The Last Song

29 Ronnie

The next week was tense for both of them. Ronnie wasn’t comfortable with the violence she’d seen Will display, nor was she entirely comfortable with the way it had made her feel. She didn’t like fights, she didn’t like to see people get hurt, and she knew that it rarely improved a situation. Yet she couldn’t force herself to be angry at Will for what he’d done. As much as she didn’t want to condone what happened, watching Will completely dismantle the three of them made her feel just a bit safer when she was with him.

But Will was stressed. He was certain that Marcus would report what happened and that the police would come knocking at his door any minute, but Ronnie sensed that something else was bothering him, something he wasn’t letting on. For some reason he and Scott weren’t on speaking terms, and she wondered whether that had something to do with Will’s unease.

Then, of course, there was the family. Particularly Will’s mother. Ronnie had seen her twice since the wedding: once as she waited in the truck at Will’s house while Will ran inside to pick up a clean shirt, and once at a restaurant in downtown Wilmington when Will took her out. As they’d taken their seats, Susan had walked in with a group of her friends. Ronnie had a perfect view of the entrance, but Will was facing in the other direction. On both occasions, Susan had pointedly turned her back to Ronnie.

She hadn’t told Will about either incident. While Will was lost in his own world of retribution and worry, Ronnie noticed that Susan seemed to believe Ronnie was somehow personally responsible for the tragedy that had befallen Blaze.

As she stood in her bedroom, she watched Will’s sleeping figure from a distance. He was curled up near the turtles’ nest; because a few of the other nests had begun to hatch, they’d removed the cage this afternoon, and the nest was completely exposed. Neither of them felt good about leaving it unattended for the night, and because Will was spending less and less time at home anyway, he’d volunteered to watch it.

She didn’t want to think about their newfound troubles, but she found herself replaying all that had happened this summer. She could barely remember the girl she’d been when she’d first arrived at the beach. And the summer wasn’t over yet; in a couple of days, she’d turn eighteen, and after one last weekend together, Will would be leaving for college. Her next court appearance was scheduled a few days after that, and then she’d have to go back to New York. So much already done and so much left to do.

She shook her head. Who was she? And whose life was she leading? More than that, where would it take her?

These days, none of it and all of it felt real, more real than anything she’d known: her love for Will, her growing bond with her father, the way her life had slowed down, so simply and completely. All of it sometimes seemed to be happening to someone else, someone she was still getting to know. Never in a million years would she have considered the idea that a sleepy beach town somewhere in the South would have been filled with so much more… life and drama than Manhattan.

Smiling, she had to admit that with a few exceptions, it hadn’t been all that bad, either. She was sleeping in a quiet bedroom beside her brother, separated only by glass and sand from the young man she loved, a young man who loved her back. She wondered whether there could be anything greater in life. And despite all that had happened, maybe because of it, she knew she would never forget the summer they’d spent together, no matter what the future might bring.

Lying in bed, she began to drift off to sleep. Her last conscious thought was that there was more coming. Although that sensation often foretold the worst, she knew that couldn’t be possible, not after all they’d been through.

In the morning, however, she awoke feeling anxious. As always, she was acutely conscious of the fact that another day had passed, meaning one less day left with Will.

But as she lay there, trying to make sense of the unease she felt, she realized it wasn’t just that. Will was heading off to college next week. Even Kayla was heading off to college. Yet she still had no idea what was coming for her. Yeah, she’d turn eighteen, and yeah, she’d deal with whatever the court decided, but then what? Was she going to live with her mom forever? Should she apply for a job at Starbucks? For an instant she flashed on a image of herself holding a shovel and following behind elephants at the zoo.

It was the first time she’d confronted the future so directly. She’d always held to the breezy belief that everything would turn out okay, no matter what she decided. And it would, she knew… for a while. But did she still want to be living with her mom at nineteen? Or twenty-one? Or, God forbid, twenty-five?

