At the tip of the wharf, Dario waited for Ante to guide their boat alongside the stone structure jutting into the sea. Small waves lapped around the corner while the ribbons of early morning mist slowly evaporated in the low sun, salty brine of the sea tickled his nostrils. Dario caught the line Ante threw at him from the stern and wrapped the rope around the rusty bollard.
Ella approached him with slow steps, her hands shoved in her tweed jacket pockets. Her gaze focused on his hands twisting the cord into an intricate knot ensuring the movement of the boat wouldn’t loosen the coil.
He tilted his head toward his daughter and winked. The corners of her lips dipped into a tight smile. “Looks complicated.”
“It’s quite simple. I’ll show you.” Wiggling his index finger, he indicated for her to come closer.
She crouched next to him, curiosity in her wide eyes. “How long will it take us to reach the island?”
“About two hours if the weather holds.” He cast his glance over the sea. The ruffles on the open water increased their speed and size. If he was right, the wind out there and churned waters would trash their boat. They would have to hug the coast. “We won’t be able to go at full tilt, but the journey will be a bit more
pleasant than getting tossed on the waves.” Her face paled, and he wrapped her in a tight hug. “Don’t worry, uncle Ante is a skilled sailor.” Another cast over the horizon confirmed the wind was picking up strength. It also meant a spectacular sunset.
“Okay, Dad.” She straightened and yanked her cell phone out of her jacket pocket. After glancing at the screen, she grinned and stepped away from him.
Turning to Irena, he hoped to find her with her phone in her hand. Mother and daughter had found some silly game on their phones and played against each other. But Irena sat on top of her big suitcase and yawned into her hand while holding her travel coffee mug in the other. Large, dark sunglasses covered her eyes. Okay, it was obvious Ella was texting with someone else. He picked up the tan duffle bag from the ground, next to Ella’s feet, and cast a curious glance at the screen of her mobile in some off chance to catch the name of the person with whom she exchanged messages. She touched the send button so fast all he got was an A.
“Mind me asking who are you texting with?” He didn’t mean to pry, but he blurted the question before he realized.
“It’s Andy.” She threw the words over her shoulder and picked up another bag from the ground.
He stood rooted. Andy? Andy? Why did that sound familiar?
“You promised to talk to Mom about letting me go out with him.” She cocked an inquisitive eyebrow as if to find out if he broached the subject with Irena.
“Oh, now I remember. The receptionist at the Bastion hotel. Ah, I…” When he made that promise he
had vaguely suspected Ella could be his daughter. Well, the things were different now. “With everything that happened, I forgot. Mom lets you text with him? How old did she say you have to be before she’d let you date?”
Of course, Irena had let her daughter text with a boy. There was a mutual respect between mother and daughter, and lying or hiding the truth and their action from one another was not how they rolled. Irena raised her child well. They had accepted him into their small circle of trust and he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.
“Fifteen, but—”
“Uh-uh, no buts.” Seeing Ella’s face souring, he took a step closer to her. By her pouty lips, he concluded she must like this boy. He may have almost fourteen years of fathering to catch up on, but damn it, his daughter should not get banned from life like her mother was. “But if we call it hang out together instead of a date, then she can’t say no. Four of us could go to movies or invite him to dinner. What do you say?”
A huge smile bloomed on her face, and she kissed his cheek. “You know how to make me happy. “
He cast another glance at Irena. She slouched and propped her chin on her curled fingers. “Your mom is still upset.”
“I guess.” Ella shrugged. “She’s also troubled with both pieces of amulet missing. Maybe someday they’ll turn up someplace we least expected.”
“You two look a tad too relaxed. Can one of you help me with this suitcase?” Irena called from the road side end of the wharf, tugging on the handle of the luggage.
“Ante and I will get that,” Dario said, strutting up to her. “Why don’t you take Ella on board?”
She nodded and picked up her travel mug from the ground. He wrapped his hand around her arm, stopping her. “Hey, we don’t need any amulet, Gypsy, shiny or otherwise. Our love survived because of who we are, not some infused magic. And we’re stronger than ever before.”
She nodded, then rewarded him with a tiny smile. He placed a quick kiss on her soft lips. “There, much better.” After a playful pat on her firm behind, he turned toward the heavy suitcase. “If you want to stretch, there’s a nice bed under the prow. What time was it when you finally calmed down and fell asleep?”
“Sorry I kept you up, but my mind wouldn’t settle and sleep wasn’t coming to me last night. I could snooze now, so I’ll take you up on your offer.” She raised her travel mug to her lips and winked. “This coffee isn’t doing its job. If you snuggle up next to me…”
She bit her lower lip and cocked her head, coaxing chuckles from him. “I’ll join you after I see that Ella’s comfortable and wears a lifejacket. We’ll hit some rough seas once we are out of the harbor.”
Shaking her head, she turned toward the bay’s wide exit and peered over the rim of her dark sunglasses. “Looks wavy out there, but your boat is not that small as you described it.”
“Well, it’s not a raft, but it’s a speck on the vast water.” Holding onto her elbow, he helped her over the side and onto the deck. She waved before ducking to go down below. He turned to Ella and extended his hand to her. “Ready to sail?”
“More than ready.” She slid her hand inside his and hopped over the side, headed for the slanted roof of the boat’s cabin.
“Don’t sit there, the deck will get wet and slippery. I don’t want you falling in. The waters will be calmer when we enter the narrow passage between islands. You can perch yourself on the roof of the cabin then.”
