After we drove off the ferry from Vancouver Island, our first stop in the city of Vancouver was at the Royal Mounted Canadian Police station. Roger, Willie, and my dad made a full report. The police told us they would check with harbor officials to see if the Sea Wolf had come in. Hopefully, Shai and the others were long gone to safety by then.
I was hoping to see some traditional Mounties on horseback, and there were a few, but most of them were “mounted” in police cruisers instead.
Afterward, we walked through the big city. Soaring over the skyline, well inland from the harbor and the city proper, stood the line of snowcapped mountains we’d glimpsed from our kayaks all along our journey at sea.
Chinatown was bustling, full of great smells, joyful shouts, and some not-so-joyful shouts. We stopped for dinner at a Chinese restaurant. We didn’t order geoduck because it wasn’t on the menu. Maybe, like Willie said, it was off-season.
I kept hoping I’d see Shai. See her smile. See her safe and happy in her new home. I hoped she had made it. I hoped they all had made it.
And I hoped Captain Evil would get put away where he couldn’t hurt anybody ever again.
Dinner was super tasty—and because this would be our farewell party—it was a festive celebration.
When it was time to say our good-byes, I said, “You rock, Lisa!” and gave her a hug. She gave me a funny look, then smiled, and kissed me on the cheek. “You rock, too, Aaron!” It was a little awkward.
Then Cassidy chimed in, “You rock, Aaron!” mimicking Lisa.
I laughed and he punched me on the shoulder and said, “You’re okay, Aaron. For real. Later, man.”
I hoped there would be a “later” next year. We had gone on a wilderness adventure two years running now. I hoped that next year we would go river kayaking through a new wilderness.
When Dad and I finally got back to Bodega Bay three days later, it was great to be home, to see Mom and my brother, Sean. But the first thing I wanted to do was check the mail. I was hoping for a note from Shai. I knew it was too soon, but I hoped anyway.
I opened the mailbox door, stuck my hand in, and felt around.
A postcard! I yanked it out and looked at it. And when I saw the picture of snowy mountains ringing the Vancouver skyline, my heart soared.
I flipped it over and read:
Dear Aaron,
We are here now in Vancouver, at my great uncle’s house! It is all very exciting and a little scary, too. We do not know the future, but we still have hope. I worried you would report us and we would be sent back to China. But I think you did not, and for that I want to thank you.
I hope to see you in California someday.
Your friend,
Shai
I was blown away. I took a picture of the postcard, both sides, and sent it to Lisa and Cassidy.
And the next thing I wanted to do was to put our sea kayak into Bodega Bay.
And so that’s what we did. We drove out to the inner bay, just like last time. Another beautiful day. A light breeze, no chop. We carried our kayak down through the rocks and over the sand to the water. The tide was out and we saw white pelicans bobbing in the shallows. Overhead, gulls wheeled and squealed in the bright sun.
Our plan was to paddle out through the channel and into the ocean to look for orcas. Sea wolves. Maybe we’d even hear the call of the loon again.
This time, I didn’t capsize the boat when I climbed in.
“See, Dad!” I wanted to say.
But I didn’t have to. Dad already knew.
And so did I.
