It was the man in the black suit. Bill.
He was all the way across the restaurant and no longer in his suit—their eyes stayed locked for a few long seconds until Shy looked away. He flashed back to when he helped the guy get out from under the chandelier in the Destiny Dining Room. He remembered the heat from the fire as he’d leaped through the flames. How he and Kevin got the man onto one of the lifeboats. How was it that this Bill guy was still alive and Kevin was dead?
Carmen and Addie walked into the restaurant just then and headed straight toward Shy’s table. Carmen pointed at him and said something he couldn’t make out and both girls laughed a little. When they sat down he frowned and said: “What’s so funny?”
“That’s between me and her,” Carmen said.
Shy turned to Addie, who was grinning. It didn’t seem as fake this time. She was dressed in baggy jeans and an oversized blue T-shirt, hair all wet and clean-looking. She looked a hundred times better than she had on the lifeboat. “Addie, you gonna help me out here?”
Carmen cut in again. “This is an A and B, bro. So why don’t you C your ass out of it.”
Addie shrugged.
“That’s like something you tell people in third grade,” Shy said to Carmen.
“Sometimes you gotta speak to children in a language they understand.” She winked at Addie, all proud of herself.
Before Shy could think of anything to say back, three people from the research crew walked to the front of the restaurant and stood near the tiny stage. The one with the beard, Greg, tapped a fork against a drinking glass until everyone quieted down and faced them.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said. “As many of you already know, we were sent here to study the effects of the tsunamis on this tiny island. Some of the most unique sea life in the world lives in the reefs off the northern coast. However, as soon as we discovered you guys, our agenda changed. We’ve radioed back to our base and received clearance to cancel our original mission effective immediately. I’m happy to report that we will be setting off for California tonight.”
Everyone cheered.
Shy felt a surge of emotion as he looked around at all the happy faces. He thought of his mom and his sister and his nephew. He couldn’t wait to get back to Otay Mesa to try and track them down.
“The coast guard has agreed to meet us halfway and guide us back to Long Beach Harbor.”
A man with his hair pulled back into a ponytail stepped forward. “Many of you have asked about the state of the West Coast after the earthquakes. We’ve been hesitant to say too much until we gathered more facts. But I can now say this: there is major damage and a pretty significant loss of life near all the fault lines. But rescue crews from all over the country, and even other parts of the world, are there in full force. They are confident that the affected states will be built back up much sooner than anyone expected.”
“The moral of the story,” the bearded man said, “never underestimate the resilience of the American people.”
Shy watched the crowd of survivors smile and turn to each other. Everyone was as excited as he was. But at the same time, he wanted to hear more details about the earthquake. He wanted to know specifics.
The ponytailed man raised his hand, waiting for the reaction to die down. “The fact is, you people may have caught the worst of it. Scientists are saying that the tsunamis you experienced were the most powerful in recorded history. As you can see, they’ve all but decimated this island. They also caused major damage in Hawaii, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines.”
Shy was now wondering if these guys were trying to sugarcoat shit. Just tell us the truth, he wanted to say.
The man in the beard looked at his watch. “I’m sure you all have more questions,” he said, “but there will be plenty of time on our voyage home. That must be a great word to hear right about now, huh? ‘Home.’ ” He motioned a fourth man up from the front table. “Larry here is going to run you through the launch procedures. We’re leaving tonight at seven-thirty, just as the sun sets. It’s imperative that everyone follow his directions exactly. We want to get you all home as safely and efficiently as possible. And this includes our friends currently recovering in the penthouse.”
Shy and Carmen nodded to each other, thinking of Rodney. Shy wanted to raise his hand and ask about San Diego, but the first three researchers were already walking away.
The guy who’d just been called up to the stage, Larry, began describing how they needed everyone to line up single file along the shore by six o’clock. Motorized rafts would take them out to the ship, a dozen at a time. The sick would be loaded last. They had a team of fifteen, he said, and if they did things as efficiently as they hoped, the ship would be on its way by seven-thirty. Their estimated arrival back in Long Beach was roughly two days.
Shy couldn’t help smiling at the thought of leaving on the ship. Neither could Carmen. But Addie looked super stressed as she kept scanning the restaurant. She seemed to spot Bill.
“He might know something about your old man,” Shy told her. “You should go ask him.”
Addie shook her head.
Carmen reached across the table, put her hand on top of Addie’s.
A few minutes after all the researchers had left to go prepare the ship, one of the former Paradise passengers suggested people go around saying what they were thankful for.
The crowd caught on pretty quickly.
A woman with long brown hair said she was thankful for her husband, who had shielded her with his own body during the second tsunami. She started tearing up and said: “We’d only been married two years. After we got home from this trip we were going to start thinking about children.” The tears quickly turned into full-on sobbing, and the people sitting around her patted her back and rubbed her shoulders.
Christian stood up next. “I’m thankful to everyone who helped pull me out of the ocean. You had enough to worry about. And there wasn’t any extra room. But you made room. I’ll never forget you for that.”
People clapped as Christian sat back down.
Addie told Shy and Carmen that she was going back to her room to try and rest a little more.
“I’ll walk you out,” Shy said, getting up from the table.
Addie nodded.
Carmen winked at Shy as he led Addie toward the door. Addie avoided eye contact with Bill.
Outside, Shy told her: “Sorry your dad’s not here. But it doesn’t mean he’s not on the island. Shoeshine didn’t show up to the meeting either. I bet a bunch of people didn’t.”
Addie looked Shy right in the eyes, but she didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then she took his hands in hers and sighed. “You were really nice to me when we were stranded, Shy.”
“Wish I could say the same about you,” Shy said. He expected to get at least a grin out of her, but she kept a straight face.
“I want you to know I meant what I said.” She squeezed his hands. “That last night.”
Shy didn’t know how to respond to that, so he just sort of nodded and smiled and squeezed her hands a little, too. “Go rest,” he said. “We’ll come get you when it’s time to go down to the beach.”
“I just want to make sure you understand that,” Addie said.
“I do,” Shy told her. “And I’m glad you said it. But there’s no need to get all sentimental, right? I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Addie sighed. She leaned forward on her toes and kissed his cheek. She stood there looking at him for a few seconds with a pained expression on her face, like she still hadn’t fully recovered from fainting. Then she turned and started down the hall.