by Abigail Keam
Lillian grinned. “I think she knows that, Mr. Egan. Sorry, gotta go,” she said when Aussie Jack motioned to her.
“So much for a personal testimonial,” quipped River.
“Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”
“I don’t want to talk about myself. I’m boring, just plain vanilla, through and through,” mocked River.
“I find that hard to believe. Go on,” insisted Mary.
“Okay. Remember that you asked. I’m a widower.”
“You mentioned that you are single.”
“My wife died three years ago of cancer.”
“I’m sorry. My husband died early, too.”
“Then you know how it is.”
Mary nodded. “Yes, I know how it is.”
“I thought it was bad when my parents died, but when my wife passed away, it was like I couldn’t breathe.”
Mary took a sip of coffee before responding. “When your spouse dies, your entire way of life dies with them.”
“Yeah, that’s it. Talk about havin’ the rug pulled out from underneath you. I felt I kind of died with my wife. I have money and the house is paid for. My health is good, knock on wood . . . but there’s no joy. No one to share things with, even the little things. Nothing to look forward to. Just routine, routine, routine.”
“Keeping busy,” added Mary, studying her hands. She stared at the wedding ring still on the left hand. “That’s what everyone tells you. Keep busy, and don’t think about how much you’ve lost.”
River nodded. “But people like us have got many good years left. I don’t know about you, but I want to have fun. I want there to be some purpose, but I’m struggling.”
“What about your grandson?”
“That brat? Can’t stand the kid. My daughter has ruined him.”
Mary burst out laughing and covered her mouth with a napkin. “Really?”
River reared back in his chair and let out a belly laugh that filled the entire restaurant. “The kid’s a jerk.”
“I think you’re exaggerating just a bit,” Mary said. She was shocked by River’s attitude toward his grandson, but couldn’t help but think that his remarks were funny, too. She thought River had a delightful sense of humor.
River shook his head while placing his hand over his heart. “I swear I’ve tried everything with him, but my daughter just comes behind me and undoes all my good work, so I gave up. I wouldn’t be surprised if my grandson ends up breaking rocks in Sing Sing someday. She thinks the sun rises and sets on that boy. No good can come from that kind of attitude. He’s not like your Jenny. Now, she’s a good kid.”
Mary concurred, “Jenny is a good kid. She’s been going through a rough patch lately, but I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
“How do you mean?” River asked.
“The fact that she went kayaking by herself.”
“I heard that Jenny got into trouble over that.”
“Yes and no.”
“Was it me that got her in Dutch with her parents?”
“I guess I can tell you this, since it’s common knowledge. Jenny has been terrified of seawater ever since her mother died in a hurricane several years back. Jenny and her mother were in a car together, trying to get off the island, when a freak wave overturned their car and Beth drowned.
“Only Jenny could be saved in time. Since then, Jenny has been terribly afraid of the ocean and storms. She won’t even set foot on a boat.”
“Poor little thing. I naturally assumed Eva was her mother.”
“Stepmother. She and my son recently married. Jenny’s mother, Beth, was Mike’s first wife.”
“I see,” replied River, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. “But she went kayaking on her own, and she didn’t seem afraid when I ran into her beaching the kayak.”
“Yes. That’s what’s so puzzling. Mike had a long talk with her, and Jenny told him she wasn’t afraid of the water in the bay–only the water on the other side of the island. It was from water on the eastern side of the Key that the wave arose and capsized their car, and Jenny must remember that.”
Mary smiled at River. “When she came back from kayaking, how did she seem?”
River thought back. “Very self-possessed. Confident. Like she’d been a water baby all her life.”
“So she didn’t appear to be upset or frightened?”
“Nope. She seemed a little preoccupied, but that was all. Didn’t think anything about it. Most kids that age have the attention span of a gnat.”
“Yet you asked her to give your daughter a message.”
“Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.” River leaned back and raised both arms. “Mea culpa. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“It’s over now and best forgotten. Speaking of over, it’s getting late. I expect you should sneak back into your room before your daughter discovers our absence and calls out the National Guard. Thank you very much. It’s been a lovely evening.” Mary gathered her pursed and rose from the table.
River stood up as well and threw down a wad of bills on the table to cover the tab. “Now, wait a minute. Don’t brush me off like that.”
Mary walked off quickly, but River hurried after her. Catching up with her in the parking lot, River impulsively grabbed her arm and swung Mary around. “Hey! I thought we were having a good time.”
Mary glared angrily at River’s hand on her arm and then into his face.
River swallowed and then loosened his grip.
Mary replied, “We were having a good time. Too much of a good time. It’s time to call it quits.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Let me put it to you plainly. You’re on vacation. You’re bored and trying to stir up a little excitement. Yes, I had a nice time. That’s why this ends tonight. In a week or so you’ll be gone, but I will still be here, and frankly, I don’t want to be thinking about you after you’ve gone back home–home to your life. I don’t want to be used, Mr. Egan.”
River pushed his hands into his pants pockets and grinned. “So you like me that much, eh?”
“Good night, Mr. Egan.”
“Now hold on a doggone minute. You’ve got the wrong idea. I’m not using anybody. I met you. I like you. I think you like me. Why can’t two adult people spend some time together if they so desire?”
