The Sea Taketh (Alex Singer) (42 page)

Christian pauses, looking into my eyes.

              “Marjory wasn’t dead. She mustered the energy to crawl for help. Thomas was the one who found her. He had just come in from a fishing trip and found her on his porch. He rushed her to Dr. Powers, and this is when she identified her attacker, the doctor’s own son.

             
“The village was outraged and called for justice. It was while Richard sat in jail they discovered Marjory was pregnant. This changed matters. It was obvious that Marjory would never work again as a teacher, but now she was expecting a child, and she was adamant about keeping her baby, regardless of his violent conception. There was a town meeting, and it was decided that Richard would follow through with his plans to go to medical school, so he could support Marjory and her child.” Christian pauses again, taking my hand. “Knowing her history, you can see why she was willing to go to such lengths to protect you.”

             
“What about Michael?” I ask.

             
“Richard went away to medical school and returned with a wife, which miffed more than one resident of the village, but Marjory never wanted anything to do with Richard. Amanda Powers, on the other hand, wanted to take the cute little boy away from his strange mother and raise him according to her proper standards. The villagers wouldn’t stand for it. They almost ran Richard and Amanda out of town for merely suggesting it.”

             
Christian smiles faintly. “John was an exceptional child and grew into an exceptional man. He graduated top of his class and had offers to all the Ivy League schools. Richard was quoted as say that John was the best mistake he had ever made. No one could believe it when he was accepted into Oxford. Poor Michael Powers was born into his older brother’s shadow. He was only ten when John went away to college. Everywhere he went people asked him how his brother was doing. This created a lot of animosity between them which still exists today.”

             
“So he went to England and never returned?” I interject.

             
“I think he was trying to escape the stigma of his conception at first, and then he married Susie. Soon his life was in England, not Seaside.”

             
“Then why did he come back?”

             
“John is a very smart man. He is considered an expert in his field and has been successful professionally. He even put away a very nice retirement. Then Susie became ill. She fought breast cancer for twelve years before finally succumbing last October. Marjory and I attended the funeral while you were in Europe. At that time, plans were made for John and Talia to move to the Victorian house this summer. John used all of his retirement to pay for medical treatments and to improve Susie’s quality of life. John knew that he had an open invitation to serve as the caretaker here and would never have to worry about money.”

             
“But isn’t he worried about moving back to Seaside?”

             
“That’s the irony of the situation; Michael stayed here and has always been resented because of his father, and John left the village which adored him because of his mother.”

             
“I never knew.” I shake my head.

             
“Every family has their secrets.” He takes me hand.

             
“And yours are?”

             
He laughs. “You already know my family’s deep, dark secrets. Kirsten has spilled them all to you. What do I need to know about the Singers?”

             
“Gramps has told you everything there is to know about us over all that wine the two of you drink.” I playfully hit his arm.

             
He gently returns the oxygen tube to my face. “After making a brief appearance, we will return to watch a movie Kerstin sent me.”

             
“And what kind of movie is it?” I ask, wrapping up in my sweater and thick coat.

             
“You know how she is, it’ll probably be a mind-numbing romance, but she’ll nag me until I watch it.”

*     *     *

Christian’s Victorian house is packed with what seems to be the entire village of Seaside. The old-timers have staked out places around the food. High school students lurk uncomfortably in the foyer, looking as though they’re expecting to see Marjory’s ghost. John and Talia are surrounded by well-wishers.

             
“The house looks very nice,” I whisper to Christian. We smile and wave to friends from school as walk through the house. All evidence of Philip’s attack is gone, being replaced by new paint, doors, and flooring.

             
“Yes, it is a shame that so many of my antiques were destroyed. Yet, I would trade the house to have Marjory back.”

             
I squeeze his hand, knowing how he feels.

             
“What exactly is the story?” I whisper. Because I have been sick, I don’t know exactly what our official explanation for everything is.

             
“It’s simple. Philip broke into the house and shot up the place while searching for you.  Marjory wouldn’t stand for it and used an explosive to fight Philip. When it went off, she was killed, and Philip was frightened away. Later, his body washed ashore. He must have been confused after the explosion and drowned in the ocean.”

             
“I like that Marjory is the heroine of the story,” I say, squeezing his hand.

             
“Of course, Marjory has always been a heroine.”

Refer to Fact #3
– Marjory was a good and loyal neighbor.

             
Christian!” John exclaims from across the room. He joins us, embracing him. “I am extremely grateful to have your help and support at this time.”

             
“I feel the same about you, old friend. Has the school contacted you?”

             
“Yes, and I informed them, in no uncertain terms, that the Pedersens will remain my guests as long as they wish. I just wish I could serve you a delicious wine, today.”

             
“You and I will drink to Marjory tonight when my parents come to pay their respect.” Christian pats him on the back.

             
John smiles at Christian and I. “I hear congratulations are in order for the two of you.”

             
“Yes,” Christian beams at him, taking my hand. “I am robbing the cradle, many generations over, but I have finally found my soul-mate.”

             
“And how do you feel about the matter?” John asks me.

