The Chasm by Jacqui Castle

Author:Jacqui Castle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Inkshares
Published: 2021-10-18T18:53:32+00:00

Chapter 17

Patch Collins

I dropped to the ground, hard on my knees, the moisture from the light layer of snow on the dock sinking into the fabric of my pants as I covered my head. The logical part of my brain told me I couldn’t possibly have heard what I thought I heard, but I ignored it, squeezed my eyes shut as hard as I could, and waited for the fallout to come.

When it didn’t come, I opened my eyes slightly and looked at the father who had spoken the words. He was staring at me with wide, alarmed eyes, and in his hand was a small plastic item of some kind. He turned briefly and put the object inside the crying baby’s mouth and in an instant the baby was quiet.

In confusion, I looked to Felix, and it was as if clarity suddenly hit his face. He dropped down to his knees too, and with a gesture waved everyone else away.

“It’s okay,” he said as he put a hand on my shoulder. “It’s not a weapon here. It’s, well, it’s something a baby sucks on and it helps calm them down when they can’t nurse or have a bottle.”

I sank farther down onto my knees, suddenly feeling incredibly stupid.

“I’m sorry. I, um . . . Well, the only way we use that word in America is—”

“I know,” Felix said, and he extended his hand to me and pulled me up off the ground. “It’s okay. Come on. I bet our table is almost ready.”

I ignored the pain in my knees as we walked toward the restaurant, and I tried to shake off what had just happened. Rose was waving us over from a table on the patio overlooking the ocean.

The sun was now almost completely gone, but the sky held on to a soft yellow glow due to the nearby streetlights and the lights illuminating the swimming area below us. A trio of dimly lit candles sat in the middle of the table and soon a basket of bread containing several kinds that I had never seen before was delivered to us.

“Oh, these are so good. You have to try this one—it’s my favorite,” Rose said as she reached for a slice of bread that looked like it contained dried fruit of some kind.

I grabbed a slice out of the basket, ripped off a corner, and put it in my mouth. It was soft, light, a texture I had never experienced with bread before, and it burst with a sweet flavor that coated the inside of my mouth.

“This is incredible,” I said as I ripped off another piece.

“You should try it with some of the fresh garlic butter,” Felix said. “Here.” And he pushed a small dish in my direction. I spread some of it on what was remaining of the slice of bread and took another bite. The silky flavors were incomparable to anything I’d ever experienced.

“Why don’t the two of you just order for me?” I said with a laugh as I savored the remaining bites of the bread.

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