Bounce by Megan Shull

Author:Megan Shull
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2016-06-30T04:00:00+00:00

37.

I CANNOT BELIEVE I’M HALFWAY between South America and Australia, on a sailboat, on our way to New Zealand! This is what I learn as I listen to the dad speak into a handset radio thingie, standing inside the cabin at the table with all the electronic gear and a computer screen filled with charts and maps.

“That’s right, we are due east, traveling at around six knots. We should be arriving—” He stops to look down at the big watch on his wrist. “We should be near the pass ready to meet the pilot boat to lead us through the barrier reefs at oh-nine-hundred.”

We are heading into a small, remote island port in French Polynesia. Wherever that is! Until this moment I had never even heard of French Polynesia, but the dad, the little boy (who I hear the dad call Max), and I gather around the computer and study a mapped chart.

“Here we are,” says the dad, pointing to a tiny green slowly moving dot on the screen. “Here’s where we are headed,” he says, moving his finger to the left an inch. “It is supposed to be one of the most beautiful and remote islands in the world,” he says, pausing to smile and look at me and then at Max. “Your mom always wanted to come here, and now we made it—” He stops for a good long minute, and Max and I sit and sort of just watch him.

The dad takes a big breath. “She’d be so happy we are here together,” he says.

I get the feeling by the look in his eyes that the mom is gone. The mom has died. And I suddenly want to hug Max to me and hold him tight. My heart just feels so sad for them. But this sad feeling only lasts in the air for, like, a second. The dad reaches for a clipboard hanging behind the computers and hands me a checklist written in neat handwriting on a sheet of notebook paper.

“Bug, here’s the list. There’s a very small resupply shop on this island. They’re expecting us. They should have everything packed and ready. I need to change the fuel filters. I also need to do some sewing and patching. We’ll stay here for the day while I do some repairs and we replenish our supplies. Sound good?”

I nod. “Okay, I guess so, yeah,” I answer, take the list, and fold it up.

The dad lifts his hat from his head and runs his hand through his mop of dark greasy hair. He’s handsome, and his eyes are this unreal shade of light green that pop out against his tan skin and his lumberjack beard. He looks like he hasn’t slept or showered in a long time, and I guess that’s what sailors look like, right? When do you sleep if you have to steer a boat across an entire ocean! He looks like he can handle anything. He looks strong. Smart. Like the kind of guy who can sew, knit, cook, and sail a boat around the world.

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