knew he did.
For the third time she lifted the dog into her arms, and it squirmed against her happily. She set it on the porch and ran back to the car. Cameron revved the engine. Gravel shot from the back tires.
“Slow down! The rocks will hit him!” Becky shrieked.
He slowed a little, but clouds of dust still blossomed behind them. The dog’s barking could be heard through the windows. Cameron pressed the gas pedal again and the car gained speed, ascending the hill with ease, until the barking had faded and the dust was far in the distance and the tires gripped the asphalt, revolving with a smooth, even cadence. He looked over at Becky. Her shirt was covered in tiny black pinpricks. “Your shirt,” he said, pointing. “Wipe it off!”
She acted as if she hadn’t heard him. “Keep driving. I don’t want the dog to follow us back to the highway where he could be hit.” She sat perfectly still, her hands tuckedbeneath her thighs, the fleas flecking her skin. He slapped at his ankles. Her face was wet.
They drove in silence for a mile until Cameron found a lookout where he could pull off the highway. They both got out and tried to brush the fleas from their bodies and from the backseat with their hands. He hoped they were hopping out of the car and into the dirt. He couldn’t bear if they were as stubborn as the stray.
“I’d like to take some pictures of the water,” Becky said quietly. She seemed to have entered a world separate from Cameron’s.
“Let’s just get back on the road.” The sun would soon dip behind Haleakalā, and he was anxious to get to the campsite while they still had daylight. He wanted to set up the tent and swim in the Seven Sacred Pools.
“We can take our time,” she said. “I’ll drive.”
“We’ve lost too much time already. On account of the dog.”
“We had to save him.” Her voice was high and tight.
“You had to save it,” he corrected.
She leaned into the car and pulled her camera from the front seat. “You’re right. You would have been happy to let him be hit. It’s amazing you stopped for him at all.” She fiddled with the camera lens. After a moment, she looked up at him again. “I just don’t understand how a man who can care so little for a dog can say he loves me.”
Cameron let a hard laugh escape him. “Are you kidding?You are not a dog. You and the dog are two separate entities.”
“I don’t see things that way.” Becky walked away from him and stood beside the edge of the lookout. Below her, the water was the color of sapphires.
He followed her to the edge of the cliff. “You’re too sensitive about these things.”
“Too sensitive?” She shook her head. “I’m not
too
anything. I’m just myself.”
“But can’t you be a little less of a bleeding heart? The dog would have been fine.”
“You’re cold,” she said quietly. “I’m sensitive, and you’re cold.”
“That’s not fair.” He threw his hands up in exasperation.
“I don’t know if this was a good idea.”
“What does that mean?” He wanted to grip her shoulders and shake her, or pull her to him and hold her. Or both. Instead, he bent down and scratched his ankle.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have taken this trip after all.”
He rested his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. He saw disappointment there. “I want to marry you,” he said.
She ran her fingers through her hair and released a long, slow sigh. “Can you ask me again later?”
She retreated to the car, but he remained standing at the edge of the cliff looking over the water. The light hadshifted while they were rescuing the dog, and now the sky was pale against the deep blue of the ocean and the horizon was a thin, white line.
They swam in the Seven Sacred Pools as the sun set. She pointed out that the pools were not sacred in ancient Hawaiian lore. He noted there were more than seven.
They did not speak of his proposal, and he wondered if he should try again, this time on
For the third time she lifted the dog into her arms, and it squirmed against her happily. She set it on the porch and ran back to the car. Cameron revved the engine. Gravel shot from the back tires.
“Slow down! The rocks will hit him!” Becky shrieked.
He slowed a little, but clouds of dust still blossomed behind them. The dog’s barking could be heard through the windows. Cameron pressed the gas pedal again and the car gained speed, ascending the hill with ease, until the barking had faded and the dust was far in the distance and the tires gripped the asphalt, revolving with a smooth, even cadence. He looked over at Becky. Her shirt was covered in tiny black pinpricks. “Your shirt,” he said, pointing. “Wipe it off!”
She acted as if she hadn’t heard him. “Keep driving. I don’t want the dog to follow us back to the highway where he could be hit.” She sat perfectly still, her hands tuckedbeneath her thighs, the fleas flecking her skin. He slapped at his ankles. Her face was wet.
They drove in silence for a mile until Cameron found a lookout where he could pull off the highway. They both got out and tried to brush the fleas from their bodies and from the backseat with their hands. He hoped they were hopping out of the car and into the dirt. He couldn’t bear if they were as stubborn as the stray.
“I’d like to take some pictures of the water,” Becky said quietly. She seemed to have entered a world separate from Cameron’s.
“Let’s just get back on the road.” The sun would soon dip behind Haleakalā, and he was anxious to get to the campsite while they still had daylight. He wanted to set up the tent and swim in the Seven Sacred Pools.
“We can take our time,” she said. “I’ll drive.”
“We’ve lost too much time already. On account of the dog.”
“We had to save him.” Her voice was high and tight.
“You had to save it,” he corrected.
She leaned into the car and pulled her camera from the front seat. “You’re right. You would have been happy to let him be hit. It’s amazing you stopped for him at all.” She fiddled with the camera lens. After a moment, she looked up at him again. “I just don’t understand how a man who can care so little for a dog can say he loves me.”
Cameron let a hard laugh escape him. “Are you kidding?You are not a dog. You and the dog are two separate entities.”
“I don’t see things that way.” Becky walked away from him and stood beside the edge of the lookout. Below her, the water was the color of sapphires.
He followed her to the edge of the cliff. “You’re too sensitive about these things.”
“Too sensitive?” She shook her head. “I’m not
too
anything. I’m just myself.”
“But can’t you be a little less of a bleeding heart? The dog would have been fine.”
“You’re cold,” she said quietly. “I’m sensitive, and you’re cold.”
“That’s not fair.” He threw his hands up in exasperation.
“I don’t know if this was a good idea.”
“What does that mean?” He wanted to grip her shoulders and shake her, or pull her to him and hold her. Or both. Instead, he bent down and scratched his ankle.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have taken this trip after all.”
He rested his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. He saw disappointment there. “I want to marry you,” he said.
She ran her fingers through her hair and released a long, slow sigh. “Can you ask me again later?”
She retreated to the car, but he remained standing at the edge of the cliff looking over the water. The light hadshifted while they were rescuing the dog, and now the sky was pale against the deep blue of the ocean and the horizon was a thin, white line.
They swam in the Seven Sacred Pools as the sun set. She pointed out that the pools were not sacred in ancient Hawaiian lore. He noted there were more than seven.
They did not speak of his proposal, and he wondered if he should try again, this time on
Similar Books
