Up Over Down Under (27 page)

“Hey, don't worry about it. We had a good time, and besides, 'round here getting taken away in a divvy van is a badge of honor. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?”

Eliza wanted to cry. How could he be so nice, so cool about this? She forced a smile and a nod. For the first time in a long time, she was feeling very far from home.

“Seriously, don't worry about it. Okay?”

“Okay,” Eliza said as he gave her a hug.
Of course
she would worry about it. In fact, she planned to do nothing
but
worry about it for the immediate and foreseeable future. She couldn't believe she'd been so dumb as to run off with her boyfriend. She couldn't believe she'd risked her spot on the S.A.S.S. exchange. She couldn't believe that she'd let her adventurous side get the best of her.

And most of all, she couldn't believe that she'd been picked up by the police.

It was all she could do not to collapse into hysterics in front of Macca and all of his friends. It was through sheer determination only that she managed to maintain her composure.

“All right, time to go,” said the cop as he put his hand on Eliza's shoulder and turned her back to the car.

She got in the backseat and waved at them as the car pulled away. Eliza turned and looked out the back window of the car until it turned onto the main road and headed back toward Sorrento.

 

 

A couple of hours later they drove off the ferry and into Sorrento. The closer they got to the Echolses' house, the more anxious Eliza became. She really didn't know what she was going to say to them. There had been an APB put out on her. This was beginning to feel like a Lifetime made-for-TV movie.

Had they called her parents? They would be mortified. Her dad was always worried about public opinion, and he never wanted to shed any negative light on the EPA or to take away from the work he was doing. This was exactly the type of situation he would not want. His daughter, in the back of a police car, in a foreign country.

Eliza prayed for anything to prolong the ride and put off the inevitable confrontation with the Echolses.

Traffic, it seemed, was not in the cards. It wasn't long before the police cruiser headed up the road on the last leg of their journey from Bells Beach and turned into the Echolses' driveway. The officers got out and opened the door to let Eliza out. They walked her up the front path and rang the bell. As they waited for someone to answer the door, Eliza could see people looking out the windows of the houses across the street, wondering what the police were doing there. She felt another wash of shame at the embarrassment this was probably causing the Echolses, but she didn't have long to think about this before Frank opened the door.

“I believe this belongs to you?” one of the officers said to Frank.

“Yes, Officer, thank you very much for bringing her back. We're very sorry for any inconvenience. Aren't we, Eliza?” Frank's expression was impassive, but his voice was firm.

“Um…Yes?” Eliza choked on her words. “Yes,” she repeated, strong this time. “I'm sorry for causing a problem.”

“No problem at all, Mr. Echols, that's what we're here for. Now, Ms. Ritter, I trust this will be the last we hear of you? If it is not, then we can revoke your visa and put you on a plane back to the States. Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir.” They could do that? Eliza vowed to spend the remainder of her semester holed up in Billie's bedroom doing crossword puzzles and reading the classics of literature. Since she'd probably be grounded in perpetuity, anyway.

“Good. Now you folks have a good night.”

“Thank you again, Officer,” said Frank as he closed the door behind Eliza. He turned to her. “Let's go to the kitchen. We need to have a chat.”

Eliza nodded solemnly, and followed him through the living room and into the kitchen, where Mrs. Echols was sitting at the kitchen table with a teakettle. She looked very…stressed. Eliza sat at the end of the table and waited while Frank prepared himself a cup of tea and sat across from her.

The room was silent for a moment, and Eliza found herself wishing again for a nice, random natural disaster to save her from the horribleness of it all.

Frank sighed. “Eliza, I don't know what to do about you. You had us really scared. Do you know that? We didn't even have the heart to call your parents, not being able to tell them if you were okay or not.”

“I—” Eliza mumbled, but she didn't get to finish the thought.

“I don't know what got into you, but the idea of running away was a very, very stupid one. Frankly, I am inclined to pack your bags and put you on the next flight back to the States,” Frank declared.

Eliza went white. This was her worst nightmare, playing out before her eyes. She'd be sent home, away from her new friends, and Macca—and worst of all, she'd be letting the Echolses and her parents down. It was the absolute worst outcome to her S.A.S.S. exchange that she could possibly imagine.

“I'm so sorry,” she said, her voice breaking as tears welled in her eyes. “I know I messed up. I didn't mean to let you down; it's just, you know, I wanted to make the most of my time here in Australia.” Eliza was crying freely now. She sniffled and looked up at the Echolses meekly. “Please don't send me home. I'll write ten more reports for my internship. I'll babysit every single night. I will lock myself in my bedroom whenever I'm not at school. Whatever you want. Just…
please
, don't send me home.”

