Between the Land and the Sea

Chapter SEVEN

LUE KHANG

Abby showed up at the hospital early the next morning. She brought me my phone and made me promise to call Dad. She was relieved that I looked more alert after a good night’s sleep, and I really did feel much better. I was starting to come to terms with my bizarre situation. We met with the doctor, and after a little more eyelash batting on my part, he agreed I could be released by the end of the day. Abby left me a few books and some fresh fruit, and set out for the yoga studio.

I called my father and explained that I was in the hospital after an accidental fall from the pier, leaving out just a few details. He was horrified, and swore bitterly that he should have sent me to a boarding school. I promised I’d be careful, insisting that it wasn’t anyone’s fault but mine. He made me agree to take swimming lessons, blaming himself for my lack of skills. I wanted to ask him about my mother, but I simply could not find the words.

I asked him how his work was going and as he spoke I could tell he was filled with optimism. It made me miss him terribly, nostalgic for a childhood spent watching him immersed in his work. Perhaps he didn’t want to paint too pretty a picture, for he was quick to point out how harsh life was there, particularly for the women.

“If we can improve their lives, maybe they’ll consider educating their daughters,” he said.

“They’re just so terribly poor.”

“I miss you dad,” was all I could tell him.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” he replied.

After school, Cruz and Megan arrived with giant greasy hamburgers and shakes from the local burger spot. They were full of good humor and jokes about hospital food. It was a relief to be around people who didn’t treat me like I was made of glass. I scarfed down a burger and we speculated about how horrified Abby would be.

“She would think we were murdering the poor cows,” Cruz griped.

Megan daintily wiped the sides of her mouth and proclaimed, “It’s an interesting paradox, for if we didn’t eat cows there would be no cows. Man only breeds them to suit his desire.” She smirked, “We must eat the cows to save the cows,” she said with mock seriousness.

“What about the bulls?” I asked.

“You’re full of bull!” said Cruz, his mouth full.

We laughed at each other, and as I finished eating Megan and Cruz bantered back and forth, joking about my misadventure. I almost choked on my milkshake, making me laugh even harder.

Spending time with Cruz and Megan was the best medicine; I could feel my strength return as they made goofy jokes and bad puns about mermaids, raising my spirits. I pushed Lorelei’s confusing words into the back of my mind– I would be home on my own for an entire week, and there would be plenty of time to try and find out more.

They told me what went on at school, about how all the kids were gossiping about “that girl” who nearly drowned twice. Apparently, some of the surfers who had seen Ethan pull me out of the ocean were spreading rumors about me.

“I guess they jumped to conclusions,” Megan smirked.

“That’s not funny!” said Cruz, laughing anyway as Megan pantomimed a drum roll.

“Oh God,” I moaned sarcastically, “Now I really can’t wait to start school on Monday.”

“In all seriousness, I think we have bigger fish to fry,” said Cruz, “You need to stay away from that mermaid.” He shook his head incredulously, “I can’t believe those words just came out of my mouth.”

Megan and I laughed at the expression on Cruz’s face but he was serious.

“You nearly died, Marina. I don’t think that’s a laughing matter.”

“Yeah, you might not be so lucky next time,” said Megan darkly.

“I want to find out more,” I tossed my head defiantly, “She didn’t try to hurt me on purpose–

there must be a safe way I can talk with her again.”

“Are you nuts?” asked Cruz, exasperated.

“You don’t know the half of it,” I said, thinking about Lorelei’s words.

“You’d have to be crazy to go anywhere near her!” he gasped.

“Don’t worry about me– I’ll be fine,” I said with conviction, and I truly believed it, for even after my near death experience I still wasn’t afraid of Lorelei. She was the only one I knew who would tell me more about my mother. Besides, she might actually be part of my family and she deserved the benefit of the doubt. I was somehow certain she wouldn’t hurt me... at least not intentionally. I simply needed to be a little more careful.

I thought about how effortlessly she had propelled me through the water, and remembering how strong she was sent a chill down my spine. It ended right where my tail would have started if I were one of them. Cruz and Megan got up to leave.

“Could you please take the evidence? I asked, gesturing towards the paper sack and burger wrappers.

“You look better already with some meat in you,” said Megan, and Cruz almost fell over in hysterics. I could hear him teasing Megan and laughing all the way down the hallway.

Later that afternoon Abby arrived to pick me up. We checked out at the nurse’s station and I was forced to ride down the elevator in a wheelchair. I felt like an even bigger fool than ever and was thankful no one from the high school was around to witness the spectacle. I told Abby that I’d promised Dad I’d take swimming lessons and she seemed relieved when I told her that he wasn’t angry.