             
“Christian and I are good together, but he will have to be patient. I have a few things I want to accomplish before I settle down,” I say.

             
“Good answer,” he replies.

             
Henrik and Sven join us, and I watch in amazement as John effortlessly converses with them in Danish. When I ask Christian about this, he tells me that Marjory had insisted her son learn Danish as a child and speaks it like a native.

             
Jen and her family are also there to pay their respects, but Frank and Maggie avoid the mermen like the plague. They’re still not so keen on their daughter dating a merman and have tried to discourage Jen from seeing Sven. Jen shows them their efforts have failed when she passionately kisses him as they watch on.

Hypothesis #12
is upgraded to Theory #11 – The Marshes want to lock Jen in her room until she’s forty.

Observations – Dirty looks, avoidance of the mermen, encouraging Jen to date other guys.

              Realizing that I’m parched, I find only sugary drinks on the food table. I go to the kitchen for some water.

             
I am tempted to back out of the kitchen when I find it occupied. Jackson is staring at the wall from his wheelchair. His brows furrow when he sees me. At first I think he’s angry, but then I realize it’s embarrassment on his face.

             
“Hello Jackson, how are you feeling?” I ask. I walk to the sink, moving my portable oxygen so I can fill my glass with water.

             
“I get the casts off in four weeks, and then I can begin physical therapy,” he says, quietly.

             
“You’ll be swimming again before you know it.”  I turn off the sink. “It must be nice to have your Uncle John back in Seaside.”

             
“Yeah, it’s great,” he replies, bitterly.

             
“I know you’re forced to work with him and everything, but he seems like a nice man.”

             
“Dad says it’s just an act.”

             
I interrupt him. “Jackson, no offense, but don’t you think you should form your own opinions? Your dad’s relationship with his brother is complicated and biased. I think you should give John a chance before you decide whether to like him or not. You never know, you might actually get along.”

             
He answers me with silence.

             
I go to the door. I hesitate for a moment.

“You don’t have to be like them,” I say in a hushed voice.
His eyebrows wrinkle. I continue. “You are Jackson Powers – not Michael or Richard Powers. You can choose your own path.”

             
“My parents expect me to take over the practice.” His face is hard to read.

             
“If you don’t want to be a doctor then don’t go to medical school. My family has always been fishermen, but I won’t be. Gramps loves pickled herring. I think it’s nasty. You can be your own person. Our quirks and personality traits are just part of the story; our decisions make up the majority of who we are. You don’t have to do what all the other Powers did. You don’t have to make their mistakes.” I take a breath. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to lecture you. I’ll see you around.”

             
I quickly escape out the door, chastising myself for speaking so bluntly to Jackson. I almost run into John. He startles me, and I spill my water.

             
“I’m sorry I didn’t see you there,” I say, looking around for something to clean up the water with.

             
“You didn’t see me because I was eavesdropping,” he says, using a cloth napkin to clean up the mess. He shakes his head. “Oh this won’t do! We can’t have such a mess on the High Prince’s floor!”

             
It’s really strange to see a grown, professional man making a fuss over a little spilled water. He smiles when he sees my shock.

             
“I’ve been to Atlantis, twice, and you should see the palace the Kelps live in. I’m not impressed with money, or power, but I’ve never seen such reverence directed toward a family before. The Kelps are revered there. We could experience an uprising if merfolk ever discovered Christian wasn’t treated as they deem necessary.”

             
“Yeah, pretty much everyone kisses his high and mighty butt,” I respond.

             
He laughs. “I can already see why he’s madly in love with you. My wife was the same. She didn’t care about my credentials or degrees. She was all about self betterment, and she constantly told me what I needed to work on. I loved her for her candidness.”

             
I change the subject. “Why were you eavesdropping?”

             
He raises an eyebrow mischievously. “I must keep an eye on my nephew. I knew he was in the kitchen when you went for water. Christian explained the history between you two, and I had to hear what you would say to him after he purposefully crashed into your fiancé. I must say I’m very impressed. You just saved me two weeks of intensive work in a single conversation.”

             
I wrinkle my forehead.

             
“Young adults are most likely to listen to their peers,” he says. “I’m grateful you showed compassion instead of resentment. It will make it easier on everyone, and I have a feeling Jackson values your opinion.”

             
The kitchen door begins to slowly open.

             
“Ah, Jackson, let me get that for you!” John exuberantly opens the door. He pushes Jackson’s wheelchair to the next room. “I saved you a piece of Maggie Marsh’s glorious apple pie. I remember that apple is your favorite.”

             
“Thank you … um … Uncle,” Jackson replies, uncertainly.

             
John grins as hands him the piece of pie. He gestures over his daughter.

“Jackson, would you please indulge me? Talia has been dying to find out whether Ame
rican teenagers are really like the teenagers portrayed in films. Perhaps you could enlighten her on the reality of American teenage social patterns?”

“Please, Cousin Jackson,” Talia says in her disarming British accent. “I watched the occ
asional teen drama while I was going to medical school, and I really must know how many of the plots accurately described teenagers.”