Part 3 (1/2)
”You're doing great.” Todd waded out and offered her a hand onto sh.o.r.e.
A huge cloud covered the sun. Everything around them seemed unusually quiet and still.
”It feels like we're a hundred miles from the rest of the world,” Christy said, surveying the surroundings. The small beach extended only twenty or so feet behind them before sloping up into a hill. The hillside was spa.r.s.ely vegetated at its beginning but soon sprouted thick clumps of tall, straight trees that all pointed to the sky like a line of steady, green soldiers. ”This is beautiful.'
”A bit chilly,” Marti noticed. ”What happened to our suns.h.i.+ne?”
”Let's go exploring,” Todd suggested.
”It's too dangerous,” Marti said. ”We should get going so we can find the houseboat before a storm breaks out. I've heard the weather on a lake can be very unpredictable. Come now. Let's go.”
”Shh,” Todd whispered. ”Did you see that?” He had his back to Marti and was scanning the forest behind them. ”Over there, it's a deer! See? Up to the left, behind those two trees.”
Christy spotted it and slowly moved closer to Todd. ”It's watching us. Isn't it cute? Too bad we don't have some apples to feed it.”
”What are you talking about? I don't see anything.” Marti marched over toward Todd and Christy, but her sudden movements startled the deer back into the shadows.
”It's gone now,” Todd said. ”If we come back tomorrow for a picnic, let's be sure to bring some apples.”
”Fine.” Marti sounded irritated. ”You can bring it apples tomorrow. Right now, let's get back to the houseboat.”
Christy realized how miserable her aunt was being out of her comfort zone like this. Christy knew the houseboating idea had been Bob's, but he had talked Marti into it by showing her in the brochure that the houseboat contained all the comforts of home. Apparently Marti had experienced enough of the great outdoors by coming to sh.o.r.e and was now ready to go back to her ”home” and all those comforts.
The three of them boarded the boat, and Christy had to agree that it felt a little isolated and almost spooky in this silent cove, especially since the sun kept sliding behind the clouds. Todd waited until Christy and Marti were seated and then turned the key in the ignition. Nothing happened. He tried again; a slow grinding sound emerged. Todd pushed a couple of switches and tried the key again. Nothing.
”What's wrong?” Marti demanded. ”What's wrong with the boat?”
Todd tapped his finger on one of the oval gauges and calmly answered, ”It appears we're out of gas.”
”Out of gas! Didn't you bring an extra can along?” No.
”How could you let this happen? After all the skiing you did this morning, didn't you think to check it before we left?”
”No, I didn't.”
”We're marooned!” Marti wailed.
Christy felt a little distressed, but nothing close to what her aunt was expressing. As a matter of fact, Marti would have made a great character on the old TV sitcom Gilligan's Island.
”What are you going to do?” Marti asked. ”No one will ever find us in here!”
I'm going to pray,” Todd said matter-of-factly. ”Care to join me?”
”I will,” Christy offered, getting up from her seat and joining Todd in the front of the boat. The two of them prayed simply and sincerely for G.o.d to send help.
Twenty minutes later, Christy pulled the life vest closer around her. It was getting colder, and she wished they had at least brought beach towels along to wrap their legs in.
Todd and Christy were the only ones talking to each other. Marti had covered herself with a life vest and sat huddled on the vinyl seat looking miserable and not saying a word, which Christy had decided was a good thing. Hearing what Marti was thinking right now would not bring much joy to their situation.
Another twenty or thirty minutes pa.s.sed. The sun continued to play its peekaboo game with the clouds, and now no one was saying much of anything. Christy thought how ironic it was that earlier that morning Todd had whispered to her that being s.h.i.+pwrecked wouldn't be such a bad thing. He must not have factored Aunt Marti into the scenario.
Then, as if the volcano inside Marti could hold back no longer, she let forth a steady flow of fiery accusations. Christy had never seen her aunt this mad.
”That's it!” Marti concluded. ”You have to go for help. Todd. I don't care how you do it. Walk over this hill to the other side or swim out to the main part of the lake. It will be dark soon, and I refuse to sit here and wait to be eaten by wild animals!”
Christy knew they had at least three hours of sunlight left, and the only wildlife they had seen was the timid deer. Still, she knew better than to challenge her aunt's fears. She wondered if she should go with Todd or stay with her aunt. She knew what she would rather do.
”We'll wait here.” Todd said calmly yet with settled authority, as if he had already thought through all the options.
Marti looked furious. Not many people opposed her even in the best of circ.u.mstances. ”I suppose you're waiting for G.o.d to send an angel to rescue us.”
”Angel, human-either one will do.”
”This faith thing of yours has gone too far. Todd. It's fine when you want to have theological discussions with Bob, but when people's lives are at stake...”
Todd put out a hand to silence her. He seemed to be listening for something. Christy turned her head and listened too.
”I'm not finished! You will listen to what I have to say, Todd Spencer, if it's the last thing you do before we perish in this stupid boat.”
Todd stood up and. still listening, made his way past Marti to the back of the boat.
”Will you at least have the courtesy to look at me when I am talking to you? You can't keep trusting G.o.d to do for you what you should be doing for yourself! He has too many other things to attend to, like world peace. I'm sure G.o.d does not have time to answer the pointless prayers of...”
Todd put his first two fingers in his mouth and, facing the opening of the inlet, let loose with a whistle so shrill that Christy covered her ears. ”It's a Wave Rider.” he announced. ”Help me flag it down, Christy.”
Christy stumbled quickly to the back of the boat and slipped off her life vest, ready to wave it in the air.
”You can't be sure they're coming this way,” Marti muttered, remaining in her seat but craning her neck.
They could all hear the high-pitched roar of the Jet Ski now, and it definitely was coming their way. Christy began yelling along with Todd's whistling. The minute the Wave Rider came into view, Christy waved the life vest over her head, and Todd waved his arms.
Just as quickly as the Wave Rider came into view, it shot past the cove and disappeared.
”What did I tell you?” Marti said. ”Why don't you ever listen to me?”
”I think it's coming back.” Christy strained to hear any change in the sound of the Wave Rider's motor.
”You're right,” Todd said. ”Get ready to wave your vest again.” Before he finished speaking, the Wave Rider appeared and made a quick turn into their secret cove. The driver, a girl with long, dark hair, wearing a bright pink life vest, cut the engine and floated over to the boat. She had a dark tan, the color of chocolate and cinnamon, and a white smile like a crescent moon.
”Need help?” the girl called out.
”Ran out of gas,” Todd answered. ”Can you give me a lift to the marina?”
”Sure. Hop on.”
”Make sure your aunt stays here,” Todd said to Christy. ”I'll be right back.”
”I heard that!” Marti said. ”Of course I'm going to stay here. Where do you think I'd go? Just don't be getting any ideas in your head that this young girl is an answer to your prayers.”
”You prayed for help?” the girl asked.