Come Hell or High Water

“What the hell are you thinking?”

Aaron tightened his eyes and clenched his fist. He took a breath to calm his anger and forced a smile. It didn’t work; all he could do was shake his head. He turned.

“Damn you, Aaron. I ain’t finished with you.”

Aaron reached for the door handle.

           “Don’t you turn your back on me. If you go out that door, there is no coming back.”

Aaron opened the door, turned, and looked at his father. “GOOD!” he growled while slamming the door shut hard enough to rattle the office windows.

           Charles Endicott picked up his full cup of coffee and threw it at the door. It shattered, with coffee flooding down the door. He picked up his phone and pushed a button. “Betty, please get a hold of maintenance and …”

“I have already sent for them, sir.”

           When Aaron heard the cup explode into pieces, he grinned. He pushed the down button by the elevator door. When it finally opened, he staggered in. As the door closed, he reached for a grab rail on the elevator’s sidewall. The adrenaline had worn off. He was out of breath and trembling. When he got to the lobby, he hurried out the double glass doors and took a deep breath of Seattle’s city air. He coughed and laughed. At least it was outside air. He felt a little better, but was still angry with his father.

           “I ain’t working at no desk fifty floors in the air. I would suffocate. Damn him!”

           “Are you afraid of heights?”

           Aaron stopped his brisk walk and turned toward the voice. “Pardon me?” It was a young woman sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk. She had long flaxen hair braided like two thick ropes, with each draped over a shoulder. But what really grabbed his attention was the baby she was nursing.

           She smiled at him. It was a stunning smile. “I asked if you were afraid of heights.”

           “Why would you ask me that?”

           “You were talking to yourself and said something about not working on a fifty-story building.”

           “Oh, that. My father wants me to work for him.”

           “I see. So you damned your father to hell because he works in a fifty-story building.”

           “No; it’s an eighty-story building, but yes, he works on the fiftieth floor. I cannot work for that arrogant bastard. He wants me to …well, it is my life, and I want to make my own way in it.” Aaron took a breath and relaxed. She had a sweet voice, and her blue eyes sparkled like glacier ice.  He could not help but smile. “Do you have any questions?”

           She shook her head, placed the baby so it was looking over her left shoulder, and began patting its back. The baby belched proudly.

           “Well. I have a few.”

           “I thought as much. My name is Nova, and this is my daughter Chalawan.” She turned the smiling, bald baby girl toward Aaron. She had the same bright blue eyes.

           “I am very pleased to meet you, Miss Chalawan. You are so pretty, just like your mother.”

           “Oh, God, I hope not.”

           “I meant, even with no hair and the chubby cheeks and her little nose, she is adorable.”

           “You think I have a big nose?”

           Aaron shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like that. I think your nose fits your face…well, nice.” Aaron changed direction. “What does your baby’s name mean?”

           Nova sat Chalawan on her lap so the baby could look around. “Chalawan is a star in the constellation of Ursa Major. The name comes from a Thai folk tale. In the tale, Chalawan was a great crocodile queen.”

           “A crocodile queen? Interesting. Sounds more like a Grimm’s fairy tale.”

           Nova chuckled.

            “So, Nova, do you live around here?”

           She shook her head. “No, but I work around here.”

           “Around here? And what kind of work do you do that lets you bring a baby to work?”

“I am self-employed. If I had employees, I would allow babies to work with their moms. And today I am working right here on this very sidewalk.”

           “So, nursing your baby for tips earns you a living?”

           “No, silly, I am on break.” She flipped up a sign that was lying on the sidewalk in front of her.

           Aaron read it aloud. “Palm reader, twenty-five dollars.”

She looked up at Aaron and smiled. “It will be the best twenty-five bucks you have ever spent.”

           Aaron laughed, “Really?”

           She answered with an enthusiastic nod.

           Aaron reached for his wallet. “Well, okay. I hope you find a good future on my palm.” He pulled out a twenty and a fiver and handed them to her.

           Nova took the money and slipped it into a pocket on her dress. “I am a palm reader, not a fortune teller.”

           Aaron knelt in front of her. “What’s the difference?”

