Page 37 of Erase Me
“Okay, I’ll bite.Impressed about what?”
“How you handled that situation.”He was looking down at Tina and her trolls, now standing with friends by the fire pit.Her husband, still in his wetsuit, was bringing slices of pizza over to them.
I shook my head.“That was hardly a crisis.Those two little troublemakers were just playing games with us.”
His hand reached for mine and held it.“You handled it like a natural.Do you have much experience with children?”
I scoffed.“None whatsoever.”
Being a loner pretty much summed up my life.There were no large family get-togethers.No gatherings around a beach fire.There was nothing like this.There was only the constant fear of being caught, and I couldn't see any shift from this down the road.
“No sisters or brothers?”
“No, I’m an only child.”Turning the question around, I asked, “How about you?Any experience with children?”
“I'm an expert, can’t you tell?”came the sarcastic response.
Playfully tugging on his arm, I asked, “Time for the truth.Any siblings?”
He paused for a moment before answering, “I have an older brother and twin half-sisters.”
“Wow, I never would have guessed.Are you close to them?”
He responded with a nonchalant shrug, “How do you describe close?”
“Do you see them?Talk to them?Do you get together, at all?”
“My brother and I work all the time.Trying to find the time that works for everyone is always a challenge.”Something softened in his expression.“But we like each other.I especially get along with my half-sisters.”
“Half, how?”
“My father married again after my mother passed away.”
I knew about Reed’s family before arriving in San Clemente and I’d learned even more today.The emotional side of him and the openness about his family caught me off guard, though.His honesty was unexpected.
“I’m so sorry about your mother.When did that happen?”
“Years ago.”
“But you have memories of her?”
“Sure.I was ten when she died.”
Regardless of how I felt, not having a large family, I appreciated having my parents around.Even though society emphasized the value of extensive family ties, I knew that the quality of our connection mattered more than the quantity of hypothetical siblings or cousins.
“Did you lose your mother in an accident?”
“Cancer.”His jaws clenched, and he let go of my hand, leaning on the metal railing and gazing into the darkness for a moment.When he turned his face back, his expression had become passive, impenetrable.
Emotions he’d allowed me to glimpse of his loss were now under control.The softness that had surfaced briefly was now gone.What was left was a guarded expression that showed no hint of the pain he still carried.And then, even that defensive look disappeared.The easy-going Reed had returned.
“Look, the night surfers are making their runs,” he announced, watching the waves.
It was now quite dark.Stars were beginning to light up the sky, looking like shimmering diamonds against the deep blue.
The families with kids were nearly all gone, and the diehard surfers who remained were wearing colorful glow-in-the-dark necklaces, wristbands, and anklets.Even their surfboards were trimmed with them.I looked for my new friend Tina.She and her children were gone, too.
“What’s the difference between day and night surfing?”I asked Reed.
