by Brenda Beem
I wiped my eyes and straightened the cover. “Do you smell breakfast?”
Makala stopped crying and sat up. Her little nose twitched as she sniffed the air. “Sausage,” she cried. She threw the covers back and climbed out of bed. “Sissy, can I get up now?”
Angelina nodded. Tears welled in her eyes too. Makala scampered out of the bedroom in her Little Mermaid pajamas. Angelina’s shoulders shook and she buried her face in a pillow. I patted her leg and closed the bedroom door behind me.
Chapter Fourteen
The Morning After
The boat rocked gently from side to side. I held tight to the overhead hand rail. Jervis and Nick were still in bed, propped up on pillows. The door to Cole, Dylan, and now Zoë’s cabin was closed.
Makala ran and leapt on top of Jervis. “I’m squish’n you,” she squealed.
“Get off, get off. I can’t breathe.” He pretended to struggle. Makala laughed, sprang up, and plopped down again.
“Where’s Angelina?” Nick stared at the girls’ berth. Jervis frowned and followed Nick’s gaze.
“She just needs some time alone,” I said.
“Is she…?” Nick sprang out of bed.
“She’s fine. Give her some space.” I searched the main salon for Takumi.
A stack of pancakes and a jar of syrup rested on top of the chart table. Sausage sizzled in a skillet over the gas stove.
Takumi smiled at me from the galley. “Good morning.”
“Wow, you’ve been busy.” I avoided looking at him.
The refrigerator door was open, and everything from inside the fridge was out. Jars of jelly, yogurt, mayo, milk, and bottles of water, soda, and beer were scattered around and in the sink.
“What are you doing?” I studied the empty fridge.
Takumi reached into a garbage bag and pulled out a drippy egg carton. “Eggs smashed against everything. I’m cleaning up with kitchen wipes.”
He began moving the links to a plate. “Since we can’t keep the fridge running, I decided to use up some of the stuff that would go bad.”
There was a jar of real maple syrup. And the sausages on top of the meat in the freezer had already thawed.
“Need help?”
“Sure. You can get the plates and silverware.”
The thick plastic plates had been stored in a closed cupboard, and fared well, although a couple had cracks. I took out forks and a knife.
Takumi blocked my way out of the kitchen. “You okay?”
I hung my head. “Umm…no. I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Guess that was a stupid question.” He stepped aside.
Zoë emerged from the bow. “Oh. My. God. A real breakfast!”
“Guess you’re feeling better.” I dropped the dishes on the table.
She hurried across the salon to fix her plate. Dylan followed and did the same.
“How’s Cole?” I asked.
Zoë stabbed a pancake. “His eyes seem less dilated.”
“He got out of bed and walked to the bathroom and back by himself,” Dylan said.
I relaxed my shoulders. “He can get up. That’s a good sign, right?”
“Dylan.” Takumi moved the pancake plate over to make room for the sausages. “Do you know how to check the water tank? We should figure out how much water we have left.”
Dylan took a bite. “The tank’s right under here.” He patted the end of Takumi and Nick’s bed. “I’m sure we have plenty. We filled it before we left yesterday.”
“Yeah, but it wouldn’t hurt to check. And Toni, do you have black markers on board?” Takumi asked.
“I don’t think so. Why?”
“We’re almost out of bottled water. I think we should each have our own. I’d like to mark them somehow.”
“I have nail polish in the bathroom. That would work.” I went to the head and came back with hot pink polish.
Makala saw the bottle and her eyes lit up. She rolled off Jervis and watched as I handed the polish to Takumi.
“Do you like to have your nails painted?” I asked.
She nodded eagerly.
“If it’s okay with your sister, I’ll paint your nails after breakfast.”
Makala smiled.
Jervis got out of bed and fixed a plate with pancakes and sausages cut in tiny pieces. “Makala, scoot up here.” He cleared a spot at the end of his bed.
“You’re good with little kids.” I smiled at Jervis.
