"Only ten minutes to go, maybe we will actually leave on time today."
"Don't jinx it, please," Addison groaned, looking up at the clock. 10:50, ten minutes until freedom. It was her sixth day in a row working & Addison's body was reluctant to stand for much longer. Around her the scraping & clanging of the kitchen staff closing down the kitchen pounded at her head. The lingering smells of burgers & French fries teased her stomach, which loudly voiced its impatience. She had gotten off late the last two nights due to last minute customers & was cautiously hoping that she would leave on time that night.
But it wasn't her night. Five minutes away from freedom her hopes went up in smoke as a young man was seated in her section. She whispered a curse but took a breath & did her best to put on a smile as she approached the table.
"Hi, how are you doing tonight?" Addison asked cheerfully as she handed him a menu.
"I'm doing fine, I don't need a menu thanks. Just came for a cup of coffee," he replied, smiling. Addison couldn't help but notice that he was staring at her very intently & felt slightly anxious under his gaze.
"I'll be right back with that for you," she quickly took back the menu & hurried back to the kitchen, relieved he was only ordering coffee & most likely wouldn't be here long. Not only did she want to get home but also something about the way he looked at her made her uncomfortable.
She returned with the coffee right back into his gaze, a mischievous smile on his face. "Addison Jensen, you don't have any idea who I am do you?"
Hearing her name was so shocking she almost spilled the coffee as she set it on the table. She looked at him, taking in his features in an attempt to identify him. She guessed he was the same age as her, couldn't have been older than twenty-five. His short blonde hair curved around his pale face & bright blue eyes. She noticed his clothing was more formal than most of the diner's customers, he wore white slacks & a white vest over a navy blue shirt. His outfit was accented by a purple tie & yellow flower on the right side of his chest. There was something familiar about him but her tired mind couldn't get a grasp on a specific memory.
"I'm sorry but I don't. How do you know my name?" she asked nervously, her paranoid mind kicking into high gear. They didn't wear nametags so for him to know her name from the restaurant he would have to be a regular & if that were the case she would have recognized him. The fear that he could be following her crept into her mind. Had he been watching her, waiting for her? But then why approach her in public? Her stomach knotted tightly.
"You told me. Quite a while ago actually. Right after you told me my wish was stupid & would never come true. Remember now?"
The anxious knot in Addison's stomach was replaced with a new, nostalgic flutter as she looked upon his face again. The faded childhood memory exploded in her mind. Her as a young girl, holding tightly to her father's hand. Excitement & shouts of happiness filled the air as children & adults alike pointed up at the sky. Amid the stars glittering in the night sky one burned brighter than the rest as it fell from the sky, leaving a streak of shine behind it.
"Gill…I'm sorry. It has been a really long time. I'm surprised you even recognized me. This is the last place I'd expect to see you."
"A lot of the produce in this area comes from Castanet actually. I come out here every now & then to get some time off the island. But this time I came here to find you."
"Why would you want to find me?" Addison asked, noticing with relief that the manager was turning off the open sign.
"Do you have some time after you're off? There is a lot we need to talk about. About your father."
The last thing Addison wanted to talk about after her long day was her father. She was painfully aware that it was rapidly approaching the ten-year anniversary of his death, it was a thought she was trying very hard to keep from wearing her down.
"My brother is waiting for me. I'm sorry you came this far but I really don't want to talk about that," Addison turned quickly to leave, hoping to hide the tears forming that she was too tired to fight. She barely got a step in before Gale reached out & caught her arm, startling her.
"Addie, I'm sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was upset you. But we need to talk. You have responsibilities to your father. Responsibilities that can't be put off any longer." In his eyes Addison saw genuine remorse & kindness, the eyes of a childhood friend lost to time. She nodded without a word & he released her arm. Pangs of regret hit him as he watched her walk back into the kitchen. He had plenty of time on the ferry ride over to imagine how the reunion would go but the scenarios in his mind were all happy ones. He realized now he should have realized Addison wouldn't be happy to have him suddenly appear & start talking about her dead father. He wondered if there could have been a better way to do this.
Addison walked past the kitchen & into the bathroom. Suddenly all she wanted was a moment of quiet to collect herself. She could barely remember the last time she was on Castanet, she was just a small child then. She was no longer a child but a woman of twenty-three. She glanced at her reflection to make sure it wouldn't be obvious to her coworkers that she had been upset. The long brown hair that had been tied up neatly in a bun before her shift now had strands hanging down messily into her face. Her green eyes shed a few tears but she kept the rest at bay, reminding herself she only needed to keep it together a little while longer. In her reflection she searched for features of her father – at least the features she could remember. She had always been told she had his smile & recognized his slightly tan skin tone in her own skin. Her short height & slim build were from her mother; she had always wished she could have just a bit more of her father's height.
