03 The Fate Of The Muse - Marina's Tales (4 page)

“Good morning honey! How was the prom?”

“It was alright,” I said, “How are you
feeling this morning?”

Abby smiled as she stroked her pregnant
belly, “I’m good, just a little more tired than usual. I’m sorry I
didn’t stay up to see you get in, Cruz told me that Evie came by to
take you all out. That was sure nice of her.”

“Yeah… nice,” I said. I hoped Ethan was over
it by now.

“Do you want to go with me to the farmer’s
market?” she asked.

I smiled, “I was just on my way there.”

She got up to get ready, pressing her hand on
the small of her back. I offered to drive, and when we got to the
market we went our separate ways, agreeing to meet up later. I made
a bee line for Ethan’s booth, disappointed to see his friend Long
standing there with him.

Long was the grandson of Lue Khang, Ethan’s
employer and my confidant. A wise and kind man, Lue seemed to know
all about the mermaid’s presence and my connection to them. His
Hmong beliefs considered them to be part of the natural world– he
thought I was good luck. His grandson didn’t see things that way at
all. Long viewed me with suspicion and fear, believing that I was
using supernatural powers to manipulate and control Ethan. Little
did he know, somewhere deep down inside, I was afraid of the same
thing.

I slowed my pace and approached them
cautiously. They were engrossed in an intense conversation and
didn’t notice me until I came right up to them. When they looked up
at me both of their faces were serious, clouded over and
unhappy.

“What happened?” I asked, looking back and
forth between them, suddenly alarmed.

“I gotta go,” said Long. He walked away,
taking care to avoid me.

“Come here,” Ethan said, walking to the back
of his stand to meet me with open arms. He wrapped himself around
me, clinging to me tightly. He seemed even more in need of a hug
than I was.

“Uhm, no pun intended, but why the long
face?” I asked, pulling back to look up into his eyes.

“We just got some really bad news. There’s a
problem with Lue’s land,” he said unhappily, “Apparently the
government’s seizing it and there’s nothing we can do about
it.”

“What?” I was confused, “I thought he owned
it.”

“He does,” he said grimly. “But we just found
out that they can
still
take it from him. They just have to
say it’s for the public good. If they prove it’ll be put to a
better use they can force him to sell it to someone else.”

“But that’s crazy!” I exclaimed, “What better
use?”

He looked angry, “There’s a developer that
has plans for a seaside resort and golf course.” He snorted
bitterly, “They call it ‘eminent domain’. Our congressman wants the
tax dollars it’ll bring in.”

“Your land too?” I asked, horrified. It was
everything he’d been working so hard for. It was his future– our
future. I had seen his house…

“Everything,” he said with a sorrowful shake
of his head, “Including the fields on either side of Lue’s.”

I stood rooted to the spot, stunned, as he
turned to help a customer. Ethan’s land meant everything to him– it
was his stake in the ground, something permanent in a world where
the rug could be pulled out from under you at any minute. I thought
about the injustice of it and started to feel a familiar flicker of
anger welling up inside of me. I began pacing back and forth. When
Ethan returned I looked at him with blazing eyes.

“They can’t do this!” I seethed, “We have to
fight them!”

Ethan looked dejected, shaking his head
mournfully, “Lue already talked to a lawyer. We can’t afford to
fight the government and the developer… They got a lot of power,
and even more money.”

“Evie has lots of lawyers– she can help us!”
I suddenly had a newfound appreciation of Evie’s deep pockets, and
the way her money could be used for a good cause.

Ethan looked at me reproachfully, “Even Evie
can’t fix everything. This is the government we’re talking about,”
he said glumly, setting his jaw stubbornly, “Besides, I don’t want
to owe her anything. I won’t start out that way.”

“But–”

He came closer and inspected my face, “What
did she have to say last night?”

I had forgotten about my problems for a
minute, and I looked down. I didn’t want to burden him with any
more troubles.

“Tell me,” he demanded, his voice tense.

“I have to meet with them in two weeks,” I
said quietly.

“Where?” he asked. He knew exactly what I was
talking about.

“Paris,” I looked up to meet his worried
eyes, “We’re going to say Evie’s taking me for the fashion
shows.”

