Chapter 4: Sense of Adventure
"Can they stay?" Shuyin eagerly asked.
"Well, I suppose so." Dannae smiled at the girls her son invited to dinner, but then drew near to him and lowered her voice to a discreet whisper. "Aren't they a little … old … for you?"
He drew back, amused at her incorrect assumption, but remained discreet. "Mom, they're in my classes at school." He shook his head at her doubt and decided to introduce them. "This is Fresia and Gin. We ran into them at the beach, and since we had extra fish, I thought they might like to help us eat them."
"Gin?" His mother's brows rose with concern. "As in the drink?"
The girl with the wispy, black hair and bold green eyes laughed. "It's short for Giniva."
Shuyin took the cooler from Koji and set it beside the fridge. "Go ahead and set up the grill," he told his friend. "Do you remember where it is?"
"Top deck, right? In that footlocker?"
"That's it. I'll bring out the fish in a minute." Shuyin pulled a large knife from the drawer and tapped the handle on the counter. He was ready to play master chef. His mother, however, clamped a hand on top of his head. He was taller than her now, but he obediently froze in place and waited with a sense of dread as she examined his ear.
"Is that an earring?"
"Kind of."
"When did you get an earring?"
"Koji and I got our ears pierced down at the boardwalk today. There's a new jewelry store near the painted T-shirts and ..."
Dannae's attention shifted to Koji, who casually tugged at an ear as if trying to hide it. "This was your idea?" she asked the other boy.
"Ah, no," Koji cautiously answered. "He wanted to get his tongue pierced, but I told him it would probably be better to start with an ear."
Shuyin frantically gestured for Koji to shut up, but immediately straightened as his mother turned back around to face him with a frown.
"What? How did you manage to get permanent body modifications done without parental consent?"
"They didn't ask our ages."
"But if they couldn't be bothered to check your ages, there's no telling what else they neglected. What if their equipment wasn't sanitary. Those ears could get infected. And on top of that, you're red as lobsters from being out all day with no sunscreen. What were you thinking today?" Dannae rinsed a dishcloth at the sink, then spread it over some food containers in the freezer.
Shuyin winced. His mother had an effective but unusual method of treating sunburns. "They don't hurt that much."
"Oh, well, thank goodness for that, or you wouldn't be able to go back for the tattoos." Dannae shut the freezer door and folded her arms.
Koji snorted and laughed at the unexpected sarcasm, but then cleared his throat as her attention shifted toward him again. "Yeah, I'll be, um ... looking for the grill." He flashed Shuyin a peace sign before slipping out of the kitchen.
Shuyin remained upbeat despite the mild scolding and stepped around his mother to pull a fish from the cooler. "I promise I'll take the earring out if my ear gets infected, but right now, it feels fine. Once we have the grill set up, you're in for a real treat because Koji and I are taking care of dinner tonight," he proudly announced. "You could even lie down and take a nap while you wait, or watch a movie or something."
"That grill is probably rusted. We haven't used it in ages."
"Then we'll clean it off and place the fish on the skewers rack. Are you afraid to eat my cooking?" he asked with a teasing, sly expression.
"I'm more afraid of you setting the boat on fire when you light that grill."
Shuyin shrugged, undaunted. "We're on water. Where's your sense of adventure, Mom?"
Sighing with resignation, Dannae stepped aside to let her son prepare his fish but decided to remain present in case damage control was needed. "You are an adventure, Shu - one right after another."
He set the large, flopping fish on the counter. But as he held it down to keep it from escaping, he couldn't remember whether he was supposed to cut it or scale it first. He was used to catching fish, not cooking them. His two female dinner guests came to his side.
"Aren't you supposed to kill it first?" Fresia asked.
"Do you need help?" Gin asked.
"I can handle it," he insisted as he contemplated how to outwit the slippery animal.
While he was preoccupied, his mother opened the freezer to retrieve the wet dishcloth, which had tiny ice crystals on it now.
Shuyin decided he should probably start with scaling and tried to lift the fish's tail at an angle to the knife. Before he could begin, however, an ice-cold sensation hit his back and chills exploded over the rest of his body. His mother then pressed the frozen dishcloth between his shoulder blades to draw the heat from his sunburn. Sucking air through his teeth, Shuyin dropped the knife and grasped the counter. The fish flopped onto the floor. "Shit!" He slapped a hand over his mouth as soon as he said it, hoping his mother didn't hear, but she was already frowning at his language. With no way to take it back, he banged a fist multiple little times on the counter to prevent himself from cursing further.
