Down the Shore (25 page)

"Did he give you a ring and everything?” she asked.

"Yes! Do you believe it?” I screamed.

"Wow, I honestly don't even know what to say."

I could almost hear her swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Mac, please be happy for me. It's what we want."

"When?"

"Not sure. Not for a while, though, after school.” I paused. “Do you know if my parents left?” I asked, biting down on my nail.

"I think so, I'm waiting for your brother to text me back. I'll let you know when I know, okay?"

"Thanks, I gotta go. Call me back later,” I reminded her.

"I will."

"Mac,” I paused. “Love ya."

"You too, be careful."

I heard the silence on the other side—she had hung up. I couldn't help but think about what she said. I hadn't given it any thought, and I was sure Colin probably hadn't either. We never stopped to talk about it. We just forgot. When we were together, nothing else in the world mattered. We didn't stop and think; we just fell into each other so naturally. I whispered to myself, “Pregnant.” I would have to be more careful from now on.

Colin called Joey to get me out of working my shift. I didn't want to be alone, I didn't want quiet, I didn't want to think about anything.

"What time do you have to leave for work?” I asked.

He smiled, looking deep into my eyes, knowing exactly what I needed.

"I don't. Liam's covering for me. I'm not going anywhere."

"You always make me feel better. It's like you know what I need, even when I'm not sure. How do you do it?” I teased.

"What do you feel like doing? How about our little pub in Atlantic City? We could use a night out.” He winked.

I laughed. “It's perfect.” I jumped up. “Give me a few minutes to make myself presentable."

I glanced back at him. He lay back, with his hands behind his head, just watching me fumble with my suitcase, with his big Irish grin on his face. Normally a boy staring at me would throw me off balance, but I didn't mind when Colin did the staring. I wouldn't change anything at this moment.

There were only two weeks until Labor Day, and the summer would soon be over. The beaches were full of people, the restaurants jammed, and the boardwalk was crowded every night. Little by little, friends we made over the summer were slowly disappearing. They had to get to school or go home. Colin's friends were all still here, but I knew the inevitable was coming. He promised to stay with me until the last possible moment.

It would be a long time before we would see each other again, but we had a glimmer of hope that he might be able to fly out once before Christmas. I hated thinking about it. It was almost unbearable at times. I promised him that I wouldn't cry about it. I promised him that I was stronger than I looked. We had a little less than two weeks, and we didn't want to waste it by being depressed around each other.

As much as I loved my comfy little rental with Makenna, I couldn't go back. My parents would be able to find me there. Colin wanted me all to himself, so the decision was easy. Makenna understood, and as she was leaving a little earlier than I was, she kept herself busy with Anthony before he left for North Carolina.

I loved the little Irish pub Colin always took me to. We visited it often. It was small and quaint. There was an Irish band playing in the back. We sat in a little booth, cuddled up together, listening to the music. He ordered us some drinks with his fake ID, and we danced and laughed. We had an amazing time, as always.

"Are there pubs like this one in Ireland?” I asked.

"Not really, the tables are all wrong, the food isn't nearly as good. Our pubs are a lot cozier. I have one or two I can't wait to show you. For now, this is the closest one that I could find since I got here.” He gazed at me as he twirled me around the dance floor. “You're going to love it, I promise. I can't wait to have you meet my family. They're very excited, y'know."

I stopped dancing, and whispered into his ear. “Really, why? What have you told them?"

"Just that you're the most amazing creature on the face of the planet,” he teased. “Mmm, my ma is excited. She feels like all will be well now, that maybe I'll stay out of trouble.

I teased him back. “Well, if you plan on marrying me soon, you'd better stay out of trouble, I can't have my first husband in jail.” I laughed.

"How many husbands do you plan on having?” he joked back.

"One, hopefully. That's if you don't find someone else in the meantime.” I twisted my fingers into his.

He pressed his lips together, and grinned. “Impossible, you're not an easy girl to forget, and besides, your name's already tattooed on my heart."

I gave in, laughing. “You're crazy."