“Then I can swim with a mermaid.”
“You’d be the first one.” Ante huffed and grunted under the weight of Irena’s big suitcase. He glared at Dario. “Didn’t you say we’d get this in together? How come I always end up schlepping this valise alone?”
“All right, stop your bi…bickering.” Dario picked up the corner of the luggage and grunted as he pushed his arm muscles to raise the bloody thing over the side.
Stepping backward, Ante managed to get one end and together they slid the bag onto the deck. Ante puffed and cursed, picked up the bottom of his t-shirt and wiped his face. “Feels heavier than I remember.”
“Mom stuffed a few more things inside.” Ella took the seat on the wide bench at the stern.
“Must be more than just a few.” Ante nodded, taking his seat at the cockpit. “If you get brave enough I’ll let you drive for a few minutes. Don’t worry I’ll be right next to you.”
“I’m not too sure about that.” She gave a nervous smile.
The engine roared to life, the sea foamed around the stern, white puff of smoke floated in the early morning air. Dario untied the lines and tossed the ropes on the prow. He pushed the boat away from the quay and jumped onboard, then retrieved the fenders off the side.
Mile, by a slow mile, they crept out of the harbor and picked up the speed. Dario stared at the sinking city line. This was his home. Over the years, the town he grew up in seemed less and less familiar. Even the country appeared foreign, unrecognizable, fragile and small. He often wondered its fate. The economy hadn’t recovered much in over twenty years since the breakup from the Yugoslavian federation that ultimately led to senseless and bloody civil war. It seemed the population lived in a constant recession, while the corrupt government only cared how to stuff more into their pockets.
God knew he tried to do the right thing, go out of his way to help out whenever he could. He must leave and start over elsewhere. Irena was aware of the helpless situation. Would she want to settle here? She loved him of that much he was sure. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he’d use her as means to move to the new world.
The spray of the cold water on his face brought him back to the moment, and he sought the shelter under the cover at the stern. Ella pulled the hood over her head and recorded the passing scenery. He sat next to her and craned his neck to look at the screen of her cell phone.
“You don’t take selfies?” Another stupid question, Dario. His daughter was not a typical teenager. Life’s little things excited her, like the jet of water left behind the boat.
She snorted. “Only vain girls take selfies. Besides, why ruin a perfect picture with me in it?”
“Don’t be silly. You’d make the picture better.” He pulled his phone from the jacket’s pocket and snapped a
photo of her. “There, now I have a picture of you.” He then slid next to her and took another photo of both of them. “And now we took a selfie.”
She yawned, and he pulled her into a hug. “Are you cold? Gets pretty chilly on the water. I’ll get you a blanket. Or you can go down below and join your mom. Be prepared for your stomach contents to be tossed.”
“I’ll sit here and enjoy the view.”
“Another ten or fifteen minutes and we’ll get between the islands. The sea there is always calmer.” Ante yelled over his shoulder to be heard above the roar of the engine and the hauling of the wind.
They sat in silence and yawns plagued him. The thoughts drifted again and his eyelids grew heavy with the roll of the boat. Why was he freezing here when he could snuggle up next to Irena’s warm body? He stretched his arms and got on his feet. “Will you be okay here with Ante?”
Ella nodded, holding onto his hand she inched toward the cockpit and dropped into the white chair next to his brother.
Dario cocked one eyebrow, his gaze on the gas gauge pointing at below quarter of a tank. “You didn’t fill up?”
“Forgot. Relax, I made it to and from the island before on fumes. We have plenty of fuel.” Ante dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
Well, with Ante in control, what could possibly go wrong? Dario slipped into the cabin and found Irena fast asleep under the blankets. He raised the corner of the covers and slipped next to her. As if sensing his closeness, she pressed her warm body to his and he spooned up with her, inhaling her signature citrusy
scent. All his doubts disappeared, replaced by his body’s instant reaction. Tonight, he would take her to his secret spot where they could stargaze and make love under the open sky.
The steady and monotone drone of the engine lulled him. The door to the cabin burst open. Dario jerked up to a seated position. Ante stood at the threshold. In his extended hand, he held a green tube with the black cube on one end. “What the hell is this?”
Dario took the small device in his hand. “A camera. Where did you find it?”
“Tucked under the steering. I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner.” Ante pivoted toward the deck, then back at Dario. “We’re accelerating. How? I left the auto-pilot at the comfortable cruising speed.”
Irena rubbed her eyes and rose on her elbows. “What’s going on?”
“Dad! Uncle!” Ella’s shrieks raised hairs on Dario’s neck. “I didn’t touch anything. I swear. The speed went crazy after Uncle ripped that thing out.”
Dario followed Ante to the deck, Irena in tow. He peered over Ante’s shoulder to take a better look at the control panel. The needle was reaching red fields on the speedometer. Ante yanked on the accelerator and held the stick down, clenching his teeth. Dario pressed his hand over Ante’s and grabbed the steering with his other. With some quick reactions and maneuvers, he was able to avoid getting the yacht into the shallow waters. Good thing it wasn’t in the middle of the tourist season, crafts of all sizes and types would pack this channel.
“If we don’t slow down, we’ll burn off the fuel in a few minutes.” Ante roared over the engine’s clamor.
For once, Dario was glad his brother forgot to top up the tank, however, once the gasoline was consumed, they would be dead in the water.