enjoy. Some people prefer to just surf all day. We get by."
"Surf?"
"Ride the waves." Mara points out the window at something in the water. I notice there are several dots way out where the waves begin to form. I realize they are people, standing on something that kind of looks like my skateboard, but bigger. They are flying through the water.
"Wow," Frankie says.
"What do you do?" I ask, turning back. "Are you in charge?"
Mara laughs loudly. "No. I help out in the gardens. We have some greenhouses a few blocks away where we grow stuff. Some people fish, some work at the water treatment plant, we have a few repairmen and women, that kind of thing. There's a market set up down the road for barter and trading goods and services. Do you guys have any skills?"
"Skills?" Bekka asks. "What kind of skills do you mean?"
"You know like sewing, carpentry, canning, painting that kind of thing."
"No," I say, thinking I've found the catch. "Is that going to be a problem?"
"Nope." Mara shrugs her shoulders. "Though I think everyone has some kind of skills or passions, you just need to find it."
"What if we can't?" Bekka asks.
"Then you can surf all day," Mara says still laughing. "Also, we post a chore chart up at the water station where people can do odd jobs if they so desire, but it's not required. We just try to make sure everyone has what they need."
"If you're not in charge, who is? Red or John?"
"No. We just happened to be the ones to spot you first. Nobody's in charge here," she says as if she's bored of the line of questioning.
"Well then who controls and distributes the water?" I ask, sure I've hit on the snag.
"We have a pump set up outside the station. You can just help yourself. Clearly there's enough to go around."
I look at her sideways. "So what you are saying is that you have no real system, no rules, no job assignments to speak of, and no water all
owances? How is that possible?" It seems too good to be true and from my experience, that means it is.
Mara shrugs again. "Like I said, it just works. We try to enjoy life. If that means finding our passions or just relaxing, it's all good. Speaking of which, you guys look like you could stand to relax yourselves. Why don't we find a place for you to do that now..."
Bekka
Mara takes us down the road about two blocks. "This one is open," she says stopping in front of a sweet looking lime green house that resembles a cottage from children's stories, only this one is massive, three stories high, and it sits just off the white sandy beach. "It might not be big enough for all of you. I can find another one too, unless you all want to squeeze into this one."
The four of us look around at each other wondering if we heard her correctly. "We can share," I say quickly. "Thank you so much!"
"Sure. The place is furnished, runs on solar panels on the roof and the toilets are hooked up to our filtration system. Help yourself to the water pump down the road and the market is just a few blocks that way. Let me know if you need anything else. You know where I live, don't hesitate to drop in anytime with questions." Mara swings the front door of the house wide open and steps aside for us to go in. "I'll see you later."
The house is just as lovely on the inside as it appeared from the outside. It's colorful, like the inside of Mara's kitchen, and clean, so clean it feels almost fake. The bright cool tones are something I'm not used to. Everything is Sacto was dark and used. This stuff has a feel of being almost new and happy, if things could have a mood.
"Did we just walk into some kind of fairytale land?" Frankie asks.
"That's exactly what I was thinking," I answer.
"It's giving me the creeps," Zane says. I frown at him.
"How can you be so pessimistic about this?" I say, spinning around in the lovely kitchen.
"Let's just get some rest," Regina says. It's easy to agree to that.
We head up the stairs where we find three bedrooms. Regina and Frankie agree to share the one that has two beds in it, even though I offer to bunk with Gina. Zane grabs my hand after they close the door and he pulls me into the next bedroom.
I get a little nervous flutter in my stomach at the prospect of finally having some alone time with him. I sit down on the bed but Zane doesn't sit at all. Instead, he starts pacing the room until he stops and looks out the window for a long time. I watch him, trying to read what is going on in that disturbed mind of his. Then he says, "I don't think we should do this."
I try to pretend what he says doesn't hurt, like my heart isn't being ripped out. I thought everything between us was good. I'm exhausted, but I get off the bed and stand up to go into the other room, not wanting him to see me cry.
"Where are you going?"
"You just said you didn't want to be with me."
"No. I was talking about this place. Oceanside. We can't stay."
"What? Why not? It has everything we could ever dream of..."
He turns from the window and looks at me, "Come on, Bek. Don't you feel it? Something's not right here."
I sigh. "You're being ridiculous."
"I'm not!" he shouts. I look at his face. I don't even know who I'm looking at. There's a darkness to his expression, a tone in his voice that's not familiar. It scares me.
I try to stay calm. "Lower your voice. Your mom is trying to rest."
He looks down.
"I think you just need some rest."
"Fine, but I'm not going to have a different opinion after I sleep."
"I don't doubt that," I say shaking my head. Defeated, I walk out and close the door behind me.
Once I'm settled in the bed, across the hall from Zane, I try to come up with a way to convince him to relax but that's like trying to tell a baby not to cry. It's in his nature to be pensive and suspicious and I can't say I really blame him, after everything we've been through, but I don't see what he's seeing here. I'm sure this is the place LeRoy wanted me to find. It feels too sweet to be anything but good. Plus, I’m in a comfy bed with a breeze coming in from the open window that smells like fresh, salty air and the sounds of the waves crashing onto the beach are maybe the most pleasant sounds I've ever heard. I fall asleep before I can resolve anything.
