May 16, 2014

I can’t believe mom gave me less than a week to pack up and move to some remote island to live with an uncle I haven’t seen in six years. What didn't I have a say in it?

  Maria’s friends didn’t take it well either. They didn’t understand her mother's decision to send her to some island either. They all much rather prefer that she try and talk her mom out of it, except Amanda who said,

“Hey, it sounds like fun! Maybe it sounds like a bummer now, but you never know. Be more open-minded.”

  Yeah, okay, “open-minded.” She would probably stay cooped inside all day and be more bored out of her mind than she was during her pre-calc class. She understood what Amanda was trying to say though. After all, Amanda was also going to go back and live with her parents for the summer. The only difference is that Amanda had friends back in Indiana. Maria didn’t know anybody that was going to be on this island.

What do you even do on an island anyway? Go to the beach? Yeah, well Maria was from a desert, she knew what sand looked like. Why did Uncle Marcos want her to visit anyway? Sure, they used to be close when she was younger, but she barely knew the man now. He used to come over all the time to hang out with her dad, but after he died Marcos stopped contacting them for almost 6 years. Maybe he was dealing with grief in his own way, but moving to some remote island off the coast of Florida was a very weird way of doing it. 

She gathered her belongings and headed to the garage door where her mom was waiting. 

“I wish I could come with you, mija.” Her mother helped Maria put her belongings in the back of the car. “I don’t think I’ve ever been away from you this long.” She let out a little laugh.

“Why aren’t you coming?” Maria asked, shutting the trunk of the car and moving towards the passenger seat. 

“Oh, you know I have to work. If I could, I would've loved to come with you. It’s important to stay in touch with family.” Her mom pulled out of the garage and started towards the highway.

“Okay, but six years?” 

“Things have just been a little complicated. I don’t know what else to say.” Her mom answered. 

“I still think it’s a little strange how you didn’t tell me about this trip earlier.” 

“If I told you earlier, you would’ve had more time to complain and I didn’t want to hear it.”

“Gee, thanks. I appreciate that.”

“Maria, you know that’s not what I mean. I wish I could explain it better.” 

“Why do you keep saying that?” Maria snapped, “Explain what? Why are you being so cryptic about this? It feels like I’m being shipped off to die!” 

“Let’s listen to some music, yeah?” Her mom turned up the radio. 

She wanted to retort, but she barely saw her mother get upset and getting into an argument before getting on a flight wasn't something that Maria was interested in.

They eventually got to the airport and had to say their goodbyes. Now that it was actually happening, Maria wanted to stay home more than ever. It wasn’t just about not seeing her friends anymore, but she realized she was actually terrified about flying alone. Rationally, she knew nothing would happen, but she still had anxious thoughts about it. 

“Remember, Marcos is going to meet you at the airport. There’s no airport on the island, so you’ll have to sail over to Darkshadow on his boat. It saves us transportation fees, so that’s nice.” Her mom added. 

“I thought Marcos was funding the whole trip.” Maria pointed out.

“He is, but I don’t want him spending a fortune on us. We may not have a lot, but we’re not poor and I don’t want him to treat us like we are. I make enough to get us by.” 

“Okay, got it.” Maria sighed. She wasn’t going to miss her mother’s lectures about money. It always stressed her out. 

“I love you!” Her mother kissed her forehead, “You better send me some letters and pictures. You packed your dad’s camera, right?” 

“Yeah, yeah.” She brushed it off. She wasn’t going to say she was embarrassed, but she definitely was. It would be so much worse if she pointed it out though. “I’ll give you something to be embarrassed by,” is something her mother would definitely say if she brought it up.

“Adiós!” Maria waved as she went to go stand in the TSA line. 

The flight to Florida wasn’t too bad. Sure, it was a lengthy amount of time, but she ended up falling asleep on the plane and woke up just as they were about to land. The flight wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, but the hardest part of the flight was definitely when the plane touched the ground. It threw Maria’s stomach in a loop and she thought for a split second that she was about to throw up. 

It took a little while to get off the plane, but she since she wasn't in the back of the plane it went by a lot faster than it could've. She grabbed her bag from the overhead storage and went onward to exit the terminal. On the way, she pulled out her cell and dialed Marcos. 

“Maria!” She heard an exhilarated shout from over the phone. “I’m guessing you just landed? Oh, oh, I see you! I’m coming right over.” He said hanging up on her. 

A large man came running over to her. He looked different than the last time she saw him. His hair had grey streaks in it now, and he had also grown a little facial hair. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and Maria’s only thought was, Wow, island life really got to him, didn’t it?

“You know, I don’t think you’re supposed to run in airports.” Maria pointed out. 

