Dreams Adrift (A River Dream Novel) (16 page)

Acknowledging the inevitable, I asked, “What
about Dad?”

“
He can sleep on your couch,” my
mother said, in a way that made it a command rather than a
suggestion.

Wednesday and Thursday I spent making calls
and drawing up plans for my trip. There was a lot of work that
needed to be done, arrangements to be made, and paperwork involved
to make sure everything would go smoothly. Finally, Friday arrived
and with it my guests. My mother, father, and sister arrived first,
soon after I had finished breakfast.

“
Malori,” I greeted her, “I
thought you were working at the aquarium this summer.”

Malori put her hands on her hips, tilted her
head to one side, and pouted just a bit. “I took some time off to
help my big brother. Is that okay?” she asked.

Not able to take her posture seriously, I
smiled and said, “I suppose I can put up with you for a couple of
days.”

There was an ulterior motive in her coming
along, my mother’s. It became apparent when my mother suggested,
“Your sister can help you and Rhiannon sail the boats to
Oriental.”

“
I’ve got a better idea. Mal can
pick us up in Oriental and bring us back between boats,” I
countered.

My mom rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything
more.

“
What about your fishing boat?” my
father asked as he checked the coffee maker. “Are you taking that
up tomorrow?”

I had given that some thought and told him my
plan. “No, I thought I’d take it up the day I pick up the new
boat.”

My dad frowned upon finding no coffee made. He
started going through the cabinets looking for filters. “Who’s
going with you to help sail the new boat back here?”

I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. “I
don’t know. I guess I hadn’t thought about that. I’ve not been
thinking too clearly lately.”

“
That’s understandable,” Dad said
while dumping the old grounds into the trash and prepping the
machine to make a fresh pot.

Mom had been watching him with patient
amusement. When he hit the button to start the brewing cycle, she
turned her attention back to me.

“
Michael, I know you probably
don’t want to think about this yet, but what are you going to do
with Maeve’s things?”

“
Actually, I have thought about
it,” I said slowly. “I was hoping that while y’all are here we can
go through her stuff and figure out what to do with it.”

“
What about Raven?” Malori asked
as she sat down at the table. “What will happen to her?”

Malori was an accomplished rider herself, and
she had often ridden with Maeve.

“
Rita and I talked about that the
other day,” I told Malori. “Her daughter is old enough for a horse
of her own now. Raven would be perfect for her. Rita offered to buy
her, but I told her knowing Raven would be well taken care of was
enough for me.”

“
That sounds like an excellent
solution,” my mother said.

“
Rita and Maeve were good
friends,” Malori added. “I know she’ll take good care of
Raven.”

“
What about Maeve’s car?” my
father asked.

Impatient for his coffee, he’d moved the
carafe out from under the drip basket and was holding his cup under
it.

Knowing they wouldn’t approve, I told them,
“Truth is, I’ve found out I really like driving it. I think I’ll
keep it.”

“
But what about your GTO?” Malori
asked. I think she was hoping I’d say she could have it.

“
I don’t know. I could keep them
both, I suppose.”

“
You could,” my dad said. His tone
suggested I shouldn’t.

Looking into my empty coffee mug, I gnawed at
my lower lip trying to suppress the pain brought on by what I was
about to suggest.

“
I guess what I’ve really got to
decide is what to do about all the stuff in her closet. I haven’t
been able to bring myself to go in there.”

My mom and Malori shared a knowing
look.

“
Malori and I can do that for you,
Michael,” my mother said with uncharacteristic
gentleness.

I’d hoped they might but hadn't wanted to come
right out and ask.

“
Thank you, Mom. Thank you,
Malori,” I said, truly grateful.

My father had finally filled his
mug.

“
Now,” he said, “while your mother
and Malori take care of things around here, I think you and I will
go fishing.”

“
Fishing?” I asked. Going fishing
was the last thing I expected him to say.

“
Yes,” my father replied
assertively. “Your mother and I think it will do you good to get
out on the water, and it will give you and me a chance to
talk.”

When my mother and father were in agreement
about something, it was rarely wise to argue with them. Besides, it
didn't sound like such a bad idea.

We motored down river toward Oriental,
stopping to fish for a while at the mouth of Dawson Creek. There
wasn’t much biting, so we pulled up anchor and moved farther down
river. Somehow, we managed to arrive in Oriental in time for lunch
and tied up at the Wharf, a bistro with docks for boating
customers. Mom and Malori met us there. I realized it was all part
of some master plan, but I didn’t mind.

“
After lunch, Malori and I are
going to check in at the marina,” my mother announced while we were
waiting for our table to be cleared. “Once we check in, we'll stop
by the grocery store to pick up a few things.”

“
Yeah, Michael,” Malori chimed in
with a scolding tone. “Your cupboard is bare.”

“
What have you been eating,
Michael?” my mother wanted to know. There was genuine concern in
her voice.

It wasn’t until they mentioned it that I
realized I’d been living on Pop Tarts and Cheerios all week. I
hadn’t really cared about what I’d been eating.

“
That is not exactly a healthy
diet,” my mom scolded me when I told her. “We will stock you up
with some real food.”

“
Thanks, Mom,” I said
sincerely.

When we finished lunch, my father and I
motored back to River Dream while Mom and Malori checked into the
marina. We tied up to the dock and took a walk up to the airstrip
to check on the Cessna. It’d been sitting unattended since I flew
back from Greenville. I wanted to make sure it was securely tied
down in the shelter. Then, for the first time since the funeral, we
walked to Maeve’s grave.

Guilt rose up in me as we approached the site.
“I suppose I should be ashamed of myself that I haven’t been here
every day.”

