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“Residents of Meriden, we’re going to call this meeting to order. I look back at the door to see if she’s coming in, darting from wall to wall in hopes of spotting her, but she is nowhere.
“We will proceed with this meeting in the same fashion as the last, for those of you joining us again. I’m Sal Morgan, president of the town council. Thank you for joining us here today for what I’m sure will be a civil and respectful discussion. We will begin the meeting with public comment.
“I will turn the meeting over to our moderator. She will announce the name of the next person to speak. When you approach the microphone, please state your name and address for the town record. Because of the number of individuals on the list, we ask residents to limit their comments to one and a half minutes each. We apologize for shortening this, but many of us want to get home before midnight.” Mr. Morgan laughs and heads back to his seat at the table.
Shannon taps me on the leg. “Where is Solia?”
“I have no idea. Maybe just running late. She’ll be here. I texted her last night, and she said she would be here. I just tried texting her, but the service in here is shit.”
The moderator continues with the meeting. “Can we please have Connie O’Reilly?”
A woman in her late seventies rises from one of the back rows. She embodies a sweet old aunt who knits sweaters in her recliner and bakes cookies for little kids. I’ve seen her in town before.
Connie stands sweetly with her hands crossed, appearing quite nervous to address the panel and a room stuffed with residents. “Thank you. I want to say it’s a damn shame you walked into this town, you two.” She points to the two suits. “Thought you could waltz in here with your fancy cars and high fashion. Well, you know what I think? I think you should get yourself a pair of damn work boots, roll your sleeves, and live in this town for ten minutes before you decide to destroy it.” She nods her chin, points at the two men, then crosses her arms and stomps back to her seat. The crowd goes wild, most people standing and applauding. So much for the sweet old aunt!
The moderator gets back on the microphone. “Order!”
People settle and the next name is called. After ten residents, I’ve tuned out, the voices blending into one long monotonous sound, and I cannot stop worrying about why Solia hasn’t walked through the door.
Something isn’t right. She should be here. She wouldn’t miss this. The cabin is way too important to her.
As if someone switched off the lights, the windows turn black. The rain cascades outside and wind whips around the building.
Well, if we’re going to have a microburst, at least we’re inside.
A light bulb pops in my head. I jump, trip over Shannon and then my grandparents. I rush to the aisle, frantically weaving in and out of people who are trying to see what’s going on outside. The room is growing increasingly noisy, but I need to get the hell out of here.
Solia! Solia is outside.
She told me last night she was going paddleboarding today. She’s on the lake!
At that moment, the thought of the lake transports me back to last Labor Day weekend. I am over my head in the water of Newfound Lake, struggling to breathe, whipping my hands in every direction, holding my breath as long as I can to dive underneath the black surface, screaming her name until my throat aches. Hot tears stream down my face against the cool lake water. No matter how loud I scream, no matter how fast I swim, I can’t save her. Trinity is gone, slipped right through my fingers, taken without permission. I’m right there. Why can’t I find her? Where did she go? Why didn’t they see her? The guys scream my name in the distance, but I ignore them. I won’t stop. I have to find her.
She was just here. She was just here! She was smiling and riding on the tube, the sun in her hair. I told her she could go again. I wanted to see her happy. I couldn’t find her.
It was my fault. They had to drag me kicking and screaming from the water. I wouldn’t leave without her. I told her it was OK to go again; I needed her to be safe. I needed to return her to her parents. I couldn’t let her stay in the water for eternity.
After that, I don’t remember much.
These waters have haunted me every single day since the accident. But Solia began mending my wound. She’s allowed me to see the beauty in this place as if for the first time. Now she is on the lake. In the very waters I swore I would never step foot in again.
Without turning back for a second, I run through the screaming wind and rain to my truck and hightail it to the marina. Every second of the drive, I hold my breath. I can’t breathe; I won’t breathe until she’s safe. I can’t let her slip away from me. She has to be out there. She told me she’d be out there.
My truck plows into the parking lot, and I frantically slam on my horn while I throw it in park. Thankfully, Joe pops out of the main building when he hears the horn and comes running out to the dock. He shields himself from the rain as I run toward him, hollering to be heard over the howling wind.
“I need my keys. I gave them to you. I need to get out there now!” I’m soaked to the bone but don’t give a shit. All I can think of is Solia, alone and afraid out on the water.
“Jackson, you can’t be serious. This microburst isn’t done. Wait it out, man.”
“Give me my fucking keys, now!”
Looking shocked and startled, he runs into the dock hut and comes running back with the keys in his hand. “It’s in the same spot. I took the cover off hoping you’d be by this summer.” His voice fades in the distance because I’m already halfway to my boat.
I throw the throttle in reverse, gun it, and slam forward. I raise the propeller out of the water until I’m clear of the lake bottom and then steam through the channel. She has to be out here. When I reach the lake, there are no boats to be seen. They must’ve made it to the shoreline.
Visibility is terrible, the rain won’t let up, and the wind bruises my cheeks. I don’t know what part of the lake she started at, and I’m not even sure she’s out here. Driving as slow as possible for fear of missing her, I squint, scanning the water. Time stands still.
I have to save her. She went out here on a board, not a boat. There is no one out here to help her. I have to save her.