Thirty minutes later Gill was waiting outside for her as she left the diner. He was standing next to a deep blue sports car that filled Addison with envy. She didn't even have a car, she usually took the city bus home which she hated. Her bus was the last bus of the night & her fellow passengers were always interesting to say the least. She would have loved a car but she had other important priorities. Much more important.
"It's nice," she told him, realizing quickly she had no idea what to say to him. He was a stranger now, a man she knew nothing about. Nothing more than he had come here to talk about things she really didn't want to talk about.
"Don't be too impressed, it is just a rental. Which one is yours? I can follow you." He asked as he looked around, noticing there were only a couple cars left in the parking lot.
"I don't actually have one," Addison admitted, staring at the ground to try to hide her embarrassment.
"Alright then, hop in. Like I said, it is a rental. I don't have a car either so don't worry about it."
The two rode in silence besides Addison's directions. Gill had offered her dinner & she had very much wanted to accept it but she knew her brother was at home & she was anxious to see what state the home was in. Her stomach churned with nerves as they pulled into her apartment complex. Even in the dark it was obvious that the apartments were run down & in bad shape. Gill didn't say a word as they walked up the creaking stairs to her building but Addison was sure he was silently judging it. Gill was a mayor's son who lived in a fine home, wore fine clothes & never had to go without. She could only imagine what he was thinking as she opened the door to her apartment. To her relief the living room was empty & her mother's door was closed. However the empty bottles sitting on the couch were all the painful evidence she needed to know how her mother spent the day. From the bathroom she could hear her brother showering. She quickly tried to clean up the bottles while Gill lingered in the doorway, not saying a word.
"I'm really sorry. Wasn't really expecting company," Addison apologized quietly as she threw the bottles into the trashcan. She was caught off guard by the warm hand on her shoulder & turned to see Gill behind her, staring at her with a sympathetic sadness in his eyes. She remembered the last time he had looked at her like that & had to contain her emotions for a second time that night.
"Can I get you anything to drink or a snack?" she asked, stepping away to break their eye contact.
"I'm fine, thanks," he answered, watching her make a sandwich for herself.
"So, enough of this silence. What is this about?" Addison asked as she & Gill sat down on the faded green couch now clear of bottles.
"Your father's land & home. It was sat untouched for almost ten years. There is somebody who is interested in buying it. My father has told him no over & over, but it is been ten years. Nobody in your father's family has come forward to do anything with it. My father thinks it is time to consider the offer."
"Then sell it." Addison stated bluntly. Why would she care about that land? Even when her father was alive she hadn't been there more than a handful of times since her parents split when she was six. She could barely remember what the house looked like, though she had vague memories of chasing chickens & trying to take a bath in the cow's watering trough.
"I can't sell it, only you can. You're his next of kin so the land is yours & yours alone to sell. Though you should consider…"
"No. Give me whatever I need to sign & I'll sign it. I'll sell it." Addison snapped before Gill could even finish his sentence.
Gill sighed. This was not how he had imagined this night going. He had hoped Addison wouldn't have wanted to sell. In truth his father had wanted to contact Addison as soon as she turned eighteen to discuss selling the ranch but Gill had begged him over & over to wait, hoping Addison would show up on the island & claim the ranch. Looking at her now Gill realized how far from possible that was. The happy girl he had once been a friend had been replaced with a woman who looked exhausted both physically & emotionally. Gill suddenly found himself feeling like he had no right to come back into Addison's life so suddenly. "I don't have the papers, my father is the only one who has access to those."
"So what you're telling me is I have to spend the majority of my one day off this week on a ferry boat so I can go sign some damn papers? I can't just send you with a note or make a phone call or something?" Addison was highly agitated & frustrated at the prospect of going back there. The last time she had been there was to see her father be laid to rest & that wasn't a memory she was excited to relive.
"Addison?" her brother called out to her, glancing into the living area as he left the bathroom dressed in pajamas. He had the same brown hair as Addison but had brown eyes to match and lightly, cream colored skin. It wasn't hard for Gill to see that he didn't share a single feature with Addison's father.
