Chapter Fifty-Two

FIFTY-TWO

OCTOBER 1987

For breakfast the next morning, Augusta and Jackie picked at Shirley’s cherry Danish. Afterward, Augusta drove Jackie to the airport. While they were stuck in traffic on the turnpike, they went over the events of the previous evening in excruciating and hilarious detail.

“It was a birthday I’ll never forget,” said Augusta. “I can’t believe that Nathaniel managed to drink Esther’s elixir twice. ”

“I shouldn’t have put the powder in Irving’s drink,” Jackie said. “Though, in my defense, when you spilled the water, I really did think you were giving me a signal.”

“Maybe it was a good thing, in the end. Nathaniel confessing his feelings certainly made Shirley happy. And Irving seemed to understand when I explained about the elixir. I’m happy that he finally knows what I did all those years ago.”

“You’re not mad at me for tricking you into moving to Rallentando Springs?”

“How could I be mad? Besides, your scheme did a lot of good. It helped to solve a sixty-year-old mystery. It forced me to come to terms with my feelings. It gave me back the love of my life.”

“When you put it like that, it sounds like I gave you the best birthday gift ever.”

“That’s exactly what you did.”

“What do you think will happen now? With you and Irving, I mean?”

“We’ll see,” said Augusta. “God knows we’re not young anymore, but hopefully we both have some good years left. Years we hope to spend together.”

After saying goodbye to her niece, Augusta was in the mood for a swim. After all that had happened, she should have been tired, but the truth was, she felt more energetic than ever. She hadn’t been in the water all weekend and her muscles were taut and restless. She put on her bright red bathing suit and headed over to the pool.

Irving was waiting for her. “I ordered you a turkey club,” he said. “No mayo, chips on the side.”

“Perfect,” she said. “But I think I’ll have a quick swim first. I could use some exercise.”

“About that. I asked for the sandwiches to go. I thought we might try something different today—you know, in honor of your birthday.”

“My birthday was yesterday.”

“Yeah, well, when you hit the big eight-oh, I hear you get an extra day to celebrate. Anyway, I never got you a present, so I thought I’d take you for a little outing. When was the last time you went to the beach?”

Augusta felt the blood rushing to her cheeks. After all these years, did he still remember the conversation they’d once had?

With my mother gone, I don’t feel as brave as I used to… I don’t go to the beach anymore.

He gave her some time to let the question sink in, and while she pondered, a dozen more emerged. Was this what it felt like to be with someone who truly knew you? Who knew both the best and bleakest parts of your past? Was this what it meant to have someone support you, to have a companion who pushed you to be better and braver than you ever thought you could be? Was this the magic her life had been missing?

“Not since my mother died,” she whispered.

“They got beautiful beaches down here,” said Irving, holding out a wrinkled hand. “What do you say you and I go and have ourselves a little picnic? We’ll eat our lunch and look at the water, and then if we’re feeling brave, we’ll jump in.”

The water was warmer than Coney Island; the sand was softer between her toes. It shifted a bit beneath her feet, but it didn’t feel as unsteady as she remembered. Above them, the sky was a clear cobalt blue. The clouds were as light and as fluffy as the kreplach in Aunt Esther’s soup.

The two of them floated on their backs together, side by side, holding hands. The waves were gentle, lazy rollers, lapping sweetly at their ears. When they’d had enough of staring skyward, she pointed to the nearest marker—a red-and-white buoy about fifty feet away. “Do you want to race me?” she said.

“Nah. Let’s just swim over. You go first and I’ll be right behind you.” Before she set off, Irving reached for her hand. “It looks like there might be a couple of waves out there, Goldie. Are you sure you want to swim out that far?”

Augusta Stern nodded her head and smiled. “I’m positive,” she said. “If there are waves, we’ll swim around them together.”