For a moment, no one said anything. Eliza could hear her heart pounding in her ears.

Finally, Frank spoke. “We are not going to do that,” he said quietly.

Eliza allowed herself a deep exhale.

“However,” he went on, “we are letting you stay only on some conditions.”

Eliza nodded gravely. Conditions were fine. She could do conditions.

Frank took a long sip of his tea. “First, you are going to have to sit with Estelle every Sunday to make a schedule for the coming week. This is a schedule you are going to stick to. No ifs, ands, or buts.

“Second, you are going to complete the penguin project on Thursday and work the remainder of your shifts this week at the Fishy Wishy.
And
you are going to apologize to Steve. Because of your selfish behavior, other people had to take up the slack. Who do you think had to cover your shift when you disappeared?”

Eliza nodded. It hadn't occurred to her that in addition to worrying the Echolses, her disappearance was inconveniencing Steve.

“Finally, you may keep your mobile, but you are going to adhere to a strict schedule. You cannot be on the phone after ten P.M. or during school hours—and that includes text messages. Are we clear?”

“Yes,” Eliza said, wiping at her cheeks as her tears began to dry. She would spend the rest of her days communicating solely via smoke signal if it meant that she could stay.

“Eliza,” Estelle said, “you have no idea how worried we were. You just vanished, and though we had your note, we didn't know where you were or who you were with. I am personally very hurt that you've felt it necessary to take such advantage of our kindness. We have tried to provide you with a very comfortable, friendly environment and to give you a good learning experience. But you've treated our home like a youth hostel, a place you can come and go from with little or no regard for the rest of the family. You are a part of this household, and as such you should respect the other members of the home the same way you would like them to respect you.”

Eliza had no answer. Estelle was right, and she knew it.

“Now dump your clothes in the washing machine and go get a shower and into bed. I think you've had quite enough for today.”

Eliza had to agree.

 

Eliza did as she was told. As she washed her hair in the shower, she thought about everything that she had experienced so far and how different she felt today than when she'd arrived a couple of months earlier. She had learned to pitch a tent. She had learned to
surf
! Well, sort of. Her friends from D.C. would never believe it. But the truth was that any worries about being too sheltered and protected in D.C. were long since forgotten. She'd had her fair share of adventure. Probably just a little more than she'd care to repeat for a while.

She knew that the Echolses had a point and that, in skipping out, she had crossed a line. She deserved punishment—but what if she wasn't allowed to spend time with Jess and her friends anymore?

What if she wasn't allowed to see Macca anymore?

Even if Macca and Jess weren't the best influences, she'd miss spending time with them.

She dried off, changed into a tank top and shorts, and climbed into bed. She was staring at the ceiling, contemplative, when there was a knock at the door.

“Eliza?” It was Estelle's voice.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Estelle came in with a tray of tea and a couple of cookies. She put the tray down on the bedside table, took the chair from the desk and pulled it up next to the bed, and sat down.

“I thought you might like a snack before bed.”

Eliza was, in fact, starving. She reached for a cookie.

“Thank you. They picked me up right before dinner.”

“Well, this should hold you until the morning.”

Eliza chewed thoughtfully, considering her next statement.

“Estelle?”

“Yes?”

“I'm really sorry.” It wasn't much, but it was honest.

“I know, dear,” Estelle replied as she poured the tea into the cup. “I think we've all been there, and I can't say I don't understand, but you have to think about our position. Your parents wouldn't be too pleased to find out we had no idea where their daughter was, don't you think?”

“I know…I just didn't want to miss out on…well, on everything, you know?”

“By ‘everything,' do you mean the boy from the college formal?” Estelle peered at her slyly.

Eliza blushed. “Yeah, Macca. Well, Hamish MacGreggor, but everyone calls him Macca.”

“Maybe this boy isn't the best influence on you right now?” Estelle suggested gently. “He had to have known that you weren't meant to be sneaking out, and yet he encouraged you to run off with him.”

Eliza didn't have a response to that. Macca was hardly a bad boy—more like a sweetheart—but she could see where Estelle might have a different opinion on the matter. Besides, sweetheart or no, he
had
been the one to suggest running off together for the weekend. Not that Eliza had needed much convincing.

“You'll learn,” Estelle said with authority. “Bad boys aren't all they're cracked up to be. Watch your step.” She smiled gently, taking some of the sting out of her words.

Eliza nodded. “I will. I promise.”

She meant it, she realized. She was going to watch her step. She wasn't going to do anything more to jeopardize her time in Australia. It was a promise to Estelle, but more than that?

It was a promise to herself.