2. 3
“But no one else did,” she said.
“Did what?”
“Support you.”
He smiled a bit ruefully. “You saw that old family photo. I think everyone already figured I was the mailman’s kid.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, I like you exactly the way you are.” She held up her fist. “Comrades in nerdhood.”
He gave a short laugh and humored her with a fist bump.
At her house, she said, “See you tomorrow.”
“Julia.”
She turned, and felt her heart lurch at the look on his face. She waited, frozen in – what? Fear? Anticipation? But he only peered at her a moment.
“See you tomorrow,” he said.
He backed away, shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to go. She watched him walk down the street, away from her.
During her break from work the next day, Julia found William leaning against the side of the building, staring off at the water and the boats.
“How’s it going?”
He jumped at the sound of her voice, but he said, “Half the guys back there are stoned out of their minds.”
“It’s practically a requirement of the job. When I didn’t see you in there, I was afraid my dad had already fired you.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“So, how are you holding up?”
“Fine,” he said. Typical William. Had she really expected him to complain?
“What do you do out here all by yourself on your breaks?”
“Look out at the boats and wish I was on one of them.”
She followed his eyes to the boats in their slips. “You could be.”
“Could be what?”
“On one of them. ”
He said nothing, and she felt her mouth curling into an involuntary smile as a new thought occurred to her.
“Why did you take this dishwashing job, anyway?”
He shrugged. “It’s a stepping stone to a cook position.”
“That’s no guarantee, especially with my dad. Is that really something you want to do? Be a professional cook?”
“Sure,” he said, but he still refused to make eye contact, and drummed his fingertips on the railing of the pier.
She decided to have mercy on him and change the subject. “What’s the furthest out you’ve been on a boat?”
“I’ve been as far as 150 miles off shore, during albacore tuna season. That’s where the warm water edge sits at the beginning of summer, so that’s where you find the tuna.”
“Do you make it back in the same day, or do you have to spend the night on the water?”
“That time, it was a three week trip.”
“Holy crap! When did you do that?”
“Last summer.”
“And your parents let you do that? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“I made a lot of money off that trip.”
Julia shook her head. “One hundred and fifty miles. I’ve never been that far out on a boat.”
“It’s farther than I’ve been by land.”
“You’re kidding.”
He laughed, shook his head. “When would I ever have a reason to go that far?”
“I don’t know. To visit family? Go to Disneyland?”
“All of the family we know well enough to visit are right here in the Bay Area. And when do my parents ever take vacations?”
“Don’t your extended family ever take you anywhere with them?”
He shrugged.
Julia was stumped. “So what’s the furthest you’ve ever been by land?”
“Maybe fifty miles.”
“You’re joking.”
“When you live and work here,” he said, gesturing out to their view of the Golden Gate Bridge, “why would you ever need to go anywhere else? Unless it’s sailing out the Gate onto the open ocean.”
“I hear you. I’ve asked my parents for another trip to the Farallones for my birthday this year, but it’s not looking good. Those excursions are expensive.”
His eyebrows raised. “When is your birthday?”
“It’s in October.”
“That’s good. You might still see blue whales then.”
“That’s my dream. Have you ever seen one?”
“No, but my uncle has.” He hesitated a moment. “Speaking of which, I was thinking about your history project.”
She gave a short laugh. “What does any of that have to do with my history project?”
“You could talk to my uncle about what he does. My mom’s family has been fishing out of San Francisco for almost a hundred years.”
Julia considered a moment. “That’s a good idea.”
“I think it meets all your requirements. Holly said it has to be something that’s going the way of the history books. Plus, it used to be that nearly all the fishermen here were Italian, but that’s not true anymore.”
“You’re right; it’s perfect. Can you put me in touch with your uncle?”
“We could go out on my uncle’s boat one day before the salmon fishery closes at the end of September. You could interview him then. It would kill two birds with one stone.”
“How’s that?”
“My uncle’s boat would take us right by the Farallones. An early birthday present.”
She felt her pulse quickening in spite of herself. And not just at the prospect of going to the Farallones after all, but because he had thought of it for her birthday.
Until she remembered.
“My parents would never let me go. Not on a boat, by myself, with two men. I’m sorry, but they’re from another century.”
