Chapter Five

 

On Monday, AJ couldn’t seem to duck Chaz. On his morning break, the guy showed up at the drink cart down from the Wilderness Cruise as if he’d happened by. At lunch, he came into the Mermaid Galley Restaurant moments after him. AJ lingered on the boat at closing time, taking extra time to secure it. He ran into Harry and chatted with him for a few minutes before strolling to the lockers, but again, Chaz followed him to the employee area, complaining what a tough day it had been.

Like a sticky shadow, Chaz buddied up to AJ as if he were his long-lost friend all week. He talked on and on about how he knew he’d find a real live mermaid, just like AJ’s grandfather. The more AJ attempted to convince him it was a gag, the more determined Chaz became.

By Friday, when Chaz waited by the lockers after AJ’s shift ended, his determination had grown into desperation. He stood close by as AJ changed his shirt. “All I’m askin’ is one more meetin’ with your grandfather. He’s a smart man. He could give us more clues about what to do, what not to do. Like the bit about wishes–I never heard that before.”

AJ slammed his locker shut. “Forget it. He didn’t even talk to me all weekend.” It was a lie, but necessary to keep Chaz away from Grandpa.

“Come on, man. I know we can make this work, but we need a little more help.” Chaz followed him into the hallway.

The dude was certifiable, but it seemed the only way to get him to back off was to go along with him. “What would you do with a mermaid once you caught her? Make her fall in love with you?” Awful images came to AJ’s mind: Chaz’s slimy smile aimed at a beautiful mermaid, slipping down the length of her tail, followed by his hand.

Chaz took hold of AJ’s shoulder. “Quiet, man. Someone will hear you.” He pulled him out to the parking lot. “I got a plan bigger than that. Way bigger. Do you know what people would pay to see a real freakin’ mermaid?”

AJ squinted in the glare of the sunset. “So you’d set her up as a freak show?” He checked his watch; he wanted to spend his free time with his guitar, not this nut job.

Chaz spoke in a low and even tone, surprisingly businesslike. “No, not exactly. We’d have to train her to do routines for shows, like they do here. But these Weeki Wachee mermaids can only stay underwater two and a half minutes, tops. Imagine what an actual mermaid can do. Swim with dolphins… man, whatever we want.”

“Like a Sea World show?” AJ couldn’t hold back a smile. Chaz seemed to think he had his first million already made.

“They’d pay a lot of money for a real mermaid.” Chaz flashed his showman’s smile. “Our show will be better than Sea World. I ain’t sellin’ it until she’s good and famous. Get a helluva price for it then.”

AJ nodded. “Sounds like you have it all planned out. See you.” He walked across the parking lot.

“Where you goin’? We got lots to figure out yet.” Chaz looked smaller somehow.

AJ almost felt sorry for the guy. He had his heart set on fulfilling this fantasy. And for whatever reason, including AJ as a partner.

“We’ll talk tomorrow.” He forced a smile and waved, turned his back and blew through his lips. This guy’s obsessions were getting worrisome. Soon he’d have no other way to duck him.

He walked the three miles to his grandfather’s house, letting the sea pull him in the right direction.

When he opened the front door, Grandpa lay sprawled on the sofa, snoring, newspaper on his chest, television blaring.

A pot bubbled and spit red sauce across the stove top. AJ lifted the lid. More meatballs. He turned down the heat as low as it would go and went to his room. His guitar leaned against the bed, within easy reach whenever the urge struck him. And lately, it struck more and more often.

Strumming, he tried to pick up where he’d left off last night on a new song. The melody teased just out of reach of his consciousness. If he could finish it, it would be one of his best yet. But the harder he tried, the more it eluded him. Forcing it seemed to push it further out of reach.

The room stifled him. Intense concentration made everything seem too small. Open air, that’s what he needed. And the sea’s foamy spray on his face.

He shouldered the guitar strap and went to the kitchen, where he wrote a note to say he went for a walk and would be back later. By the sound of Grandpa’s snores, he’d likely not read it until after AJ returned anyway.

He cut through the side yard and across three streets to the Gulf coast. Although he’d grown to like his job as captain of the Wilderness Cruise, nothing rivaled the open sea. It rejuvenated his senses. His shoes sunk in the sand and rock as he passed a man and son tossing a football, three teenage girls in bikinis folding their blanket. The girls laughed and whispered as he approached. One rocked her hips and said, “Hi.”

AJ grinned. If only they weren’t jail bait, he’d bite. He trudged on toward the islet reaching out into the water to his favorite spot–a large, flat rock the perfect height for playing. His fingertips had grown sore as the calluses he’d lost this past year had developed again these past weeks. The pain was payback for giving up on his music.

The tune came back easily, but he became stuck at the same point every time. He played it over and over, hoping something would come to him, some natural progression of notes that eluded him last night. True, he hadn’t written a song in a year, but he’d been good at it, really good. Songwriting was a talent, and couldn’t have left him forever.

His fingers flew across the strings, each time coming to a crashing halt after the same chord change. He flung himself to his feet with an anguished groan, gripping his guitar as if trying to strangle it as he walked inland.

The breeze carried a tinkle of laughter, almost like music. He whirled toward the sea. Waves washed over the rocks, a gull cried. That must have been it. Pulling his guitar strap across his shoulder, he stepped across the rocks.

“Goodbye,” said a girl’s voice.

AJ’s foot caught on a rock as he turned. The laughter again. As he stood watching, water splashed high at the edge. Not like the sea crashing into the waves. Like something had sent the splash toward him.

His guitar swung on his back as he ran to the spot. Beneath the waves, something greenish-grey slid from sight, deeper into the water. The back of his neck prickled at the possibility of... No, he’d been listening to Chaz too long. Letting the dude get to him with all his mermaid talk. But what else could it be? A dolphin? They didn’t come this close to shore, did they?

He stood where the rocks met the sea until stars pricked holes in the azure sky. Only the thought of his grandfather made him turn away from the sea toward land, where he felt more lost than ever.