Memories of a Life That Never Happened

Chapter 12 - Passions

It was torrid on the shore. To escape from the heat, Theo and Alan had gone into the sea. Their bodies drifted freely, swaying up and down with the rippling sea. Before long, the initially chilly water became pleasantly refreshing. The swell embraced them as the arms of a loving mother lulling her children. There was a mild burning sensation in their nose and cheeks and, from time to time, their heads submerged for relief. The combination of cool water and sizzling skin was delicious. 

"So," Alan started after a squirt of salty water gushed out of his mouth. He paddled gawkily to remain afloat. "You and Bianca. Is it going to happen?" 

Theo spit out some water too. "I don't know. Sometimes she just seems to be trying too hard. It puts me off." 

"Who cares?" Alan objected. "It's not like you have to date her."  

"I know, but you know me. I like dating. I want romance." 

"Oh, Christ! You have to stop reading eighteenth hundreds chick-lit, man. They're giving you wrong ideas, you know. Unless you'd like to be a twenty-year-old virgin." Alan held up his hands, which caused him to intensify his legwork. He seesawed as if perched atop a submarine teeter-totter. "Your choice. I'm just saying-." 

Theo skimmed his hand on the water surface, making it spurt in Alan's face.  

"Says my friend, the stud," he mocked. "You're as dorky as I am. Do you remember when my mom suspected I was gay? Please remind me who she thought was my boyfriend." 

"Shh! Don't you say those things out loud!" Alan cried, his hands paddling frantically. "That's all on you! Preferring books to girls. What kind of man does that?" 

"You! When you were thirteen," Theo said, laughing. "You and Kelly were dating, but you'd rather spend the day with your comic books."  

"I wasn't dating her. She was dating me," Alan corrected. "Anyway, at least I'm doing something about tonight." He ran a hand through his soggy hair to push it out of his face.  

"I'm trying, ok?" Theo muttered. The words seemed to burn his throat on their way up. They struggled so hard to come out that once they did, their strength was gone. "It's not easy," he went on. "I love Lilian still. It bugs me that I haven't heard from her since we split. I cannot help imagining what's going on with her. If she forgot me already or misses me a little. Sometimes, I hope she'll regret breaking up."  

"Argh! Wake up, Theo!" Alan groaned. "You think she's stuck in a gloomy dead alley, screaming your name? Maybe waiting for you to save her? If she wanted to talk to you, she's got your number. She would've called." 

Theo stared at his hands because, at that moment, he was too hurt to look at Alan. His fingers were all wrinkled.  

"We've been here long enough. Time to head back," he said and started swimming to the shore.  

Back at the shelter of their umbrella, Nicholas put down his magazine. Nick and Leo were sitting in front of him, ravaging the last kernels on their corncobs.  

After a quick glance at his golden wristwatch, Nicholas declared, "Half past noon." 

"Can we have lunch now?" Theo asked, standing purposely close to Nick. 

"Hey!" His brother elbowed his leg. "You're dripping all over me." 

"I'm not sure how Nick and Leo's appetite is after all they ate," Nicholas said.  

"I was starving," Nick retorted. "And I'm still not satisfied." 

"Good." The patriarch rose from his chair. "Because we're going anyway. And we'd better hurry up." 

Leo brushed off a kernel that had stuck to his chin, threw the empty cob on the sand.  

"What's the rush?" he asked.  

"After lunch, we're heading back to Buriti. I want to stop by at the party, make sure it'll all be ready in time. Ishikura hasn't called me yet." He checked a thick black box in his hand. It was a mobile phone, a helpful new gadget. Everyone coveted them but few owned one of those. The country had just begun importing the devices and demand was much greater than supply. To organize things the government set up a raffle and Nicholas Chusters was lucky. He got a pair. One he kept clutched onto his belt, the other he gave to Ishikura.  

"What happened to the guy at the hospital?" Nick wanted to know. 

"I'm not sure. A blood pressure episode, I assume. He's back to work, but cannot exert himself. I'm worried he'll be soft on his crew and won't get the job done."  

As they packed their things, Nick amused his father telling him the latest rumors about the party. Most kids hoped there would be an international attraction coming to play. No matter how many times Nick swore he had no privileged information, everybody kept throwing random names, hoping Nick would give them a hint. 

"I've heard the wildest guesses," he said amusedly. "Madonna, Guns n'Roses, the Spice Girls," Nick vented. "If the Beatles were still out there, they'd be coming!" 

"Some of them actually might," Nicholas laughed. "I must admit. Your friends' imagination has no boundaries. It's increasingly complex to impress these people! They'll only settle for world-class big name, performing for a handpicked fistful of people. And some have the audacity of complaining about the ticket price!" 

At the restaurant, their arrival caused a commotion. The open-air patio had a bamboo pergola that did a poor job as a cover. Nevertheless, all but one table were full.  

Heads turned and some who deemed themselves more intimate put their meals aside to walk up to Nicholas. These people threw flatteries at him like confetti.  

Joana and her guests were there too, but maintained their dignity and remained seated.  

"I almost forgot!" Nicholas pulled his Nick's arm to draw him closer. "We met Joana on the beach. She wants a word with you. You should go talk to her."  

Nick gasped and glanced discreetly at Joana and her guests. They were drinking juice and chewing on crispy fish fritters, the house's specialty. 

"Are you sure she said my name?" he asked. "She wants to talk to me?" His finger aimed to his chest.  

"That's what she said." 

"Ok!" Nick said and headed briskly to the girl's table.  

Theo recognized the ailed look on Alan's face as he stared at Virginie.  

"Don't worry," he told his friend. "You'll have plenty of time to chat her up."  

Meanwhile, greetings and introductions took place at Joana's table. The entire time, Nick stared at her with puppy eyes, ready to roll at her order.  

Across from her, Jean-Pierre smiled politely. He stood up to salute Nick, but the boy hardly acknowledged his presence.  

Virginie, sitting beside Joana, threw him a predictable nod. This once, however, she did not lower her eyes even though she blushed. And until he left, Virginie kept gawking at the boy standing next to her, eyes gleaming with an irrational longing peculiar to those in love for the first time.