Cruel Summer (22 page)
And I broke out laughing. Bent over, side-clutching laughing. I mean, I could hardly believe how dumb I’d been to almost miss out on
LOVE
all because of some awkward-sounding slang and an odd pair of sandals. And even though I tried to stop, I just couldn’t. So he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out the door and over to his bike, muttering, “Crazy California girl,” as he got me safely settled onto the back.
And by the time we got to Tally’s, I completely panicked again when I saw that Tally and Tassos were not even there! But as it turns out, they were out looking for me. Starting at our secret make-out beach (which apparently was not such a secret, but hey, that’s smalltownisland living for ya) and ending at the port, where they confirmed my boat was ready and waiting, although I was not yet on it. And by the time they got back to the house, I was sitting in the drive, bags packed and ready, allowing them five more minutes to show before I’d leave without them.
So I climbed in the back of the jeep, as Yannis followed behind on his bike, and we all caravanned down to the port. And even though I fully admit that the whole entire time I was hoping for some sort of nautical malfunction, or horrendous, catastrophic summer storm—something to keep my boat from sailing so I’d have no choice but to stay put—in the end, I was greeted with a perfectly clear, Meltemi-free day. Which I pretty much took as a sign that, like it or not, I was destined to leave.
And by the time we parked and made our way down to the dock my boat was already well into loading mode, which didn’t really leave much time for good-bye. But then again, that’s probably also a good thing since I’ve never been much good at final moments anyway.
So after hugging Tassos, and basically thanking him for
EVERYTHING,
I leaned in to hug Tally, and burst out crying so fast and hard, I could hardly even believe it. But she just let me cling to her, as she ran her hand over my hair, whispering, “It’s okay, it’s all going to be okay.”
And when I finally pulled away, I wiped my eyes, and smiled, and said, “I know.”
And then we promised to stay in touch and e-mail each other as often as we could, and then I made some dumb joke about how if they needed any help in figuring out the e-mail then they could just e-mail me and let me know. And even though it was totally lame, and obviously not at all funny, it really helped ease all of the tension and sadness, so we all laughed anyway.
After hugging them again, I walked the rest of the way with Yannis, holding hands as we made our way toward the gangway, but then Yannis suddenly stopped and said, “Colby, isn’t that—?”
I gazed in the direction he was pointing, not sure if he was right until I saw the beaded collar, then I knew for sure. He’d grown, since I’d last seen him,
A LOT.
But still, between the collar, the shiny black coat, and the cute little white streak, I knew I was looking at Holly.
“Where are you going?” I asked, watching as Yannis charged toward the little dark-haired girl in the bright yellow sundress, the one who was cradling Holly, singing in his ear as she stroked his shiny dark fur.
“What do you mean? That’s YOUR cat, Colby, I’m going to get him back!” he said, walking that much faster.
I grabbed his arm, making him stop long enough to face me. “No, Yannis, please. Just leave him,” I said, not knowing if I really meant it until the moment it was out.
But Yannis just shook his head and started off again, saying, “No worries, she’s the daughter of my cousin, I can get her another one.”
But again, I grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at me as I said, “No, Yannis, I’m serious.”
His eyes searched my face, his expression showing just how crazy he thought I was. “But why? I don’t understand. I thought you said you missed him? I thought you wanted him back?”
“I did miss him, and I did want him back.” I nodded. “Until now.”
Yannis narrowed his eyes, gazing at me.
“Just look,” I said. “
Really
look.”
So he did. And then he turned to me and shrugged. “I don’t get it. It is Holly, right?”
“Yes, and look at the way that little girl is holding him, how he’s pressed up so tight against her chest, and how her arms are wrapped so snugly around him. Look at how he lets her do that. He never did that with me. Not once. With me he always scratched and struggled to be free.”
“He’s older now,” Yannis said, shaking his head and squinting.
But I just shook my head and smiled. “No Yannis, he’s home.”
By the time we got to the gangway, we kissed so long the boat nearly sailed without me. But in the end, I’m glad we managed to keep it honest and real, that we managed to say good-bye, and say “I love you,” without forcing a bunch of false promises on each other, ones we might not be able to keep.
Because the only thing that was certain was that we loved each other, that we had each other’s e-mail address, and that we’d see where it led.
Because if there’s one thing I now know for sure, it’s that nothing is ever sure.
Circle in the Sand
September 7
Well, I guess this blog title was more appropriate than I realized way back when I chose it, since I really have come full circle, and now I’m right back where I started. Even though almost everything is different from the way I left it. But since circles have no end, I guess it’s really just the beginning of another cycle, and who knows where that’ll lead?
But in order to keep you up to date, let me just say that by the time I made it to LAX I was completely, and totally, exhausted. But even though I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open it was still pretty great to see both my parents, standing side by side, no legal counsel in sight, and with no obvious grievances (at least none that I could see), both of them looking relaxed and happy to see me—just as I was happy to see them.
And since I knew better than to hug one of them before the other, I just walked right up, with my arms spread wide, pretty much forcing them into a big group hug. And even though they resisted at first, after a moment or two, they finally let go, and gave in. And the second I pulled away, I couldn’t help but think of Tally, since she’s the one who taught me how to deal with resistance.