He exhaled loudly, taking me in his arms
again, “How long will you be gone?”

“A few days… She said a week at the
most.”

“What’s gonna happen?” he asked, pressing his
forehead to mine.

“Aunt Evie says they’ll only ask me some
questions... We worked out what to say– It’ll be okay.”

When another customer arrived we broke apart
reluctantly. I watched as Ethan patiently listened and gave a man
advice about how to prune fruit trees. Both of our worlds had just
been turned upside down, and yet, he was as constant and steady as
ever. The unfairness of the situation was staggering, and I had the
strangest sensation that it was somehow my fault.

I took a seat in the back of the booth and
quietly observed Ethan as he worked, my heart swelling with love. I
could see his gentleness and grace, his persistence, and the
protective way he kept looking back to check on me.

“What?” he asked, when he glanced over to
meet my gaze.

“Nevermind,” I said, getting up to give him a
quick peck on the lips, “I’m going to go check on Lue.”

I walked around the back of the farm stands
until I came across Lue Khang, sitting alone, staring pensively
into his teacup.

“Hey Lue,” I said softly, announcing my
presence.

He smiled weakly, “Hello water girl.”

“I can’t believe it,” I said sympathetically,
biting my lip.

There was pain in his eyes when they met
mine, “How can this happen?” he shook his head sadly, “This is
America… People are free in America…”

I slipped into a seat next to him, “Exactly
what did they tell you?”

“Congressman Hill won’t meet me, and a lawyer
says there’s nothing to do.”

“We have to fight them,” I said
defiantly.

He looked defeated, his hooded eyes clouded
with sorrow, “My fighting days are over.”

“It’s not right,” I said indignantly, feeling
my anger strengthen, rising up like the tide. “There has to be a
way to stop them.”

“It is my fate,” he shrugged with
resignation, suddenly looking as old and tired as a worn out
shoe.

Now I was seething. Lue had given up
everything for this country, fighting in the hills of Laos for
American interests in a secret war that ended decades ago. He’d
suffered unimaginable hardships to emigrate here, and to reunite
his family. Despite everything he’d endured, I’d never seen Lue
without a twinkle in his eye.

“It’s not possible– It can’t be,” I said
vehemently, my voice harsh. I’d seen the future, and Ethan’s house
standing on that piece of land. It was Ethan’s land. It was his
destiny.

I jumped to my feet, lips tight, fists
clenched.

“Marina,” Lue’s sad eyes looked up at me with
a warning, “Don’t give in to anger. Anger is poisonous.”

“Not when the cause is just,” I spat out
bitterly, thinking about how anger gave me the strength to overcome
Peter, “Sometimes it gives us the will to change things.”

“Ah,” he said, “But it is a fire that can
consume even the vessel that holds it.”

“Don’t worry about me,” I said, patting him
on his hand, “I can handle it.”

I went back to Ethan’s stand to find Abby
engrossed in conversation with Ethan, her hands on her hips.
Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who was angry.

I kissed Ethan goodbye and drove Abby home.
She was fuming, seeing the government’s plans to seize Lue Khang’s
land as a personal assault on all that she held dear. The farmer’s
market was Abby’s favorite place, and she loved visiting all the
local organic farmers, many of whom were her friends. She wasn’t
about to take the news lying down. By the time we got home there
were big plans in the works. We were going to stage a protest.

“What if we made it a fund-raiser?” I asked,
“For Lue Khang’s legal defense?”

Abby smiled brightly and I could see the
wheels turning, “Yes! We can have entertainment… and speakers, and
food.”

“Megan could sing!” I added.

“We could get the local news to send a
reporter… When people find out what’s going on they’ll be shocked!
Maybe Congressman Hill will pull his support if the public turns
against him.”

Abby and I spent the rest of the afternoon
coming up with names of community leaders we’d want to speak at our
rally. By the time Ethan and Dutch showed up for dinner, the date
was set and some phone calls had already been made. We’d have the
event a week after school got out, the day before I had to leave
for Paris, which would give us two weeks to get the word out and
organize.