“Yeah. I have three little sisters. The youngest is about Makala’s age.” He handed Makala a piece of paper towel.
She wiped her face and “mummed” with every bite.
Dylan and Zoë returned to the food table, forks poised in the air.
“No seconds until everyone’s had a first.” Takumi waved his spatula in the air.
“Fine.” Dylan handed his plate to Zoë. He stepped to the end of Takumi’s bed and lifted the cushion. A huge opaque plastic storage tank was under the seat. Dylan leaned down to study it. Takumi, Nick, and Jervis watched him.
“I can’t believe it,” Dylan said.
“What?” I leaned over to see too.
“We used up over a half tank of water yesterday.”
I glared at Zoë.
“Don’t look at me!” she said.
“You kept running the water in the bathroom.” I pointed to the head.
Zoë put her hands on her hips. “That was salt water.”
“Not the water you used to wash your hands or brush your teeth. I heard you. You just let the water run and run.”
“You can’t blame this on me.” Zoë put her hands on her hips. “Tell her, Dylan.”
“It’s all of us. We have to be more careful. It isn’t like at home. There isn’t unlimited fresh water. From now on, water is just for drinking. At least until we figure out how we’ll get more.”
Dylan put the cushion back. “No hand washing. Maybe we can make some kind of hand wipes.”
“We have paper napkins. I’ll cut them up and soak them in gin or vodka. And later we can set up the sun shower to wash up with.” I walked across the room to the napkin drawer.
Zoë continued to glare at me.
“I’ll put our initials on water bottles. Let’s start with only filling them twice a day. Sound fair?” Takumi asked Dylan.
“Fine.” Dylan nodded.
I fixed a plate and carried it to Cole. His skin seemed pale in the morning light. “How are you feeling?” I asked.
He struggled to sit up and grimaced at the food. “I’m good. Not sure I can eat much, though.” After a few bites, he handed the plate back. “Don’t look so worried. I’m okay. Really. Zoë told me to stay in bed today, so I will, just to make her happy. But tomorrow, I’ll be good as new.”
“Cole, if something were to happen to—”
“Toni, I’m fine. I promise.” He laid back and sighed. ”Finish my breakfast. Don’t want to waste it.”
I took a few bites, gave him a bottle of water and a kiss, then went back to the main salon.
Makala, Jervis, and Nick were still eating.
Takumi sat at the chart table holding his plate. “There’s room here.” He scooted over. “Come join me.”
Everyone was watching us. I wished I could turn invisible. “That’s okay. Feels good to stand.” I leaned against the kitchen counter.
Takumi’s eyes narrowed. He finished chewing and placed his plate on the seat. “We need to talk.” He took my plate from me and sat it on the counter.
“What are you doing?” I mumbled.
Takumi glanced around the cabin. Both the aft and bow bedroom doors were closed. He grabbed my hand. “Come with me.” He pulled me across the main salon and into the bathroom. He put the toilet lid down and sat me on top. He closed the door and stepped into the only extra space in the tiny room, the shower.
I pulled my legs up on the stool and hugged my knees.
“Are you mad at me?” he asked.
“Hell, yes,�
� I said. “You totally embarrassed me just now.”
“No, before this. You’ve been distant this morning.”
“Takumi, we almost died yesterday. I may never see my parents again. My brother is…”
Takumi shook his head. “Would you go to Homecoming with me?”
“What?”
“Would you go to Homecoming with me?”
My mouth opened and closed but no sound came out. “You’re crazy,” I finally whispered.
He knelt on the floor next to me and took my hand. This was getting weird. I jerked my hand back.
“Look,” he said. “I never asked a girl to Homecoming. There wasn’t a girl I wanted to ask. Now I’ve met someone and there won’t be a Homecoming dance. But if there was one, would you go with me?”
I tipped my head.
He grinned up at me.
“You are totally insane.” I smiled.
“Well, would you go to Homecoming with me?”
“Okay. Yes, if there was a Homecoming to go to, I would go with you.”
“Good.”
