OCEAN EYES (ENG)

CHAPTER IV

- Let's go Nina! Hey, Neens! It's a new day! - I hear dad calling me from the porch.

He lightly taps the wooden walls, and since this house's walls are like paper, you can hear everything through them. And when I say everything I mean absolutely everything. Yesterday I heard dad coughing for a while and the wind tapping on the windows. When I reunite with my family members I look at the dish dad's handing me.

- Come on, let's start over. I made you breakfast! Eggs and bacon!

Great, bacon. I pass by the table full of food where Jonnah is enthusiastically eating breakfast, leaving home with the same moody behavior. I don't know if he did it on purpose or if mom just never told him; I went vegetarian a year and a half ago.

I cross the long esplanade of white sand that separates the house from the water. The sun is still rising. I put my bare feet in the cold water, breathing deeply. The sea breeze runs through my hair again. This is probably the only thing I like about Akureiry, the tranquil sea. Seagulls cross the sky, chirping, and the few plants that get to grow in the sand dance calmly with the wind.

I dry my hands on the gray pareo skirt I decided to wear today, along with a plain black t-shirt and a pair of flip flops. I then see a woman picking up seashells near our house. She looks at me, and then points further away.

- Must've found a turtle's nest. I'm not going near. It must be sick or something to get out during daytime. - she says, looking at the fat raccoon who's been digging a hole in the sand nonstop- Look how it's eating the eggs.

- What?!- I panic, throwing away my messenger purse. I run to the raccoon, waving my arms to make him scared- No, no, no, no. No!

Knees on the ground when the raccoon's gone, I see the eggs inside the nest. They're white, so small and defenseless. My heart breaks. How can they let the predators eat these babies? Sea turtles are endangered species!

- Oh my God. - I whisper picking up the broken eggs.

So as soon as the great idea pops in my head, I start looking for forgotten objects all around the house. I spend all morning building a shelter for the eggs, systematically placing a shopping cart over the nest to cover it, but leaving enough space for the little turtles to breath if they are born. Then I sort of filed the rest of the gaps with deflated beach balls and other pieces of trash.

- Hi. - dad's voice startles me.

- A sea turtle laid eggs. The raccoons will eat them if I don't keep them away.

- Really?

- When a female lays her eggs, the raccoons smell them and... they'll eat everything they can. - I grunt, moving the heavy shopping cart a little bit to make the opening bigger- This website told me to call the aquarium and see if I can get someone come down here and protect them, but my battery's dead.

- There's the number of the aquarium on the wall by the phone. Honestly I don't know how they'll improve uh... this. - he says looking at my invention.

I look at him, mad. He always has to say or do something to fuck everything up. I drop the wooden panel I was holding.

- Oh, hey! Nina! - he shouts when I start walking away angrily- It's fantastic! I like it! You're overreacting!

I hear dad following me home. Jonah is sitting on the floor, bored. He follows me with his eyes and then smiles when dad gets me.

- Hey dad! Can we fly a kite? - he asks super excited

- Absolutely not- my dad says- we're flying three kites today. All of us.

- You're dreaming dad. - I say waiting on the phone. They finally pick it up- Uh, yeah. I'd like to report some sea turtle eggs outside of my house. Sure.

While the lady on the phone calls the expert on the area, my dad looks at me and widely smiles.

- What? - I blurt.

- You said outside my house. I love it.

- Alright did you go to a nice guy school or something? What's with all your smiling lately. - I frown, but he keeps on his stupid smile-Seriously, it's creepy.

When I've had enough of waiting I leave the house and head to the town center. I'll go the aquarium myself, if needed, anyway this town isn't that big either. I walk down a promenade surrounded by all kinds of small shops, when I suddenly come across a street stall selling old books. They're, to my surprise, mainly scientific. When I come across a turtle book I burst out laughing. Talk about coincidences.

I decide to kill some time at a cozy blue-wooden beachy-vibe café, where I sit down and sip a lemon soda while reading my new book.

- Hi.

I look up only to find a pair of blue eyes staring at me. The milkshake guy, Matthías, smiles at me friendly. I raise my eyebrows and he points at the empty seat in front of me. I shrug.

- Nice look. - I say, checking out his gray and red mechanic uniform sprayed with oil stains all over it- I almost didn't recognize you without your swimsuit on.

- I'm sorry. - he says after laughing for a while. His nose is dirty with grease- I was stupid.

- Yeah.

- It must've been the game; I get a little... jagged up. - he smirks and looks at me- You know, I was up late last night, just remembering and... I felt like a jerk for hours.

- I seriously doubt that happened. - I say looking at my book again. He laughs.

- You're wrong.

- I'll see you around. - I fake a smile and wait for him to go away.

- I hope so.

He grins, showing off some very white teeth. I look at the book and then stare at him. That's the moment when he's supposed to go away and let me be in peace. But he just keeps the smile on, looking at me with those ocean eyes. Looks like someone really doesn't get the privacy concept very well. I squint and stand up, catching my bag from the ground and crossing its strap over my chest.

- What should I call you when that happens? - asks Matthías.

- Nina.

- Nina... bye Nina.

- Bye. - I say, and I can hear him softly chuckle while I walk away.