"Inventing the Future"

Author's Note: I hope I didn't make Jaming sound like a complete pervert in a certain part of this chapter! It's hard to write a guy's perspective sometimes, so I sort of have to make a guess at the things they happen to notice. And, going on the assumption that he's still a virgin at this point and has most likely suppressed certain urges, I figured that some things might catch him by surprise and cause him to 'lock up' a bit. XD Anyway, here ya go.

"Chapter 17: Unexpected Problem"

Jaming watched from a distance as a large bonfire slowly burned down to coals, unsure how he felt about how crowded the beach was becoming. Donny and Pau were there, and so were Granny Rosa, Julia, and Claire. There was also an old man with deeply tanned skin whom Jaming didn't recognize by sight, but who had introduced himself as 'Cap'. Jaming knew the name, though; Meredith's stall was on the old man's shop boat, along with a few others. There were several strangers, and Jaming felt the old social anxiety making itself known once more.

He wished Meredith was there. After her dip in the ocean (or double dip, if one counted her jumping back in with Pau), she had left, saying that she needed a shower. Without her presence in the middle of a rather large crowd, Jaming felt, in a word, uncomfortable.

Where had all of these people come from? As Cap passed by, Jaming got his attention and asked him.

Cap, who resembled a stereotypical sea captain, pipe and all, made a wide gesture with said pipe. "A train filled with tourists came in today. They're bunking on one of the shop boats temporarily. Not mine, though. I thought a bonfire on the beach would be the perfect welcome. What's wrong with you, lad? You're lookin' a bit peaky."

Jaming straightened his waistcoat by giving the bottom of it a sharp tug, and he tilted his chin a bit higher. "I haven't the faintest idea what you mean, sir."

The old man merely laughed and commented, "Not a crowd person, are ya?"

"You could say that..." Where was Meredith?

"Ahh, don't let it get you fussed. They're just passin' through. In the meantime, why don't you go enjoy yourself, instead of standin' back here like a statue? Have some fish; there's plenty."

Jaming frowned as Cap walked away, knowing that he was right, and hating it. He surveyed the crowd for any familiar faces, and he saw none. He did, however, see a woman who reminded him of someone, one who was in late middle age, but he couldn't place her. And he didn't get much time to consider this before he felt a tap on his left shoulder. He automatically looked to see who it was, but there was no one there!

Then, on his right side, Meredith's triumphant voice crowed, "Gotcha!"

Jaming turned his head quickly to face her, then rolled his eyes. "Yes, very clever. You certainly took your time..." But, looking at the transformation that had taken place, he had to stare. She had left the beach looking bedraggled, but still lovely in his opinion. Now she stood barefoot before him in pair of teal capri pants and a light blue tie dye tank top. One that showed a bit of midriff, he noticed, as his eyes briefly lingered on her exposed navel. He even had a tantalizing glimpse of...

Abruptly he tore his gaze away from her cleavage, clearing his throat and willing a certain portion of his anatomy to behave itself and stay down. 'What is wrong with you, Jaming! Be a gentleman!'

She was dressed in a perfectly acceptable manner, and some of the young ladies present were wearing swimsuits that showed a whole lot more, if he'd actually cared to look.

Well, maybe he had looked, but he didn't know those girls. And they couldn't have competed with his Meredith if they tried!

"Everything okay?" she asked him, completely oblivious to his internal struggle.

"Everything's...fine. You look wonderful."

Slipping her hand into his, she motioned with her head for him to walk over to the fire with her. "So do you."

At this, he scoffed and actually looked a bit sad. "You're kind, but you don't need to lie. And I haven't even changed my attire."

"I'm not lying," she protested, giving his hand a light squeeze. "You always look good to me."

He didn't see how she could possibly be telling the truth, but he found himself rubbing the back of his head and blushing. And, just when he began to forget that the tourists were even there, one of them got to her feet and approached them.

"Meredith! There you are!"

Meredith stopped short, her eyes as round as dinner plates as she stared in disbelief at the approaching figure. "Mother! Wh-what..."

Mother? Jaming now knew who this woman reminded him of! Simultaneously, he and Meredith let go of each other's hands, and he watched as the older woman embraced her.

Meredith's arms automatically went around her mother, who was a few inches shorter than she was, and the brief look she sent Jaming was one that pleaded him for help. "I...wasn't expecting you!" She said, still getting over the surprise, but she didn't seem unhappy about her mother's visit.

"Oh, I know, but I was curious to see this place you told me about. Aren't you going to introduce us?" The woman turned to smile at Jaming.

He could see that her expression was slightly guarded and more than a little surprised, and he could understand why. He had just been seen holding hands with her daughter, and she probably hadn't even been told about him!

"Yeah, of course. Um...Mother, this is Jaming...my boyfriend. Jaming, this is my mother, Sarah."

Jaming bowed slightly at the waist, but he didn't hold out his hand for her to shake. It had been his experience that most people didn't want to touch him, thinking that the blue hue of his skin indicated some sort of contagious disease. And, small though she was in comparison to him, he was terrified of her. If she disapproved of him, that could be that! "A pleasure, ma'am."

