Up & Out - Ariella Papa [85]
I tell her about my jog and she is truly shocked. I feel like she called at the perfect time. There is nothing I would rather be doing than lying on the couch talking to Lauryn. She’s listening to everything I say and it’s like we’re talking the way we used to in high school.
It’s been a long time since we were able to communicate and laugh like this and I’ve missed it. I tell her that I’m going to come up and visit from Thursday to Monday. She has to do some fieldwork in the early mornings, but she is really happy for me to visit.
“I just need some girl time,” she says. “And wait till you see the beach.”
“I can’t wait,” I say. “It’s going to be fun.”
17
UR
Lauryn is waving to me from the dock when the ferry pulls into the harbor on Martha’s Vineyard. It’s been a long train, bus and ferry ride to get here, but it’s all worth it when I smell the sea and see Lauryn.
I file off the boat and hurry over to her. We hug. She looks so happy and tanned. She takes my duffel bag.
“Did somebody say long weekend?” she asks in her old happy-Lauryn way.
“Did somebody say tan?”
“Oh, look,” she says, pointing to some birds skimming along the surface of the water. “Piping plovers. Aren’t they beautiful?”
“Did somebody say crunchy bird girl?” She elbows me and looks at them for a minute, shielding her eyes from the strong sun. I can tell by the way she looks at them that it is more than a hobby.
“We ought to get going,” she says. “Traffic gets brutal and I want to stop at the Net Result and pick up some lobsters.”
I scoffed at the idea of traffic on the tiny island, but at almost six o’clock in the evening the one-lane highway around the island is packed with Jeeps. We are one of them since Lauryn has rented a Jeep for the summer. Her whole mood is brighter; she beats her tanned hands on the steering wheel along with the radio. Her laid-back chill is contagious.
“Beach crowd,” she says, by way of explanation. “I figured you might be tired so we could hang in tonight and see if we felt like going out. It’s a bit of a walk to the bars, or we can take a cab. Whatever you are in the mood for.”
“I don’t mind just catching up and seeing how we feel.” In truth, I’m kind of tired and just chilling with Lauryn is all I feel like doing after my six-hour journey.
We park at a shack and get two two-pound lobsters that Lauryn called in for earlier. They have steamed them for us. The place smells of fish. My stomach groans and Lauryn laughs.
“Within a half hour you will be eating the best lobster of your life.”
Back at Lauryn’s rented condo, she makes a salad and I open a bottle of white wine. She heats up some butter for the lobsters. We set the table outside on her balcony. She is alone in a two-bedroom apartment. The two floors beneath her are full of college kids.
“Are they loud?” I ask as we sit down for dinner. I watch her expertly crack open her lobster.
“No, I hang out with them sometimes. I know, I feel so old, but everyone is pretty friendly on the island. I keep such weird hours. I mean, I get up so early and then at like one o’clock I’m back taking a nap until dinner.” She is already getting a stipend for her studies.
“This seems like a nice little scam you’ve got going,” I say as I delicately dip some lobster tail into the butter. It’s delicious.
“I know,” Lauryn says, smiling, “I feel so lucky. Wait till you see the beach tomorrow. I’m gonna go into the field pretty early, but then I figure we can go to South Beach for some sun and swimming.”
“Sounds good. I’ve only been to the beach once this year.” I don’t mention it was the beach party I went to with Jordan. She hasn’t brought him up in a while and I’m not going to. I am getting less dainty with my lobster as I crack the claws. It’s so damn good, I hardly want to be sidetracked by salad.
“Remember when we used to go to Jones Beach every weekend?” I nod. “That seems like forever ago.”
“I know. Is it real crowded here?”
“Sometimes. Tomorrow will be a great day. This weekend will