Dutch and Ethan took over the kitchen duties
while Abby and I made to-do lists. She was on fire, full of
creative energy and enthusiasm. By the time we sat down to eat she
had turned her attention to where we should hold the event.

“What about the park?” asked Cruz, “You could
fit a lot of people out there.”

Abby looked thoughtful, “We might not be able
to get a permit for that.”

“What about Lue’s farm?” I asked, “There’s
plenty of parking, and people could see what they’ve come to help
defend.”

Abby smiled broadly, and it was a plan.

Ethan was touched that we were all getting
involved, and his outlook grew a little less gloomy, “I’ll check
with Lue tomorrow,” he said with a grateful smile. We finished
dinner, with everyone excitedly brainstorming different ways to get
publicity for the event.

Finals week was going to keep us on our toes,
and I could see that Ethan was tired, worn out from a long day at
work. He also needed to study, so I took him firmly by the hand and
led him out the door. He wanted to stay, but I insisted.

“I’m fine,” I said, “You get some rest.” He’d
been working after school every day lately, and I was worried about
him. All he’d been doing was working and watching over me, and as I
slowly came out of my funk I realized just how hard he was driving
himself. He hardly ever went surfing anymore, and I knew it was all
my fault.

Before he got in the truck he embraced me,
“Did it occur to you that you were, uhm…
inspiring
Abby?” he
asked.

It had, but it was starting to bother me less
and less. She wanted our plan to succeed as much as I did, and I
didn’t care if I had an unfair advantage. I’d do whatever it took
to protect Ethan; I loved him more than anything else in the world.
The situation with the land had exposed my mercenary streak, and I
began to understand the way Evie operated a little better.

“If I’m encouraging her,
good
,” I said
defiantly, “That land is rightfully Lue’s, and after you pay it
off, you’re going to build a beautiful house and an amazing nursery
on it.”

He chuckled, “I’ll make sure it’s a big
house.”

“We don’t need a big house,” I said.

“Tell that to our six kids,” he grinned at
me, “And besides… I’ll have to build a giant closet for all your
shoes.”

I stretched up to kiss the smile off his
face, “Good luck with your finals,” I murmured in his ear.

“I’m already the luckiest guy in the
world.”

I kissed him again, hoping he was right.

CHAPTER THREE

ANGER

“It’s a bitchin’ gallery, and Susan’s a
really cool lady. She’s totally into your paintings,” said Bill as
he handed me the business card. I’d stopped by his coffee shop
after school to replace a few paintings that had sold, sitting down
for an espresso after refilling his wall with my colorful wave
paintings.

“Thanks,” I said, slipping it into my purse,
“I’ll be sure to give her a call.”

“She wanted to know if you made any bigger
ones. She says she has clients looking for super big art,” he
gestured with his arms wide.

“I used work on a larger scale,” I said,
thinking about how cramped I was in my tiny bedroom, “But I need to
find some studio space first.”

“Really?” He looked surprised, “There’s a
loft right above us I’ve been trying to rent… wanna see it?”

“Sure,” I shrugged, following his faded jean
jacket and bouncing gray ponytail out the door and down a narrow
alley to the back of the old brick building. A wrought iron fire
escape stretched up to the second floor where a small “for rent”
sign hung in the window. He wasn’t asking much, and I expected even
less. The stairs rattled in protest as we climbed them to a small
door that turned out to be unlocked.

“Those dang kids!” Bill complained as he
entered. “They skipped out on the last month’s rent and left me
with a mess to boot!”

I looked around at the huge space in awe. It
didn’t look this big from the street. There were blackout drapes on
large multi-paned windows that faced west, and when Bill pulled
them aside I could see that some of the glass sections were broken
out and taped over with cardboard. I looked down to the street
below and saw the top of the Range Rover, and the surf shop beyond
it. I didn’t even know this place was here.

“What do you think?” he asked hopefully.

There were yellowed newpapers scattered
around, interspersed with some ratty looking cushions on the floor.
Bags of fast food wrappers and cigarette butts were scattered
everywhere, and a chair with broken legs tilted in a corner. I
looked up at the towering walls. There were scraps of carpet tacked
onto nearly every vertical surface, topped with cardboard egg
cartons that created a strange patchwork of texture on the
wall.