related. Remarkable. It's just been so long since I've seen you together." Mom and Lucy hadn't spoken since Dad died, at least that's what I'd always assumed, but no one had ever really explained to me why Aunt Lucy had left the island that summer and never come back.
"We should really bring out the photo album later and look at some old family pictures," Mom said. "Wouldn't that be fun, girls?"
"I'm taking pictures this summer..." Addie said. Then she rattled on about her plan to be a world-class photographer.
I squirmed in my cushioned deck chair, growing more and more uncomfortable with the let’s-pretend-we're-a-normal-family show. It wasn't just awkward. It felt so phony, nothing like my real conversations with RD. I didn't want to spend another minute on the deck with Aunt Lucy. Every time I looked at her, I was reminded of why she was here.
"And what are you going to do this summer, Cassandra?" Aunt Lucy asked, leaning forward with her elbows on the table.
"Same old," I said. "Work at the Hideaway, that's about it. Actually..." I realized Aunt Lucy might be presenting an opportunity. If I asked Mom about RD now, she would be less likely to argue in front of company. "So, Mom, do you think it would be cool if I did some work on a boat at the marina?"
"A boat?" Mom asked, eyebrows rising.
"There’s this guy from Seattle who is here for the summer. He's restoring an old sailboat and wants my help working on it."
"You have a job, Cassandra," Mom said, eyes darting to Aunt Lucy, lips drawn tight. I read her message loud and clear. She didn't want to talk about this in front of Aunt Lucy, which just made me angry. If we were supposed to pretend Aunt Lucy was part of the family, why couldn't we have a real conversation in front of her?
"It will only be a few hours a week," I said, staring at my glass of lemonade instead of at her. Addie watched wide-eyed.
"Let’s discuss this later," Mom said.
"I want to talk now." I don't know why I was so angry and pushing but, suddenly, I wanted a fight.
"Cassandra."
"I think if I want to take a second job, you should let me. It would be good experience for me to spend some time on a sailboat."
"You don't know how to sail," Mom said, her voice tense.
"I'll learn."
"The answer is 'no,'" Mom said. I'd hit a nerve, one that I knew was an easy target.
"If you weren't so afraid of the water..."
"Cassandra. No."
We sat in awkward silence. Aunt Lucy stared at the clouds overhead and Addie kicked her legs back and forth in her chair.
I'd gambled and lost. "May I please go for a walk?" I asked, standing, my heart pounding against my chest.
"Of course," Mom said. "You go right ahead."
I pushed my metal chair back, legs scraping across the deck.
Aunt Lucy looked confused. "If you girls need some time to yourselves…"
"No," Mom said, raising her hand to stop Aunt Lucy from standing. "You go ahead, Cassandra. We'll be right here. Take your time, sweetheart." She smiled at me and I could tell she felt badly about our fight, but I was furious at her for not giving me what I wanted.
I took the deck stairs down to the yard, walked out the gate and followed the road to the beach. There's an old tear-down house on the water. Some couple in California bought the lot, but they've been working on the plans for their dream house for years, which means their house sits abandoned with a dock in front of it and an empty boathouse. It's a little like having my own private beach. I sat on a piece of driftwood and inhaled the salty air, trying to calm my racing heart. I was so angry at myself for screwing up the conversation with Mom. In a single day, our entire family had changed.
I walked back to the house the long way, not up the main road, but in the greenbelt between the houses that Addie and I called the Forgotten Woods. When we were little we’d played in there for hours building forts, and biking over the bumpy trails. It’d been a while since I’d walked beneath the canopy of
"We should really bring out the photo album later and look at some old family pictures," Mom said. "Wouldn't that be fun, girls?"
"I'm taking pictures this summer..." Addie said. Then she rattled on about her plan to be a world-class photographer.
I squirmed in my cushioned deck chair, growing more and more uncomfortable with the let’s-pretend-we're-a-normal-family show. It wasn't just awkward. It felt so phony, nothing like my real conversations with RD. I didn't want to spend another minute on the deck with Aunt Lucy. Every time I looked at her, I was reminded of why she was here.
"And what are you going to do this summer, Cassandra?" Aunt Lucy asked, leaning forward with her elbows on the table.
"Same old," I said. "Work at the Hideaway, that's about it. Actually..." I realized Aunt Lucy might be presenting an opportunity. If I asked Mom about RD now, she would be less likely to argue in front of company. "So, Mom, do you think it would be cool if I did some work on a boat at the marina?"
"A boat?" Mom asked, eyebrows rising.
"There’s this guy from Seattle who is here for the summer. He's restoring an old sailboat and wants my help working on it."
"You have a job, Cassandra," Mom said, eyes darting to Aunt Lucy, lips drawn tight. I read her message loud and clear. She didn't want to talk about this in front of Aunt Lucy, which just made me angry. If we were supposed to pretend Aunt Lucy was part of the family, why couldn't we have a real conversation in front of her?
"It will only be a few hours a week," I said, staring at my glass of lemonade instead of at her. Addie watched wide-eyed.
"Let’s discuss this later," Mom said.
"I want to talk now." I don't know why I was so angry and pushing but, suddenly, I wanted a fight.
"Cassandra."
"I think if I want to take a second job, you should let me. It would be good experience for me to spend some time on a sailboat."
"You don't know how to sail," Mom said, her voice tense.
"I'll learn."
"The answer is 'no,'" Mom said. I'd hit a nerve, one that I knew was an easy target.
"If you weren't so afraid of the water..."
"Cassandra. No."
We sat in awkward silence. Aunt Lucy stared at the clouds overhead and Addie kicked her legs back and forth in her chair.
I'd gambled and lost. "May I please go for a walk?" I asked, standing, my heart pounding against my chest.
"Of course," Mom said. "You go right ahead."
I pushed my metal chair back, legs scraping across the deck.
Aunt Lucy looked confused. "If you girls need some time to yourselves…"
"No," Mom said, raising her hand to stop Aunt Lucy from standing. "You go ahead, Cassandra. We'll be right here. Take your time, sweetheart." She smiled at me and I could tell she felt badly about our fight, but I was furious at her for not giving me what I wanted.
I took the deck stairs down to the yard, walked out the gate and followed the road to the beach. There's an old tear-down house on the water. Some couple in California bought the lot, but they've been working on the plans for their dream house for years, which means their house sits abandoned with a dock in front of it and an empty boathouse. It's a little like having my own private beach. I sat on a piece of driftwood and inhaled the salty air, trying to calm my racing heart. I was so angry at myself for screwing up the conversation with Mom. In a single day, our entire family had changed.
I walked back to the house the long way, not up the main road, but in the greenbelt between the houses that Addie and I called the Forgotten Woods. When we were little we’d played in there for hours building forts, and biking over the bumpy trails. It’d been a while since I’d walked beneath the canopy of
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