“Is that what you wanted to ask me?”
“Yeah. I know we just met. I know we might not survive all this. But I need to have something, some positive thought, or person to think about. I want to lie in bed at night and imagine what it would be like to go on a date with you. To give you a corsage. To sit with you at a fancy restaurant…”
His eyes began to water and he faced away. I slid to the floor and reached for him. He took me in his arms. We hugged and cried silent tears for all the ways our lives had changed.
I wiped my eyes. “What color dress would I wear?”
“I don’t care…No, wait. Not black.”
“Okay, no black. But pink’s good?”
“Pink’s good. Red would be better.”
“Red, huh?”
“Yeah, I like red.”
“Okay, if we could go to Homecoming, I would wear a red dress.”
“Thanks, Toni.” He took my chin in his hand. Our eyes met and we smiled. Then he kissed me. A soft and gentle kiss.
And my heart became his.
Chapter Fifteen
Twelve Days to Southern California
A loud thud rocked the hull. Takumi and I stared at each other, held hands, and hurried out of the bathroom.
Dylan leapt up the steps and began taking out the boards that sealed in the hatch opening. Nick waited impatiently to follow him. Jervis stood in the main salon cradling Makala in his arms. Zoë nibbled on a pancake and peered out the salon windows.
Fear gripped my stomach. What had we run into?
Another sharp jolt bashed the port side of the boat. A small thump resounded on the right.
Cole leaned on the bedroom door frame. “Dad told us to wait at least a day before opening the hatch.”
Dylan pulled back the hatch cover. “It’s been over eight hours. We can’t sit here and let ourselves get bashed to pieces.”
The whoosh of fresh air startled me. I stood still and breathed it in. I didn’t realized how stale the air in the cabin had become.
Dylan scrambled on deck. “Oh no!” I could hear his footsteps running back and forth across the boat.
“What?” I waited for my turn to climb up. “What’s happening?”
“No!” Dylan kept saying.
I stood on the stern of the boat, my mouth open as my head swiveled from side to side.
The sea around us was covered in floating debris. Broken roof tops, parts of docks, plastic garbage cans, storage bins, and uprooted trees surrounded us. The wreckage seemed to go for miles, although I could see open water to the west. We were in the midst of a swirling current that was taking the refuse from the tsunamis back to shore.
I moved to the starboard side of the boat and held onto the rail. Directly below a man’s flip-flop barely skimmed the surface. A stained-glass window and broken carved front door bashed into the hull. The glass shattered and the frame disappeared into the sea. I thought I saw a piano floating a ways away, but then it was gone. I tried to identify objects in the water, but the wreckage was mostly broken pieces of what had once been.
Dylan and Nick were busy checking out our boat. The mast stood intact, but despite the tape, the lines were terribly tangled. The cockpit cover was bent. Two of the clear plastic windows were ripped and flapping in the breeze.
The jib appeared okay, the duct tape intact, but the line we used to pull it open with had come loose and dangled off the boat. I found where the line entered the water and pulled it. It was caught on something.
Takumi joined me and we tugged together. I loosened my grip and studied the shadows his eyelashes made on his cheeks. He groaned with the effort he was making and I forced myself to concentrate. Whatever was caught on the line was heavy.
“Takumi, wait. It might be caught on the propeller.”
The line went slack. I leaned over the rail for a closer look. A cow’s head popped up, dead eyes staring. I screamed and stumbled back from the rail.
Takumi dropped the line. The cow disappeared under the sea. Takumi put his arm around me and drew me close. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the moment.
Dylan and Nick joined us and leaned over the rail, staring at the submerged cow. I could feel Dylan’s eyes on us.
“You hurt?” Dylan asked.
I stepped away from Takumi. “It just, just, startled me.”
Jervis called out from below deck, “What’s going on?”
I took a deep breath and moved toward the cockpit opening. “We’re floating in a debris field. Keep Makala below.”
I picked the jib line off the deck and looked at Takumi. “Sorry, but we need this line free if we’re ever going to pull out the jib.”
