“Lottie. Jackie. Abe. Amy. Helen. Marisol. Sal,” I said.
“Crap. I thought I just figured out some big secret.” Em looked crestfallen but quickly recovered, turning her attention back to Sam. “Who are you again?”
“I’m Sam.”
“No, I know. I mean,who are you? Like, in life. Who are you in life?”
Em was a completely hysterical lightweight. I doubt she’d had more than two gross soda can wines, and she was sure to be this entertaining for hours.
“Oh! In life. Well, my name is Sam—”
“You already said that,” Em interrupted.
“I’m a senior in high school,” he continued.
“Not our school, right?” Jackie asked.
“No, no. I live in Mystic,” Sam said.
“Mystic? That’s a made-up place.” Em laughed.
“We’re in Mystic now, Em,” I said.
“Wait. Mystic is not a made-up place?”
“Welcome to the Connecticut shore,” Sam said, gesturing out at the water.
“But it’s calledMystic,” Em argued.
“Well, actually, it’s an interesting little piece of land. We’re technically in Stonington, Connecticut,” Sam explained.
“Yeah, Stonington. That’s a place,” Em said.
“But it’s also Mystic,” Jackie said.
“How can it be two things?”
“It’s kind of like Washington, D.C.,” Sam said. “It’s not a state, you know. It’s kind of like... just a place.”
“I’m very confused,” Em admitted.
“That’s all right,” Sam said, winking at me. It was weird to have a stranger wink at me. Sort of nice; sort of unnerving. It was almost a personal gesture.
“Mystic,” Em said, testing the name out. “It’s like magic.”
“It’s derived from a Pequot term.Missi-tuk, a river with unsettled waters,” Jackie said. Then, when we all looked at her in wonder: “What? I know things.”
“This all seems fishy,” Em said. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
She turned on her heel and left us. Jackie put her arm around me and laughed. “Two drinks, Lottie.” I knew it. “I better go make sure she finds the bathroom. Oh, it was nice meeting you. I’m Jackie.”
Jackie and Sam shook hands, and I watched her pink dress swish away as she left to find Em.
“They seem interesting,” Sam said. “I like the blue.”
“It’s been almost every color. Blue is the best.”
“She looks like she’s having fun.”