He thought for a moment. “They can come too, if they want. Or maybe they’d accept my mom as a suitable chaperone? ”
She smiled. “They might agree in the name of my education. I’ll ask them tomorrow morning.”
After a while, he glanced at his watch. “I have to get back inside.”
“What time do you get off work?”
“When the job is done. Maybe around 10:30.”
“You must be exhausted when you get home. How do you get your homework done?”
He shrugged. “I don’t need a lot of sleep. That, plus lots and lots of coffee.”
“Do you have to take the bus home, or does somebody at least pick you up?”
“I drive home.”
“Really? You have a car?”
He shook his head. “A motorcycle.”
“You’re joking.”
He beckoned her around the corner of the building to where he had parked a motorcycle quite illegally against the back of the building.
“Jesus Christ. I don’t even know what I’m looking at here,” she admitted.
“It’s a 1985 Yamaha V-Max.”
“Like I know what that means.”
“My brother would say it’s a Shelby Cobra without the training wheels.”
“Yeah, you’re still speaking in code. How long have you had this thing?”
“My family gave it to me for my birthday. Actually, it was mostly Mike’s doing. He found it and fixed it up for me. It was practically ready for the scrap pile before that.”
“How obliging of him to give you something to commit suicide on for your eighteenth birthday.”
He smirked. “Have you ever ridden on a motorcycle?”
“Me? No.”
“Do you want to go for a ride?”
Her heart leaped into her throat. “What, now?”
“I can take you home tonight. I brought an extra helmet. ”
“I’d catch hell on earth from my parents if I rode with you on that thing. Especially at night.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Okay.”
“Oh, Jesus. You either think I’m a prig or I’m trying to brush you off.”
“Are you?”
“Which one, a prig or brushing you off?”
“Either.”
“Definitely a prig.”
He checked his watch. “Break’s up.”
She groaned. “Fine, I’ll do it. Meet me at your bike after close. I’ll come up with some cover story for my parents, but if you’re out of a job tomorrow, don’t blame me.”
He smiled slightly, and watched her go back inside.
“Bye,” Julia called breezily to her parents as she passed the office after close. “I caught a ride home with someone.”
“With who?” her father demanded.
“Holly was passing by on the way home from her job. She’s waiting outside.”
Julia didn’t wait for more questions or for them to detect what a bad liar she was. She strode down the hallway as fast as she could, carrying all of her belongings, and burst out the back door.
She found him already waiting there, leaning casually against the wall, neither concerned nor in any hurry.
“Let’s go,” she said breathlessly.
He took his time opening the saddlebag and flinched as she practically hurled her belongings in there.
“We’d better hurry,” she explained.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, I just don’t want them to see us.”
“Who?”
“My parents. ”
The threat of her parents did not add any urgency to his pace. He handed her a helmet and said, “Put this on.”
She fumbled with it, and said, “How does this thing work?”
He smiled and came toward her. Turned the helmet 180 degrees from the way she had it, and lowered it onto her head. Hovering just over her, he buckled the strap and tightened it under her chin.
Then he put on his own helmet and mounted the motorcycle. At her bewildered look, he said, “Put your foot on the footpeg here, and swing your leg over.”
She complied gingerly, suddenly shy at sitting so close behind him, straddling him with her legs.
He turned his head back and said, “Hold on to my waist.”
Overcome with embarrassment, she touched his waist with her fingertips.
“You’re gonna need to hold on tighter than that.”
She half-suspected he was trying to take advantage of the situation. But with the deafening blast of the engine a second later, she squeezed him around the waist as tight as she could.
“Jesus Christ.”
The sound of her own voice did not reach her ears. Before she knew what was happening, the motorcycle roared down the alley and onto the street.
At first, she held on for dear life and stared straight ahead at his back. But after a few minutes, she felt confident enough to relax and look around a bit. She had a feeling that he was holding back for her sake, and frankly, she was thankful for it. She was also thankful that he took the direct route home.
She had to admit, it was even a little bit fun as they roared through the Presidio, down through Golden Gate Park, where she could smell the eucalyptus trees in the park in a way she never could in her father’s car. William’s loud pipes turned heads wherever they went, and she did not know whether to feel embarrassed or, perhaps, a tiny bit thrilled.