           “I can tell you the direction your life is headed, and I can recommend a path in it for you. I cannot see your future just by reading the lifelines in your hands. Now, give me your hand.”

           “Which hand?”

           “What hand do you write with?”

           Aaron turned the palm of his right hand up. “Does it make a difference?”

She nodded while reaching for his hand. She followed a well-defined line on it with her finger. “Your dominant hand shows me what career suits you, and it also reflects your early, developing personality.” She looked up. “Your left hand will represent inherited traits, tendencies, and potentials. I like doing the dominant hand first. ”

           While she followed the hand’s shape, lines, and its mounts, the baby on her lap watched and seemed almost as fascinated as the owner of the hand seemed. “I see here a lot of directions for you.” She hummed softly as she studied the hand. She paused and shook her head.

           “What’s wrong?”

           “Shush, I am not done.” She looked up at Aaron with a reassuring smile. “Let me examine your left hand.” While she studied that hand, little Chalawan took her tiny hand and followed her mother’s hand. “You have square palms with long fingers. This represents intelligence and curiosity, but you are prone to anxiety.”

           She held both his hands and gazed at them intently for a few minutes. “You are definitely at a crossroads in your life.”

Aaron pulled his hands back and stared at his palms. “Oh my God, what am I supposed to do?”

           “That will take more of my time and cost you a little extra.”

           Aaron whipped out his wallet. “How much extra?”

           “I must confer with my partner.”

           “You have a partner?”

           Again, “Shush!” She picked up her daughter, and then she touched her forehead to Chalawan’s forehead. “What do you think, Chala? How much should I charge this nice man?”

           The little girl babbled in baby talk. The mother babbled back and shook her head. “Well, Chala, I concur.” Nova looked at Aaron. “She said your extra fee is lunch, and not for a penny less.” The baby gurgled something. “Oh, okay, Chala, I will tell him.” Nova looked back at Aaron. “She says you must include in it a generous tip.”

           Aaron chuckled. “You have a shrewd partner there. But I agree to her terms.” Aaron got to his feet. “Before we go to lunch and discuss the paths ahead of me, I need to know if one of these paths leads to a jealous husband or boyfriend.”

           Nova handed Aaron her baby and climbed to her feet. “I do not have a boyfriend, and I am not married.”

           “Good. But what about your child?”

           “She is not married either. You are safe with both of us.”

           Aaron chuckled. “I was referring to Chala’s father.”

           “I know.” She chuckled. “He drowned.”

           “Oh, I am sorry.”

           “I’m not. He was not a nice man. You did not know him. So, why are you sorry?”

           Aaron shrugged. “You’re right. Actually, I am happy he is dead. So, where do you want to eat?”

           “There is a nice little restaurant in Pike’s Place Market. It is reasonably priced.”

           “I like reasonably priced.”

           Nova led the way. “Do you like to fish?”

           Aaron continued holding Nova’s little partner as he walked beside Nova. “I love fish.”

           “No, no. I asked if you liked to catch fish.”

           “I have never fished before. Is that bad? Did my palm-path tell you I should be a fisherman?”

           “No. But your lifeline suggested you would be better suited to live and work at sea level.”

           “I knew it. No more tall buildings for me.”

           “You should not climb mountains either.”

           “Yeah, that one never struck me as a good idea.”

*

They had a pleasant lunch together. The reasonable restaurant specialized in fish and chips. Both Aaron and Nova had healthy appetites and did not waste time talking. Aaron had a beer with lunch, Nova had ice tea, and Chalawan had a small glass of milk, most of which dribbled down her chin as Mom tried to teach her how to drink like a big girl.

           Aaron enjoyed the two females and did not want this new relationship to end. When they left the café, they walked past the brass pig that marks the entrance to Pike’s Place Market. Nova stopped to pat the pig on its rear ham.

           “It’s good luck,” she said. “You should do it too.”

           Aaron looked at Nova. “I did not know that, and I was born in this city.”

           “It’s even better luck if you kiss his butt.”

           “Wow, you said that with such a straight face I almost believed you.” Aaron pulled out his cell phone. “May I put your number in my phone?”