When I wake, I hear Regina and Frankie downstairs. It's still light outside but just barely. Zane's door is still closed when I pass by. I stop for a second and think about checking on him, but maybe the extra rest is exactly what he needs to help him feel better. I keep going.
In the kitchen, the girls' backs are toward me. They're standing at the window, looking out toward the water.
"What are you guys looking at?" I ask, but when I step close enough to see it for myself, I still can't believe what's in front of me.
"It's gorgeous, isn't it?" Gina says, putting her arm on my shoulder.
"I've never seen anything like it before in my life," I manage to get out. The sun is setting over the ocean and it's easily the most spectacular thing I've ever seen. The sky is a dark burgundy with streaks of pink and orange and it hovers above an endless wash of aqua.
"Maybe we should wake Zane for this," Frankie says.
"No. I mean, I know he'd love it, but I think he needs the sleep. He's still not doing very well. He mentioned to me earlier that he wants to leave here as soon as we can."
"Why?" Frankie says, with some measure of alarm in her voice.
"He thinks it's some kind of trap, or something."
We sit down at the table. I can see Regina contemplating what I've said. Then she responds, "It's not going to be easy for him to trust again."
"I know, but we can't leave! This place is...I mean, look at that!" I say, still focused on the hues of red outside. "I don't think we'll find anything better than this."
"I agree," she says. "We're just going to have to make him see everything's going to be okay."
Then, there's a knock at the door.
Chapter 42
Zane
I don't sleep much even though I've never felt more drained. I doubt I'll really be able to get good rest until we've found someplace I feel is safe enough to settle down in. I know the girls are going to be hard to convince to leave here. The bright clean houses and the overly friendly people make it seem perfect, but I know better. Nothing can be this great. Life isn't as easy as Mara is making it out to be. Not when just several days away, in Sacto, things are the way they are. It doesn't make sense.
The girls' voices drift up the stairs and, mixed in with them, I hear a low voice--that of a man. I get up quickly, pull my pants on and head down to see what's going on.
The man with flaming red hair from the beach is standing in the kitchen. My mom is holding a plastic bag in front of her, which he's obviously given her. His smile is too easy and big for my taste.
"Howdy!" Red says to me, showing his perfectly white teeth, which contrast with his many freckles. "I thought I'd bring you something to eat. It should hold you over for a bit anyway, until you get settled. Mara mentioned you guys are thinking about sticking around."
It wasn't a question, which I find presumptuous. "Maybe," I say.
"Wasn't it nice of Red to bring us this?" Bekka says, like she's talking to a child, but is in fact looking directly at me.
I nod, still looking at him, trying to figure out his motives.
"Well, it's nice to have new faces around," he says, looking at Frankie. "The more the merrier is what I always say."
"You come from the same place as Mara?" I ask him.
"Yep."
"Why'd you leave there?"
"Zane," Bekka scolds. "That's enough. He came to give us food, not get bombarded with questions." She gives a nervous laugh, like she's embarrassed of me.
"I'm just curious," I say, trying to play dumb.
"It's okay," Red says. "I don't mind. A bunch of us in our late teens, early twenties, thought we knew better. You know how it is. We wanted to break from the parental
figures. No offense," he says, looking at my mom.
She smiles. "None taken."
"So you chose to move away from your families?" I say harshly, even though Bekka is still giving me the evil eye.
"Sure. Is that bad?" His smile finally fades.
"No. It's just that I fought hard to get mine to be together, that's all."
"Well," my mom says calmly, "they are obviously different scenarios, Zane."
Frankie breaks in by asking Red, "What do you do here?"
He keeps his gaze on Frankie as he answers, like he's too afraid to engage in my direction anymore, which makes me happy because I want him to be afraid of me. "I mostly fish. I have a little boat. I also hunt for clams just off the shore. If you guys are interested in learning, I'd be happy to take you out and show you how sometime."
"That sounds great," Frankie says smiling at Red.
He returns the smile then looks back at me tentatively. "Well, I better get going. I'm an early morning guy. Gotta be up first thing to get the good fish. Like I said, you ever want to come along, I'm just down the beach in the blue house with the little white boat in the carport."
He turns to go.
"Thank you again," Mom says, holding up the package.
When he's gone, she brings the bag to the counter and starts removing the contents. "So...all we need to do now is figure out how to cook this," she says.
Bekka goes over and examines it. "He said it was fish." She backs away. "I'm sure it's good but it smells awful. Yikes."
Frankie joins them and starts opening cabinets. "Well, how hard can it be? We just need to heat it up, right?"
They're all fumbling around in an attempt to cook the fish, as I head out the kitchen door and walk down the beach a short distance. I sit in the sand and take in the surroundings in for minute. The tail end of what looked like a vivid sunset is breaking up. I've seen pictures of oceans before and sand is something I've even encountered once or twice, back in the city, but not like this. This is so white and almost soft to the touch. I take some up in my hand and pour it out, just listening to the sound it makes trickling back down to the beach.