And how on earth was someone supposed to earn enough on her own-and afford to live in Manhattan -without a college degree?

She didn’t know. All she knew for certain was that she wasn’t ready for the summer to end. She wasn’t ready to go back home. She wasn’t ready to think about Will wandering the green quads at Vanderbilt, walking beside coeds in cheerleader outfits. She didn’t want to think about any of it.

“Is everything okay? You’ve been kind of quiet,” Will said.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just that I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

They were sitting at the pier, sharing bagels and coffee, which they’d picked up on the way. Usually the pier was crowded with people fishing, but this morning they had the place to themselves. A nice surprise, considering he had the day off.

“Have you given any thought to what you want to do?”

“Anything that doesn’t involve elephants and shovels.”

He balanced his bagel on the Styrofoam cup. “Do I want to know what you’re talking about?”

“Probably not,” she said, grimacing.

“Okay.” He nodded. “But I was talking about what you wanted to do for your birthday tomorrow.”

Ronnie shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be anything special.”

“But you’re turning eighteen. Face it-that’s a big deal. You’ll legally be an adult.”

Great, she thought. Yet another reminder that time was running out to figure out what she was going to do with her life. Will must have read her expression because he reached over to put a hand on her knee.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No. I don’t know. I’m just feeling weird today.”

In the distance, a pod of porpoises broke the water beyond the swells. The first time she’d seen them, she’d been amazed. Even the twentieth. Now, they were a regular part of the scenery, but even so, she’d miss them when she was back in New York, doing whatever it was she was going to do. She’d probably end up addicted to cartoons like Jonah and insist on watching them upside down.

“How about I take you out to dinner?”

No, scratch that. She’d probably end up addicted to Game Boy. “Okay.”

“Or maybe we’ll go dancing.”

Or maybe Guitar Hero. Jonah liked to play that for hours. And so had Rick, now that she thought about it. Pretty much everyone without a life was addicted to that game. “Sounds fine.”

“Or how about this? We paint our faces and try to summon ancient Incan goddesses.”

Addicted to those lousy games, she’d probably still be living at home when Jonah went off to college in eight years. “Whatever you want.”

The sound of Will’s laughter was enough to bring her attention back to him. “Did you say something?”

“Your birthday. I was trying to figure out what you want for your birthday, but obviously you’re out in never-never land. I’m leaving on Monday, and I want to do something special for you.”

She thought about it before turning toward the house, noticing again how out of place it was along this stretch of beach. “You know what I really, really want?”

It didn’t happen on her birthday, but two nights later, Friday, August 22, was close enough. The staff at the aquarium really did have the whole thing down to a science; earlier that afternoon, workers and volunteers from the aquarium had begun to prepare the area so the turtles could reach the water safely.

She and Will had helped smooth the sand in the shallow trench that led to the ocean; others had put up caution tape to keep the crowd at a safe distance. Most of the crowd, anyway. Her dad and Jonah had been allowed inside the taped area, and they were standing off to the side, out of the way of the bustling workers.

Ronnie didn’t have any idea what she was supposed to do, other than make sure no one got too close to the nest. It wasn’t as if she were an expert, but when she wore the Easter-egg-colored aquarium outfit, people assumed she knew everything. She must have answered a hundred questions in the last hour. She was pleased that she’d been able to remember the things Will had first told her about the turtles and also relieved that she’d taken a few minutes to review the loggerhead fact card the aquarium had printed up for onlookers. Pretty much everything that people wanted to know was already there in black and white, but she supposed it was easier to ask her than glance at the card they held in their hands.

It also helped to pass the time. They’d already been out here for hours, and though they’d been reassured that the nest might begin to hatch any minute, Ronnie wasn’t so certain. The turtles didn’t care that some of the little kids might be getting tired or that someone might have to get up early to go to work the next morning.

