Chapter Four
I have now calledthe stupid number five times, and there hasn’t been a single answer or response. Why even bother having a phone if you aren’t going to answer it? Poor business practices if you ask me. Also, whoever chose the stupid name for the man’s business was beyond my comprehension: ‘Captain of the Cove.’ Was the man trying to prove a point or something?
After calling the third time, I decided to google the man and the business. Hundreds of pictures pop up in the search engine of a boy and an older gentleman. Apparently, it used to be a co-owned father/son business, but more recently, it was transferred over to the man who continues to not answer the phone. One Cooper Heyes, or “Coop,” as all of the pictures indicate.
I just want to plan out my trip and make sure everything is in order. But this frustrating man and his inability to answer his phone are making my life difficult. I dial the number one more time, hoping that he will pick up. When his voicemail picks up, I almost lose it. I stomp my feet and shriek out a small, high-pitched sound before calming myself to leave another message.
“Hi, it’s Molly Thatcher again. Sorry about all of the messages, but I have a lot of things to plan out for this expedition, and today is the day to plan out my travel itinerary. I have called the airlines, booked flights, made hotel reservations at Coralberry Cottages in Willow Cove, and the only thing I haven’t done is… can you guess? Make arrangements with you.” My voice edges higher and higher as I continue to leave the message. I am just about to continue with my rant when a low, smooth voice answers the call, cutting off the rant I was about to leave on the recording.
“Hello, Miss Thatcher? Molly is it? I just wanted to call you back and let you know that I will be unavailable during those dates. I apologize for not returning your calls, but as a pilot who takes his job very seriously, I can’t answer my phone while flying my plane. That would be irresponsible now, wouldn’t it?” I start to respond, a sinking sensation settling in my gut as his words begin to sink in, just as he cuts me off, causing my words to die in my throat, a whiney, squeaky sound coming out instead. “I can point you toward other pilots in the area, some boating services as well, if that will help, but like I said, I am unavailable.”
The other end of the phone goes quiet as I wait for him to say more, awkward silence settling between the two of us. “Hello, are you still there?”
“Yup, still here, Miss Thatcher, just waiting to see if you need numbers of other services and what not.”
“Oh! Oh… um… I wasn’t planning on you not being available, and Doc told me he has used your company for years. I… uh… are you sure you aren’t available?” I chew on my fingernail as I wait for him to respond, hoping that his schedule has suddenly cleared up.
“Nope, still not available, Miss Thatcher. Let me text you some numbers, and hopefully you can find another company to help you. Bye, Molly.” The line clicks, and I am left stunned, staring at my phone, so many questions bouncing around in my head.
A few text messages come in with listings of other businesses in Willow Cove, and I set my phone down, blowing a raspberry out of my lips as I rest my head on my folded arms.
“What”s wrong with you?” I hear Clara ask from the other side of our shared apartment.
“Life,” my voice comes out in a depressing tone, and Clara laughs, her footsteps nearing the chair I am sitting in.
“Stop with the drama, Molls, what”s goin’ on?” She settles down next to me as I tell her about the phone call. “Ummm, how many times did you say you called the guy?”
“I lost count.” My head falls onto my arms again as I let out a sigh. “Too many?”
“Uh, ya think?” She smacks her hand across the back of my head. “He probably thinks you are some kinda psychopath.”
“Yeah, I know. But I was just trying to get things done, and he wasn’t calling me back,” I whine, cringing over all of the messages I left him. “But yeah, I can see how it might appear as though I am out of my ever living mind.” I slap my hand to my head. Now, both the back and the front are throbbing as I lean my head against the back of the chair. “What the heck am I going to do now Clara?”
“Not sure, babe, but I am sure it’ll all work out. It always does. Even if you are a little off your rocker.” She loops her finger around her ear as she walks back to the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards.
“Whatchya want to eat for dinner tonight, Molls? We have Mac n’ Cheese, Rice-a-Roni, and my personal favorite, ramen noodles.” I roll my eyes at the barebones cupboard options she has given me and push up from the couch. “Let’s have some Rice-a-Roni, but I am making it this time. Last time, you didn’t add chicken, or veggies, or anything extra. It was literally just rice on a plate.” Clara crosses her arms over her chest, a scowl on her face as she sticks her nose up in the air and gracefully lifts it to the sky, retreating from the kitchen in pout mode.
“Hmph. I will remember that the next time you are starving and too hungry to make food because your body isn’t working,” she glares over at me, “Your words, not mine.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You remember that, and I will try not to remember the mushy, bland rice that you made for me. Anyone can stick some rice and water in a pot and stick a cover on top, but it takes a real genius to make a delicious meal out of a box of flavored rice.” I fold my lip up against my front teeth, showing off all of my front teeth in a big, creepy lipless smile, and she laughs at me, throwing a pillow in my direction, just missing the pot of water on the stove.
“Don’t do that, it is so creepy.” She flips on the TV, and I hear Dwight’s voice from ‘The Office’ coming through the speakers, and she is lost in the sitcom world while I make our simple dinner. I brown the rice from the box in massive amounts of butter before adding the diced-up chicken, topping it off with some frozen peas and carrots, before pouring some chicken broth on top and covering it all up. You don’t live with a single dad for most of your life without learning how to spruce up boxed food.
We settle on our porch, facing the ocean breeze while we eat our fancied-up bowls of rice, watching the waves in the distance. Our little beach cottage isn’t very big, and what it doesn’t boast in size or peeling paint, it sure makes up for in location. Who could possibly complain about being able to step outside their home, curling their toes up in the cool sand, and listening to the seagulls calling to the newcomers on the beach? While the cloudy skies and constant rain are something some people can’t handle, I am content with my home by the ocean. This is all I have ever known.
“Do you ever wonder what it would be like to live in a place where you don’t get to see the ocean every day?” Squinting her eyes, Clara shakes her head in response to my question.
“Nope. I don’t. Because I do live in a place where I do get to see the ocean every day. So why would I spend time wondering about things that don’t make sense?” She scrapes her bowl, getting the last bit of rice on her spoon before she stands from her rickety chair. “What has you thinking about weirdo things, Molls?”
I shrug my shoulders, staring out across the sand, the sun going down, causing the clouds to light up in hues of purple, orange, reds, pinks, and blues as it slowly sinks under the water. “No reason, just feeling lucky I guess.” Clara squeezes my shoulder before she heads back inside. Popping her head back outside, she shouts, “Love ya, Molls,” and then disappears as I continue to stare out at the ocean. I wonder how different Willow Cove will be from Arcadia Bay? They can’t be too different; they both have the ocean, they both have the sand, and they’re both small towns. I can’t wait for the next couple of months to pass, so I can finally experience the one place I’ve been dreaming about for years.