The Turning Tides

CHAPTER Nine

RUBY



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“Marina,” Ethan stood, awkwardly gesturing to the woman on the couch, “This is my mother.”

She got up with a tremulous smile, nervously twisting the tissue in her hands. She was younger than I expected, but there was something very hard about her. There didn’t seem to be a part on her body that wasn’t artificial, from her ridiculously plumped lips to her obviously augmented breasts. She had enough makeup on for two women.

I stepped forward to hold my hand out politely, completely caught off guard when she came at me with open arms, delivering a big, unexpected hug. Her perfume was so strong I nearly gagged.

“Please call me Ruby,” she gushed. “It’s so nice to meet you!” My eyes met Ethan’s over her shoulder and he shrugged uncertainly.

I stepped back a bit, nodding politely, “It’s nice to meet you too.” I set my bag down on the counter and stood there awkwardly for a moment. Nobody said anything. I looked towards Ethan, “Can I have a minute with you… alone?”

He nodded, excused himself, and followed me into his room like he was sleepwalking. I closed the door behind us, turning to look up into his eyes. I had never seen him look so vulnerable before; he was completely shaken up, and clearly in need of a hug. I stepped over to wrap my arms around him tightly, rubbing his back. I could feel his chest rise and fall as he heaved a deep breath.

I pulled back, brushing the hair out of his eyes, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah… I’m kinda blown away. I thought I’d never see her again.”

“Where did she come from?”

He shook his head, “I dunno–”

We were interrupted by a squeaky meow coming from the bed, and I looked over to see a black and white kitten sitting there blinking at us.

I burst into surprised laughter, “Stumpy! Look how big he got!”

We sat down on either side of the tiny cat, petting him until the little guy started purring like a motorboat. I watched Ethan, relieved to see him relax a little bit.

I took his hand and met his eyes again, “So what happened? What is she here for?”

He shook his head, “I was cleaning up… I thought you got here early, and… and when I opened the door, there she was.” He combed his fingers through his hair, “I haven’t seen her since I was eight years old…”

“What does she want?” I asked.

He swallowed, clearly unnerved, “She said she’s sorry she left… She started crying, telling me how terrible she feels about it. She’s back in the area for a visit, and she wants a chance to get to know me.”

“What took her so long?” I asked.

“She was afraid that I hated her after… well, you know.”

“Wow,” I said, thinking that he probably should, “What are you going to do?”

He looked sheepish, “She had a cab drop her off. She needs a place to stay for a few days.”

“What did you say?”

He shrugged, “What could I say?” He looked down, “I guess I’m kind of curious… I think I should give her a chance.” He looked into my eyes, searching, “You don’t mind… do you?”

I paused, trying to be diplomatic. Ruby was the woman who had scarred Ethan. She had made him suspicious of love, afraid to love. She was directly responsible for his guarded and mistrustful nature, and even if I tried to be objective, I was inclined to dislike her.

“I suppose everyone deserves a chance,” I managed. I understood better than most that people could be complicated, and that life could change you in unimaginable ways. “Where is she going to sleep?”

“I guess I’ll give her my room.” He looked at me for my reaction, and his face fell, “Don’t be mad.”

“I’m not,” I sighed, “It’s only that… I was looking forward to finally being alone with you.”

He smiled, slipping his arm around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder, “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear that.”

I turned to kiss him, and put the kitten aside to get up, “I better go to Abby’s tonight.”

“Oh, c’mon… stay here tonight. I’ll give you the couch and sleep on the floor… I promise I won’t do anything.”

I blushed, “It’s not that– I just wouldn’t feel comfortable… It’s only for a couple of days, right?”

“Please?”

I shook my head no, “You should get to know her without me around.”

He sighed, “It’s like a giant conspiracy against me.”

“That’s life in the big city.”

“This isn’t San Francisco,” he grumbled.

I insisted I should go, and he got up to walk me out. I reached for my purse, and I nodded to Ruby politely on the way out, “I’ll leave you two to get caught up.”

