Chasing Sunsets

  Another swell came and again they caught the ride all the way in. They took their boards and sat on the wet sand, trying to catch their breath. Sami shook her shoulder-length dark hair. “Thank you for making me do this. I’m not cold.”

  “It’s perfect out here.” Mary Catherine headed back out. “Come on. A few more.”

  They pushed through the white surf to the smooth area and waited. Sami wiped the water from her face. “I can’t wait for tonight. I really think Marcus is onto something with this youth center.”

  “Me, too. I’m glad we’re going early.” Mary Catherine felt it, the way she always did at the mention of Marcus’s name. A feeling that started in her heart and made its way down her arms and up the back of her neck. She hated the reaction. The last thing she needed was a crush on Marcus Dillinger. “Is he still dating his coach’s niece?”

  “He is. We’re double-dating with them next week.” Sami wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think they’re a good match.” She shrugged. “I don’t see it.”

  Between her heart condition and half a dozen charities she was involved with, Mary Catherine certainly had no time to worry about a professional baseball player. The guy could never be her type.

  They rode a few more waves and then Mary Catherine nodded to the shore. “Let’s dry off.”

  “Good idea. I still have to do laundry before we meet up with the guys.”

  Their towels were ten yards up the beach, and after a few minutes they pulled on sweats and sat on the sand facing the water. Mary Catherine turned her face to the winter sun and savored the way it melted through her. How could anything be wrong with her heart? She felt too good to be sick.

  The quiet suited them. Since rooming together a few years ago they’d had the sort of friendship that could erupt into laughter or feel comfortable in complete silence. They were very different, she and Sami. Mary Catherine broke the silence. “Did you and Tyler have fun last night?”

  “We did.” Sami’s smile lit up her face more than the morning sun ever could. “I can’t believe how good things are. I think he’s going to ask me to be his girlfriend. Officially.”

  Mary Catherine jumped to her feet. “Really?” She danced around in a circle. “Yes!” She raised both fists in the air. “Yes, yes, yes!” Then just as quickly she dropped back to the beach. “What in the world is taking so long?”

  “Well . . .” Sami shrugged, sheepish. “It’s more me. Like I told you.” This time her laugh sounded more nervous. “I needed time.”

  “Come on.” Mary Catherine leaned back on her hands and grinned at her friend. “You’ve been in love with him since you were in high school.”

  “But I was practically engaged to Arnie.” Sami’s tone held a mock protest, nothing serious. After a few seconds she burst into the sort of laughter she and Mary Catherine shared so often. “Okay, okay! You’re right. I don’t need much more time.”

  “Oh, come on.” Mary Catherine leaned forward and crossed her legs. “How long before he’ll ask you to marry him?”

  “Seriously?” Sami looked shocked. “Let’s not rush things!”

  “It won’t be long.” Mary Catherine raised her eyebrows. “You heard it from me first.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “But in this case, also right.” Mary Catherine let her silliness fade, let the breeze off the ocean frame the moment, the significance of it. “Was it beautiful? Your date?”

  “It was. We were at Disneyland, as you know.” She looked so much happier than before, back when she was dating Arnie. “When it was dark he took me to the bridge in front of Sleeping Beauty’s castle.” Sami was sitting cross-legged now, facing Mary Catherine. “He told me he never stopped adoring me, never stopped thinking about me. Even with every bad decision he made back then.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  Sami’s smile held a contentment that hadn’t been there in the beginning, back when Tyler first returned to Los Angeles. “He says he has just one regret now. One that still haunts him.” She paused and lifted her face toward the sun for a few seconds before looking back at Mary Catherine. “That he ever left me at all.”

  The story touched Mary Catherine. She couldn’t be happier for her friend, for the love she’d found. “I want to be maid of honor.” She held up both hands in a teasing surrender. “That’s all I’m saying.”