Tears burned Mary’s eyes. “Don’t you get it? You’ll leave, and I will have lost someone special in my life again. I don’t think my heart can take it.”
She turned and ran to her car, leaving River standing in the parking lot.
As he stood there watching Mary drive away, River was undaunted. In fact, he had an extra bounce in his step as he whistled on his way back to the Pink Flamingo Motel, aka the Last Chance Motel. He knew how to romance a skittish filly. Tomorrow he would find out where Mary lived and send her flowers–lots of red roses.
Mary might not want to take a chance on love, but River did, and he was going to make Mary see things his way. He wasn’t sure how this was going to play out, but if Jenny could conquer her fears of the ocean and go kayaking, Mary could face her fears and love again.
After all, life was for the living, not the dead.
9
River was enjoying his nap in the hammock when he felt a tug on his arm. “What is it?” he murmured as he slowly opened his eyes to see Jenny peering closely into his face.
“I was wondering if you want to go kayaking again?” asked Jenny. “Kayaking with me, I mean.”
“I suppose. Um, why would you want me to go kayaking with you?”
“Because I want to go, but I need an adult to go with me. My dad made me promise.”
“What about your stepmother?”
“She’s busy. Eva’s always got lots of stuff to do.”
River though hard for a moment. It would impress Mary if he helped Jenny overcome her fear of the water. On the other hand, if he took Jenny out and something went amiss, he would get the blame, and Mary would desp
ise him for his involvement. What to do? What to do?
“Mr. Egan?”
“Hush, child. I’m trying to think here.” After a few pensive moments while Jenny shuffled sand around with her feet, waiting for River to make a decision, he said, “Here. Help me out of this hammock.”
Jenny pulled with all her might, and finally Mr. Egan landed on his feet.
“You go tell your stepmother that you and I are going kayaking and make sure you tell her where we will be going.”
“Aww, do I have to?”
“You wouldn’t want her to worry, would you? It’s the polite thing to do.”
“Wait here for me,” begged Jenny before she ran to find Eva.
A few minutes later, Jenny and Eva emerged from the office. Jenny ran over to the kayaks while Eva headed for River.
“Mr. Egan,” smiled Eva. “Are you sure you want to go out again? You certainly aren’t obligated to be Jenny’s keeper. I’m sure my husband will be home early enough today to take her out for a little bit.”
“As long as it is a short trip. I don’t have the stamina I used to. To tell you the truth, I think I overdid it the other day.” He looked over at Jenny getting the kayaks ready. “I think we’ll be okay. We should be back within an hour.”
“That’s very nice that you volunteered to go with Jenny.”
River laughed, “I didn’t exactly volunteer. I was conscripted.”
When Eva gave him a funny look, River assured her, “We’ll be fine.”
“Just be back before the storm.”
River looked at the sunny sky. “What storm?”
Eva pointed to a dark horizon out across the ocean. “Storm is coming in. Down here they pop up with scarcely any warning, but this one is coming in fast. You don’t want to get caught in it.”
“We should be back in plenty of time,” said River. “Right, Jenny?”
Jenny looked up from the kayaks and nodded.
Eva went over to Jenny and kissed the top of her head. “See you in an hour. Stay close to the shore and please be careful.”
Jenny didn’t respond, but hurriedly got into a kayak. She gestured for Eva to push her off.
Eva stood on the beach and watched while Jenny and Mr. Egan paddled around the mangroves and out of sight. Reluctantly, she went back to the office thinking about how Jenny didn’t seem to respond to her anymore.
Before she married Mike, she and Jenny had been very close, and Jenny seemed to crave affection from her. Now she was constantly pushing Eva away.
Wondering what she had done to make the child change, Eva glanced at the clock. It was twenty before three. She made a mental note to check for Jenny in an hour.
To be on the safe side, Eva put the keys for the motel’s boat in her pocket.
Better safe than sorry.
10
“Jenny, wait up!” called River. He paddled hard to catch up with the little girl.
“I was following the manatee,” said Jenny, pointing to the slow-moving creature ahead of them.
“We shouldn’t do that,” cautioned River. “Manatees are shy things. They aren’t like dolphins that like to play with humans. They like to be left alone.”
“No. No. She was calling to me. She wants me to follow her.”
River looked at Jenny’s sweaty face. He noticed the fierce determination in her eyes. He also saw the pain. There was something going on with this kid. “Jenny, can we rest here for awhile? My arms feel heavy.”
Jenny nodded.
“You know, Jenny, sometimes people get confused about why they do things. And sometimes they do things that might not be good for them, but they still feel compelled to act. When a person feels that way, confused and angry, it’s good to talk to someone. It doesn’t have to be family, but someone they can trust.
“I know that I like to discuss problems with someone when I’m feeling not right. You know, just talk things through. I have a war buddy I confide in. We have a pact, this buddy and me. I can talk to him and he can talk to me too. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?”
“I think so,” replied Jenny. However, she seemed preoccupied with a baby bull shark swimming under the kayaks.
“Jenny, is there anything you would like to tell me?”
Jenny kept her graze on the water and shook her head.
