Chapter 32
thirty-two
“Are you sure it’s still Tuesday? This day’s been three days long, and it’s only three o’clock,” Lola says as she clicks her lighter, and I watch the tip of her cigarette glow red and fade to orange. Taking a deep drag, her eyelids drift shut.
“Time zone changes are diabolical,” Mabel says, while she roots through her fanny pack. It’s purple and covered in rhinestones and matches her sun visor. She’s a walking disco ball.
“You went all out with the ensemble today, Mabel. Summer bling, I like it,” I tell her.
Her head turns in my direction, and though I can’t see her eyes behind the giant sunglasses, I can feel them on me.
“I vacationed with Elton John in Miami in the early nineties, and he left them in the trunk of my car. I only wear them for special occasions, and I thought California and Gus would appreciate the sparkle.” She lowers the sunglasses and winks before pushing them back into place and resuming the search in her bag.
“You look bangin’,” Lola compliments as she blows smoke behind her.
Mabel smiles sweetly, “I know, sugar,” as she hands her a stick of turkey jerky. “You need some protein.”
Lola takes it. “I really do, thanks. Jet lag is a little bitch.”
I don’t think jet lag is the issue, considering the flight was only two and a half hours long and hopped one time zone. I suspect there’s another culprit. “How many gummies did you guys take in the car on the way to the airport?” I ask.
“One,” Lola says as she tears the plastic wrapper with her teeth. “And then another one when we were in the TSA line because Mabel realized she had a few loose in her jacket pocket.”
Mabel looks at me and shakes her head solemnly. “Didn’t need to ruin the whole trip and spend the night in the clink. Did that once in Mexico, and it’s not something I’d like to repeat. We took one for the team.”
They bump fists.
I raise my hand over my head, three fingers extended.
Lola does the same, cigarette clamped firmly between her pointer and middle fingers, bows her head, and says, “This is probably what Katniss felt like.”
Before I can laugh at these two, a minivan rolls up to the curb, and when the tinted passenger window rolls down, Jesse hangs his arm out and asks, “You hotties need a ride?” as the back door slides open.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Mabel says.
“Does the van come with candy?” I ask as I climb in.
Ever’s in the driver’s seat, focused on his phone, but he laughs quietly. Knowing the amount of stress he’s under, distraction, even if it’s only a moment of laughter, is necessary. It feels like a small victory every time I hear it.
As I slide into the third-row seat next to Benji, I ask, “How was your first flight?” He sat with Lola and Mabel a few rows ahead of the rest of us on the plane.
“Awesome. The flight attendant gave me extra snacks and a second Coke.”
“Bonus. Nice.” Then I call out, “Ev, you have the address for the Airbnb?”
“Got it,” he calls out over the radio. “Looks like it’s a thirty-minute drive.”
A half hour later, our jaws collectively drop as we pull into the driveway of a cozy Spanish-style home whose backyard is the Pacific Ocean.
Jesse peeks around the headrest and says, “First time seeing the ocean is a religious experience, even if you aren’t religious. You never forget it.”
“Skinny dipping in the Pacific Ocean is on my bucket list,” Mabel says. “It’s the only one that’s eluded me.”
“Let’s maybe put a pin in that until after dark,” I tell her.
As we’re unloading the van, a woman emerges from the house next door and crosses the lush lawn.
“You must be Gus’s friends,” she says as she walks toward us.
She’s tall, and though dressed casually in long shorts and a button-down shirt, she looks put together and stylish.
Her shoulder-length blonde hair is curled and not a hair is out of place.
She might be intimidating if she didn’t have such a kind face.
When she reaches us, she extends a hand to me first since I’m closest. “I’m Audrey, Gus’s mom. I live next door and want to welcome you all to San Diego. We’re so pleased you’re here.”
Damn, she’s nice. The apple certainly didn’t fall far from the tree, is all I can think as I shake her hand. Gus even looks like her.
Audrey takes the time to shake everyone’s hand and get our names and then walks us to the front door before typing in the code on the keypad.
“Fridge and cupboards are stocked with snacks and drinks if you’re hungry or thirsty after the flight.
I texted Gus when I saw you drive in. He only lives a few houses away, so I imagine they’ll be in touch soon.
Until then, I’ll let you get settled in.
Please don’t hesitate to come knock on my door if there’s anything you need. ”
A synchronized “Thank you,” answers her, and we all laugh because it sounds rehearsed.
“She’s so nice.” Lola stretches out the word to drive the point home, as soon as Audrey walks out the door. “How are they all so fucking nice?”
We all nod. “I think that might be the nicest human I’ve ever met.”
The house is a ranch. It looked small from the street, but it feels a lot bigger inside because it has a lower level that opens up to the beach.
After a quick walk-through, we all insist Mabel take the primary suite upstairs, Benji claims the oversized sofa in the living room, and the rest of us divide up the three small bedrooms downstairs.
