Benny

The salty water washed over me as I swam through the water. Livvy, Jackson and I were swimming at the beach Saturday afternoon. Benny and Mom were at home, making dinner. They had insisted we visit the beach since the waves were big and the sun was shining on the golden sand.

Livvy was collecting seashells, Jackson was making a sandcastle and I was dancing through the foamy waves, leaving all my thoughts and worries behind me.

But every time I left the water and got back on the beach to check on my siblings, the worries came back. And I felt uncomfortable and worried. I didn't quite know why, but I felt more at home when I was swimming in the sea, rather than walking through the rough sand. Maybe it was because I knew I was closer to father that way. I missed him. I hadn't even gotten a phone call from him yet. I hoped he had reached the shores of Hawaii safely. I hoped that huge storm hadn't attacked the Teal Seal.

I told Livvy and Jackson that it was time to go home and were they stubborn! I practically had to drag them away from the beach, until I told them that Mom was preparing dinner for us. Hearing "dinner," they started sprinting home so I couldn't keep up with them. Those two troublemakers.

Panting, we finally reached home. I went to my room and changed out of my swimsuit.

"Amber! Come quickly!" I heard my mother's voice call from the kitchen.

I hurried in there. She sounded excited and happy. I found her on the telephone, smiling.

"You're father just called now!" she told me, grinning.

"Could I talk to him?" I begged her.

"Of course!" She handed me the phone. Father always called when he reached his destination.

"Hello?" I asked, anxiously.

"Amber! How are you, sweetheart?" my father's voice boomed, cheerily.

"Great! Did you and Isaac reach Hawaii alright?" I asked him.

"Yup! We sure did! We're planning to leave late tomorrow, but we'll be home before you know it!" he told me.

"I'll be waiting," I assured him. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Amber!"

I handed the phone to Jackson who started talking to him.

Then I noticed Ben sitting at the set dinner table, his hands folded, his eyes on me. I went over and sat by him, smiling.

"What are we having for dinner?" I asked.

He blinked, snapping back into reality.

"Uh, fish," he replied, struggling to remember.

"What kind?"

"Uh..."

"Catfish," my mother replied, putting a bowl of peas on the table.

After a while of munching on my seasoned catfish and buttered peas, Benny asked, "How was the beach?"

Before I could reply, Livvy replied, "Great! I collected a bunch of seashells for my collection and sand got in my mouth and I think I'm sunburned and the water was nice and-"

"Livvy!" Jackson stopped her, annoyed by her ranting. "Let me say some stuff, too!"

They both always wanted to tell the stories. After some bickering, my mother finally gave each of them turns to talk about the beach. Meanwhile, I zoned out, thinking about the ocean. About Davy. Ben. Captain Oleander. I couldn't wait to hear the stories of Hawaii. I'd always wanted to visit a tropical island. I had heard stories of how delicious coconut was. And also that there was a strange fruit called dragon fruit. It had a fuchsia pink peeling, but on the inside it was pearl white with black dots. It sounded amazing...just like the rest of Hawaii.

I hoped Isaac was having a blast. I was still annoyed he got to go and I didn't. I totally deserved it more than he did. Hawaii of all places. And he got to go while I stayed home and waited for them, bored. Of course, Isaac and Dad did need some father-son time together.

"Your father said they would have never survived the storm if Davy hadn't steered them to safety," my mother told us.

The storm! I had forgotten all about it! They had survived! And all because of Davy. I reacted by staring straight into the vase of flowers on the table and thinking about how heroic Davy was. He was the best at directing the ship in a storm. Then I noticed Benny was staring at me again. Not with jealousy. He just seemed...disappointed. Disappointed that Davy had impressed me and not him.

"Amber?" my mother said.

I sat back up and said, "Oh yes! I was wondering about the storm! I was so worried it had caught up with them and sunk the ship!"

I was trying to change the subject so my mother would stop mentioning Davy. I think she liked him more than Benny and she probably didn't know that Benny liked me...more than liked me.

"I can't wait for Daddy to come back!" Livvy said, smiling. "I hope he brings me back a seashell from Hawaii to add to my shelf in my room. I've always wanted a seashell from Hawaii."

"I just want some sand," Jackson said, making us giggle.

"What do you want?" Ben asked me, suddenly. And the way he said it...it didn't seem like it was part of the same conversation. He seemed to be asking what I wanted just in general. Who I wanted. But I ignored the thought.

"I don't know. I heard about a rare fruit called dragon fruit that's supposed to be pretty-looking and delicious," I shrugged, gently stabbing my catfish with my fork.

"Maybe he'll bring some back for us," Benny answered.

"I could make it into a fruit parfait," my mother suggested. "Speaking of which..."

She brought out the dessert. Oreo parfaits with strawberries, topped with whipped cream. It was delicious. We all thanked our mother as we ate up our treats.

For the rest of our evening, we listened to Benny telling stories of the sea. The "beautiful void of sapphire-blue wonder" as he described it. He said the sea was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Well, one of the most beautiful," he added, catching my eye.

I could do nothing but smile and blush.

He went on to describe the adventures he'd had. The creatures he'd seen, the places he'd been. And although he loved sailing the seas, he said his favorite part was arriving at home again after a long voyage. It made me realize that it was probably true that all sailors loved coming home to their families and friends. Even though they loved sailing, they always looked forward to coming home.

It made me miss my father more. And Isaac and Davy. But especially the Captain of the Teal Seal. It was so hard to wait for him.

Little did I know that I'd have to wait for him for a long time after tomorrow.