I was done with the banter back and forth. I wanted to feel his arms around me and I wanted to get away from the people around us. I gave him my best flirtatious look, grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the entryway.

"Let's go.” I whispered into his ear as I playfully bit down on his earlobe.

"You don't have to ask me twice.” He smiled.

He picked me up, wrapping my legs around his waist, our bodies pressed against each other, as he carried me out. Our breathing grew heavier as I kissed his neck, anticipating the future of the evening. I felt the stares coming from the bar, but neither one of us cared. We were in love and we were blissfully lost in our summer. He set me back on my feet, and we headed down to the beach. The boardwalk was busy; the casinos were all lit up. Atlantic City was so different from the rest of the shore, and I didn't care for it, as I liked the quieter beaches.

We strolled hand in hand for a while, occasionally stopping to rest in the sand. As we sat looking out into the ocean, I feared we were both thinking about the same things. I was afraid for him to leave me, I was afraid to tell my parents, I was afraid of everything. I leaned back into his chest, and his chin rested on my shoulder, which he occasionally grazed with a kiss.

"Abby?” he whispered.

I tilted my neck to give him a better angle. “Yes?” I could hear the tension in his voice.

"What if we didn't wait? What if we got married, here in Atlantic City, before I go?” He didn't shift position, and I felt his breath on my neck.

I breathed in, turning to meet his eyes. “I can't, Colin. I can't do that to my family. I'm sorry,"

"It's all right, love, it was just a thought."

"I want to, you know. I want to run there right now, but I just—” He stopped me with his kiss.

"It's okay,” he assured me. “It was just a thought."

I leaned back into him. “What are we going to do?” I stopped, brushing the tears from my own face. “I love you, and I don't want to be apart from you,” I said, sobbing. I could tell he wanted to help me forget about everything. He breathed heavily, looking at my tears, and kissed me.

My summer enveloped my body and took me to another place, a happy place, somewhere away from my thoughts. We lay among the dunes, holding each other, not speaking. I was so content, happy in our moment. When he held me in his arms, everything felt so good, so right. I felt like I could do anything.

"We should get going. You're tired,” he noticed, and I nodded in agreement.

The house was full of people when we returned—a huge party. The decks were all full, the house crowded. We weren't expecting to come home to this, or at least I wasn't. It was late. I looked at my watch, and saw it was after one. I wanted to go to bed. I was tired. It had been too long a day.

"Do you want to go to bed, or do you want to hang out for a little while?” he asked.

I could tell he wanted to stay downstairs with his friends, have a little fun.

"I'm beat. You stay, I'll see you when you come up,” I told him.

"You sure? I don't mind."

I kissed him softly. “Yes, go have a good time.” I heard the laughter in the background.

Liam yelled out, “C'mon, lad, I'm sure you'll live without her for one night."

Colin gave me a fast hug, took his usual breath in and kissed me goodnight. The noise was loud and I heard it all the way upstairs. I slipped on one of his T-shirts and dropped into bed, exhausted. I quickly fell asleep, the noise covering as a pleasant background.

It was late when he joined me. I felt his arms wrap around me, spooning me in closer, carefully. I kept my eyes shut and drifted back to sleep. It was in my dream that I saw myself dressed in a white gown, my father walking next to me, escorting me to meet Colin's outstretched hand. It was a beautiful ceremony—the flowers, and our families were happy. I looked over to see my mother cradling a baby, and I couldn't help but wonder who the baby belonged to. There was no one here other than immediate family. I walked over to her, she held the baby out to me, “Here he is, he's perfect,” she said. I looked down to see Colin's face wrapped in the blanket.

I woke up, my heart pounding in my chest. I had forgotten my conversation with Makenna. She had planted the thought in my head, and I knew it was still there sitting in my subconscious. I had to speak to him about this. We hadn't even talked about it. We both seemed to never worry about that. I tiptoed to the bathroom to grab some water, worried, in a panic with my thoughts. I lay back down, not able to fall back asleep, as there was so much on my mind.

The week flew by, and we spent every waking moment together. We separated only at work, and even then we managed a few quick subtle embraces. We had exactly one week remaining before he left to go home, and before my first year of college.