“It was nice meeting you,” her eyes darted to my hand, and she rushed forward and grabbed it before I could pull it back. Her long red fingernails stood in stark contrast to my short bare ones, “Ooh! Nice ring!” she gasped, turning to Ethan. “Are you kids engaged?”

“Yeah,” he said, looking to me with a smile.

“Oh my God! Congratulations!” she squealed, lunging forward to embrace me again while I stood stiffly.

“Uh, thank you,” I said, leaning back.

She brought her hands to her cheeks and her eyes flew open wide, “I can’t believe I’m gonna have a daughter in-law!” Everything she did seemed theatrical, and her reactions, like her appearance, were completely over the top. She reminded me of a low-budget Evie.

“I should really be going now,” I backed away towards the door, nodding politely, “Goodbye.”

Ethan followed me out and down to the Rover, taking me in his arms before I could climb inside. “Are you sure you won’t stay?” he whispered in my ear.

“Yes.” I said firmly, “Do you have to work tomorrow?”

“I was planning to,” he said, with a glance back up to the apartment. “But what am I going to do with her? Will you come over and have dinner with us tomorrow?”

I nodded, “Sure.”

“What should I make?” he asked nervously.

“Ask her what she likes,” I advised him, realizing that she was as big a stranger to him as she was to me. I gave him a reassuring squeeze, “I’m sure anything you make will be fine. Just tell me what I can do to help.”

I climbed into the car, and Ethan signaled for me to roll down the window.

“Hey,” he leaned in, “What about my surprise?”

I kissed him, “It’ll just have to wait.”

It was completely dark when I parked in front of Abby’s house. I took the gun and Taser out of my purse and locked them into the glove compartment. Abby wasn’t very happy about the alarm system Evie had insisted we install, but she’d be mortified if she knew I brought a weapon into her house. Besides, I thought, it would be wrong to introduce a symbol of violence into her peaceful home. I’d caused enough trouble already.

There was a thin wisp of smoke curling up from the fireplace and warm yellow light shining through the curtain. When I walked onto the porch I could see Dutch on the couch, burping the baby gently over his shoulder. Abby walked by, affectionately ruffling his hair as she passed. I wasn’t sure why, but the scene brought tears to my eyes.

My nomadic life had never bothered me, but now, for the first time ever, I felt homeless. When it was just Dad and me, it never seemed like I was missing anything, but all at once I felt it acutely. Abby’s house felt like a home, only not mine anymore. I remembered the vision I’d had of the house Ethan would be building on his land, and I tried hard to remember every detail, taking a deep breath and going inside.

I gave Dutch and Abby the latest information about Dad’s condition, reassuring Abby with the news of how much Evie was doing to help speed his recovery. I refrained from mentioning Ruby’s sudden appearance at Ethan’s apartment, loathe to bring any negativity to their peaceful evening; they’d hear about her return soon enough. I wondered how Ethan was getting along with her.

I spent some time holding Adria, marveling at how much she’d changed in the weeks I’d been gone. Her wise newborn eyes seemed to look deeply into mine now, and she could bring her hands to her mouth, sucking on her fingers with a cute little gummy smile. I guess baby mermaids weren’t the only ones that changed from day to day. I finally excused myself to retreat to my room.

I thought about how shaken up Ethan was, and realized that he had been putting up a false front for many years. He’d always been matter of fact where his mother was concerned; he never tried to hide the truth that she had abandoned him suddenly. What he did hide was the way it made him feel. Being honest and telling me “everything” was really his way of keeping secrets– painful secrets– hidden in plain sight, under the guise of openness.

Somehow, I managed to stay the entire night in bed, sleeping despite the tempting moon that was sparkling like a fishing lure outside my window. The thought that Edwards might be keeping tabs on me was enough to keep me tucked in bed; I couldn’t risk leading him to my sisters. I’d planned on telling Ethan about being followed in San Francisco, but after being surprised by Ruby’s sudden visit, I thought I’d better not give him any more to worry about.