  “Seriously, though . . . you could be right.” Again Sami’s joy was tangible. “I love him so much. This new Tyler, the one with lessons learned and a faith that gets stronger every day . . . I just never dreamed we would have a second chance.”

  “I did.” Mary Catherine gave Sami a knowing look. “Remember?”

  “True.” Sami’s laugh mixed with the disbelief she still clearly felt. “You told me I couldn’t leave Florida on that business trip, unless I spent a few hours with him.”

  “Let’s just say I’m a very good friend.” Mary Catherine grinned.

  “Definitely maid of honor status.”

  The sun was higher in the sky, temperatures heating up. Mary Catherine allowed the silence again. She needed some kind of buffer before she could tell Sami the truth about her health. The one thing they’d never talked about. She checked her phone. Nearly eleven o’clock. They needed to be at the newly renovated youth center by three that afternoon to help with last-minute details for the grand opening.

  Finally Mary Catherine shifted on her towel so she was facing Sami. “You ever wonder why I changed my eating habits lately? No more frozen pizza?”

  Sami’s smile came easily. “The whole no sugar, no gluten, no grain thing?” She uttered a quick laugh. “Because you’re amazing and you like feeling good enough to climb walls and jump out of planes?” She laughed again. “That’s what I always figured. I sure couldn’t eat that clean.”

  Mary Catherine hated what was coming. She wanted everyone in her world to go on thinking she had switched up her eating because of her zest for life. Nothing more. She hesitated.

  Finally Sami’s laughter faded. “Isn’t that why?”

  “No.” Mary Catherine’s smile remained, but she could feel a sadness filling her eyes. “I’m diabetic. Type two.”

  “What?” Sami put her elbows on her knees and leaned closer. “Since when? How come you never told me?”

  “I only found out last month, and my eating keeps it under control.” She angled her head, willing her friend to understand. “I don’t like thinking about it. Obviously. And, well, the way I eat I don’t need pills or shots. I check my blood sugar every morning. So far, it’s controlled.”

  Sami hesitated. “Okay, good. You scared me for a minute.”

  “There’s more. Diabetes runs in our family.” She paused. “Just like congenital heart defects. My uncle died because of his heart disease when he was in his late twenties. My mom never had any problem, but the gene passed on to me.”

  Again Sami looked beyond confused. She stared at Mary Catherine. “You’re saying . . . there’s something wrong with your heart?”

  Mary Catherine took a slow breath. “I was born with a coarctation of the aorta, and a bicuspid aortic valve. I had emergency surgery when I was a few weeks old and since then I get checkups every year.” She forced her smile. “No big deal.”

  “You should’ve said that first.” Sami looked like she wasn’t sure whether to relax or expect more news. “So . . . you’re okay? Like long-term?”

  “Not really.” She hadn’t talked about this with anyone. Not even her parents. “I had a checkup last week. My heart’s enlarged—which isn’t good. And my valves are deteriorating. I’ll need a transplant sometime in the next year.”

  Sami pulled her knees up to her chest and hung her head for several seconds. When she looked up, there was no mistaking the fear in her eyes. “What does that mean?”

  “The valve transplant isn’t the worst thing. People sur
vive those—though mine will be trickier for a lot of reasons.” Mary Catherine looked to the sky; the California sun filled the morning. “It’s my enlarged heart that’s the real problem. Even with a transplant I may not have more than ten years. Maybe less.”

  The color left Sami’s face and she simply stared, like she couldn’t begin to believe the news. “That’s . . . awful.”

  “You’re the only one who knows.” She reached out and gave Sami’s hand a brief squeeze. “You’re my best friend, Sami. I’ve been looking for a way to tell you.”

  Sami hung her head for a long moment again. When she turned to Mary Catherine, there were tears in her eyes. “There must be something they can do. Your parents know the best doctors, right?”

  “They do. But this . . . well, you can’t fix an enlarged heart like mine. There are drugs that can slow the process. But that’s about it.”

