'The Girl' by Iann Robinson

Amity Island Welcomes You.

The sign passed by quickly, partially blotted out by the setting sun. There was a young girl on an inner tube and something about a regatta. The girl on the bus, the one watching the billboard go by, was pretty, young, blonde and exhausted. With one blurry eye she tried to finish reading the sign but gave up. It was cool in the bus, and with the sun going down the glare was gone. How long had she been asleep? She really didn’t know. Three days on a bus had made her constantly weary. Now they were near Amity and, mercifully, the ride would be over. 

So much had happened in the last week but she hadn’t really made an effort to work through it. At first catching Doug had been devastating. Then it dawned on her, it was really a blessing he’d cheated. How long had she wanted to leave Las Vegas? How long had she yearned for not just the ocean but also seasons. That was why she decided against Los Angeles. She longed to see snow, leaves falling, something besides hot and sunny. Once she made her choice the rest was easy. Quit her job. Sell her car. Cash out her bank account and hit the road. Where to? She had no idea. She decided she would figure it out on the way. 

When the bus stopped at another of the endless rest stops, she had purchased a large coffee, a sandwich and a stack of cheap magazines. One of them…the New Yorker….had an article on Amity Island and the Mayor, a handsome older gentleman named Larry Vaughn. It seemed so quaint, so peaceful. It was also a summer island so the restaurants and hotels had to be hiring. Amity, she even liked the name. Stretching in her seat as they pulled into the Amity bus station the girl let her long blonde hair down from its ponytail and shook her head. A shower. She needed a shower. Food. She needed real food. Three days eating gas station sandwiches and potato chips was starting to catch up to her. 

“Amity bus terminal. Last stop. Thank ya for riding with us.”

Adrenaline shot through her as she stood up. All the romance of a few days on the road came crashing down into a river of anxiety about what she had done. She was so far from home. She didn’t have a job. She had very little money. She didn’t know anybody in Amity. Oh God what had she done. Her fingertips began to tingle and she was sweating. In her mind she began adding up the money she had left to see if it would pay for a ticket back home. If she didn’t eat the whole way she might be able to just make it and….

everything stopped

As soon as the ocean air hit her, it all stopped. The nerves, the questions, the fear, everything just went quiet. This was where she belonged. This was her new home and she loved it. The crisp night was just beginning, the sea was crashing just out of sight, and now everything seemed perfect. Smiling for the first time in several weeks, the girl walked away from the bus with her backpack, heading into the terminal. She purchased a bottle of pop, some gum and picked up a free map of Amity. 

“How far is it to town?” She asked, putting her purchases in her jacket pocket.

“Well, to main street it’s about a mile, “The old woman behind the counter said tilting her head to think. “but there’s a motel a little closer if you need a place to stay honey.” 

“Thank you.” The girl moved away then turned back. “Do you have a phone?” 

“Payphone outside honey, can’t miss it.” 

The girl smiled at the old woman and headed outside. 

Outside it was getting chilly. The tight white t-shirt had worked in Las Vegas but now she needed the big guns. She reached into her bag and pulled out the one thing she kept from Doug, his big turtle neck sweater. It still smelled like Doug, but she put that out of her mind. It was warm and she had bigger problems. The phone. It was looming over her like a dark shadow. She stood there for how long? She didn’t know. 

Her nerves started to twinge again, like they had in the bus. Her whole body was shouting to just walk, head towards the town, maybe stop for a quick late night swim. Just leave it be. She kept saying it over and over, even as her hands picked up the phone and her fingers dialed. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Four. Then on the fifth ring, just as she was feeling a justified relief to hang up, the click came. The operator asked the person on the other line if they would accept the charges. They did. Well, it’s not mom or dad. She thought to herself. 

“Joey? Hey baby brother it’s your big sister. Huh? No, no I’m not coming home tonight. Yeah…I’m ok. I miss you to. Where are mom and dad? Out! That’s so unfair, they would have never left me home alone at your age. (She paused) Hey Jojo, I’m calling to tell you that I might not be home for a while. Oh..no baby don’t cry….it won’t be forever. I just need to get some things together and settle down. I just don’t want you to worry. No, don’t tell mom and dad until I say you can ok? Ok….I love you Jojo. Bye”

She hung up feeling sad but relieved. Jojo was her sweet boy, her baby brother. She hated hurting him, but things were so tense right now with her parents. They had the plan, the plan for her and her brother. Never mind who wanted to do what with their lives. Who wanted to travel or go to college. Who did not want children or to get married. None of that was part of the plan So she left. She had to go. She had to get out. She managed to get to Las Vegas before running out of money. So she stayed there, she met Doug, built a life, and even when that life came crashing down she couldn’t go home. It wasn’t the right time and besides, her dad would yell, her mom would go into passive-aggressive mode. She had never been able to fully tell which was worse. 

Popping a piece of gum into her mouth she started walking and listening to the ocean. Even with the future so uncertain she was filled with excitement. Amity seemed like home. It was so different from the impersonal streets of Las Vegas. Places like this always needed waitresses, or attractive bartenders. She’d find a job. Find a place. Make new friends. It was all going to be so wonderful. A new start and a new….

Music? She heard it from far away but it was unmistakable. She walked towards the sound, which led her onto the beach. As it got louder she saw a group of young people atop a dune, a huge fire burning into the night. She walked up and then stopped, what if they didn’t want her there. After all she was a stranger. Stumbling up the dune the girl was met by a laughing young couple who smelled of ocean salt and weed. They hugged her for no reason, handed her a beer and told her to head to the fire. 

The fire was raging, high flames into the night sky. A cute boy with a black jacket was playing guitar. People were laughing, smoking, drinking and just enjoying life. She drank it up, it was so much what she needed after Vegas, her parents and those last few days on the bus. As much as she felt at home, something in her brain kept reminding her she was a stranger in these parts, so she sat just a bit removed from the group.

A few minutes later she saw him. He was clearly staring at her but she played it cool, smiling at him a little until he came over. They talked for a few minutes when inspiration hit. She had been wanting to do this for so long and now was perfect. She got up and he followed. 

“What’s your name again” The boy asked. 

“Chrissie.” She said laughing. 

“Where are we going?”

“Swimming” She said, running towards the ocean and the late night swim she had been dreaming of.