And even after explaining how I’d spent the last twenty-some hours snacking on candy bars, potato chips, and just about anything else that could be shrink-wrapped and sold in an airport gift shop, they still insisted on taking me to dinner. Which meant it was time for me to stop resisting and give in to them.
And although there’s like a ton of things to write, I’m just too busy with unpacking all of my boxes and decorating my new room—not to mention how school’s starting up in less than a week—so in light of all that, I thought I’d leave you with these photos, provide a little commentary, and let you draw your own conclusions.
1) That’s a picture of my old room. Though of course it wasn’t empty like that when I occupied it! I guess I just didn’t really think to take a picture until I’d already packed everything up for the big move. But it’s weird how seeing it looking so bare and abandoned like that makes me realize how in the end, it was never anything more than just four walls, a door, a closet, and a window. Which makes me feel kind of dumb for allowing myself to get so attached to it. And if you need any further explanation on just what exactly I mean, then please feel free to check out photo #2.
2) So what we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is basically four walls, a door, a closet, and a window. Which also happens to be all of the elements that make up my new room. Which means it’s not all that different from my old room. And even though the carpet’s a little plain for my taste, my aunt Tally promised to send me one of those cool, Greek flokati rugs like I had in my room at her place, you know, just to jazz it up a little (and remind me of my other home!). Which just goes to show that HOME, like PARADISE, is really just a state of mind.
3) That’s my best friend, Nat, who was kind and generous enough to dedicate her one and only day off (well, this week anyway) from her job at the You’ve Been Framed! art supply shop to help me unpack most, though not all, of my boxes (but only because there turned out to be far more than either of us bargained for, which, I have to admit, has made me reconsider my aunt Tally’s philosophy toward accumulation and mass consumerism, as I can’t help but wonder if she just might be on to something!). Nat also helped me organize my closet and drawers, which is so incredibly nice of her and lucky for me since she’s really good at “spatial relations” (her words, not mine). Notice the uber-cool earrings she’s wearing? I made those ones too!
4) That’s a picture of my dad, his girlfriend, Melanie, and me having dinner at the condo he just bought. And even though it wasn’t really necessary, since it’s not that far from the apartment, I still ended up staying the night because they were sweet enough to go to the trouble to decorate my room, and they were anxious for me to try it out.
5) This is a picture of my room at my dad’s place. Notice the boy band picture on the wall? Well, just so you know, it’s no longer there. Because Melanie and I took it down, then snuck it into my dad’s office and hung it up behind his desk when he was in a meeting, since both of us are convinced that he’s the one who secretly likes boy band music!
6) This is a picture of Mr. Holly Golightly that Yannis sent me all the way from Tinos. Just so you know, Holly is now living with his cousin’s little eight-year-old daughter, Tatiana, and he seems to be quite happy and very well fed from what I can see. And Yannis continues to visit every now and then just so he can whisper in Holly’s ear and make sure he never forgets me.
7) This is a picture of Harbor High School, that was taken the day Nat and I stopped by because she was so excited about the new art lab she just couldn’t wait until school started. I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but Nat is REALLY into art. She likes to paint, no, actually, she LIVES to paint, and she’s really good at it too. She’s also good friends with the art teacher (yup, she’s the kind of girl who makes friends with her teachers, what can I say?), and by the time we left I’d decided to switch one of my electives to an art class too. They have this pottery class I didn’t even know about, but now that I do, I’m really hoping they’ll let me switch.
8) This is a picture of Amanda, Jenna, Levi, and Casey, who we just happened to run into that very same day, since the guys were there for football practice and the girls were there to watch them. And even though I’m not positive, I kind of think Amanda and Levi might be together now, since she seemed a little disturbed when he came over to talk to me. But I am totally sure that Jenna and Casey are together, mostly because they were hanging all over each other. Though you know how these things go, and by the time you read this they could have totally switched back, or moved on to someone else entirely. And while I have to admit that it felt really awkward to run into them at first, in the end, we pretty much just said hey, shared some news, and went our separate ways.
And that’s it!
So if anyone is actually out there and reading this—then don’t forget to comment!
Love,
Colby
Circle in the Sand
Blog Comments:
Tinian Arts said:
We mailed the rug today, so expect to receive it in a few weeks!
We both really miss you—the house is so quiet without you!
Love,
Tally & Tassos
Natalie Zee said:
Yup, I’m a big art-fart dork who makes friends with her teachers, and now the whole world knows! Are we still on for tonight? My art show starts at eight—I’m so nervous!
ColbyCat said:
I’m just about to upload one of your paintings so “the whole world” can see how awesome they are! See you at eight! Don’t sweat it—you’ll be great!
Anonymous said:
I’m still here, still reading your blog, still missing you.
ColbyCat said:
And still ANONYMOUS?
Anonymous said:
Hopefully not to you.
ColbyCat said:
DEFINITELY not to me.
Anonymous said:
By the way, our moon is half full tonight.
ColbyCat said:
I’m heading out now.
Anonymous said:
Kalinichta!
ColbyCat said:
Kalinichta!
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