"Hey Tyler," Addison genuinely smiled for the first time all night, "Sorry I'm late again, some guy wanted coffee at the last minute."
"What a jerk," Tyler laughed & Addison laughed along with him. Even Gill chuckled. Tyler walked into his room & closed the door to give Addison & Gill some privacy.
"How old is he?" Gill asked, noticing that Addison actually looked happy & hoping to steer the conversation in a more cheerful direction.
"He is fifteen, a sophomore in high school. That mess you saw when you came in? My mother doesn't take care of herself or him. I do. I take care of all of us, barely. So you have to understand why I don't have time to care about some ranch I haven't seen in years & why I am not thrilled about having to take a day to go take care of this."
"I didn't know, I'm sorry," Gill placed his hand gently over Addison's but she pulled away & stood up quickly.
"I need to go to bed, you should go," she said abruptly, uncomfortable with Gill's display of kindness & wondering why in the world she even told him that. She was tired she decided, her exhaustion had caused her to lose control of her mental filters.
Gill got up and started walking towards the door, immediately regretting that gesture. What made him think a girl who he hadn't seen in years would like that? She didn't even know him anymore & he didn't know her.
'Wait," Addison called out sharply as he started to turn the doorknob, "What time does the ferry leave tomorrow?"
Gill smiled in spite of himself, "6:30 in the morning. There isn't another one out until 4:30 in the afternoon. I can pick you up if you like."
Addison slumped against the wall, "Fine, I'll be ready at 5:30." Any hopes of getting a good night's sleep vanished right before her eyes.
"Sounds good. Have a good night Addison," he turned to say goodbye before walking out the door. Addison locked the door after him & sunk to the floor, her head in her hands.
"All I wanted was some sleep, maybe a couple donuts, & just a day of peace. Hell, I'd even be happy with a half day," Addison thought out loud. She glanced into the hall & noticed that Tyler's light was off. She barely saw him these days & hated that. Their landlord has recently raised the rent & Addison had to take overtime hours just to keep a roof over their head & food in the fridge simultaneously. Her mother was no help, all her mother did was drink away any money that wasn't spent on groceries.
Sleep did not come easy last night as much as Addison wished for it. Memories danced through her mind all night. Memories of her father, of when her family lived on the island back when they were a family. She remembered her father lifting her onto the back of his prized white horse & feeling like she was on top of the world. She remembered chasing fireflies with Gill. In her memories was a sea of faces she couldn't name anymore. But she couldn't remember her father's voice. Pictures helped keep the image of him fresh in her mind but no picture could revive the memories of her other senses. It wasn't just his voice – she could no longer remember the scent of his aftershave, the feel of her hand being held tightly in his or the sound of his laugh. It was only in tears from the gaps in her memories that Addison managed to slip into sleep.
The evidence of her rough night was all over her face in the morning. Addison did her best to cover her bleary eyes with makeup & left her hair flowing down past her shoulders. She dressed in jeans & a plain purple shift, covering up with a thick black jacket to protect against the cold fall morning. She jotted down a quick note to Tyler & pushed it under his door. She debated waking him up but decided against it, just because she was up at this awful hour didn't mean Tyler should have to be. Her mother would have been furious if she knew Addison was going back to Castanet so she decided to let her assume she would be working.
Gill showed up right on schedule with coffee & a couple donuts waiting in the car. Addison was happily surprised at how warm the car was, she was accustomed to the cold bus rides in the morning. They returned the car to the rental company & walked the couple blocks to the ferry landing. The cold wind nipped at their ears & blew through their hair but the coffee kept them warm. Addison was so nervous she had barely been able to eat one donut despite how excited she had been to see them. Gill on the other hand had powered through four of them.
As soon as the landing came into view her nervousness intensified & her hands started shaking. Gill noticed as he glanced down but resisted the urge to try comforting her again. Her swift rejection from the night before was still fresh in his mind & he didn't want to upset Addison any further. Despite Addison's protests Gill bought both their tickets & they boarded the upper seating area of the ferry. The lower deck was full of trucks transporting goods back to the island. The drivers lingered on the upper deck, laughing & enjoying their breakfasts.
Addison took a seat by the window & stared out at the water. The reality of the situation was really hitting her now. She thought of bolting, just leaving before Gill or anybody else could stop her. But just as she thought she could actually run the horns of the ferry blasted through the morning air & they pulled away from the dock into out to sea. Out towards Castanet. Towards everything Addison had been avoiding for the last ten years of her life.