My Sister's Lies by Rachel Hargrove

Author:Rachel Hargrove [Hargrove, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-10-06T22:00:00+00:00

20

Jay

I can’t find her, and I’ve looked everywhere.

I’ve scoured as many yuppie cafés, art galleries, and co-op groceries as possible, which is a fool’s errand in California. Visiting them all would take years. I’ll never have enough time to leave my wife’s photo at fifty hand-rolled ice cream parlors. The local bakery has strict orders to contact me if anyone looking like Naomi shows up. So far, nothing.

A black-and-white image of Naomi flutters in the wind. I smooth it over the telephone pole, pressing thumbtacks deep into the wood. The flyer begs for my wife’s return. My number is listed below her face.

As soon as I printed enough of these, I took an Uber to Ocean Beach and walked along the frigid waters. I used to come alone, dreaming of the day I’d be experienced enough to surf here. A heavy fog rolls over a desolate beach, plunging the temperature well below sixty. It’s freezing. The wind steals all warmth.

I wrap my windbreaker around me, watching surfers paddle to larger waves. They bob like seals. I approach the frothing tide and bend over, touching the water. An icy shock blankets my hand.

How the hell do they do it?

When I was in my twenties, cold didn’t bother me as much. Ocean Beach, with its gigantic sign warning about the strong current, didn’t intimidate me. I shiver as I watch younger men dive into fifty-degree water. A page flies from the stack held at my side. It soars into the restless sky like a bird taking flight, Naomi’s face winking from above. Before Naomi, nothing would’ve stopped me from conquering those waves.

I turn from the sea spray and plod along the beach, feeling old and irrelevant. My sneakers sink into sand. Back then, I would’ve ripped them off to curl my toes over the icy shore. Now the thought makes my teeth chatter.

I stroll to the parking lot, sliding flyers under windshield wipers. They flutter violently in the breeze. Half of them will probably get lost before anyone notices. It’s a futile enterprise. A waste of my goddamn time. Maybe I should take a leaf from Opal and move on.

Naomi’s face crumples as I hurriedly shove the flyer underneath a wiper. It snaps against the glass, attracting the attention of someone inside. The brunette looks up from her phone. Our eyes crash into each other. I wave an apology before recognizing my sister-in-law.

What is she doing here?

Blood fills her cheeks as she gives me a deer-in-the-headlights stare. Finally, she pops the driver’s door and awkwardly steps from the car. A pair of skinny jeans glides up her thick legs. She wears a white long-sleeve with a deep V neck that flaunts her cleavage. I shouldn’t want to look.

"Sorry," Opal says, her apology almost lost in the wind. "I didn’t mean to…I’m sorry."

It takes a second for my mind to switch gears from arousal to suspicion. "Did you follow me here?"

She bows her head. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"Worried about you." Opal gathers her hair in a ponytail, tying it in a loose knot.

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