Somehow she’d imagined that there would be only half a dozen people out here, not the hundreds massing all along the caution tape. She wasn’t sure she liked it; it kind of made the whole thing feel like a circus.

As she took a seat on the dune, Will came over to her.

“What do you think?” he asked, gesturing at the scene.

“I’m not sure yet. Nothing’s happened so far.”

“It’s not going to be long now.”

“So I keep being told.”

Will took a seat beside her. “You need to learn patience, young grasshopper.”

“I am patient. I just want the hatching to happen sooner rather than later.”

He laughed. “My mistake.”

“Shouldn’t you be working?”

“I’m just a volunteer. You’re the one who actually works at the aquarium.”

“Yes, but I’m not being paid for my time, and technically, since you’re a volunteer, I think you should man the caution tape for a while.”

“Let me guess-half the people ask what’s going on, and the other half ask questions that are answered on the card you hand them.”

“Pretty much.”

“And you’re tired of that?”

“Let’s just say that it wasn’t as much fun as dinner the other night.”

He’d taken her out to a cozy little Italian place for her birthday; he’d also bought her a silver necklace with a silver turtle pendant, which she loved and had been wearing ever since.

“How do you know when it’s almost time?”

He pointed to the head of the aquarium and one of the biologists on staff. “When Elliot and Todd start getting excited.”

“Sounds pretty scientific.”

“Oh, it is. Trust me.”

“Mind if I join you?”

After Will had gone off to retrieve some extra flashlights from the truck, her dad had walked over.

“You don’t have to ask, Dad. Of course you can.”

“I didn’t want to bother you. You looked sort of preoccupied.”

“I’m just waiting, like everyone else,” she said. She moved over, making room as he took a seat beside her. The crowd had grown even larger in the last half hour, and she was glad her dad had been allowed inside the caution tape. Lately, he looked so tired.

“Believe it or not, growing up, I never saw a nest hatch.”

“Why not?”

“It just wasn’t the big deal it is now. I mean, I’d sometimes stumble across a nest and think it was neat, but I never thought much about it. The closest I ever came to seeing an actual hatching was coming across a nest the day after it happened. I saw all the broken shells around the nest, but it was just part of life around here. In any case, I’ll bet this isn’t what you expected, huh? All these people around?”

“What do you mean?”

“Between you and Will, you watched that nest every night, keeping it safe. And now that the exciting part is about to happen, you have to share it with everyone.”

“That’s okay. I don’t mind.”

“Even a little?”

She smiled. It was amazing how well her dad had come to know her. “How’s your song coming?”

“It’s a work in progress. I’ve probably written a hundred variations of it so far, but it’s still not right. I know it’s kind of a pointless exercise-if I haven’t figured it out yet, I probably never will-but it gives me something to do.”

“I saw the window this morning. It’s almost done.”

Her dad nodded. “It’s getting close.”

“Have they figured out when they’re going to install it?”

“No,” he said. “Still waiting for the money for the rest of the church. They don’t want to put it in until the place is being used. Pastor Harris is worried some vandals might throw rocks at it. The fire has made him a lot more cautious about everything.”

“I’d probably be cautious, too.”

Steve straightened his legs out on the sand, then drew them back in, wincing.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Just been standing too much these last few days. Jonah wants to finish the window before he leaves.”

“He’s had a good time this summer.”

“Yeah?”

“He told me the other night that he doesn’t want to go back to New York. That he wants to stay with you.”

“He’s a sweet kid,” he said. He hesitated before turning toward her. “I guess the next question is whether you had a good time this summer.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Because of Will?”

“Because of everything,” she said. “I’m glad we spent time together.”

“Me, too.”

“So when’s your next trip to New York?”

“Oh, I don’t know. We’ll play that by ear.”

She smiled. “Too busy these days?”

“Not hardly,” he said. “But you want to know something?”

“What’s that?”

“I think you’re a terrific young lady. I never want you to forget how proud I am of you.”

“What brought that up?”

