Diver’s Paradise by Davin Goodwin

Author:Davin Goodwin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Published: 2020-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 25

I AWOKE ON the veranda, sprawled sideways in the lounger with a stiff neck. I blinked the cobwebs from my eyes and tried to stand, only to crumble and fall back on the lounger. It felt like some of my internals had shifted in place as if my rib cage had ground against something. To my detriment, I’d ignored it the last few days.

Last night was a blur, but I remembered going to bed around two. Arabella went straight to sleep, her steady breathing muffling the pulse of the ceiling fan. My mind raced as I tossed and turned in bed, events of the last few days reeling through my mind like an old Dragnet episode. Unable to sleep, I went to the balcony.

Most of the night, I sat on the lounger. Different images of Tiffany’s body lying along the shore filled my consciousness, the silence of the island interrupted only by the gentle lap of the sea from across the street.

I couldn’t stop wondering about Ozzie. As he grew up, how much would he remember about Tiffany? How would her appearance change as he grew older and her image slowly faded? Perhaps he had a picture of her that he’d keep, watching it yellow and fade over time.

Did she have a favorite color? A favorite dress? What about the games they played together? Like mothers sometimes do, maybe she had a pet name for him. Would he remember her voice, how she talked? At two years old, I doubted he’d have many lasting memories.

She’d be a stranger—someone from his past who no one spoke of or about. To him, just a name.

Even though I’d never met Ozzie, his immediate future concerned me. I hoped he wouldn’t get bumped from relative to relative. Or worse yet, thrown into foster care. As a silent promise to Tiffany, I vowed never to let that happen.

I was, in large part, responsible for Tiffany’s death. I’d never be able to make up for that—not to me, Ozzie, or anyone else. Especially not to Tiffany. She had so much to offer, yet she was gone, and I was partly to blame. Maybe fully. Sadness and guilt had overwhelmed me as I eventually slipped into an uncomfortable sleep.

I limped into the bedroom at nine o’clock. Arabella had gone to work and left a note asking me to call her later. I borrowed some of her pain medication.

Downstairs in the office, Erika greeted me with tearful eyes and a hug. After she pulled away, she blew her nose and sat down. She shook her head and wiped her eyes with a tissue. “I’m going to miss her smile.”

The desk chair squeaked as I sat. “So am I.”

My stomach growled and reminded me I hadn’t eaten since early yesterday. I reached into the small office refrigerator and pulled out a carton of yogurt and a small bottle of orange juice. Erika went back to whatever she was doing on the computer. I had lost track of any

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