Chapter 9
MORE THAN A FLUKE
I was more excited about the whale watch before I found out Tressa was coming.
I think about the gift I got for Brandy and how much she’s going to like it as we board the boat with Mrs. Fiester.
I run up the stairs to the top decks. Tressa and Brandy follow. The boat is filled with blue benches. There are safety ring buoys hanging on the walls. Having been trained by Papa and Henry, I look for the lifeboats, too, and see they are stacked on top of the cabin.
When the boat takes off, I can feel the motor rumbling through the deck. Brandy’s looking at Tressa’s phone, and the two of them are laughing at some video. I want to join in but know Tressa won’t like that. And I’d rather look at the ocean anyway.
Huge waves rise and fall, rise and fall, like a slow-motion watery seesaw. The boat bobs up and down with each wave. It makes me feel tiny. I call to Brandy to come look.
Brandy and Tressa arrive to see the enormous fluke of a whale as it dives. The scientist on board tells us that the fluke, or tail, of a whale is like a person’s fingerprint. Each one is different. I turn to Brandy and say, “That’s so cool!” but she is gone. Those two are already sitting on the bench, watching more videos.
But now we are surrounded by whales. Like most people on the boat, I run from port to starboard and back again to see the ones that breach the surface and wave their flippers. I’m pointing with the tourists and as excited as a six-year-old.
When I glance back at Brandy and Tressa, they are laughing again. And I realize they are taking a video of me.
I am relieved when we finally get back to Seaside. The day hasn’t been what I hoped, although the whales were great. I just wish I had seen them with the old Brandy.
But I am excited to give her her present. My wrapping job is not super neat, but I think it looks cool. Grammy saves up comics from the Boston Globe to use as wrapping paper. She says even if you bought the Globe just for that reason, you’d save a fortune on wrapping. I’ve always thought it was pretty clever.
Brandy’s gift was hard to wrap because of its shape—underneath is a clown. I think that clowns are freaky, but Brandy loves them and always tells me about her collection back home. When I found an old ceramic one at a tag sale, I knew it was the perfect present. And I’ve named her Edwina after a clown we saw at the carnival last summer, who juggled and told dumb jokes. Back when we could laugh at dumb stuff.
I hand Brandy the package.
“Pfft,” Tressa says. “Nice wrapping paper.”
Clearly she’s being sarcastic, but I try to focus on Brandy and watching her open the present. As I’d hoped, her face lights up.
“Do you like it?” I ask.
“I do, Dels! She’s great. Thank you!”
“You’re welcome. I was so excited when I found it at a tag sale. Doesn’t she remind you of the clown we saw last summer?”
“Wait,” Tressa interrupts. “You bought her a used birthday present?”
“It’s new to her,” I say.
“Look,” she says, leaning toward me, “it’s either used or it isn’t. They don’t sell new stuff at tag sales.”
Brandy turns red.
I try to brighten. “Her name is Edwina. Like that clown we met in Hyannis.”
“Of course it is,” Tressa sighs. Then she pushes a box toward Brandy. “Here. Open my present. My new present.”
Brandy opens it.
A pair of sunglasses that look just like Tressa’s. “Oh!” Brandy says. “These are just what I needed!”