Читать книгу Angela 2 - David A. Bedford - Страница 4

Angela sat at the top of the sand dune, watching the morning sunlight sprinkle the sea with bright glitter off of each wave. She felt happiness alternate with sadness, anger, and excitement. The light and the fresh sea air, the faraway places one could almost feel beyond the horizon, the graceful planing of the heron, filled her with contentment. How could anyone want to ruin it just to make more money for people who were already rich? Was all this really destined to disappear? Yet apparently that was exactly what was about to happen.

Then her thoughts shifted to the junior prom and, in spite of everything, a warm feeling of happiness came over her. Miles had asked her to the dance. Sometimes Angela thought that this was the best time of life ever. At other times, she thought of all the good and bad that had been going on in eleventh grade and wished she could recover the feeling she had when she was a little girl. When things were good, everything felt good in the entire world and the present moment was all there was.

Angela stood, wiped the sand and bits of sargasso off her shorts, and headed away from the beach to the ferry landing. Across Oso Bay she could see families cooking out and throwing frisbees. A father and son were playing catch and several men were fishing off the piers. She rode the ferry to the mainland side and started the walk to her house, in for a busy Saturday with all the homework and the extra dance rehearsal.

***

This was Angela’s second year in Sargasso Beach, just south of Corpus Christi, where she had moved with her mother, Susan, and her sister, Amy, after her parents divorced. Her older brother Andrew had remained in San Antonio for college. Angela took an immediate liking to the sea and the barrier islands. The Sargasso Beach nature preserve, which stretched from the beach on Padre Island across Oso Bay to the marshland and recreational area on the mainland side, was her favorite place. At school she had met her two best friends, Benjie and Fiona. She also had some enemies, not the least of whom was the school principal, Mara Petty. Angela had thought that, after the events of tenth grade, things would calm down and she would be able to concentrate more on her studies and on enjoying her friends. She had been wrong about that, but even now she had no idea just how wrong.

***

Angela had a slim dancer’s body, an oval face with unusual features, and a halo of curly hair that framed her face and cascaded past her shoulders. The sunlight danced on her curls in shimmering browns, reds, and golds. The total effect was striking but she was unaware of it. When she reached the front of her house, Thelonius, the cat her family had acquired over the summer, came out to greet her. Thelonius was a coal-black Burmese longhair, oblivious of his cathood to the extent that he was affectionate, enjoyed people, and purred whenever anyone looked at him. Angela loved him. She picked Thelonius up and walked through the front door.

Amy ran down the entrance hall, jumped and put her arms around Angela’s neck. The cat purred louder.

“Hi, Angela! Hey, you’re hot!”

“This is south Texas, Amy. Why should today be different?” countered Angela playfully. She smiled and hugged her sister. Just then Susan walked into the hallway.

“Hello, Mom!” said Angela.

“Angela,” answered Susan with a pleasant smile, “Miles called. He says he will call you back.”