My cell phone chimed an incoming text.
M: Where are you?
B: In the Piggly Wiggly parking lot. Where are you?
M: In the Piggly Wiggly parking lot too.
I looked around the massive lot but saw no sign of Mai. Before I could ask for her car’s description, she texted again.
I’m in the part closest to the street.
I squinted my eyes in the dimming light and, way off in the distance, I saw a little blue car parked all by itself with about a football field of space around it in every direction. She was standing next to it, waving.
Okay I see you. I’ll drive over there and park where you are.
When I pulled up next to her, the breeze blew my first paycheck out the window of the truck. I jumped out and followed it onto the grassy strip in front of us, but Mai beat me to it and grabbed the check before it could blow onto the street. Then her hand darted out and she gripped my arm.
“Watch out, you almost stepped on a fire ant nest.”
I looked down at my feet and saw the telltale sandy hump, but there wasn’t enough light to see the little devils themselves.
“I’ll never get used to this,” I said plaintively.
“Yes you will. ‘Specially if you ever step on one.” That was reassuring.
We decided to go to a place Mai recommended right on the beach—Alligator Al’s. She said the food was great, and it was casual and fun. Little did I know I would actually be eating alligator at Alligator Al’s. I hesitated at first, still remembering the boiled peanuts, but decided to go for it and was glad I did. It was delicious, like a cross between chicken and fish. How had I transformed so quickly from a vegetarian to a gobbler of reptiles? Entering the world of Sugar Dunes was like shedding the skin of everything I was before. In the name of healthy eating, I also ordered a side of okra and black-eyed peas, but I knew the frying-in-lard part negated any benefit.
After dinner we walked along the beach. I figured if we walked for the next twenty hours I might come out even on the calories consumed for dinner. It was still hot out, and there were plenty of people on the beach even though it was almost dark. The sunset was even more amazing than the Mississippi mud pie that Mai and I shared for dessert.
This was the first time I’d actually gone in the ocean since we moved to Sugar Dunes. We kicked off our flip flops and walked along calf deep in the water. It was warm enough that in some parts of the world it might actually be considered suitable hot tub temperature. Not particularly refreshing on a hot summer day, but sublime on a warm summer night.
It turned out Mai and I had a lot in common. Well maybe nothing really in common, but a lot to talk about and conversation came easy.
“I heard about that Friends Across the Bay program.” Mai rolled her eyes. “Friends . . . what a joke. More like ‘Pad Your College Application’ program. I’ve never seen any of those people on my side of the bay.”
“You never know.” I was protective of tennis and always held out hope someone might be inspired with the love of the game the way I was.
“So you’re one of those people who makes life wonderful for Mattie Lynn,” Mai said, allowing me instant access to her feelings about Mattie Lynn.
“I guess you could say that. But if I am then I’m also making life wonderful for me too.”
“How’s that?”
“I need a job, don’t I?”
“Okay, I get your point. That Kiet kid, I know him. His mom and my mom are friends. He won’t last more than two days. He’s a brat.”
“A brat?” That didn’t fit with the image of an adorable, sensitive boy I’d conjured up. “He seems so sweet.”
“Yeah, well looks can be deceiving,” Mai said in her soft lilt. “Trust me, I’ve known him since he was born. Spoiled rotten by his parents because it took them so long to have a kid.”
“Do a lot of . . . Vietnamese people live around here?”
“We have a pretty big community. And you don’t have to feel embarrassed to ask, it’s not a dirty word or anything,” Mai laughed, picking up on my awkwardness.
“Do your mom and dad speak English?”
“My mom not so good, but my dad is fluent. They’ve been here a long time. Since they were my age. Way before I was born.”
“Why here? I mean, why’s there such a big Vietnamese community in Sugar Dunes?”
“They were fishing people in Vietnam. After the war, the ones who could get out of the country left. A lot of them might’ve been killed if they were identified with the old regime. Boat people is what they were called back then, which drove my parents crazy . . . like they were somehow less than other people. So my grandparents put my mom on a boat and never saw her again. They weren’t even sure if she would survive, but they thought that whatever happened it’d be better for her than living under the Communist government.”
“Why didn’t they go with her?”
“They didn’t have enough money. In our culture, parents do everything to give their kids a chance for a better life.”
“Do your parents miss their home?”
“This is their home. They’re both citizens and my sister and I were born here. I guess in the beginning it was hard. The local fishermen were threatened by the competition from all the new fishermen, so there was violence against the Vietnamese. And, for some strange reason, they blamed the refugees for the war, as if they had anything to do with it. They were innocent victims but Americans didn’t want to think about the war anymore and people like my parents were a constant reminder.”
“Wow, that sounds—”
“Things have changed a lot. I was born here and I never saw any of that shit happening. I’ve only heard about it from my parents.”
“So why’d you say you can’t wait to get away from here?”
“It gets old real fast. There’s nothing to do but go to the beach and work and go to school. I’m only applying to colleges in cities with a million or more population: NYU, UCLA, Emory, Tulane . . .”
Warm, silky wavelets lapped against my legs, and I felt the balmy blush of sunset. “Be careful what you wish for,” I said. “To some people, this might be paradise.”
“Paradise, hah!” Mai scoffed at the notion. “Hey, I know that guy. He comes in the store a lot.”
Walking toward us, with a big grin on his face, was Earl. I didn’t recognize him at first outside of the gatehouse in his civilian clothes. He was even smaller on the beach with no shoes to add the extra few inches to his height. He was loaded down with some elaborate and expensive looking camera equipment.
“If it isn’t two of my favorite gals!” he said.
“It was Earl who told me about your family’s market,” I said.
“That’s right.” He looked at Mai. “You can thank me for your new friend here.”
Mai smiled sweetly and immediately went into behind-the-counter customer service mode. “How are you, Mr. Collins?”
“Just call me Earl. Some days I’m not even sure who Mr. Collins is.” He chuckled at his joke. “I’m fine, jes’ fine. Thought I’d come out and take a few photos of the sunset. Photography’s a hobby of mine, you know.”
Even if he hadn’t already mentioned this multiple times since I’d met him, it would be pretty easy to figure out from the looks of his equipment. “How about a quick pose, you two? There’s jes’ enough light for a real pretty sunset shot.”
This was my second pose for Earl and I wondered what he did with all the pictures he took. But he did get our cable fixed and maybe he’d give me a copy of the picture. Mai and I posed with just the faintest pink sky behind us. Physically, we were an odd contrast in just about every way. It would make for an interesting portrait, I thought.
Afterward, Earl strolled down the beach and Mai and I continued our walk.
“You don’t think he’s some kind of a pervert, do you?” she asked.
“I don’t think so.” I didn’t think it was too strange of a question, with all the warnings girls our age get from their parents. “I think he just likes taking pictures. At least I hope so, and—”
“—photography’s a hobby of his.” We both said it at the same time, laughing while we did.
“Do you know how he pronounced your last name? Nuggins!”
“You think that’s funny? How do you pronounce it?”
“I’m not saying I know exactly how, but I know it’s not Nuggins.”
“Go ahead. Take a stab at it.”
“Nuh-goo-yen?” I said hesitantly.
“Now that’s funny, Babe. Honestly.” Her laugh came out like a short snort.
I reached over and playfully yanked her pony tail. “Okay, Nuggins. Be careful what you wish for.”