The two girls at his side almost fell over themselves, laughing at his reaction to the sunburn therapy.
Finally, burying his forehead into his arms on the counter, all he could do was groan in complaint until the chills faded.
Dannae removed the dishcloth after it had absorbed a good amount of heat from the burn and placed it back in the freezer to get ready for round two. "That's what you get for not using sunscreen." Then, she looked at the girls. "Jecht's best friend introduced us to this sunburn treatment. Works like a charm. As it removes the heat, it removes the pain and prevents blistering and peeling."
Shuyin exhaled with profound relief that it was over, but knew he would have to think up an excuse quickly if he was going to avoid a second application. "Yeah, a-ha-ha, very funny," he retorted to the girls who were still giggling at him. Picking up the fish, he rinsed it off before placing it back on the counter to try again. "Let's drop an iced rag over your backs and see how you like it." The fish was beginning to lose some of its vigor now, at least, so he positioned the chef's knife over its head to end its misery before another attempt to scale it.
))((
Dannae couldn't help but chuckle to herself at her son's ability to recover his dignity. So much like his father. She dare not tell him that, though. To Shuyin, Jecht was a forbidden topic ever since his disappearance. Dannae stepped away from the freezer to give the rag time to chill again but paused feeling strange and cold. Her vision began to darken, and she knew she was about to faint. "Shu?"
Looking over his shoulder in time to see her swoon, he dropped the knife and fish a second time, but was quick enough to catch her and ease her down to the floor. "Are you okay?"
Fresia and Gin moved to stand behind Shuyin, concerned for the woman they'd just met.
"Should we call a white mage or a summoner?" Fresia suggested.
"No … thank you. I'm fine," Dannae answered, though her senses felt distant.
"Are you sure?" Shuyin asked, worried.
"I'm just a little light-headed. I must have moved too fast." She stared up at him for a moment. From that angle, he looked so grown up now. After he helped her to stand once more, she moved toward the counter. "I'd better show you how to prepare that fish if we intend to have any of it for dinner, hm?" Smiling, she patted his hand and was grateful he had been there for her.
))((
When the first fish was prepared for grilling, Shuyin and the girls took it back outside. Koji was just about finished scraping the rust out of the bottom of the grill. The girls sat down in the lounge chairs on the deck and began to chat with each other, and Shuyin set aside the fish to grab the charcoals and lighter fluid.
"Too bad one of us doesn't know a fire spell, eh?" Koji commented as he reached for the skewer rack.
"Or a cure spell." Shuyin poured some of the charcoal into the grill and set the bag aside.
Koji met his friend's somber comment with a questioning expression as he set the skewers in place.
"My mom fainted just now," Shuyin answered under his breath. "I'm afraid something's wrong with her, but she refuses to go for an exam. That's the second time this month."
"Maybe she's just tired. You said she was tired a lot lately."
"I guess so."
Changing to a more positive subject, Koji lowered his voice to a whisper and scratched a mosquito bite on his bronzed shoulder. "Hey, do you think we should walk the girls home after this?"
"Probably. I mean we did invite them over, and it'll be dark by the time we're done eating. We should at least take them as far as the beach."
Koji grinned and elbowed his buddy. "Think they'll kiss us goodnight for the favor?"
Shuyin was equally amused at the thought. "Want me to ask?" He turned around. "Hey, Gin!"
Koji caught him in a head-lock and cupped a hand over his mouth before he could say or do anything embarrassing, but he laughed as he released him.
Snickering at how easy it was to call Koji's bluff, Shuyin doused the coals with lighter fluid.
Gin, however, had heard her name and came to his side in response. "Need help?"
Sweeping the hair from his eyes, Shuyin chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, it's … nothing. I was just … wondering what kind of music you like. I could bring some music spheres out on the deck." He soaked the coals in lighter fluid.
"What have you got?" Fresia asked, joining them.
"I'll warn you. I like music most people have never heard of," Gin answered.