We had it all planned. I would immediately fill out the necessary forms to do the exchange program. If I wasn't accepted, we would have to figure that out when it happened. He promised to take care of the necessary arrangements in Ireland. He had a flat in Dublin that he shared with his younger brother, Patrick. I would live with them for the second half of the year, and we would announce our engagement to my family as soon as it all worked out.

His family all knew about the upcoming nuptials and were delighted, as he put it, awaiting my arrival to save their troubled son. Of course, Patrick thought he was crazy, as Colin was only twenty years old and settling down.

We arrived a little earlier than usual. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and low humidity. The ocean was breathtaking shades of blue and green, stretching out forever. We went through our normal routine, preparing our tables, making sure everything was done that needed to be done before the madness started. While wiping down the chairs in my section, I glanced up out of the corner of my eye. My parents were walking determinedly toward me, and I blinked twice thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me. It wasn't until I saw Colin's face, frantic, coming in swiftly behind them that I realized my fate. I wanted to run, but my legs froze in place, watching their faces as they came toward me. I could almost feel the color running as it faded from my face.

"Mom, Dad, what are you doing back here?” I stammered.

"Joey called us. He said you would be here tonight. We're here to take you home,” my father said sternly.

Colin came up next to me quickly and grabbed my left hand.

"Sir, if I may?” Colin asked, almost insisting.

My father glared in his direction, “Son, stay out of this, I think you've done enough,” he remarked.

The entire restaurant stared at us. All the employees gathered in one place and watched us as if they were attending a Broadway production.

"Abigail, let's go.” My mother snapped. “We've let this go on long enough."

I kept my head down and clamped down tightly on Colin's hand. He squeezed it gently to let me know he was still there, standing by me. I couldn't believe Joey had called my parents. I was dizzy with disbelief. It all happened so fast I didn't even know what was going on. Everything suddenly went black.

I woke up with Colin hovering over me, my parents yelling at him and a wet cloth on my face. My entire world crashed around me, and I'd passed out. It figured.

Colin cradled me on his lap.

"Abby, are you all right, say something,” he whispered in my ear.

As my eyes opened, I saw my parents watching us, staring in shock, mouths agape. I don't think they realized how close we had become. I had tried to tell Mom, but she wouldn't listen to anything I told her.

Colin was careful not to overstep his bounds with my family looking on. He kissed me softly on the nose when I woke. He helped me sit up and my mother grabbed at my hand.

"Abby, now.” She gripped my hand tightly. She turned quickly, wiggling her fingers between mine.

She held my hand out, looked down at my left hand, and gasped.

"What the hell is that on your finger?” she hissed, biting down on her teeth.

I didn't have a chance to answer.

Colin pulled me back closer in to him.

"Could you just give her a minute? She just came out of it,” Colin said softly.

My parents both glared at my left hand, at the emerald stone and gold band that now resided on my finger.

"Abigail, is that what I think it is?” She seemed almost afraid to ask. My dad just stood there, running his hands through his hair. I couldn't look up. I closed my eyes, wrapped my arm around Colin's and answered her question.

"Yes, it is. Colin has asked me to marry him, and I said ‘yes.'” I paused briefly, hearing the oohs and ahhs from the staff. “Mom, we love each other. Please understand,” I pleaded.

You could hear a pin drop. The silence was scary, eerie. Everyone stood there, gasping, with their mouths open. We hadn't told anybody, except our closest friends and his family. My mother started crying, and turned into my father's arms as if unsure of what to do next. I couldn't stand to see them like this, so I gave in.

"Mom, I'll come home. I only ask one thing.” I looked back at Colin.

"Just give me until tomorrow and I'm yours,” I promised. “If not, well I don't think you really want to know what I'll do."

They looked at me like they had lost their most precious of items. They exchanged glances, each hoping the other would say something.

My mother took a deep breath. “Okay, Abby. We'll be here tomorrow morning, nine a.m. sharp, right out front,” she hesitated. “Do you understand?"