Read Online Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Maureen Johnson
Tags: Fiction, General, Social Science, People & Places, Action & Adventure, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Fathers and daughters, Social Issues, Interpersonal relations, Europe, Girls & Women, Sports & Recreation, Parents, Archaeology, Italy, Science & Technology, Transportation, Artists, Boats and boating, Art & Architecture, Boating, Yachting, Boats; Ships & Underwater Craft
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trapped?”
“So, it’s not going well?” he said. “That’s weird, because you seemed to have this under control. But I can understand if you’re not used to carrying your own bags.”
“I . . .” Another push. Unsuccessful. “. . . am used . . . to carrying my own stuff.”
“Obviously. You know, it might help if you turned it the other way. But I’m just saying . . .”
66
Clio looked at the position of the bag. He was right. If she could wriggle it loose and flip it, it would move. It was simple and obvious. So simple and obvious that she couldn’t just flip it in front of him and give him the satisfaction.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Great,” she said. “Just taking a breather.”
“Me too. It was a long walk from the deck.”
He knew what she was up to, and he was waiting and watching.
“So,” he said. “Boats, huh? You must like boats.”
“Not really,” she said.
“But you made a boat game. Have you guys owned this boat for a while? Nice boat. Very fancy.”
“It’s new,” Clio said, her annoyance coming through. “Very new.”
“Is this bigger or smaller than your last boat?”
Clio could take it no more. She flipped the bag. His smile grew broader.
It took her several more minutes to get the suitcase up and, with one final shove, to throw it into the vestibule in front of the door. Clio let her suitcase drop onto the thickly carpeted floor.
It barely made a noise.
When she got back on deck, Aidan was picking up a computer monitor that must have just come off the raft. There were a few computer bits there—a plastic box full of wires and con-nectors, a silver case that looked like it contained equipment of some kind. Martin was on the floating platform, passing scuba gear to Julia. There was a lot more than they would need for a few casual dives.
“So,” she said to Aidan, “what exactly is all of this for?”
67
He tottered a bit as he tried to manage both the monitor and the box.
“Don’t ask me,” he said. “I’m just the help.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Julia and Martin looking at her, then turning back to the tanks and bags. There was a stiffness in Martin’s jaw and a fixed expression on Julia’s bony face. Martin was normally a talkative guy, so this silence was odd.
Her dad was coming up on the raft with Elsa and her bags.
“Come on,” he called to Clio as he pulled up. “Get in. Let’s go up to town.”
Clio stopped to help Elsa up into the boat. Martin picked up her white bag and hoisted it over the back wall. Clio stepped down into the raft. It was a lot harder to get into than to get out of. It was squishy and it kept bumping away from the boat, plus there was nothing to hold on to. Her dad didn’t seem to notice that she almost tumbled right over the side as she stepped in. It was Martin who reached over and steadied her.
“We’re going to a phone?” she asked.
“Sure,” her dad said, keeping his eye on the dock. “And we’ll get a gelato. There’s a great place up there.”
He said this a bit more loudly than was necessary. It sounded like it was for someone’s benefit.
“Dad,” she said as they puttered away from the Sea Butterfly .
“What is this?”
“Let’s go up to town,” he said again. “We’ll get an ice cream, and we’ll have a little chat.”
There was only one little chat Clio wanted to have at this point, and it wasn’t with her dad over ice cream. She had to be 68
careful when she reached Ollie. She couldn’t let her desperation make her sound crazy.
Then a new, positive thought came into her mind as she gripped the side of the raft. Maybe this little break in their as-yet-not-existent relationship had helped her. Maybe she had pushed it forward faster by making Ollie miss her. Maybe he was missing her right now. Distance was supposed to make the heart grow fonder—not that there was a lot you could do once this happpened. Because distance also makes it impossible to see the
“So, it’s not going well?” he said. “That’s weird, because you seemed to have this under control. But I can understand if you’re not used to carrying your own bags.”
“I . . .” Another push. Unsuccessful. “. . . am used . . . to carrying my own stuff.”
“Obviously. You know, it might help if you turned it the other way. But I’m just saying . . .”
66
Clio looked at the position of the bag. He was right. If she could wriggle it loose and flip it, it would move. It was simple and obvious. So simple and obvious that she couldn’t just flip it in front of him and give him the satisfaction.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Great,” she said. “Just taking a breather.”
“Me too. It was a long walk from the deck.”
He knew what she was up to, and he was waiting and watching.
“So,” he said. “Boats, huh? You must like boats.”
“Not really,” she said.
“But you made a boat game. Have you guys owned this boat for a while? Nice boat. Very fancy.”
“It’s new,” Clio said, her annoyance coming through. “Very new.”
“Is this bigger or smaller than your last boat?”
Clio could take it no more. She flipped the bag. His smile grew broader.
It took her several more minutes to get the suitcase up and, with one final shove, to throw it into the vestibule in front of the door. Clio let her suitcase drop onto the thickly carpeted floor.
It barely made a noise.
When she got back on deck, Aidan was picking up a computer monitor that must have just come off the raft. There were a few computer bits there—a plastic box full of wires and con-nectors, a silver case that looked like it contained equipment of some kind. Martin was on the floating platform, passing scuba gear to Julia. There was a lot more than they would need for a few casual dives.
“So,” she said to Aidan, “what exactly is all of this for?”
67
He tottered a bit as he tried to manage both the monitor and the box.
“Don’t ask me,” he said. “I’m just the help.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Julia and Martin looking at her, then turning back to the tanks and bags. There was a stiffness in Martin’s jaw and a fixed expression on Julia’s bony face. Martin was normally a talkative guy, so this silence was odd.
Her dad was coming up on the raft with Elsa and her bags.
“Come on,” he called to Clio as he pulled up. “Get in. Let’s go up to town.”
Clio stopped to help Elsa up into the boat. Martin picked up her white bag and hoisted it over the back wall. Clio stepped down into the raft. It was a lot harder to get into than to get out of. It was squishy and it kept bumping away from the boat, plus there was nothing to hold on to. Her dad didn’t seem to notice that she almost tumbled right over the side as she stepped in. It was Martin who reached over and steadied her.
“We’re going to a phone?” she asked.
“Sure,” her dad said, keeping his eye on the dock. “And we’ll get a gelato. There’s a great place up there.”
He said this a bit more loudly than was necessary. It sounded like it was for someone’s benefit.
“Dad,” she said as they puttered away from the Sea Butterfly .
“What is this?”
“Let’s go up to town,” he said again. “We’ll get an ice cream, and we’ll have a little chat.”
There was only one little chat Clio wanted to have at this point, and it wasn’t with her dad over ice cream. She had to be 68
careful when she reached Ollie. She couldn’t let her desperation make her sound crazy.
Then a new, positive thought came into her mind as she gripped the side of the raft. Maybe this little break in their as-yet-not-existent relationship had helped her. Maybe she had pushed it forward faster by making Ollie miss her. Maybe he was missing her right now. Distance was supposed to make the heart grow fonder—not that there was a lot you could do once this happpened. Because distance also makes it impossible to see the
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