I said I’d prefer to swim in the sea because I couldn’t stand the chemical smell and taste of chlorine. I actually liked the silky feel of the saltwater, at least when I wasn’t choking on it.

Abby agreed that I should learn to swim in the ocean, since I didn’t just nearly drown in a pool.

We made plans to go look for a used wetsuit at the local flea market.

I avoided the beach for the rest of the week, and Abby kept a watchful eye on me. She took me along with her to the yoga studio, and I joined in on her classes or sat and read quietly in the corner. On Sunday morning she insisted that I go with her to the farmer’s market; I didn’t argue.

I was going to have to show my face in public sometime, and it was a nice day.

Aunt Evie always said it was better to be over-dressed than underdressed; she also said that looking good was the greatest revenge. I was determined to put my best foot forward and hold my head up high. If I did happen to run into any gossiping high schoolers I was going to look put together.

Flipping through the hangers I chose the stunning turquoise sundress Evie had given me the day I came to Aptos. I slipped on a pair of glorious new golden sandals with delicate woven straps that circled my ankles. I studied my reflection in the mirror and saw that Evie had chosen well again. I put on some liner to enhance my eyes, fluffed up my hair and stood up straight. I looked like an older and more confident version of me. I decided to call Evie tonight to catch up.

We got to the market and spent some time strolling around outdoors in the bright sunshine.

My spirits lifted, and I began to feel better about everything. Abby said she had some business with Ethan and she’d find me later. I was happy to skip that stand, feeling even more embarrassed than ever after our exchange in the hospital. I realized that he was just trying to be nice, but knowing he thought I was suicidal aggravated me.

I wandered around, smelling the flowers, pinching the herbs and picking out the most delicious late summer fruit. I came to the stand with all the Asian vegetables and stopped to inspect the unusual variety. I recognized baby bok choy, long asparagus beans and some funny little white eggplants. I sniffed at some unfamiliar herbs, thinking Abby might enjoy trying some new ingredients. A figure came from around the back of the stand and I glanced up into a familiar wizened old face.

“Hello Lue Khang,” I said with a friendly smile, “Did you grow all of this?” He nodded, pointing up to a sign that read “Khang Farms” dangling from the awning.

“Well, I haven’t seen some of this stuff in a long time,” I smiled.

“Ah,” he said, “You like this? Come, come.” He beckoned for me to follow him behind the stand and I trailed after him, curious. There was a small umbrella table with some chairs where couple of market workers were seated, taking a lunch break. A panel truck stacked with crates and boxes of produce had a hot plate sitting on the tailgate that held a pot of something that smelled heavenly. I realized that I had skipped breakfast that morning and was hungry.

“Try my fish soup,” said Lue with a gracious smile, “My special family recipe.” I smiled back at him gratefully, “Sure,” I said, “Thank you.” He ladled each of us a bowl, and taking them in his gnarled hands, gestured for me to follow him out to the table. I decided to ask him what he knew about Lorelei.

As we rounded the corner I recognized the men at the table. It was Ethan, along with a tall good looking boy I had seen surfing along with him. Great, I thought, fighting to keep my composure even as my heart started racing.

“Sit down,” Lue commanded, as he pulled out a chair. There was nothing to do but comply.

“This is my grandson, Long,” said Lue, “and my best worker, Ethan.” Their eyes bugged out of their heads as I carefully slid into the chair. I would imagine that I was the last person Ethan expected to see as he sat down to lunch and I almost felt sorry for startling him.

“This is my good friend Marina,” Lue said, “She’s a lucky water girl.” Ethan’s jaw dropped and I felt my cheeks flush with blood. I noticed how he pulled back and sat up straight in his chair, regarding me intently.

“How do you know my Grand-pop?” asked Long, bewildered.

Lue injected, “She brings luck to the fishermen,” gesturing to the soup. He turned and winked at me as I squirmed in my chair.

“She’s a water girl alright, but I don’t know how lucky she is!” said Long, looking at Ethan and laughing. Ethan didn’t look amused.

Lue snapped something at him in a language I didn’t understand and Long excused himself, looking down as he skulked away.

Lue turned to Ethan, “She has strong water spirits in her. They call to her.” Ethan stared at me curiously, making me even more uncomfortable. Lue turned to me and ordered, “Eat!” I tasted the soup and it was wonderful, fragrant with lemon grass and herbs.

“It’s delicious,” I said, turning my attention to Lue, “It reminds me of a dish I had at a market very much like this... only it was on a river,” I said with a little smile, thinking about the time my dad and I visited the floating market.

Lue looked surprised, “Where?” he asked.