When they finally blasted into the Sunset and pulled up in front of her house, he killed the engine. The sudden silence hurt her ears almost as much as his engine had at first. He turned to look back at her, and she realized he was waiting for her to hop down from the bike first .
She performed the task as delicately as possible, and then he swung himself off deftly and removed his helmet. She removed hers as well, and handed it to him. He opened the saddlebag and handed over her belongings.
When she could finally hear herself think again, she said, “Why does it have to be so loud?”
“It was Mike who tricked this thing out for me. And I keep it that way because if other drivers can hear me, they might also see me.”
“Right, that’s why.” At his bemused expression, she added, “Don’t try to convince me it doesn’t turn you on.”
A flash from the front window of the house caught their attention, and they watched the curtain drop.
Julia’s face burned. “My sister is spying.”
He backed away toward his bike. “See you Monday.”
“Thanks for the ride.”
“Any time.”
“It was fun, but I’m afraid this will be the first and last time. Unless you’re done working for my dad.”
He said nothing, and she didn’t get a read on his expression because he dropped his helmet over his head. She made her way up the walkway, and as she opened the front door of the house, she heard the engine blast. When she turned to look, he was already gone.
Alison was there as soon as she walked through the door. “Was that who I think it was?”
“Probably. Oh, and thanks for spying, by the way. It scared him off good and proper.”
Alison covered her mouth with her hands, but her eyes were laughing. “Sorry.”
Julia brushed past her toward the staircase, but Alison stopped her with a hand on her arm.
“Hey, don’t be mad at me. I heard those pipes and thought a biker bar had opened across the street. If I had known it was your man, I wouldn’t have looked.”
“He’s not my man.”
“Well it sure as hell looked like it, the way you two were making eyes at each other. ”
“I know this may be a different concept for you, but a girl can talk to a guy without fucking him.”
“Well then, why was he bringing you home?”
“He offered to bring me home. What do you want me to say?”
Alison touched her arm again. “Jesus, don’t be so defensive. Come on; come in here with me. Let’s catch up.”
Reluctantly, Julia followed her into the in-law unit and took a seat beside her on the sofa. “Do you like him?” asked Alison.
“Of course I like him.”
“You know what I mean.”
Julia’s heart, mind, and body had been a riot of conflicting feelings all day long. “Yes.”
“Great. And he obviously likes you.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because he wouldn’t waste his time if he didn’t at the very least want to get in your pants. So what else has been going on with you two? Is it just lust, or is it something more?”
Julia told her about his idea for both her history project and her birthday.
“Julie, you know he wouldn’t go to this much trouble unless he was really, seriously into you. He comes to the restaurant on July fourth just to see you. He takes a job as a dishwasher at the restaurant for no other discernible reason than to be near you. He forces himself upon you as a lab partner. And now this. What are you waiting for, an engraved invitation?”
Julia had to finally admit that she was probably right. “Why doesn’t he just say something, or do something?”
“He is doing something. But he obviously doesn’t feel confident making a run for first base. You’re going to have to do it.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
Alison threw up her hands in disbelief. “Why not?”
“Uncle Rob told me that he regretted putting his dreams for himself on hold in order to be with Tim. I don’t want to have to choose.”
“Why does it have to be a choice?”
“Did you know William has never travelled beyond fifty miles from home? He would no more fit in in Santa Barbara than he would in Uzbekistan. Besides, he’s going to get a scholarship somewhere else. We’d have to live far apart for at least four years. A decade, if I get my doctorate. The odds of that working out in our favor are slim.”
“Take a piece of advice from your sister, who has much, much more experience than you do. It almost strains credibility, how sweet he is. In fact, I’m not really sure I buy it.” She took Julia’s hand. “Enjoy it now, for whatever it is. You still have your whole senior year to finish. Worry about the future later.”
“I don’t think I can operate that way.”
“Suit yourself. But you’re over-thinking it.” Alison rose from the sofa, still holding Julia’s hand. “Come with me a minute.”
Julia allowed Alison to lead her to her bedroom. Alison gestured for her to close the door, then opened a dresser drawer and handed Julia a sealed packet of birth control pills.
“Just in case,” Alison said.