“You’re more serious than I remember.” He let out a big laugh. 

“Really? Cause you’re the same as I remember.” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He pulled her into a hug. “It’s good to see my favourite niece after all these years.” 

“Mhm, last time I checked, I’m your only niece.” She smirked. 

“Is that a smile?” He grinned back. He was like a little excited puppy. “Come on, I’m guessing we should go get your claimed baggage, right?” He said, leading the way. “So, how’s my favorite niece been?”

“Oh, you know. High school.” Maria answered. 

“Is that all you’re gonna give me?” He laughed again. “Come on, Maria. We’re gonna spend the summer together, we gotta catch up.”

“Well, I just finished my junior year, so I guess that’s pretty cool. I’ll graduate next year. It’s pretty wild. I gotta start worrying about SATs and what university I want to go to and the such.” 

“Hey, that's great! I'm rooting for you, but remember kid, college isn’t for everyone. I didn’t go to college and look where I am.” 

“Living in paradise.” She let out a laugh, “I guess you’re right. I can just come live with you and not worry about the real world, I suppose.” 

They had made it to the baggage claim and were now standing with the dozens of other passengers awaiting their luggage. Maria pointed to her bag as it came towards them. Marcos grabbed it off the conveyor belt and handed it to her.

“The ‘real world’ is overrated in my opinion. It’s just so boring.” He realized how much she was about to be carrying and asked, “Hey, can I get that for you? I didn’t realize you’d be bringing so much with you.” 

“I needed to pack enough for the summer, didn’t I?” 

“Yeah, the summer,” Marcos agreed, “not five years.” 

“I’ve never been on a vacation like this! I think the last vacation I even had was when I was twelve and my mom took my friend Tara and I to a hotel in Albuquerque that had an indoor waterpark.”

“Well, I mean, I can’t guarantee a waterpark hotel, but I hope you’ll find the island at least entertaining if anything.” The way he said it put off Maria just a little bit, but she couldn’t place why. “Let’s head to the rental car, shall we?”

They continued to chat in the car. Maria opened up about how she felt like she did awful on her finals, then she went on to talk about her friends. She had known Tara since elementary and then the two of them had befriended Zach and KP later on in middle school. Then she mentioned the newest addition to their group, Amanda. He assured her that there were plenty of people she could befriend on the island and that she would not go home without at least one new friend. That sounded nice, but Maria wasn’t so sure. 

Marcos drove the car as close to the dock as he could before having to return it to a rental shop, and then called an Uber to take them the rest of the way. Marcos’s boat was pretty nice. It wasn’t a huge yacht or anything, but it still looked pretty expensive. Where did he get all this money anyway? The man retired at twenty-seven, just what did he do for a living? Since they were finally on the last part of their journey Maria thought it would finally be a good time to ask, 

“You know, my mother said you’d explain everything to me, so I expect a good answer. Why haven’t you talked to us in six years? And why did you decide now was a good time to invite me to come visit?”

“Maria.” He suddenly changed his demeanor. He wasn’t as light-hearted as he had been earlier. He was now completely serious. “I’ve been investigating what happened to your father. He was onto something big, and someone shut him up. That’s why I cut off contact like I did. I became so invested in his case it’s all I could think about. Year after year though I just kept ending up at dead ends. I’m still trying to figure it out, but I did realize it was wrong to shut you and your mom out like I did. I want to make up for that.”

“What are you trying to say? That my dad offended the Mafia and so they killed him and you’ve been on a goosechase since?” Maria felt revolted, “You sound ridiculous. He died in a car crash. Someone ran a red light and hit him. It wasn’t planned. The fact that you-” Maria’s face was turning hot, “That you would think that it was pre-meditated murder, and for six years-”

“Maria,” He was staring straight out into the ocean, “There’s some things that your mind won’t let you comprehend until you see them yourself. That’s why it’d be pointless to argue the rest of my case with you. That’s also why I wanted you to visit now. You’re sixteen. You’re finally old enough to understand it and when you see it, I think you’ll get what I mean.”

“I need a break.” Maria announced as she walked towards the back of the boat. Her head was reeling. Her uncle sounded crazy. Maybe island life really did get to him. She knew some people drove themselves crazy over the loss of a loved one, but to think that a car crash was pre-meditated murder? That was far too much. It might’ve been possible that someone knew where he would be that day and did it on purpose, but why would they risk taking their own life as well, just to get rid of her father? She refused to keep thinking about it. 

She laid down on the deck and stared straight into the cloudless sky. She put in her earbuds and started blaring her music. The sooner this was over the better. She realized though, she never asked how long this boat ride would be.