"Well, my collection's in my room if you want to browse." Giving the lighter fluid one more generous squeeze, Shuyin set the can aside, wiped his hands on the nearby towel Koji had been using, and headed for the cabin door again.
Both girls started to follow, but Gin grabbed Fresia's arm and whispered something in her ear. The girls giggled between themselves, and then Gin met him at the door. "I hope you don't get in trouble about the earring. I think it looks nice."
Shuyin waved it off with no big concern. "My mom doesn't get too bent out of shape over stuff like this as long as it's not too bad." He led the way down to the lower deck and back through the living room to his bedroom. "Some days I hardly see her at all because she works late hours, so she trusts me for the most part. I didn't think about trying to sue the pants off of the jewelry store if they damaged my ear. Guess it's a good thing I didn't do my tongue, huh?" On the wall beside his dresser was a rack full of music spheres. "Just look through these and let me know if you see anything you like." He reached for a couple of sample songs to play.
"Oh, I definitely see something I like."
He paused with doubt. "You haven't even listened to them yet."
Gin gave him a coy smile. "Shuyin, do you have a girlfriend?"
Stunned, it took him a few seconds to clear his throat and shrug with casual indifference. "Not at the moment."
"Have you ever kissed a girl before?"
"Once ... yeah." There was no way he was going to admit it was just a peck on the cheek from Kaila when he was four. But since Gin was asking, Shuyin wondered if now would be a good time to upgrade that experience.
Looking into his eyes, she smiled ... waiting.
Trying not to be awkward, Shuyin stepped closer and experimentally tilted his head to avoid bumping noses. Then, closing his eyes, he pressed forward until he bumped into her lips. His heart raced at the softness and warmth of the intimate contact, and he opened his mouth slightly to make it an official "date" style kiss rather than a friendly peck. When he drew back and opened his eyes, Gin was smiling back at him, pleased. Yes! He had done it right first try! He felt like running up to the deck to tell Koji, so his friend could share his excitement with him. No, on second thought, he felt like doing it again. So, he did.
"Shu? Did you go back outside or are you in here?" His mother called from the hall as she came to his room.
Shuyin and Gin immediately jumped apart and tried to look natural … which ended up looking very scripted. His face flushed with an expression that usually betrayed him when he was trying to hide something, so his mother stared at him with confused suspicion. Then she looked to Gin and was quietly mortified for a couple of seconds.
"The second fish is ready for the grill," Dannae informed them. "I left a few thin slices for snacking if you want."
"Okay," he answered, a little too quickly, passing the music spheres to Gin. "Just, um … take whatever you like," he told her with a playful grin.
"Excuse us," Dannae told Gin, snagging her son's arm. "He'll be back outside with the fish in a few minutes," she added before escorting him to the kitchen.
"Ow, ow, ow-ch! Mom! The sunburn?" he complained.
"Well, by all means, Shu, let's cool you down again." Dannae didn't release him until they were in front of the freezer. "What were you doing just now?"
"Nothing," his voice cracked. Then he watched with dread as his mother retrieved and opened the frozen-stiff dishcloth again.
"Don't lie to me."
"Okay, I kissed her. But that's it. I swear."
She turned him around and pressed the frozen compress against his back and shoulders. "Oh, where is your father when I need him?" she lamented, putting a hand to her forehead as her son winced, clenched his teeth, and shuddered under the chills of her sunburn therapy. "I'm not ready for this. This is too much adventure for one day, Shuyin."
"I didn't do it on purpose."
"No? Your lips accidentally fell on her?"
"I mean, I didn't invite her over because of that. I thought she liked me as a friend, but I guess she likes me likes me. She asked if I had a girlfriend, and it just sort of … happened."
"Well, nothing else had better happen!" She turned him back around to face her and pressed the heat-absorbing cloth against his chest and front of his shoulders. "New house rule. That door stays open if you're going to start inviting girls over. Understood?"
He made a disgruntled face. "Understood."
Shaking her head in dismay, she placed the 'melted' cloth back in the freezer for round three and planted the tray of sliced fish in his hands. "Take these to the grill. We'll talk later."
"You don't mean … talk, do you? Dad had that talk with me when I was seven."
"Well, maybe you should have it again now that you're fourteen."
"But that's a Dad talk; not a Mom talk."