But Sarah surprised him very much by reaching out and shaking his hand, showing no immediate signs of dislike as she smiled back. "Likewise, but you may call me Sarah. Meredith told me a bit about you."

"Oh, all good, I hope!" he chuckled nervously, relaxing a bit.

"Of course," Sarah broke the handshake and turned to Meredith. "There's something I need to discuss with you. In private."

Immediately serious, Meredith asked, "Is everything okay?"

Sarah waved her hand. "Yes, yes, everything's fine. I just need to talk to you."

Jaming kept his expression carefully neutral, but an awful sense of foreboding was brewing in his gut. He saw Meredith looking between him and her mother, and he realized that she was torn between wanting to stay with him and not wanting to be rude to her mother, who had made the long journey specifically to see her. And, realizing that the correct response to this situation was a no-brainer, he slapped a smile onto his face and said, "Go on, I'm not going anywhere. I think I'll go sample some of that Kaji."

"Okay," Meredith seemed relieved, but guilty at the same time. "I'll join you in a bit, okay?"

Jaming nodded, watched the two of them walk just beyond the limits of the ring of light cast by the bonfire, then helped himself to a plate of pan fried Kaji. It was fresh out of the pan, and the first bite burned the roof of his mouth. If he hadn't been so distracted by what he was witnessing, he would have had the presence of mind to let it cool for a minute.

Two silhouettes stood just close enough for him to see, and he saw the slightly taller of them, Meredith, vehemently shake her head. He wished he could hear the conversation! This wasn't for him to intrude upon, and he was doing enough of that by watching their exchange without being able to hear it, but he couldn't help himself. Something was wrong.

Then Jaming and several others heard Sarah raise her voice loudly enough to be heard. "No, that is not what I said!"

Jaming picked at his dinner with his fork, separating the Kaji fillet into flakes as his expression darkened. What had this woman said to upset Meredith?

There was some more unheard discussion, and then Meredith's voice reached their ears. "I will. Not. Do it!"

"Ooh..." Donny hunched down a bit, focusing studiously on his dinner. "Someone's mad..."

"-stubborn as your father!"

"This conversation is over!"

"Yes, I guess it is! Goodnight, Meredith."

Jaming gasped as Sarah stalked off towards the docks, then his eyes focused on Meredith's shadow once more. Or, rather, where her shadow had just been. 'She's gone...Where did she go?'

Jaming set down his plate and got up, dusted sand off the seat of his pants, and went looking for Meredith. And, after stumbling over a few pieces of drift wood and nearly twisting his ankle in the unstable sand dunes, he found her. She was standing with her back to the campfire, which was still in sight, and she had one hand braced against a palm tree as if she were using it to ground herself.

He could see that her head was lowered, and her shoulders were shaking silently. She was crying, and he felt his heart give an answering twist. 'What did that blasted woman say to her?'

"Meredith..." he called quietly so that she wouldn't be startled. He knew she heard him, because she straightened up once more and quickly wiped at her face, but she didn't answer. He realized that she probably couldn't, and he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

Meredith turned to face him and she let him put his arms around her. She buried her face in his shoulder and slipped her arms under his, snuggling close and holding on for dear life. "I'm sorry..."

Jaming shook his head. "No, Meredith...You've done nothing wrong..."

"Yeah, tell her that..." She began to sob quietly, unaware that each sharply-drawn breath sliced straight to his heart.

'Don't tempt me, because I just may.' Jaming thought, but didn't say. She needed him to be the one with a clear head, and he couldn't do that if he let himself get too angry. He tried not to notice that her clean hair smelled faintly floral, though he couldn't quite place the scent. Now was not the time to be noticing such things. "You haven't, though. Just...tell me what happened."

"I don't want to talk about it..."

Jaming sighed, trying not to let his frustration show. How could he fix this if she wouldn't even tell him what 'this' was? She did seem to be calming down, though, and he hazarded a guess. "I take it she doesn't approve of us..."

"No, that's not it..." Meredith stepped back, and accepted the handkerchief he offered her. "At least, I don't think that's it. She never mentioned it."

So, it wasn't about him, then. Jaming felt pretty silly for having assumed so, but he wished he had an idea of what else it could have been! "Meredith...I'm at a loss. I want to help you..."

Meredith looked up, locking eyes with him for a long moment, then looked away again. "She wants me to go back home with her. Back to Palm Brinks."

Jaming's heart felt like it took a nosedive into his shoes, and he did his best to keep his voice neutral. "And...is there a part of you that wants to do as she asks?"

She grimaced a bit, shaking her head. "There's a part of me that doesn't want to upset my mother. A big part. But I don't want to leave you, and I don't want to...no, I can't go back there."

Jaming could tell that she had a lot more to say, but he knew her well enough to know that this setting was far too public. He held out his hand for her to take. "Walk with me?"

Without hesitation, she took his hand and they both left the light of the bonfire and headed further inland.