CHAPTER13
Kari returned to her car and took a meandering drive down Miramar’s main street, almost allowing the car to guide itself. She pulled into the seaside lot and parked facing the Pacific. Rollers crashed so far out, the sound was softly muted through her open windows. A sliver of moon cast its feeble light, turning the long streamers of foam into silver-white blankets. She welcomed the chilly, salt-laden breeze. It helped anchor her to this new place, helped her make sense of these incredibly confusing new events.
Despite her racing mind, Kari remained filled with an eerie calmness. She felt as though she was being realigned at the atomic level. Her life had entered into a series of subtle changes. But all she could see were the external elements. A new home. A new town. An invitation to Miami. And now . . .
Her purse was an old-fashioned Fendi she had found at the back of her mother’s closet, forgotten and forlorn. Her own years of hard use had rendered the shoulder bag shapeless and baggy. She rummaged through an assortment of pads, pens, colored pencils, cleaning cloths, and PowerBars, which she bought and seldom ate, and retrieved her phone.
Kari sat there a long moment, cradling the device in both hands. The moon rose another notch; the waves beckoned and whispered. Finally, she made the impossible call.
Graham answered with, “Kari, is everything all right?”
She opened her mouth, breathed again, then asked, “When do you need to tell them?”
It was Graham’s turn to go quiet. Then, “Just a moment, dear.” Rafi spoke in the background, and Graham replied, “It’s nothing, really.” A door closed, and he said, “There’s no need to shorten Rafi’s life span. Which we very well might, if we’re talking about what I think we are.”
“I’m just asking.”
“The fair starts in five days.”
“The same as the music festival?”
“How did you know that?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“Well, to answer your question, the two cities’ annual calendars are still jumbled by COVID. Before, the music thing was strictly Miami, and the art fair was Miami Beach. Those places were often at each other’s throats.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I was born in the next city north. A dreary place called Fort Lauderdale. Where the very old and feeble go to visit their parents.”
“I feel terrible not knowing that.”
“It’s not something I advertise. You’re not the only one who was eager to leave the past behind. It’s why Rafi travels there on his own.”
“So things are different between the two cities now?”
“At least for this year. Next year they might be taking aim across the Intracoastal Waterway. For now it’s all huggy-kissy. The art exhibition has locations in downtown Miami, and the music festival is at both their main venues.”
“But you’re willing to go back?”
“With you? Showcased by the biggest art fair on the East Coast?” Graham gave that a beat, then said, “Is that your idea of a joke?”
* * *
This same bone-deep calm continued to override her frantic nerves during the drive home. She remained oddly fixed in the storm’s silent eye as she fed the kitten and made herself a salad. Kari felt able to observe herself from a distance, while remaining intensely involved in the moment. When her meal was over, she settled Sienna in her lap and placed the night’s second call.
Indrid answered with, “Kari, is everything all right?”
“I’m sorry to call so late.”
“Nonsense. I’m delighted to hear from you. How are things?”
“Things,” Kari replied, “are very confusing.”
“Tell me everything.”
As she began, Kari could see the older woman now, settled on the ivory love seat, placing her reading glasses on the coffee table, tucking her feet up under her, draping a cashmere throw over her legs. Ready to listen forever. Her dearest friend.
