At exactly five o’clock, I poke my head out the stairwell, don’t see the man with the ill-fitting uniform and skating run, and sprint.
A split second later, I wash up, throw on a dress Andrew hasn’t seen me in yet we don’t think, and put powder on my sweaty face while Eleni and my zizi try to fan me with their aprons.
They speed-walk with me back down the hill and I worry about my zizi who I think will chug along right off this island. Thankfully, we all make it. I tell her I feel like I was just here five seconds ago, like the whole day didn’t just happen.
She tells me to try to relax, kisses me, and pats my hair down. Then she starts the journey home doing a much better impression of an old lady, and I do relax a little bit. Eleni says she’s going back too, but I watch her slip into the undergrowth. Then I hear Cassie’s squeal. Eleni’s hush.
Andrew has set up a little dot of a table by his boat. I smile when he pokes a head over the railing and slides down the steps. I kiss him on the cheek, rather relieved he didn’t just tumble to his death, and ask how his meeting at the base went today.
The sun is still high enough that I might feel it burning but there’s a good breeze, and the shade of the boat is nice, too. He pulls out my chair.
“Very productive. I should be all set for a transfer to the Comm. division by January first.”
“That’s good news.”
He nods.
“How was it sailing here?”
“We didn’t sail here, dear. This isn’t a sailboat.”
“Of course. I just meant how was it…motoring…” I guess, “here, on your boat?”
“It’s actually a yacht.”
“Right…we usually just call everything a boat.”
“Yeah, but you haven’t been on this old girl,” he smiles and leans in. I raise my eyebrows in a go on, then, I’m ready to be impressed. Honestly I’ll listen to anything he says. I feel more at ease with him when he’s talking.
He takes me on a one hour and thirty-seven minute long tour of the thing. We make it back to the table, finally, as he’s still teaching me about yachts. Really, it’s impressive. Boring, but impressive. I get the feeling God could’ve put anyone on the planet across the table from this boy and he could go on just as seamlessly as he is now.
My zizi would tell me to thank my lucky stars that it’s me He’s put here, and in fact I’m sure that’s what she’ll come in my room to tell me tonight after Eleni and Cassie report back to her.
I can hear them playing cards.
I want to go into the bushes and play cards.
“How do you find the food?”
“Oh, it’s good, thank you. I haven’t had something like this in a long time.” And that was on purpose. But I won’t say that. That would be ungracious.
“They have a new kiosk in the mess. Have you been there?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Oh, well you should go. It’s great. This was their daily special. Russian?”
“It looks like it could be, doesn’t it.”
“Yes, I believe that’s it.”
The ethnicity of our food thus established, Andrew proceeds to make the appropriate toast. Then he proceeds to try to convince me I really must go to this new kiosk. He tells me how to get there from every building on base. I just keep telling him it sounds lovely.
Meanwhile, I poke at my animal-free meat and the ghostly vegetable medley. As to what the medley is made of, I cannot say, but given the cellulose I believe it is vegetable, and it would be greatly improved by some lemon. And strong hard cheese.
I’m sure my zizi would agree wholeheartedly with me. If she were here, she’d say it right out loud, I bet. Thank the grandmothers she isn’t here. Andrew would be repulsed.
I can’t seem to explain to her well enough that outside of here, people think milk and especially cheese are vulgar. Only barbarians eat them. But of course she’d say, Crusa, cheese is delicious. Then she’d go on and on, trying to convince my betrothed that he should eat the congealed and fermented mammary discharge of a big stinky animal.
I sigh. Andrew is busy explaining something or other so he doesn’t notice. I pet the feather Lium gave me this morning.
“And then one time during my internship in the city, have you been to the city? I know you went to school nearby. I love the city, it’s the greatest place on earth.”
He takes a forkful of bloodless meat and puts it in his mouth.
Thank the grandmothers.
“Only for field trips,” I remark.
“Half the people are government, always in uniform. Did you know that? Odd, being away from it. I think I must have just gotten used to it because I still put mine on every morning, and then I step off the boat and see all those guys in fishing gear and you girls and I’m like, wow, I didn’t even realize I did that. I feel like the city is where I’m supposed to be. I’ll always be a New Yorker at heart. But I like it here, too. It’s like vacation.”
I sit back and wait for him to decide I’m boring and that he wants to bring me home.