  “I can’t believe this.” Sami stared at the sky. A minute passed before she lowered her arms and faced Mary Catherine again. Tears fell down her cheeks. “We have to find another opinion.”

  “I’ve done that.” She looked straight into Sami’s eyes. “Look, the reason I’m telling you is so you’ll pray. God can do anything—even with this.” Again, she worked to keep discouragement from her voice. “That’s why I care so much about living. Why I’m always talking about only living once. Because I don’t have as long as most people.”

  Sami wiped her tears with her fingertips. “It’s not fair.”

  “It is.” Mary Catherine sat up straighter. “God’s given me all these years of life and probably many more. I still have lots to do—like get that youth center up and running tonight. And maybe move to Africa for a year and work with orphans.”

  “You always say that.”

  “I’ll do it one of these days.” Mary Catherine found her smile again. “Of course, I’ll probably skydive another dozen times at least, and look.” She turned her face toward the ocean again. “I have mornings like this, with you.” She felt a familiar peace fill her soul. “God has been far more than fair with me.”

  “Are you in pain? I mean . . . like, does it make your chest hurt?”

  “Not at all.” She raised her hands and dropped them again. “I feel perfect.”

  “Good.” Sami looked off, her expression marked with sorrow. “What about love?”

  “What about it?” Mary Catherine felt her heart sink.

  Sami stared at her. “You deserve love.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I won’t have time.” Mary Catherine felt tears sting her own eyes. “But I’m okay with that.”

  Sami looked into her eyes again. “You were going to find someone real, remember? Someone like you, with faith like you and a love for life like you.” Sami shook her head. “That was supposed to be the miracle of your life.” She exhaled hard. “I can’t believe this.”

  “Sami . . . it’s all right.” Mary Catherine put her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “God’s going to give me a different kind of miracle.” She stood and reached out her hand. “Come on. Let’s go find those dolphins.”

  Sami waited several seconds before she took Mary Catherine’s hand. “Really?” She shaded her eyes so she could see better. “Can you do this? Swimming in the ocean? Is that good for you?”

  “It’s all good.” She slipped back into her wetsuit and ran a few steps ahead. “The more life in my days, the better. Then it doesn’t matter how many days I have. Just that I really lived them.”

  “I hate this.” Sami climbed into her wetsuit and caught up to her. “You’re probably supposed to be home resting.”

  “Never.” Mary Catherine grabbed her boogie board and ran through the surf. Her laughter mixed with the sound of the waves. “God wants me out here.”

  Sami paddled alongside her. The moment they reached the calm area before the swells, they spotted the dolphins. Three of them, playing in the water a few yards away.

  “See!” Mary Catherine’s joy was as genuine as the sun on the water. “I don’t want to miss this.”

  For the first time in many minutes, Sami smiled again. “I don’t know anyone like you, MC.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Mary Catherine looked over her shoulder as the perfect wave came straight for them. “Here we go!”

  And with that they both caught the wave and started to ride it in. The moment they did, Mary Catherine spotted two of the dolphins riding alongside them. “Look!” she shouted.

  Sami turned her head and saw what was happening just before the dolphins kicked out of the wave and headed back out to sea. “Wow!”

  “That never happens!”

  “So beautiful.” Sami was laughing now, too.

  Mary Catherine turned her attention to the shore as the ride continued. Tears filled her eyes and mixed with salt water and a happiness that knew no limits. The heaviness from earlier was gone. No matter how many years she had or where God would lead her from here, one thing would always be true.

  As long as she drew breath, she would spend her days living.

  2

  DWAYNE DAVIS WAS HER life now.

  Lexy watched him behind the wheel, his face twisted in an angry look. He was determined . . . this time he was really going to do it. Which was crazy, because a daytime robbery was the stupidest thing ever. They could both get caught and Lexy would wind up in prison just like her mama. How was she going to tell her grandma something like that?

  Dwayne jerked the car into the parking lot of the Shell gas station. Lexy couldn’t breathe, couldn’t talk. What if the guy behind the counter had a gun? What if Dwayne got shot?

