16 Things I Thought were True Part 22

Amy is talking, but I can't tune in or focus on what she's saying.

My head is spinning and trying desperately to avoid where we are, yet at the same time, I look around me, drinking in the breathtaking beauty. The sun is s.h.i.+ning and welcoming. Fresh air blows through the open windows of the car. It's visually and fragrantly delicious.

"We made it," I whisper. And once again, I'm a little girl looking 139.

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J A N E T G U R T L E R.

for her daddy- a daddy who vanished on purpose and doesn't want to be found.

My phone bings that I have a new text.

I really need to talk to you. Please text or call.

My mom again.

I text Jake.

How's Mom?

He texts back a minute later.

Fine. Ignore her.

I turn off my phone and tuck it under my leg. Jake said she's fi ne.

Th is isn't about her, I remind myself. Th is is about me. Finding my dad. Seeing him in person. Whatever she has to say can wait until I get home.

Amy picks up my mood and stops talking and turns the radio to a local station. An Eminem song comes on and I reach for the volume and turn it up. Under his anger and aggressive rapping, I feel his desperation and hope, and it feels similar to mine. Th e song works with my mood. I lean back, staring out the window as we zip past colorful, vibrant fl owers sprouting from green gra.s.s on the side of the highway. It's fragrant and lush. Th e island throbs with life.

Th e cuss words contrast with the sweetness. It's perfect.

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1 6 t h i n g s i t h o u g h t w e r e t r u e Eminem screams to a finish, and the car is silent with dead air.

Amy turns down the volume b.u.t.ton as the DJ breaks into the silence with a falsely cheery voice tinged with panic.

"We're here," she says.

Reality crashes back.

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chapter thirteen.

8. You can tell by looking if someone has their black belt in karate. #thingsIthoughtweretrue W e're in front of the hostel. It's an old house, painted burnt yellow and squished up beside a church. A Canadian flag sticks out the front along with a blue flag I don't recognize.

"It's small. No Hilton or Marriott," Amy says, peering over the steering wheel.

"Welcome to budget travel. It's cheap. And it'll be clean," I say.

"It had great reviews online. I promise."

"You got great reviews online," she mumbles.

"I got a lot more bad ones than the hostel," I say. "It's really cute.

It'll be fine."

"There's a parking lot at the back," Adam says. "Turn left." He's looking out the window, reading a sign. Amy finds a spot right away and turns off the car.

"Awesome driving," I say to Amy. "We made it!"

I have a sudden urge to forget about my plans, forget why I've come to the island. We could sightsee and be tourists and live for the moment. I could forget I have a dad who dumped me before I sixteenthings.indd 143 9/9/13 2:21 PM.

J a n e t G u r t l e r was born and a mom at home recovering from heart surgery. Forget both of them. I've been good at ignoring her texts. I could ignore him completely.

I choke on my own breath. My forehead beads with sweat. I can't ignore him. After eighteen years, I'm here to confront him. I'm about to meet my dad for the very first time. A huge, embarra.s.sing sob explodes from my chest as loud and delicate as the foghorn on the ferry.

Amy reaches across, opens her glove box, takes out a box of Kleenex, and shoves it at me. "I get a lot of nosebleeds," she says.

I nod, swallow, hiccup, and use the Kleenex to wipe up my face.

"Sorry," I say again and sniffle. Adam's sitting on the hood of the car. He escaped as I was losing my grip.

"I don't usually cry. I think I freaked Adam out."

"I think you did," she agrees. "But that's okay." She nods toward Adam. "He's a boy. They can't handle emotion. I, on the other hand, with all my lady parts, am good in a crisis. Jake says hi by the way. He's worried about you."

Her whiplash- quick ability to change the subject lightens the mood. "Amy." I wipe under my eyes and blow my nose. "You are awesome. Never change."

"Why would I change?"

"Why indeed." I put my hand on the door. "No wonder Jake likes you. Should we go and check in?"

"You're sure you're okay?"

"I'm totally fine," I lie.

