of a pay phone and fed in quarters. I dialed the number Rafe had given me.
It rang and rang, and as it did, I considered my folly.
Here I was, in an unknown city, with a hundred bucks I’d scraped together from the dining hall and a mouth sawdust dry from telling lies. Lies upon lies upon lies, for the first time in my life.
I’d told Shellie and Sam my parents had sprung for me to return to the Virgin Islands for spring break, and as much as it killed me to miss the time with them, I had to see my family. Sam had been crushed but pretended to understand. I’d told Henry the same thing, with a similar response, leavened by kisses of thanks for the ring. And then I’d told my parents I was going to be in New York with the Williamses, and we’d be traveling so not to bother calling their New York residence. I’d call when I could.
But here I was in San Francisco for the next week, no matter what happened with Rafe.
It had taken every cent of his check and more to buy the round-trip ticket out here. I couldn’t change it without a fee, and I couldn’t let anyone know where I was, and a hundred dollars wasn’t going to last a week in the city.
I didn’t have the faintest clue where to find Rafe or what to do next if he didn’t answer the phone. I’d begun hyperventilating with panic when the phone was suddenly picked up. “Hello?” A woman.
“Is Rafe there?” I knew my voice came out breathy and thin.
“No.” She sounded profoundly unhelpful. I wondered if this was a girlfriend.
“Um—this is his friend from out of town. He invited me here, gave me this number,” I said, unable to think of a smooth story to explain my desperation. “I’m at the airport.”
“Oh. You must be Ruby.” Her voice warmed considerably. “He’s down at the docks, but he told me you might come into town. Asked me to pick you up if you called. My name’s Lisa.”
“Oh, good.” Tears of relief prickled my eyes. “I don’t know my way around here. At all.”
“What baggage claim are you at? I’ll be there in fifteen. Look for a purple VW Beetle.”
* * *
The purple Beetle was decorated with butterflies on the hood, immediately making me inclined to like Lisa. My first sight of her, hopping out with cornrowed hair clacking with plastic beads and a bright sarong on over leggings, felt like a hint of home. This impression strengthened as she hugged me with shiny ebony arms, enfolding me in the smell of coconut and jasmine.
“Welcome to San Francisco!” she said.
“You smell delicious,” I said. “I hope you don’t mind me saying so.”
“Delighted to hear it.”
I stowed my backpack in the back. “Where are we going?”
“I thought I’d take you down to the docks. You can surprise Rafe.” Lisa’s eyes, dark as chocolate, gleamed with anticipation.
“What did he say about me?” I asked, unable to resist.
“Well, that he had a friend from Boston who might be visiting. ‘She’s a cute redhead; you can’t miss her,’ he said. And he was right.” Lisa smiled. She had amazing teeth that seemed to throw off light.
“Ha-ha. That’s nice,” I said, feeling my neck heat up. “So, are you roommates?”
“In a way. I run a boardinghouse. He has a room in it when he’s here between trips on the boat.”
I looked out the bug-speckled windshield, forcefully reminded of the difference in our lifestyles. How could this ever work? I didn’t want to be with a guy who rented a room in a boardinghouse between boat voyages!
It didn’t matter right now, I told myself. I was just here to see him. Just see what was what. Because I had to know something. About him, about me, about what we were together. So I could move on. So I could stop this ridiculous tug-of-war between men I liked.
It wasn’t like we were getting married or something.
San Francisco was very different from Boston. For one thing, it was hilly. Very hilly, with ups and downs and a lot of totally confusing side streets. The
It rang and rang, and as it did, I considered my folly.
Here I was, in an unknown city, with a hundred bucks I’d scraped together from the dining hall and a mouth sawdust dry from telling lies. Lies upon lies upon lies, for the first time in my life.
I’d told Shellie and Sam my parents had sprung for me to return to the Virgin Islands for spring break, and as much as it killed me to miss the time with them, I had to see my family. Sam had been crushed but pretended to understand. I’d told Henry the same thing, with a similar response, leavened by kisses of thanks for the ring. And then I’d told my parents I was going to be in New York with the Williamses, and we’d be traveling so not to bother calling their New York residence. I’d call when I could.
But here I was in San Francisco for the next week, no matter what happened with Rafe.
It had taken every cent of his check and more to buy the round-trip ticket out here. I couldn’t change it without a fee, and I couldn’t let anyone know where I was, and a hundred dollars wasn’t going to last a week in the city.
I didn’t have the faintest clue where to find Rafe or what to do next if he didn’t answer the phone. I’d begun hyperventilating with panic when the phone was suddenly picked up. “Hello?” A woman.
“Is Rafe there?” I knew my voice came out breathy and thin.
“No.” She sounded profoundly unhelpful. I wondered if this was a girlfriend.
“Um—this is his friend from out of town. He invited me here, gave me this number,” I said, unable to think of a smooth story to explain my desperation. “I’m at the airport.”
“Oh. You must be Ruby.” Her voice warmed considerably. “He’s down at the docks, but he told me you might come into town. Asked me to pick you up if you called. My name’s Lisa.”
“Oh, good.” Tears of relief prickled my eyes. “I don’t know my way around here. At all.”
“What baggage claim are you at? I’ll be there in fifteen. Look for a purple VW Beetle.”
* * *
The purple Beetle was decorated with butterflies on the hood, immediately making me inclined to like Lisa. My first sight of her, hopping out with cornrowed hair clacking with plastic beads and a bright sarong on over leggings, felt like a hint of home. This impression strengthened as she hugged me with shiny ebony arms, enfolding me in the smell of coconut and jasmine.
“Welcome to San Francisco!” she said.
“You smell delicious,” I said. “I hope you don’t mind me saying so.”
“Delighted to hear it.”
I stowed my backpack in the back. “Where are we going?”
“I thought I’d take you down to the docks. You can surprise Rafe.” Lisa’s eyes, dark as chocolate, gleamed with anticipation.
“What did he say about me?” I asked, unable to resist.
“Well, that he had a friend from Boston who might be visiting. ‘She’s a cute redhead; you can’t miss her,’ he said. And he was right.” Lisa smiled. She had amazing teeth that seemed to throw off light.
“Ha-ha. That’s nice,” I said, feeling my neck heat up. “So, are you roommates?”
“In a way. I run a boardinghouse. He has a room in it when he’s here between trips on the boat.”
I looked out the bug-speckled windshield, forcefully reminded of the difference in our lifestyles. How could this ever work? I didn’t want to be with a guy who rented a room in a boardinghouse between boat voyages!
It didn’t matter right now, I told myself. I was just here to see him. Just see what was what. Because I had to know something. About him, about me, about what we were together. So I could move on. So I could stop this ridiculous tug-of-war between men I liked.
It wasn’t like we were getting married or something.
San Francisco was very different from Boston. For one thing, it was hilly. Very hilly, with ups and downs and a lot of totally confusing side streets. The
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