  “I’m not sure if we should . . .” She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  Dwayne slammed the car into park and glared at her. He left the engine running. “Shut up.” He looked over his shoulder. “Stay low.”

  She did as he asked. Her heart pounded against her thin T-shirt. Dwayne was her man. She wasn’t ready to lose him. If the store guy had a gun then this could end bad. Really bad. Lexy closed her eyes. She was only sixteen. But they would throw her behind bars. She could already feel the cold metal handcuffs on her wrists.

  If he could do it, if Dwayne could pull off the robbery, he’d be leader of the gang. Which would make her the girl everyone wanted to be. That girl. Gang leader’s girl. She opened her eyes. Her heart was beating so hard, the noise was all she could hear. Where was he? What was taking so long?

  For a quick second she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her dad was black, mom was Hispanic. She had long, straight hair and light brown skin. Guys thought she was pretty. She’d been sleeping around for a year, but the last few months she’d belonged to Dwayne. Him alone.

  He made her feel special. Like she was someone.

  Lexy peered through the window. She couldn’t see the cash register, but she could hear yelling. Probably Dwayne. He was so angry today. Like he could shoot someone without thinking about it. He was actually scaring her.

  Suddenly Dwayne burst through the door with a paper bag, probably full of money. He stopped, aimed his gun back toward the store, and fired. At the same time a bullet whizzed past Dwayne’s head, barely missing him. “Dwayne! Hurry!” she cried out.

  Dwayne turned and ran for the car. He jumped in and sped out of the parking lot. He didn’t look at her or say anything. His eyes were like black steel.

  Lexy felt like she was going to throw up. The wheels spun as they turned left and peeled down the street. She tried to understand. “Where you going?” Her voice was loud and frantic. She hated this. Why couldn’t he talk to her? She could hardly breathe. “Dwayne, where?”

  “I’m thinking.” He was breathing hard. He looked into the bag as he drove and let out a victory shout. “We did it, Lex . . . we got this thing. Gotta be a couple hundred dollars here.”

  “Did you . .
. did you kill him?”

  Dwayne glared at her. “I missed, okay?” He kept one hand on the wheel and lunged at her like he might slap her. Instead he shoved the bag onto the floorboard.

  Lexy didn’t dare ask where they were going again. Dwayne was eighteen—he would think of a plan.

  Sirens sounded in the distance. Dwayne rattled off a bunch of cusswords. He leaned forward, like he was looking for a way out. The car’s steering wasn’t the greatest, so he took a turn on two wheels and sped halfway down the street before he pulled over.

  Dwayne dropped down in the seat and pulled his baseball cap low over his eyes. “Don’t talk.”

  Lexy wanted to yell at him that she wasn’t a baby. She could talk if she wanted to. But then Dwayne might tell her to get out and walk home. If she wanted to belong to him, she needed to do what he asked. She crossed her arms and kept her mouth closed. At his house, when they were in bed, he was the nicest guy in the world. One day he’d quit getting so angry. Maybe if he became leader of the gang. That would make him happy.

  Dwayne’s phone rang. He was shaking, looking at the money and then checking the rearview mirror. He took his phone from his pocket and answered it. “S’up.”

  It was a guy’s voice on the other end. Lexy could hear that much. But she couldn’t make out what he was saying.

  Dwayne cussed at the guy and then lowered his voice. “You can’t keep changing the rules.”

  Lexy felt sick again. Must’ve been someone from the committee, the guys who would decide the next leader of the gang. So far Dwayne was only supposed to hit up a convenience store in the middle of the day. Nothing more. But it was never that easy, not with the WestKnights.

  Dwayne shook his head and then smacked his hand on the dashboard. He cussed under his breath this time. “Fine. Tonight.” He shook his head, angrier than before. “Later.”

  Lexy knew better than to ask. Instead she looked straight ahead, her arms still pressed against her stomach.