Saturday morning dawned bright and new, all perfect sunlight streaming into the little turquoise bedroom. I woke up and stretched, disturbing a mound of orange fur at my feet. A face poked up out of the pile and meowed at me.

“Charlie! When did you get in here?” I asked, sitting up to give him a quick scratch under the chin.

I looked around the room. Without my art supplies and books, all that remained were piles of clothes and suitcases. It looked like a closet, like someone’s storage room, and it only served to point out the obvious. It was time for me to move on.

I thought about my studio, sitting empty for the past few weeks, and decided to spend the day painting. I used to love being alone there, and I hoped that it would be enough to stop me from recklessly racing out to the water. Soon, I could be with Ethan all the time, and we could deal with whatever Edwards threw our way together.

I just had to get through the next few days without leading anyone to my mermaid sisters. It was a cat and mouse game now, and was tired of playing the part of the rodent. I wanted to learn how to be the hunter

I got up and dressed, taking a few moments to pack up a couple of suitcases. I wandered into the kitchen feeling like a stranger, and found Abby sitting alone, sipping a cup of tea.

She looked up from the paper with a warm smile, “Good morning honey bunny!”

Abby’s cheerful nature always made me feel better. “Good morning,” I replied.

“Dutch made coffee before he left,” she gestured to the pot.

I poured a cup and sat down with her, expecting more questions about my father.

“So,” she asked, cocking an eyebrow at me, “What’s going on with Ethan?”

I met her clear blue eyes and they searched mine. I should have known we weren’t fooling anyone. She knew I’d be with him if there wasn’t something wrong.

I screwed up my face, “Yesterday… His mother showed up out of the blue… She says she wants to make amends.”

Abby reeled back in her seat, her eyes wide, “Oh.”

“Yeah,” I said, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice, “And it gets even better. She’s going to be staying there a few days.”

Her eyes clouded with concern, “How’s Ethan?”

I sighed, “He wants to give her a chance. I– I think he wants to believe that she’s sorry.”

Abby looked down, shaking her head, “That would be like him… But there’s so much he doesn’t know.”

“Like what?” I asked in alarm.

Abby pressed her lips together, “I don’t really think it’s my place to tell…”

“Abby,” I said intensely, “We’re going to get married. I think that gives me the right to know everything.”

“I suppose,” she grimaced, and met my eyes. “Dutch said… Well, he told me that she wasn’t a very good mother.”

I snorted. “I’m aware of that!”

She shook her head, and I could see how hard it was for her to talk about it. Abby liked to look for something positive in every situation. Her cup was always half full, and unpleasantness went against her very nature.

“Dutch was talking about before she left. She did some awful things.”

“Like what?”

Abby sighed, “When Ethan was a baby, she liked to go out partying with her friends all day. She’d dump him off with anyone who’d take him… Dutch would have to go looking all over town to find out who she’d left him with.” Her voice darkened, “He found him in some pretty horrible places.”

“My God,” I said, thinking about the picture I saw of him as a little boy, “That’s terrible.”

“It’s worse than that,” she went on, pain in her voice, “Dutch says that he’d come home from the boat to find Ethan all alone in the house… hungry… dirty. When he was only a toddler! She’d leave him there by himself and not come back until the middle of the night. When Dutch finally put his foot down, she packed up and left them both without so much as a note. Dutch thought she might have been doing drugs.”

“She sounds like a monster!” I said angrily.

Her eyes met mine and I knew she agreed, but she was struggling with herself. Abby wanted to believe in redemption. She shrugged hopefully, “Maybe she’s changed.”

“That’s what Ethan wants to think… but she gives me the creeps.”

Abby reached for my hand, “Please don’t say anything– Dutch never told Ethan all this because he didn’t want him to think that his own mother could be like that. Kids sometimes blame themselves for their parent’s mistakes.”

I nodded, thinking that Dutch might be surprised at just how much Ethan did know.

“Let’s hope she’s sincerely sorry,” Abby said diplomatically. Then, unable to contain her curiosity, she leaned in towards me.

“So what does she look like?”





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