“Jenny, I can see that you’re not enjoying this trip. Are you trying to prove something?”
Jenny looked up at River and shook her head again.
River thought for a moment, and then came up with an idea. “I’ve heard that people sometimes try to punish themselves by doing things they fear. Are you trying to punish yourself, Jenny?”
Jenny looked at River with tears in her eyes and nodded. The tears spilled over and ran down her flushed cheeks.
River felt sorry for the little girl. “Jenny, what could you have possibly done that you would want to punish yourself?”
Jenny began sobbing so hard that she was finding it hard to breathe.
River became alarmed. “Jenny! Jenny! What is it?”
Between the sobs, Jenny confessed, “I . . . like Eva too much. Makes me forget my real mommy.”
River reached over and pulled Jenny’s kayak close so he could put his arms around her. “Honey, I see the problem now.”
He ripped off a piece of his shirttail and handed the torn fabric to the sobbing girl. “Here, here. Let’s dry those tears.”
Jenny blew her nose several times and then washed the “hanky” in the seawater. She blew her nose again. Jenny looked at River. “Do I look all right?”
“No matter the age, the female is always concerned with her looks,” quipped River grinning. “You look fine, darlin’,” he said, fibbing about her red, swollen eyes and runny nose.
“Why am I so bad? What’s wrong with me, Mr. Egan?”
“Nothing, lass. You feel bad because you loved your mother and that’s natural. Now you want to love Eva, and that’s natural too. You’re worried that your mother in heaven might be upset with you for liking Eva as much as you do.”
Jenny nodded, biting her bottom lip.
“Little lady, I can tell you with the utmost certainty that your mother is pleased that you like Eva and that you consider her to be your second mother. She wants you to be happy. She knows you need a mommy like every little girl does. You don’t need to feel guilty about loving Eva as your second mommy.”
Jenny’s face brightened. “Really? Mommy wouldn’t be mad at me?”
River smiled. “Of course not. I’m telling you the God’s honest truth.” River crossed his finger over his heart.
Jenny took a deep breath and broke into tears again.
“Now what?” asked River.
“I feel better,” she replied. “Thanks Mr. Egan.”
“You do look like a weight has been lifted.”
Jenny smiled. “Whew, I do feel better. Much better.”
“Good. Let’s head back, then. The sky is getting really dark, and I don’t want to get caught in a storm.”
“Yeah. Mr. Egan, you can tie your kayak to mine and I’ll paddle for the both of us.”
“I’m too heavy for that. You lead and I’ll follow. I’m not sure where we are.”
Jenny’s brow furrowed. “All we need to do is turn around and head back the way we came.”
“Are you sure? It’s confusing with all these small islands. I think we should go that way.” River pointed in the opposite direction Jenny had indicated.
“No, Mr. Egan. That way leads out into Florida Bay, and then to the Everglades. That’s heading north. We need to go east.”
Increasingly uneasy and unsure, River looked back and forth between the way he wanted to go and the way Jenny had indicated. “Whatever you say. I just would like to get back as quickly as we can.”
“Just follow me.” Jenny dipped her paddle into the water and began making her way. Every few feet, she would turn and check on Mr. Egan. For almost half a mile, he was able t
o keep up with her.
After rounding a bend, Jenny stopped her kayak and turned to look for River. After waiting several minutes, she paddled her kayak west again, only to find his kayak drifting several hundred feet away with River slumped over.
“Mr. Egan!” cried Jenny. She hurriedly paddled over to him. As she reached his kayak, Jenny touched River’s arm.
River raised his head and said hoarsely, “Sorry Jenny, but I don’t feel too hot.” His voice sounded weak and raspy. His head sank back to his chest.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Egan?”
When he didn’t respond, she shook him. “Mr. Egan?”
“Jenny,” replied River softly, raising his head. “I–go on. Get help.”
Jenny glanced around, as if looking for an adult to tell her what to do. Her lips quivered, and she let out a few loud sobs. Just as she felt she might totally let go into a meltdown, something brushed the side of her kayak and caught her attention. Startled, Jenny peered into the water.
It was Eva’s manatee!
Jenny watched as the manatee slowly circled the kayaks and then headed east toward the Pink Flamingo Motel.
Jenny gripped the sides of her kayak and squeezed as hard as she could. This helped her calm down. She had to clear her mind so she could concentrate and think. Watching the manatee slowly swim away, Jenny came up with a plan. She jumped into the waist-deep water and tied her kayak to River’s. Then she pushed River’s kayak in the direction the manatee had taken. Jenny was confident that sooner or later she would come to a dock, or someone’s backyard where she could ask for help.
Jenny looked up at the darkening sky. An increasingly strong wind hampered her progress, making the kayaks seem even heavier.
Hearing a motor, Jenny turned and spied a passing speedboat. She waved furiously, hoping that the boat would stop, but the people on board waved back, hands full of what seemed to be beer cans, not realizing that she needed help.
Jenny resumed pushing the kayak again, but with the strong wind, she was no longer able to control the direction of the kayaks, which kept veering to the left instead of going straight.
Jenny shook River again. “Mr. Egan. Mr. Egan!”