“
No, you shouldn’t,” my dad said,
putting his hand on my shoulder. “She’s not really here after
all.”

Fighting to hold back tears, I replied, “No,
she’s not. Not really. While I’m gone someone’s going to have to
look after this spot, though.”

“
That’s already been taken care
of, son,” my dad said. “I’ve found someone who will look after the
house and the grounds, including this area.”

I could always count on my dad.

“
Thanks, Dad,” I said.

As I stood there by the grave, I felt sad and
lonely but not devastated anymore. I still missed her so much, yet
I knew I would be able to keep going without her. Just the day
before, I don’t know if I could have said that.

“
Good-bye, Maeve,” I said quietly.
“You were the love of my life. I will always love you, and I will
always miss you. But I will be okay. Not today, not tomorrow, but
in time, I will be okay. And I will keep the promise I made you.
Good-bye, my darling.”

Then I turned and walked back to the house. It
was time to go on living.

Twenty-four

As my father and I approached the house, he
nudged me. Looking up at him, I saw he was pointing at the back
porch. I turned and looked toward the porch and saw Rhiannon
waiting for us. I smiled a weak smile and waved. She waved back and
came out to meet us.

“
Hi, Uncle Owen. Hi, Mike,”
Rhiannon said, giving me a brief hug.

“
Hello, Rhiannon,” my father said,
almost formally. “How long have you been here?”

“
Not long, Aunt Eunice just got
here and told me you guys had probably gone to the hangar to check
on the plane. I was on my way to meet you when I saw you coming
across the field.”

I was very glad she hadn’t come and found us.
I really needed that moment at the grave site. But now I was glad
she was there and told her so.

Rhiannon looked at me carefully. “How are you
doing?”

Taking a deep breath before answering, I
replied, “Much better; the minutes are starting to add
up.”

“
That’s a good sign,” she said
seriously.

“
Why don’t we go inside?” my dad
suggested, motioning towards the house.

Supper was a simple affair that night, grilled
cheese and tomato soup with corn chips. When Rhiannon learned my
father would be staying at the house, she tried to get him to take
the front bedroom. He wouldn’t hear of it.

We all went down to the dock after supper to
make sure all was in readiness for the next day’s sailing
excursions.

“
Michael,” my mother began, “I
still think it would be a good idea if both Malori and Rhiannon
accompanied you on board.”

I should have known I hadn't heard the last of
that idea.

“
Yeah, Mike,” Malori added, siding
with our mother. “Besides, you and I haven’t sailed together in
forever.”

“
I agree with Malori and your mom,
Michael,” Rhiannon said.

I wondered if my mother had spoken to her
about it before my father and I got back to the house.

“
It will make things easier,”
Rhiannon continued, “especially with the Hunter. I’ve never even
been aboard her. Have you, Malori?”

Malori shook her head and fixed me with a
stare that clearly asked why she hadn’t been.

Not only was I overwhelmingly outvoted, but I
realized they were right. I was also taken back in time. Memories
of the first weekend Rhiannon and I spent together at River Dream,
and our first sail together on
Riverscape
, rose in my
mind.

Rhiannon had never sailed on
Geddaway
,
but she’d spent lots of time on
Riverscape
once upon a time.
For a moment I wondered if asking her to come had been such a great
idea after all. I decided that having Malori along would be a good
idea.

Judging from my father’s expression, he agreed
with the ladies.

“
I hadn’t thought about the
complications that would arise from having such an inexperienced
crew,” I said. “Very well, you will both sail with me
tomorrow.”

My mother shook her head, Malori rolled her
eyes, and Rhiannon looked at me with an amused grin.

“
What?” I asked her.

A fleeting smile crossed Rhiannon’s face. “I
just caught a glimpse of the old Michael, that’s all,” she said so
softly that I was the only one who heard her. I wasn’t sure how to
respond, so I suggested we all go up to the house for some iced
tea.

Saturday morning we were all up early.
Actually, Mom and Malori woke us up early by showing up to take us
to breakfast at the Minnesott Grill. Over breakfast we discussed
the final plans for the day’s sailing.

There were a couple of young men in the Grill
who looked like they might be Marines from Cherry Point. When we
walked in, they’d been discussing sailing. After we sat down, they
started discussing Malori, not loudly, but loudly enough that I
could overhear them.

Even though I still thought of Malori as my
kid sister, she was going on eighteen and had grown into a
beautiful young lady. She was hot-looking enough to get noticed by
the two young men with the GI haircuts. If I’d been in a normal
state of mind, I probably would have ignored them. Instead, I rose
slowly from my seat and walked over to their table.

Their conversation ceased, and they looked up
at me with wry amusement as I approached their table.

“
Excuse me, gentlemen. May I ask
you to keep your voices down?” I requested politely.

“
Up yours, bud,” the taller,
dark-haired one said. The shorter guy laughed.

“
Get a load a dis guy, would you?”
Shorty said, motioning towards me with his thumb.

The tall guy laughed. “Why don’t you send that
pretty little thing over here?” he said. “Then I could tell
her…”

He never finished the sentence. His buddy
started to get up and wound up on the floor, stunned, but not
really hurt. Tall guy was clawing at my hand in a futile attempt to
loosen my grip on his throat. I lifted him from his seat and
realized he wasn’t that tall after all. When I got him to eye
level, his feet were a good three inches off the floor. His eyes
began to bug out a little.

“
That pretty little thing happens
to be my baby sister, you cretin,” I said in a calm, even voice. “I
would appreciate it if you would be a little more respectful in
your admiration of her.”