But Olivia wasn’t. When they reached three, Olivia leaped, leaving Hannah on the boat. When Olivia crashed into the water, Kade called Hannah a chicken, so Hannah went in, too, howling before she disappeared. During the few seconds before the girls came up, Ada’s heart thudded with fear. So many things could go wrong when it came to water. Even Kade looked nervous.
Ada flinched, unsure if she should jump in after her daughters. But beside her, Peter was even-keel, sipping his champagne.
When the girls came up a second later, they were laughing and complaining about how cold it was, predictably. As fast as they could, they climbed the ladder. Ada got up to wrap them in warm, fuzzy towels and get lunch out. Peter was pouring himself another glass of champagne and discussing something with Kade about school. Ada was fairly certain the topic was the running club, which Kade had taken a liking to, and Peter was pleased about it. Both Hannah and Olivia were shivering like crazy, but Ada knew it would stop.
When everyone had a plate of salad and tiny fish sandwiches and creamy potato salad, Peter raised his glass of champagne. “I’m so grateful to have my family together today.”
“Don’t be cheesy, Dad,” Hannah beamed at him.
“Let me be cheesy if I want to!” Peter cried, looking bashful. “The four of you are more than I could ever ask for. You make me all starry-eyed, for crying out loud.”
Immediately, it was like a needle went through Ada’s heart. Her children laughed at their father, calling him lame. But Ada was busy, her mind racing, trying and failing to remember where she’d heard that phrase before.You make me all starry-eyed.
“What is that from?” she asked when the kids started talking among themselves and trading snacks.
Peter raised his shoulders. “I don’t know. Me, I guess?”
“But it’s from a movie or something,” Ada said, narrowing her eyes. “You make me all starry-eyed? Is it from a show? A meme, maybe?”
“You know I don’t know anything about memes,” Peter said. “I’m forty-six years old.”
Ada’s heart thumped with adrenaline. Slowly, without tasting it, she ate her sandwich, then set aside her salad and watched the water. Her children and husband spoke exuberantly, swapping topics and eating the chips she’d lovingly packed. But something about the afternoon had begun to bother her, as though she were getting a pimple on her cheek and couldn’t stop it.
Once, Peter asked her what was wrong, and she shook her head. “I’m just having a nice time. Just listening to the people I love laugh and talk.”
But her stomach was thrashing with pain. She was grateful when Peter suggested they pack it in and sail back to the harbor.
That afternoon, Peter and Ada took the kids to a few shops near the docks, where Kade, Olivia, and Hannah tried on everything from Levi’s jeans to trendy shoes to outrageous hats. They cracked up, teasing each other and throwing new items behind the dressing room door. Peter hand-selected a leather jacket for Kade, who tried it on and looked ten years older.
“Absolutely not!” Ada cried, terrified of the passage of time.
“But Mom, it’s cool,” Kade said.
“Is it?” Ada looked at Hannah for support.
Hannah shrugged. “Yeah, Mom. It’s cool.”
Ada sighed and got in line to pay for the jacket, eyeing Peter as Peter said, “All the girls will go crazy for you, buddy. You should have seen the leather jacket I was wearing when I met your mom.”
As Ada handed over her credit card, she was overwhelmed with an image of Peter in his early twenties, wearing that gorgeous vintage leather jacket, carrying bouquets to Ada’s dressing room. She’d loved not giving him the time of day! She’d loved the feeling of him following her everywhere she went, eager to do anything to “win” her.
“You made me all starry-eyed,” she said to Peter as she handed the leather jacket to Kade.
Peter’s smile dimmed. “You taking my line?”
“I guess so,” she said. “What’s yours is mine, right? That’s marriage.”
Peter kissed her on the cheek and led his family back out toward the parking lot near the docks, where they packed up their newly purchased items and, eventually, made their way to a seafood restaurant for mussels and french fries. It was a day of decadence.
Still, something about it felt wrong to Ada, like she kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.
But it wasn’t till later that night, when the five of them were cozied up on the sofa, watching a brand-new movie and eating popcorn (it was like they were all bottomless pits), that Ada remembered where she’d heard the line:You make me all starry-eyed.She got to her feet, worried she was about to have an aneurysm or choke. When she reached the kitchen, she filled a glass with water and sat down. In the living room, Peter andher children were laughing at the movie joyously, as though their lives hadn’t changed forever.
But had their lives really changed forever? Was Ada making things up?
It was possible.
Don’t overthink this, Ada.