           “I don’t have a number.”

           “Oh, umm, where do you live?”

           “I don’t have an address. I move around a lot.”

           “Oh! You are homeless. I, well, I…”

           Nova shook her head. “I ain’t homeless, but yes, I am houseless.”

           “That’s okay. I once read about an older woman who spent what little money she had to go to Skagway during the Klondike Gold Rush. She got a job there selling newspapers and lived in a cardboard box for the summer. The woman did very well for herself, and by fall, she made more than enough money to get home. She said that the adventure was so worth it.”

           “Really?”

           “If you don’t believe me, Google it.”

           Nova laughed. “I don’t live in a cardboard box. I do have a home. Let me give you a hint. It's not a house, and it floats.”

           “Oh, that’s a tough one.” Aaron pretended to scratch his head in thought. “I am going to take a wild guess here. Is it a boat?”

           “Are you mocking me?”

           They both laughed.

           “Where is this floating home of yours?

           Nova pointed at Puget Sound. “In the city marina. Would you like to see my boat?”

           “I thought you would never ask.”

*

It was a downhill walk to the marina. When they arrived at the ramp leading down to the floating dock, it was quite steep because the tide had ebbed to its lowest point.

           Nova handed Aaron her baby.

           Aaron held her tightly with one arm, and with the other hand on the rail, he carefully followed Nova down the ramp.

           The marina was full of large, expensive yachts. “Which one is yours?”

           Nova pointed to a rowboat tied to the end of the dock they were walking on.

           Aaron said nothing and kept following. Surely, this is another joke.

           When she got to the end of the dock, she climbed into the little boat. She turned. “Hand me Chala. You can row.”

           Aaron did as he was told. He picked up the oars. “Where to, milady? Your floating home is smaller than I had imagined.”

           She laughed and pointed to a sleek, two-masted schooner anchored about a hundred yards out. “That’s my floating home.”

           Aaron paused his rowing and took a closer look. “Your floating home is larger than I had imagined.”

*

 Once on board, Aaron got the grand tour. After the tour, Nova told Aaron to go up top. “I am putting Chala down for a nap.”

           Aaron went on deck and stood behind the wheel. He clasped it with both hands and dreamed.

           Shortly, Nova joined him on deck with a bottle of wine and two coffee cups. She filled both cups and handed one to Aaron.

           Aaron took a sip. “Whatever happened to Chala’s father?”

           “He drowned.” Nova took a somber sip. “This was his boat. He taught me to sail it. It happened after we left San Francisco to sail here. He had the night watch. I told him to put on his safety harness. He did, but never latched it to a lifeline. When I came on deck at first light to relieve him, he was gone.”

           Aaron quietly sipped his wine, not knowing what to say next.

           Nova added a little more wine to Aaron’s coffee cup. “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you pick?”

           With a relieved smile, Aaron shrugged. “I have never thought about just dropping everything and traveling somewhere, or anywhere in the world, for that matter.”

           “How about Skagway?”

           Aaron laughed.

           “I have never been to Skagway,” she said with a beaming smile. “Let’s go there. I bet we can find a nice cardboard box to live in.”

           Aaron looked incredulously at Nova. “Are you inviting me to drop everything here and just sail off into the sunset with you?”

           She nodded. “Unless you would rather work for your father.”

           “What will we use for money?”

           “Do you have a credit card?”

           He nodded. “Yes. That’s right, they work in all countries.” He reached into his pocket. “And I have a company card.” He laughed. “It’s on my father’s bank account.” He turned to Nova. “How soon can we leave?”

           “All I have to do is raise the anchor and unfurl the sails. And if you help me raise the sails, we can leave within the hour.”

*

They were sailing into a setting sun by the time they reached the Pacific Ocean. From there, they turned north and charted a course to Skagway, Alaska.

           And the three of them lived happily ever after…for six months.

Unfortunately, poor Aaron fell overboard during his last night-watch just before entering their next port. This regrettable accident, coincidentally, happened to three other young men who had also joined to see the world with Nova and her daughter, who was named after a star in Ursa Major.