"And Jake and I may become friends, but you came first."

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1 6 t h i n g s i t h o u g h t w e r e t r u e I push the door open before I start blubbering again.

Adam jumps up when Amy and I climb out of the car.

"I'm fine," I call to him. "Fine." I put my hand up to cover my eyes from the sun, but mostly to block myself from him. "Let's go check in."

The hostel is clean inside and smells like fresh laundry detergent.

An older lady greets us at the check- in counter and asks for ID. She checks it over while she explains the house rules. When she hands us back our ID along with a fresh set of sheets for each of us, I giggle at the shocked expression on Amy's face.

Adam glimpses at her too. "You don't make your own bed at the Hilton, Amy?" He laughs.

The woman ignores us and comes around the counter to take us to our four- person dorm room. She walks ahead of us and points out the community kitchen. Amy's eyes get even rounder. "We're not going to cook for ourselves, are we?" she whispers to me.

"Not if you don't want to," I whisper back.

Some of the heaviness on my heart lightens and floats off into air. "We haven't even talked about what we're going to do now that we're here," I say.

We plotted our route, looked at maps. I booked the hostel, and Amy bought an army load of car snacks, but we never really dis- cussed the order of what we'd do once we arrived.

"We'll figure it out," Adam answers. Amy's too busy scanning the place with bugged-out eyes to answer.

"We have to share a washroom?" she squeaks.

I pat her on the shoulder. "Communal washrooms. You're rough- ing it, girlfriend."

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J a n e t G u r t l e r We walk inside the bedroom. There are two bunk beds across from each other. Cheery paintings of different flags hang on the wall. There's a small window at the end of the room that looks out onto the street. The lady tells us a few more rules about curfew hours and then leaves. I glance outside, surprised it's still light out. It feels like it should be dark. It's been a long and eventful day.

I make up the nearest bottom bunk bed. Amy throws her expensive- looking luggage bag on the bottom bunk on the other side.

"Seriously. I have to sleep on the top?" Adam scowls but plops his gym bag on the bunk above Amy. I breathe a secret sigh of relief. I don't think I would get much sleep if he were right above me.

"You snooze, you lose," Amy says.

"Is your girlfriend going to meet you here?" Amy asks as she and Adam tuck in their sheets.

"My girlfriend?"

"Yeah. That's why you came, right? We don't have time to stop in Vancouver, so how else are you going to see her?"

"Uh." He glances at me as he tucks in the top sheet on his bed.

"Not sure. Haven't figured it out yet." He presses his lips into a frowns and adjusts his blanket.

"You and your girlfriend have a fight or something?" Amy asks Adam as she unzips her suitcase.

"No." He pushes his gla.s.ses up his nose and throws his gym bag on the blanket.

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1 6 t h i n g s i t h o u g h t w e r e t r u e "So? Do we get to meet her? I've already got her pictured in my mind." Amy makes a face.

"She looks nothing like that face you just made."

Amy ignores him and walks over to the window. "Hey, check out this guy." Amy points out the small window of the room. I follow her finger. Adam looks too.

A guy about our age is walking a black lab without a leash. He's s.h.i.+rtless and his chest is dark, smooth, and very defined. His face is beautiful, and he's smiling.

"Wow. I think that's the guy you're supposed to marry," Amy tells me.

I laugh. "Me? He's too perfect. Why not you?"

Amy shakes her head back and forth. "Nah. I don't really see myself getting married."

"Well, I do. You picked him. You get him."

"Yeah. 'Cause it's that easy," Adam says.

Amy takes out a cosmetic bag from her luggage and holds it up.

"I need to go to the washroom. Do you think it's safe? Should you come with me?"

I cross my arms and glare at her. "You can handle it."

"This is so weird. There are other people here using it too. I saw a group of boys in the room down the hall."

She starts walking toward the door and then stops. "Wait, where do we leave our stuff if we go out?" she asks. "This is almost dangerous."

I pull a padlock from my backpack and hold it in the air. "We'll get a locker. Didn't you see them by the entrance?"

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