Chapter 7
Sophia was waiting for the other Triple B Gals at the Sea Bird Diner.
She arrived early because she wanted time to call Vera, whom she hadn’t spoken to in a week.
It had been a long time since they talked every day while up in Pacifica.
It was a minor miracle for Vera to find the time with four kids at home, all of whom went to three different schools.
Vera Stanski was forty-five and Vince’s only sibling.
They dropped the “in-law” part a long time ago and were like true sisters.
Neither had a biological sister, so they were beyond grateful to have each other in their lives.
Her job as a full-time mother started at dawn and wound down when the fourth child’s head hit the pillow.
She never complained and bragged that she had the best job in the entire world.
Vera was consistently optimistic and pulled Sophia up after her brother, Vince, died.
Vince was equally optimistic until his last month, when an unexplainable fog took over.
When Vera couldn’t pull him through, it was clear that something serious was wrong.
They spoke a lot about Vince at first. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Sophia to call Vera in the middle of the night.
It tapered off, and now they spoke of him with smiles on their faces and love in their hearts.
It was a journey that brought them to a good place.
“I was hoping today would be the day. You called, and I’m so excited,” Vera said. “You remembered the exact time when I dropped off the last kid. DJ didn’t want to go to school this morning, but I knew he wasn’t really sick.”
“How’d you know? Amanda would tell me she was sick, and I believed her. I’m sure most of the time, there was a reason she wanted to skip that had nothing to do with how she felt.”
“I knew DJ had a science test. He studied, but he wasn’t too confident, so there was that, and he had a league baseball game yesterday. He pitched for six innings and didn’t complain of even a tickle in his throat. As far as Amanda goes, she was too clever for you at the time.”
“I failed at the beginning, but I got better,” Sophia said in her defense.
“You’re darn right that you did. DJ is sixteen, and I had time to figure him out.
Amanda was dropped in your lap when she was nine.
You wanted her to be happy and were willing to do anything to please her.
She knew it, and like most kids, she took advantage of it for a while.
I love how you didn’t react when she came home looking like a rebel. That was genius parenting.”
“Her grades didn’t take a nose dive, so I didn’t care much what she did with her hair. What else is new besides DJ’s crisis?” Sophia asked.
“I’m coming down to Morro Bay for an entire week, if the offer is still open,” Vera said.
“Of course, the offer still stands. There’s plenty of room, and with the bunks, I can host the entire family. I’ll never forgive you if you book a motel.”
“No need. I’m coming alone. The kids and Dan are staying home, and his sister is coming to town.
Dan will take a few days off, so he’ll be driving the world’s trickiest carpool.
It’s Dan’s twentieth anniversary gift to me.
It’s the China anniversary, and we don’t use anything breakable in this house, so that’s meaningless.
The gift of my sanity is priceless and more thoughtful than anything he’s ever given me,” Vera said.
“My day, week, and entire summer are made. I get uninterrupted access to you for an entire week. Text me the dates, and I can start planning for things to do,” Sofia said.
“I don’t care if we do nothing out of the ordinary.
Morro Bay has a lot of the same things available as San Francisco.
There’s good food, whale watching, and breathtaking sunsets.
I don’t need another tourist-driven day.
Why does every visitor want to go whale watching?
We never see whales, and half the time they get seasick.
Hanging with my bestie and sleeping in will be idyllic. ”
“I can’t wait. My birdwatching friends just walked in, so I have to go. I love you and can’t wait for your visit.” Sophia turned her phone to vibrate and pushed it into her pocket.
“Hello,” Sage said. Sophia stood and gave her a warm hug.
She was the only one she had met before.
Eight more women carrying binoculars poured in.
“I see you brought your binocs. I have some extra pairs of wading boots in a couple of different sizes. The outfitter always gets pairs with flaws that they just give to me since the Triple B Gals go birding five or six times a year.”
Sage introduced her to the other gals. She wouldn’t remember all their names, but surely they’d understand.
They were as young as twenty-five and as old as sixty-five.