“A place called Pattaya,” I replied.

“I know it,” he said, a little surprised, “You been to Thailand?”

“Yes,” I said between spoonfuls, “I lived in Mukdahan province with my father for a season, but we took a few little trips around the country sometimes...” I trailed off, thinking about happier times traveling with my father.

“What does your father do in Thailand?” asked Lue.

“He’s an agronomist. We were there testing new strains of rice he developed for hardiness and disease resistance... he nearly doubled their yields,” I stopped myself, not wanting to blather on with all the agricultural jargon I was used to hearing. They both seemed interested, and when I thought about it, I realized that Lue would probably have a lot in common with my dad. I noticed Ethan was still openly staring.

“Are you Thai?” I asked Lue, trying to avoid Ethan’s eyes.

“Lue is Hmong,” Ethan jumped in to explain, forcing me to look over at him, “He was in a refugee camp in Thailand for a while before he could bring his family here.” He nodded towards Lue with admiration, “He worked with the C.I.A. in Vietnam.”

“And you work for him?” I asked.

He nodded, “I work for their family at their farm, and also at their stands here,” said Ethan.

He really was a hard worker, I realized, impressed.

“Ethan has strong earth spirits,” Lue said, matter of factly.

My phone rang and I fished it out of my bag. It was Abby looking for me.

“I’d better go,” I said, and stood up to leave. I turned to Lue and said, “kob kun kup”, thanking him in Thai. I stood up and bowed. He chuckled, pleased.

“Oh, um, Ethan,” I added, “Abby was looking for you earlier.”

“She found me before I took my break,” he said, adding, “She hired me to teach you to swim.”

Now it was my turn to look surprised. Ethan just smiled.

“Ah, very good match,” said Lue, shrewdly looking between me and Ethan, “Earth and water.” I turned and hurried away quickly.

I met up with Abby and grumbled, “I ran into Ethan– you could have told me!” She smiled placidly, “You would have just tried to talk me out of it.”

“I know I agreed to lessons, but why did you have to go to him?” I asked, “It’s so embarrassing after what happened.”

“Who better?” said Abby, “He knows his way around the ocean, and at least I already know he won’t let you drown!”

When we got home I went to my room and called Evie, catching up on all her latest adventures. I told her a little about Aptos and how much I liked staying with my aunt and cousin.

I avoided all the bad things that had happened; Evie tended to blow every little thing completely out of proportion. The last think I wanted to do was give her something real to over-dramatize.

She kept asking me about boys and I kept changing the subject.

I told her how Cruz was a talented designer, and about Megan and her wonderful voice. She said she would love to meet them someday. I thanked her for all the great summer clothes and went into detail about how well they fit and how much I liked each one.

“Marina,” she said suspiciously, “I feel like you’re keeping something from me...”

“Evie! I haven’t even started school yet!”

“I know,” she said, “but you’re hiding something. I can tell.”

“OK,” I sighed, throwing her a bone, “There might be a boy.” Triumphant, she cried, “I knew it! Spill the beans. Is he cute?”

“Very,” I said.

I ended up telling her about Ethan, and how I was going to take swimming lessons from him. I mentioned that he was a surfer, and that it might be fun to learn how to surf when I improved my swimming skills.

“Ooh, what swimsuit will you wear?” she asked enthusiastically.

“None, Evie, I have to get a wetsuit. The water in Aptos is around fifty degrees.” Goosebumps rose on my arms as I thought about my bitterly cold trip out to the buoy.

“Well, be sure to wear a pretty one!” she said.

I laughed, “Abby’s taking me to look for an old one at the flea market– at least until I know if I can swim.”

“Don’t say ‘flea’, dear,” Evie said with disgust. I laughed at her prissiness. We said our goodbyes and I promised to call her back and tell her how my lessons went.

I had a hard time getting to sleep that night, and spent a long time tossing and turning. I couldn’t stop fidgeting, anxious about school the next morning. Charlie didn’t appreciate my restlessness and left the room, disgruntled. It was a rare fogless night, and I could see the glowing full moon clearly through my bedroom window.

I lost all track of time, lying there sleepless, studying the moon. I looked at the dark areas that early astronomers mistook for bodies of water. Mare, they called them, after the Latin word for sea. That was the root of my name, I thought. Could that have anything to do with my mother? I had to find a way to talk with Lorelei again. I finally fell into a fitful sleep.

I dreamed I was crouching on a surfboard, gliding along with the surge of the sea. I felt at one with the ocean; I was where I belonged. The powerful force of the water moved through me as I clung to the side of a tremendous wave. I skimmed my fingers along a solid wall of water and laughed.