Minutes later we’re all standing barefoot in the sand, watching the waves roll in. The mountains at home are beautiful. But the ocean? I’m speechless.
When I look over at Lola, tears are rolling down her cheeks. She catches my eye and smiles. “Mom would’ve loved this.”
We don’t talk about our parents often, especially Lola.
We made a silent pact years ago to seal off the past and leave it there so we could move on.
Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, I pull her in for a side hug.
“She would’ve.” Our mom, like us, never traveled outside the state she was born in, but she always told us that someday we were going to take a road trip to California to see the ocean.
I don’t know if she had other dreams because that was the only one she ever shared.
She sniffs after a few seconds. “Mother Nature isn’t subtle, is she?”
“Not even a little bit,” I answer, astonished by the sight in front of me. “It doesn’t feel real.”
She shakes her head, unable to speak. Lola’s always been an emotional person, but it’s rare that she exposes her soft side. And when she does, a phantom ache throbs in me, our sister bond is strong.
Mabel’s rolling up the cuffs of her beige linen pants to her knees. “Who’s going in with me?”
Jesse and Benji volunteer without a word. She takes each of their hands when they offer, and we watch them meet the tide rolling in a few yards away. Mabel lets out a whoop of delight when the water climbs mid-calf. And now I’m the one tearing up.
Ever walks up behind me, and his large hands give my shoulders a gentle squeeze. “You going in?”
“I think I’m more an admire the water from outside it, than inside it, kind of girl.”
There aren’t many people on the beach, and I wonder if Californians are desensitized to the beauty. If I lived here, I don’t think I’d ever go inside.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and when I pull it out and glance at the screen, it’s Scout calling.
“Hi, Scout.”
“Hi, Sophie.”
We’ve only emailed and texted, so this is the first time hearing her voice. There’s a faint accent that I can’t place yet.
“Do you guys have plans tonight?” she asks. Without a doubt, she’s a New Yorker.
“Let me put you on speaker.” I tap the screen and hold the phone so Ever can hear. “Ever’s here with me. I don’t think we have any plans tonight, do we?” I ask.
“No, other than taking in the view. What did you guys have in mind?” Ever asks.
“Audrey and I were just talking, and we thought tonight might be a good chance to get everyone together at her house. We’ll make tacos and hang out. Sound good?”
I look at Ever and Lola, who are both nodding.
“Yeah, that sounds like a plan. What time?”
“Umm…” she pauses like she’s checking the time. “Let’s shoot for six.”
“What can we bring?” I ask.
“Just an empty stomach. Audrey’s tacos are to die for, and she always makes enough for an army. Any dietary restrictions?”
“Nope.”
“We’ll see you in a bit, then.”
“Thanks, Scout. Bye.”
“Bye.”
When I disconnect, Lola is crying again.
“What’s wrong, Lo?”
She shakes her head and fans her hand in front of her eyes like she’s trying to clear the tears. “Too much weed and I’m PMSing something fierce, but we’re in California, and we’re going to have dinner with a rock star in a few hours.”
I frown, but it instantly turns into a smile. “You’ve eaten dinner with a rock star every night for a week now,” I tease.
She laughs, but it comes out blubbery. “Sorry, Ever, but I know you had diarrhea after that spicy curry a few days ago. You’ve been humanized. Unless Gus shits his pants at dinner, the glamour is still firmly in place. Hell, I could probably even look past that.”
“It would definitely take more than shitting his pants for me,” Ever says, straight-faced.
I laugh at them both. “What about Jesse? He’s an emerging rock star?” I ask.
She shades her eyes with her hand and looks out at Jesse in the water with Benji and Mabel and shakes her head. “That one’s complicated.”
Cryptic. Ever and I side-eye each other, asking silently what we’ve missed.
Lola continues, but she’s quieter, like she’s talking to herself, “I can’t believe we’re here. It’s like a dream. My son is standing in the fucking ocean right now, Soph.”
When her eyes find mine, the sincerity in them kills me. She’s always so positive and headstrong that sometimes I forget she has a vulnerable, gooey center.
“I just feel so grateful. Like it’s all so much that it’s overwhelming, you know?” She sniffs and wipes her nose with the back of her hand.
I nod and pull her into a hug. “I know, Lo. Me too.” I pat her back a few times, and when I hear her exhale, she relaxes in my embrace, and it’s like she’s been given permission. “Why don’t you take a nap before dinner?” For the first time in years, I can feel her exhaustion. She masks it well.
“But I’m on vacation,” she mumbles into my chest like she’s already half asleep. “My first one ever.”
“Exactly.” I loosen my grip on her and step back, taking her face in my hands and looking her in the eye. “You’ve earned some rest, Mama. We won’t let Benji drown, I promise.”
She sniffs again. “Or Mabel?”
“Or Mabel,” I confirm.
She smiles. “Love you.”
“Love you more.”