He took the line from me and yanked again. This time I didn’t scream when the cow surfaced. The line was wrapped around and around its neck and body.
Dylan went below, flipped the instrument panel on, and came back up. The navigation screen was cracked. The depth finder wouldn’t turn on.
“They’re shorted out. Ruined. What do we do now?” Dylan paced back and forth across the cockpit, hitting buttons and slapping screens. “What are we going to do without instruments? What are we going to do?”
I had no answer for him. “We’ll take care of this.” I pointed to the cow. “Why don’t you work on the sails?”
He shook his head. “I can’t believe this.” He pulled Nick over to the main and they began peeling off duct tape. The freed lines were a mess. Whenever anyone tugged on one, it clanged against the metal mast and made a ringing sound.
Jervis and Zoë appeared on deck. Zoë held her hand to her mouth as she surveyed the scene.
I glanced back at the cockpit opening. “Where’s Makala?”
“Angelina’s with her.” Jervis made a face when he saw the cow.
“I’ll get the boat hook.” I scrambled to the cockpit, scraped duct tape off a hatch cover, and dug out a long expandable pole with a rubber hook on the end. It was Mom’s favorite tool.
I handed the boat hook to Takumi. “Will this help?”
He pushed the cow and Jervis yanked on the line. The cow began to spin, the line unwound and the cow disappeared into the sea.
The mast rang out again, sounding a chime for the lost cow.
Dylan and Nick moved from the main sail to the jib sail. They cursed as the tape came off in tiny pieces. I left Takumi and Jervis winding up the line that had been around the cow and went below to get scissors.
Cole sat on a cockpit bench, shaking his head.
“You promised to stay in bed.” I scolded him.
He glared at me. I shrugged and climbed down to the cabin below.
Makala and Angelina stood on Jervis’ couch. Makala jumped up and down to see out the windows.
“What’s going on?” Angelina’s eyes were red and swollen.
“Nothing to worry about. Junk from the tsunami. Some of it is kinda gross. We’ll be far out to sea soon. It�
�ll be better there.”
Angelina nodded and hugged Makala.
“Did you get some breakfast?” I gestured to the food on the chart table and found a pair of scissors in a kitchen drawer.
“I want to go up with ‘ervis.” Makala rubbed her eyes.
Angelina rolled a pancake around a sausage link and told Makala to wait.
Makala threw herself on Jervis’s bed.
Angelina grabbed another sausage and picked her sister up.
“No-o-o-o.” Makala kicked and sobbed.
“Makala!” I found the nail polish I’d left on the chart table and waved it in the air. “I bet your sister’s good at painting nails, too.”
Makala stopped wailing and sniffed. “She is.”
Angelina mouthed thanks and sat Makala on her lap.
I took the scissors on deck. Dylan pulled the edges of the jib out. I sliced through the tape, careful not to cut the sail. We moved to the main sail and freed it too. When we had more time, we could get all the tape off, but for now we just needed the sails free.
More and more floating debris surrounded and bashed into us. It was almost as if we attracted it. I couldn’t take my eyes off the water. It was the small things that drew my attention. A plastic flower. A dog ball. A shoe.
How were we going to sail through all this stuff? Wherever we went, there was bound to be more and more. And as bodies decayed, they would float, and…
I gulped in air.
The engine roared to life. Cole stood behind the wheel. “The engine still works.”
Dylan raced back to the helm. “Cole, what the…”
“We have to go. There’s only twelve days left. And we have to get out of this mess. There’s too much. If it gets caught in our prop or damages the hull… Tell the guys to push stuff away with the boat hook as we go. I’ll motor slowly.”
I passed the expandable pole to Dylan. He shoved an uprooted tree away. A raccoon in the branches snarled.
“Is Cole okay to drive?” Dylan asked.
Takumi was standing behind me. “I’ll sit with him.”
Nick watched the tree with the raccoon. “Is there anything else we can use to push debris and keep critters off the boat?”