"Well, I can't give you a father-son talk, so a mother-son talk will have to do. Unless you'd rather I give you the mother-daughter talk?"
It was Shuyin's turn to be mortified.
"Just … go cook your fish before I decide to cook you." Flustered, his mother turned him around again to send him back outside before he could argue.
He winced at the sting on his shoulders, but he had to admit his back already felt better thanks to the frozen cloth therapy. Passing through the living room, he grumbled to himself about not wanting any kind of girl discussions with his mother, but then he remembered the thrill of his first kiss. Shuyin allowed himself a congratulatory smirk. "Oh yeah. That was so worth it."
Gin was waiting for him when he returned to the deck. "You got in trouble again, didn't you?" She grimaced in apology.
He flashed her a guilty grin before approaching the grill and pinching the fish slices onto the skewers. "I can handle it."
Gin returned the smile, activated one of the music spheres she'd brought back from his room, and pulled Fresia aside to speak privately.
Koji came to Shuyin's side, picked up one of the slices, and threaded it onto a skewer. "I told Fresia we'd walk them home after dinner, and she seemed to like that idea."
"Good, good." Shuyin pilfered one of the raw fish slices and dropped it into his mouth before glancing over his shoulder, certain that Gin was already telling Fresia what happened. The velvety, thin meat melted on his tongue as he chewed and exhaled with a dramatic sigh before turning back to the task at hand. "Well, if we walk them back to the beach, maybe Gin will let me kiss her again before we say goodnight."
Koji drew back, surprised, but skeptical. "No, you didn't."
Grinning with pride, Shuyin grabbed the box of long match sticks. "Twice." He danced his little victory dance - the one he'd done since they were kids.
Koji was speechless for a few seconds but tried not to appear too disappointed. "So, Gin, huh? How was it?"
"Freakin' awesome. It was like ..." Shuyin shook his head and tried to think of just the right words to describe it as he struck the match on the side of the box and cast it into grill but flames whoofed up into their faces the instant the match touched the well-oiled briquettes. Both boys shielded their faces from the burst of heat, and Shuyin almost fell over a chair, trying to back away.
"How much lighter fluid did you put in there!" Koji fussed.
Shuyin grabbed a nearby water bottle and squirted some of it into the flames. "I got distracted, alright!" The water only made it snap and pop more.
Koji grabbed the lid and dropped it over the flames. The boys coughed and tried to wave away the smoke that billowed into their eyes.
Behind them, when it was safe, Gin and Fresia burst into laughter.
Shuyin checked under the lid to see if the flames were smothered and got a face-full of smoke for his effort, but at least the grill was no longer exploding.
Koji removed the lid and sighed with relief, but then promptly smacked the back of Shuyin's head. "Dumb ass." With a cough, he grabbed the water bottle from Shuyin and took a drink. Shuyin snickered at the reprimand. The snicker easily turned into a laugh. And then, Shuyin's laughter was contagious enough that Koji laughed too. "Why don't you just pour a whole can of kerosine on it next time? We could even throw in a few fireworks. Exploding Fish Kabobs!"
The girls laughed and waved away the smoke as they approached the grill. Gin took Shuyin's hands in hers. "Maybe asking your mom to cook the fish wasn't such a bad idea?"
Shuyin's chuckles calmed as he rubbed the smoke from his eyes. "Are you kidding? She'd probably throw the fish in the freezer and then slap it between my shoulders instead of throwing it on the grill."
Gin giggled and then pouted sympathetically as she leaned forward to steal another kiss.
"Oh, please. Take it somewhere else." Koji squirted some of the bottled water into Shuyin's face.
"Hey!" Shuyin snatched the bottle and squirted water back at him.
Koji dodged, so Shuyin leaped after him. Laughing and running across the deck, Koji escaped retaliation until Shuyin cornered him and opened the lid, emptying the entire bottle over his head.
))((
The romance with Gin lasted only four weeks, but it was enough for Shuyin to discover a new vice and develop a new talent—the art of flirtation.
He was thankful his mother forgot about her threat concerning their talk. Dannae was thankful her son gave up on getting his tongue pierced. Raising a teenage boy without his father was hard, and not a day passed that she didn't wish Jecht was there for him ... for her.
Shuyin grew stronger. But Dannae grew weaker until eventually, it became evident to everyone that her health was declining.