Sophia felt immediately at ease because the other women were.
One in particular started calling the birds by their scientific names.
Sophia thought she was in way over her head until Wanda spoke up.
“Please stop showing off, Opal. I’m more likely to call it a little brown bird. We all know you worked at Yosemite, but we simply want to look at the pretty birds,” Wanda said good-naturedly.
Opal laughed. “I’m sorry, I can’t help but geek out on this stuff. I won’t use the long scientific term if you strive to call it a sparrow instead of the small brown bird.”
“Deal,” Wanda said with a smile.
They drank coffee and chatted about what they had been up to lately. They were a neat group of women from all walks of life. Charity was a twenty-five-year-old nurse, and Wanda was a fifty-year-old retired long-haul truck driver. Once again, Janet did not steer her wrong.
They made their way to the Morro Bay Estuary, which was managed by the state of California.
The Pacific Flyway was overhead, meaning twice a year migrating birds flew overhead towards their seasonal destination.
Bird watchers from all over the world came to Morro Bay to get a glance, and it was a boon to the local economy.
Sophia quickly learned why the rubber waders were necessary.
They walked onto the salt marshes, best exposed at low tide.
Several great blue herons stood majestically, joined on the marsh by snowy egrets.
They didn’t look real until the ones looking into the streams plunged their heads into the water and came up with a fish.
Sophia looked up to see red-tailed hawks being chased by crows. They were probably hoping the stealthy hawk would drop its prey.
“Look to the south. Coming into view is a bald eagle,” Opal called out, and everyone raised their binoculars.
“That is one big, dark bird with a white head and a yellow beak,” Wanda said jokingly.
There was a photographer among them who had been snapping photos the entire time. Sophia couldn’t wait to see the final snaps. The eagle dove to pick something out of the ocean, where it fed the river. The bird’s power was ten times as intense as she had seen in any wildlife documentary.
They started walking back to the cars as the sun’s angle changed. The birds were more active at certain times of day than others.
“This was more than I imagined. With all the movies we have enhanced with artificial intelligence, nothing comes close to what I saw today,” Sophia said to Sage.
“I agree. Before I became a school administrator, I was a fourth-grade teacher. Coming to the estuary was a favorite field trip because even the most jaded student was impressed. Nature has a power over us that few other things have. I think anyone who has spent time in Morro Bay knows that. Eva will be sorry she missed today, although I’m sure Hawaii has plenty to offer. ”
“That’s right, I wanted to meet Eva.”
“I heard you called her boyfriend, now fiancé. According to her, it changed the trajectory of their relationship. Chaz whisked her away, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she came back as Mrs. Livingston,” Sage said. They stopped by her car to say goodbye.
“I love a happy ending. I’m flattered that they think I had anything to do with it. What’s up next for the gals?” Sophia asked.
“Art Wednesday, of course. In the summer, every gallery along the Embarcadero is open late and serves wine and snacks. It is a great showcase for local artists. You’re on the text chain now, and I hope to see you there. I have to pick up my dog from day care, and I’m late, which costs a fortune.”
“See you soon, and thanks for convincing me to give the Triple B Gals a try.”
Sophia walked to the car and noted that the harbor was nearly full.
She had heard that the tourism business took a hit during Covid and was struggling to recover.
There were only a couple of slots open. She looked at the collection of boats docked and scanned the names.
Most were named for women, as boats were often gendered as female.
Her eye snagged on one in particular, named Go Kitty.
Below it, San Francisco was listed as the home port.
It was probably named for someone’s cat or a person.
It wasn’t a common name, nor was it rare either.
Sophia increased the intensity of her lenses, which were high-quality from Janet’s house.
She could see the woman on board, pouring out of a bikini.
“Well, what do you know? Derrik and Kitty Wiles were docked in Morro Bay,” Sophia said to herself.
It was probably a coincidence, but she suspected it was more than that. Sophia had a feeling the Wiles were following her, and maybe it was because of what she had recently learned about them. It didn’t make much sense, so she tried to forget about it.