"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Oh, it's ridiculous. He's in his study most of the day, only coming out for food and coffee or to use the bathroom. By dinner time, he's already asleep in bed. It's like the man's become a machine or something."
Ella hummed into the phone as her mother continued recounting the gradual change in her husband and Ella's father's behaviour since his promotion. Ella wasn't sure about her father's new workload. Still, she knew he had always been an ambitious and perfectionist man. Perhaps that propelled him to success, but now he seemed to work himself to the bone despite his condition. Her eyes grew distant at the last sentence, subconsciously focusing on the airport's glowing information board above the busy check-in counter.
Her mother sighed heavily after a brief moment of silence between them.
"…Maybe he should think of resigning."
The sudden clatter of a pile of suitcases tumbling over nearby startled Ella out of her reverie. She gasped and fumbled with her phone, nearly dropping it.
"Ella, were you daydreaming again?" her mother asked, her voice an octave higher on the last word. "I once had to repeat the whole shopping list three times when I asked you to buy groceries because of that, jeez."
Ella giggled sheepishly, using her spare hand to play with the drawstrings of her hoodie. A smile spread across her face as she pictured her mother's exaggerated eye roll on the other end of the line. However, the late afternoon sun began to dip lower in the sky and shone through the tall glass windows of the terminal. She found herself entranced by the way the orange rays caught the dust particles and turned them into shimmering, twinkling stars in the air. Her mother's lecture faded into the background again.
She was returning to Port Clovis for the first time in years for the summer break. And not only that, but she'd be returning with her best friend Kyle, too. The two had been friends since early childhood and had been practically inseparable since. They attended the same schools, shared their deepest secrets, and supported each other through thick and thin. They even attended the same university, although Kyle majored in Marine Biology while Ella pursued Nursing.
Nonetheless, the pair still hung out regularly, spending evenings on the library steps and chatting about their coursework while reminiscing childhood memories. Now they would be spending the whole summer together in their hometown, just like old times. The excitement and nervousness coupled in Ella's stomach as she anticipated the trip. Still, there was no reason for her blood pressure to rise. Maybe it was because she was also going to be seeing Kyle's father again. And to be fair, it was a long time since she last saw him.
"-and make sure your—are you listening to me!?" Ella could hear her mother's voice echo within her kitchen on the other end of the call. Ella glanced at her phone's screen, noting the duration of their conversation. The caller ID read "Cheryl Wulfric (Mother Dearest 3)", with a selfie of the two smiling widely beside each other as the contact image. Ella's lips curled into a smile as she returned the phone to her ear.
"Yes, Mom, I know," she replied. "Keep all doors locked, put on sunscreen and insect repellant twenty minutes before going out, drink lots of water, and stay out of trouble… even though I've never been in any."
A sigh of relief. "Good. Now, stay safe, honey. No alcohol. I'll call you later once your plane lands—when does it land again?"
Ella reached for her boarding pass atop her carry-on luggage. She squinted and adjusted her glasses at the tiny font before reading off the details. "We land at 22:30. We'll arrive by 11 PM or so, but the airport's about an hour away from Port Clovis, so you'll probably have to wait until lunchtime tomorrow to call since the time difference is five hours."
Cheryl grumbled. Ella could practically see the older woman's face scrunched in a pout, brows furrowed, and a hand on her hip. Ella bit her lip to suppress a giggle.
"It's near the ocean. What else could you expect?" she lightly teased. Her mother just scoffed and said something about the beach being no place for an academic young lady before launching into a monologue about the dangers of the sea and its inhabitants. She had always been protective of Ella, and although it was a little stifling at times, Ella knew her mother meant well. Still, she wasn't a child learning to ride a bicycle anymore; she liked to think she could handle herself.
"Well, during your time on Pete's boat, you best get me an autograph or picture with Trip Westhaven!" Cheryl sighed, "I just don't want you to get hurt. You know how clumsy you can be. And it's been years since you were on a boat! What if you got seasick? You always did look a little green whenever the water was a bit rough."
"Mom."
"I'm just saying."
"I know," Ella chewed her lower lip, a sigh threatening to escape her. "I'm going to be fine. Uncle Pete will take care of us. You trust him, right?"
"Of course I do! But the man's a shark hunter, not a babysitter."
"Kyle… Kyle is literally his son—"
"Still!"
After several minutes, the mother and daughter eventually ended their nonchalant call, promising to stay in touch throughout the summer. Ella pocketed her phone and turned her attention to the nearby restrooms. Either Kyle had some digestive issues or had already returned and blended seamlessly with the crowd. Ella scanned the fellow waiting passengers, spotting no familiar faces among the hustle and bustle. She was starting to worry when a pair of arms suddenly snaked around her shoulders from behind. A startled squeak escaped her lips as a hand ruffled her curls, and the owner laughed heartily.
"Gotcha!"
Ella whirled around in her seat, eyes wide. "Kyle!" she scolded. The lanky young man simply snickered and raised his hands in surrender. His amber eyes danced with mirth.
"Sorry, sorry, I couldn't help it," he teased. "I was bored and didn't feel like sitting still. Besides, you were zoning out anyway."
"I was not," she pouted. "I was just thinking."
"Oh, that's code for daydreaming."
Ella huffed, turning her nose up at him. She stood and stretched her arms over her head, wincing at the dull ache in her spine, bones cracking and popping in protest when she twisted from side to side. She almost chuckled at the tell-tale look of horror on Kyle's face. He scrunched his nose and looked away, grimacing.
"Hey, I'm human. We all crack like glow sticks sometimes," Ella quipped, grabbing her carry-on luggage and rolling it forward.
Kyle snorted, shaking his head. "I'm just surprised you're still standing. Your joints sound like they've never seen an oil can."
"I could say the same for you. What are you, fifty?"
"Funny, coming from a ninety-year-old."
The duo exchanged teasing smiles as they headed toward their boarding gate. The speakers pinged above their heads as a robotic voice announced their flight was boarding. Ella and Kyle flashed their boarding passes and passports to the attendant before making their way through the terminal and onto the aircraft. They settled in their seats by the window, with Ella insisting that Kyle sit next to the window since he loved watching the clouds. She claimed the middle seat, and their bags were stored in the overhead compartments.
"Do you have any ideas for what we'll be doing throughout the summer?" Ella asked, fastening her seatbelt.
Kyle shook his head. "Not really. I talked to Pops about it, and he mainly mentioned wanting to teach me the ropes of shark hunting. That's about it."
Ella blinked. "Oh. Does he want me to help out, too?"
There was a pregnant pause before Kyle let out an awkward chuckle. His hand played with an earbud, twirling the wire around his index finger. "Well… you see," he began. "I actually… didn't tell him you were coming."
Silence. Almost like that kind of silence that came with a bad joke or an unintentional innuendo. One could practically hear crickets.
Ella stared at him, dumbfounded.
"…What?"