The Island Curse

More Than Meets the Eye

Saturday was spent in a sleepy haze. My feet only grew more painful as the day progressed.. At one point, I had to crawl to my bathroom. The pool above my room taunted me, the steamy, salty air drifting down the stairs and filling my nostrils. One dip and all my aches would vanish, but I couldn't bear to walk to the stairs, much less climb them.

Sunday morning dawned bright and cheerful, a rare occurrence here on the Island, and I hauled myself out of the covers, determined to enjoy the day. Lifting my legs to a perpendicular angle, I studied my feet. The blisters looked worse than yesterday. Some had popped, and the fluid in them dried to little orange crystals. But now that my legs were no longer cramping, I was willing to try climbing the stairs.

An hour later, I felt like a new woman. Nothing on me hurt.  Energy buzzed in my veins. Besides a slight itchiness on my legs, likely from the saltwater drying out my skin, I was renewed. Pulling an over sized sweatshirt over my head, I left my room and bounded down the stairs.

"Ach, there's my Isla girl," Dad said, pointing to a stack of pancakes on the table with his fork. Syrup dripped off the utensil and splattered on the table. "Darn it."

"This looks amazing," I said, filling my plate with food. Sausage, eggs, and... "Beans?"

"Molly said we can't consider ourselves proper Islanders unless we start having beans with breakfast."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," I replied, skipping them in favor of another piece of sausage. "You know, I still haven't met this wonder woman."

"Maybe if you didn't stay out all night and sleep all day."

"You do notice that I'm awake well before my usual time, and where is the good lady at?"

"She only works a half day on Sundays, and she ran to the market."

"I'm thinking about heading into town today. Maybe stop by The Merrow Cafe. Mrs. Rose caught me coming out of the coffee shop last week, and I'm still stinging from the lecture I got for not having stopped by already."

"As long as yer not behind on yer homework, I don't see a problem with it."

"Nope, all caught up. I made sure it was done before the party."

Dad patted his stomach and settled back in his seat with a broad smile on his face. Such fatherly pride oozed off of him, I was almost embarrassed. But it felt right. This easy camaraderie between us. It hadn't been like this since... my heart cracked a bit and I didn't finish the thought.

"How's your writing going?"

"Good, good. I like to go down to the beach most days. It's one of my favorite views, and this is a story about pirates."

"Argh," I growled, clamping one eyed shut and arching my lip into a snarl. Dad laughed, and I joined.

"I missed this," he said as his chuckles subsided. He reached across the table and took my hand in his. "We're going to be fine- you and me. You know that right?"

I squeezed his hand. "I know it, and I-I'm sorry for how I acted when we first moved here. I can't promise there will be no more outbursts, but I am trying."

We talked a little while longer after that, but soon I was scurrying out the door. Dad gave me the keys to the truck since he didn't plan to leave the house, and I sat a few moments in the driver seat, inhaling the memories of my grandfather. The scent of him was fading, replaced by smells that reminded me of my Dad and myself. In some ways, it was like losing him all over again.

The drive to to town was uneventful. Tinges of gold and orange were appearing on the edges of trees and bushes, and with the sun blazing in a cloudless blue sky, every color appeared in high definition. Even after being here for some time now, I was always amazed by how sunshine transformed the Island.