Page 15 of Coral Memories

Marina had no idea what sort of secrets Ginger might have.

“Tomorrow, she promised to tell me how she met Bertrand.”

“Not tomorrow.” Marina nudged him.

“Oh, sorry,” he said, looking apologetic. “Day after tomorrow, then.”

Satisfied, Marina nodded. “That’s a good story.” However, she wondered if it would be the same as she knew. “And tread carefully about sensitive topics.”

He kissed her cheek. “You can sit with us if you’d like.”

“Maybe I will.” Ginger was their treasure, and as much as she loved Jack, she wanted to ensure her grandmother was okay with his interview methods—not that Ginger couldn’t handle Jack.

Two days later,Marina joined Ginger and Jack in the comfortable living room at the cottage. They sat on the white canvas slip-covered sofa and chairs strewn with colorful beach pillows.

Marina leaned forward, touching Ginger’s knee as she sat in a wingback chair, commanding the room like an empress. “Jack promised that he’ll allow breaks whenever you want. And you’re not to work long hours.”

Jack nodded at her words. “My apologies for the other day, Ginger. I was engrossed in your story.” He brought out a sepia photograph from the old album. “When we left off, you were about to talk about Jesse. Do you feel like starting there?”

Nodding, Ginger took the photo from him. “Jesse was such a dear.” She studied the photo for a moment.

Marina looked at Jack. His attitude was much better than the other day.

Gesturing at the photograph, Ginger drew a breath. “This was the last happy day we were to know for some time. You see, Jesse drowned the next day.”

“I’m so sorry,” Jack said softly.

“Ginger, you don’t have to talk about that,” Marina interjected.

Her grandmother held up her hand. “It’s alright. This is important for me to memorialize for the family.”

“Only if you’re sure,” Marina added, glancing at Jack.

“You see, for a family who lived by the sea,” Ginger began, “I wondered how a soul I loved so dearly could succumb to a watery grave. We all knew better than to risk strong tides, but it happened in the blink of an eye. I was entirely unprepared for my brother’s accident.”

“How did it happen?” Jack asked gently.

Ginger smiled. “I once told my granddaughters that Jesse was swept away on angel’s wings, but they were only children. Jesse and I had been playing catch on the beach. I was a little older, and I threw the ball harder than I should have to him. An offshore gust swept it even farther over the waves. Being close in age, we were quite competitive. He crashed into the water to retrieve it, ventured a little too far, and a riptide dragged him under.”

Jack made a note and waited for her to continue.

“At that time, my thin, childish arms were no match for nature’s raw power,” Ginger continued. “I splashed after him but couldn’t reach him. My youthful force of will wasn’t enough to save him, and I was pulled under the surface as well. Somehow, I managed to scream for help above the roar of the waves.”

Marina touched her shoulder. “You don’t have to go on if you don’t want to.”

“Let me finish.” Ginger drew a breath. “My father plucked me from the surf and threw me into my mother’s arms before diving after Jesse. Mama always maintained that the extra second or two didn’t matter; reaching my brother in time to save him had been impossible. So they saved me, even though I wished to trade places with Jesse.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Marina said. Now she knew why Ginger had insisted on early swim lessons when they were young and watched them closely at the beach.

“I always felt it was. I shouldn’t have thrown the ball that hard near the waves. We weren’t supposed to be that close to the ocean. Our parents looked away from us for only a few moments while unpacking the picnic. All these years, I’ve had tremendous guilt over this, yet I know my parents must have suffered even more.”

Jack put down his notebook. “It was an unfortunate accident.”

“I understand that now,” Ginger said, her shoulders sloping as if from the burden she’d carried. “I certainly wasn’t old enough to throw a ball with precision, and waves often catch adults off guard. After that, I swore to make it up to our parents by excelling in every endeavor and being the best daughter I could be. I vowed to live two lifetimes for us, more than a hundred years if I could.”

“An extra lifetime for Jesse,” Marina murmured. So this is what had been behind Ginger’s childhood drive.A vow to her brother.

“I have certainly tried,” Ginger said, touching a finger to the corner of her eye. “My goodness, I didn’t realize recounting this story would affect me so.”

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