“I wasn’t sure I’d told you that lately.”

She rested her head on his shoulder. “You’re okay, too, Dad.”

“Hey,” he said, motioning to the nest. “I think it’s starting.”

She turned toward the nest, then scrambled to her feet. As Will had predicted, Elliot and Todd were moving around with great excitement while a hush came over the crowd.

It unfolded the way Will had originally described it, except that words didn’t really do it justice. Because she was able to get so close, she could see it all: the first egg beginning to crack open, followed by another and then another, all the eggs seemingly wiggling on their own until the first turtle actually emerged and began to scramble over the wiggling eggs and out of the nest.

Still, it was what followed that was most amazing: first a little movement, then some movement, and then so much movement that it was impossible for the eye to capture it all as five and then ten and then twenty and then too many turtles to count joined in a massive frenzy of activity.

Like a crazy beehive on steroids…

And then there was the sight of the tiny, prehistoric-looking turtles trying to escape the hole; clawing their way up and slipping back down, crawling over the tops of one another… until one finally got out, followed by a second, and then a third, all moving along the sandy trench toward the light Todd was holding as he stood in the surf.

One by one, Ronnie watched them crawling past, thinking them so incredibly small that survival seemed almost inconceivable. The ocean would simply swallow them up, making them disappear, which was exactly what happened as they reached the water and were tossed and rolled in the surf, bobbing briefly to the surface before vanishing from sight.

She’d stood beside Will, squeezing his hand tightly, immensely happy that she’d spent all those nights by the nest and that she’d played some small part in this miracle of new life. It was incredible to think that after weeks of absolutely nothing happening, everything she’d been waiting for would be over in a matter of minutes.

As she stood beside the boy she loved, she knew she’d never shared anything more magical with anyone.

An hour later, after excitedly reliving the hatching in detail, Ronnie and Will said good night to the others from the aquarium as they headed toward their cars. Aside from the trench, all evidence of what had happened was gone. Even the shells were nowhere in sight; Todd had gathered them up because he wanted to study the thickness of the shells and test for the possible presence of chemicals.

As she walked beside him, Will slipped his arm around her. “I hope that was all you thought it would be.”

“It was even better,” she said. “But I keep thinking about the baby turtles.”

“They’ll be okay.”

“Not all of them.”

“No,” he admitted. “Not all of them. When they’re young, the odds are stacked against them.”

They walked a few steps in silence. “That makes me sad.”

“It’s the circle of life, right?”

“I don’t need philosophy from The Lion King right now,” she sniffed. “I need you to lie to me.”

“Oh,” he said easily. “In that case… They’re all going to make it. All fifty-six of them. They’ll grow larger and mate and make little baby turtles and eventually pass away from old age after living far longer than most turtles, of course.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Of course,” he said confidently. “They’re our babies. They’re special.”

She was still laughing when she saw her dad step out onto the back porch with Jonah.

“Okay, after all the ridiculous buildup,” Jonah started, “and watching the whole thing from start to finish, I just have one thing to say.”

“What’s that?” Will prompted.

Jonah grinned broadly. “That. Was. So. Cool.”

Ronnie laughed, remembering. At Will’s puzzled expression, she just shrugged. “Private joke,” she said, and in that instant, her dad coughed.

It was a loud, wet cough, sounding… sick… but just as had happened in the church, it didn’t stop with one cough. He coughed again and again, one racking sound followed by another.

She watched as her dad grabbed the rail to keep his balance; she could see Jonah’s brow furrowing with worry and fear, and even Will was frozen in place.

She watched her father try to stand straighter, arching his back, struggling to control the hacking. He brought both hands to his mouth and coughed one more time, and when at last he drew a ragged breath, it sounded almost as if he were breathing through water.

He gasped again, then lowered his hands. For what seemed like the longest few seconds of her life, Ronnie was frozen in place, suddenly more scared than she’d ever been. Her father’s face was covered in blood.