ached pleasantly. I knew that later tonight, in bed, I would feel the sway of ocean’s currents when I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Eliza was leaning against the car speaking to a man in a blue nylon jacket and a baseball cap, brim pulled low on his brow. His body was angled in such a way that I didn’t recognize him. I recognized Eliza’s pose, however—her back slightly arched, head tilted to the side, leaning with her fingers ever so delicately brushing the side of the car. I knew what the pose meant. It meant that she was flirting. I sighed, wondering if I’d be sitting in the backseat on the way home. Eliza reached out and touched the man’s arm lightly, and her silvery laugh carried across the distance between us. Then the man pulled his baseball cap off and I saw his red hair.
“Oh, look who’s here,” Eliza trilled. “Hello, brother dear. Did you have a nice day at the beach with the clams and the starfish?” She looked down at my copy of The Lord of the Rings . “How are the elves and trogs and Balrogs?”
“Umm, fine.” I suddenly felt very sunburned and tasted the sour salt of the ocean in the back of my throat. “Are you… umm…ready to go, Eliza?”
Eliza ignored the question. “Have you two met? This is my brother, Jem.”
“Hey, man,” said Angus Treleaven, extending his hand. “Name’s Angus.”
“Hi.” I shook his hand, feeling his calloused palm. Our eyes met and suddenly I was twelve again, crouching in the high beach grass above the dunes watching him make love to a girl whose face I didn’t see. Angus at nineteen was a stronger, harder vision of Angus at fifteen, and while I’d watched him grow up in glimpses every August, nothing could have prepared me for this. I caught the scent of him then: soap, cheap deodorant, sun, salt, freshly-laundered clothes, and a faint trace of boat engine oil. “I’m Jem.”
Eliza giggled. She pointed at me. “My brother is such a book-worm. He’s the brain in the family,” she added lightly. She had clearly decided that playing the tortured intellectual poetess wasn’t going to work with Angus. My Angus. “Any other boy his age would be out chasing girls on a day like today, but not our Jem.”
“Ah, a smart one is he?” Angus said, still looking at me. “It’s a good thing to be a smart one. I never was much good in school myself. Better at sports. Wish I’d studied harder.”
“Oh, I don’t think it’s just that,” Eliza said innocently. “I just don’t think he’s all that interested in girls.”
I felt the blood rush to my face, and I hated Eliza at that moment with the purest possible hate. Angus looked at her quizzically.
“It’s not that,” I said my face flaming. “I just like to read, that’s all.”
“See?” Angus said to Eliza. His voice was kind, and he smiled at me. “He’s a reader. Nothing wrong with that. There’ll always be time for girls later. Right?” Angus winked at Eliza. “So, pick you up at eight?”
I climbed into the front seat of the car without a word and looked out at the water.
“No, I’ll meet you in town,” Eliza said. “At nine, at the pub.”
“See you then,” Angus said. “Nice meeting you, Jem. See you around, man.”
I mumbled “Good-bye,” and Eliza started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. I fought the urge to look back at Angus standing beside his truck, but in the end I needed the sight of him one more time to see if I could make the pain go away. It didn’t go away.
On the ride home, Eliza and I didn’t speak, until suddenly she said, “Don’t tell Mum and Gran about this, Jem. I mean it. I don’t want them to know I’m seeing this guy. They won’t understand.”
“Why not?” At that point, I would have done anything to damage her, short of grabbing the steering wheel out of her hands and crashing the car, killing us both. “Are you afraid Mum
Eliza was leaning against the car speaking to a man in a blue nylon jacket and a baseball cap, brim pulled low on his brow. His body was angled in such a way that I didn’t recognize him. I recognized Eliza’s pose, however—her back slightly arched, head tilted to the side, leaning with her fingers ever so delicately brushing the side of the car. I knew what the pose meant. It meant that she was flirting. I sighed, wondering if I’d be sitting in the backseat on the way home. Eliza reached out and touched the man’s arm lightly, and her silvery laugh carried across the distance between us. Then the man pulled his baseball cap off and I saw his red hair.
“Oh, look who’s here,” Eliza trilled. “Hello, brother dear. Did you have a nice day at the beach with the clams and the starfish?” She looked down at my copy of The Lord of the Rings . “How are the elves and trogs and Balrogs?”
“Umm, fine.” I suddenly felt very sunburned and tasted the sour salt of the ocean in the back of my throat. “Are you… umm…ready to go, Eliza?”
Eliza ignored the question. “Have you two met? This is my brother, Jem.”
“Hey, man,” said Angus Treleaven, extending his hand. “Name’s Angus.”
“Hi.” I shook his hand, feeling his calloused palm. Our eyes met and suddenly I was twelve again, crouching in the high beach grass above the dunes watching him make love to a girl whose face I didn’t see. Angus at nineteen was a stronger, harder vision of Angus at fifteen, and while I’d watched him grow up in glimpses every August, nothing could have prepared me for this. I caught the scent of him then: soap, cheap deodorant, sun, salt, freshly-laundered clothes, and a faint trace of boat engine oil. “I’m Jem.”
Eliza giggled. She pointed at me. “My brother is such a book-worm. He’s the brain in the family,” she added lightly. She had clearly decided that playing the tortured intellectual poetess wasn’t going to work with Angus. My Angus. “Any other boy his age would be out chasing girls on a day like today, but not our Jem.”
“Ah, a smart one is he?” Angus said, still looking at me. “It’s a good thing to be a smart one. I never was much good in school myself. Better at sports. Wish I’d studied harder.”
“Oh, I don’t think it’s just that,” Eliza said innocently. “I just don’t think he’s all that interested in girls.”
I felt the blood rush to my face, and I hated Eliza at that moment with the purest possible hate. Angus looked at her quizzically.
“It’s not that,” I said my face flaming. “I just like to read, that’s all.”
“See?” Angus said to Eliza. His voice was kind, and he smiled at me. “He’s a reader. Nothing wrong with that. There’ll always be time for girls later. Right?” Angus winked at Eliza. “So, pick you up at eight?”
I climbed into the front seat of the car without a word and looked out at the water.
“No, I’ll meet you in town,” Eliza said. “At nine, at the pub.”
“See you then,” Angus said. “Nice meeting you, Jem. See you around, man.”
I mumbled “Good-bye,” and Eliza started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. I fought the urge to look back at Angus standing beside his truck, but in the end I needed the sight of him one more time to see if I could make the pain go away. It didn’t go away.
On the ride home, Eliza and I didn’t speak, until suddenly she said, “Don’t tell Mum and Gran about this, Jem. I mean it. I don’t want them to know I’m seeing this guy. They won’t understand.”
“Why not?” At that point, I would have done anything to damage her, short of grabbing the steering wheel out of her hands and crashing the car, killing us both. “Are you afraid Mum
Similar Books
