Not yet.
A thought hit him in the gut so hard he gasped. Everyone was talking about the ocean these days, all the plastic in it, all the trawlers overfishing, the disappearance of entire species of fish. A photo from Facebook haunted him: a polar bear, so starving its fur hung down around its empty belly, standing alone on an ice floe not much bigger than the bear. That animal, uncomprehending. Hungry.
And Theo thought that the ocean was angry. It was enraged at what humans were doing to it, and it was fighting back. People gave the ocean’s actions the rather gentle phrase “rising seas,” but the seas were not just rising, they were charging, they were destroying, they were at war. All the myths Theo learned in high school about Poseidon flooded back into his mind. Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea. When Odysseus blinded Cyclops, Poseidon’s son, Poseidon took his revenge on Odysseus with such furious storms that Odysseus lost his ship and his companions.
Maybe Poseidon, or whatever god ruled the seas, was taking its revenge on them, at least all the people living on the coasts or making their living in the seas.
Theo didn’t believe this, of course. But he didn’t disbelieve it, either, not right now when the winds sent tempests of rain charging over the harbor and into the town.
Still the line of cars didn’t move. Angry with himself for sitting there doing nothing, Theo suddenly jerked the steering wheel of his car and pulled into the driveway of a house belonging to no one he knew, but he didn’t care. He slammed the car door shut behind him and began to run down the sidewalk toward town and Easy Street. Where Beth was, he hoped.
As he ran, he realized he had thought of the Greek gods because he wanted to be Beth’s hero. He even wanted to be her husband, and that was a terrifying and challenging idea.
His legs were strong. His core was strong. He had surfing to thank for that. He passed the stalled line of cars on Union Street, turned right, slipped between the stalled line of cars on Main Street, and raced down Cambridge Street, which was already a river of water being driven by the crazed winds into town.
Easy Street was explosive as the narrow harbor funneled the powerful waves up and over the bulkhead, into the street, against the buildings, and up the side streets toward the library garden. Beth’s office was only one building away from Cambridge Street, and as Theo looked, he realized he was being lifted up by waves. Here, the water was almost four feet high. He half-slogged, half-swam toward the OM office. Already he could tell the lights were out, so maybe Beth had gone, or maybe all the power in town was out. He couldn’t call her. His cell was in his jeans pocket, and his jeans were in four feet of water.
It was an eerie scene, this street where people usually sat on benches licking ice cream cones while watching the cute ducks waddle on the little beach and paddle in the calm waters of the harbor. Normally the parking spaces would be filled, parallel to the curb. Now, no cars. No people. Not even a duck, Theo thought, and wondered where they went just at the moment he saw Beth being lifted up by a wave and sucked backward over the bulkhead. She disappeared as the wave crashed down.
Theo dove. Walking was too slow. He was a strong swimmer. He headed for Beth—he was certain it was Beth—and his torso grazed the top of the wooden bulkhead as he swam over it. Water rushed over his eyes, water tugged him down and pushed him sideways, but he swam as hard as he ever had toward the form that he was sure was Beth. It was Beth. He grabbed hold of her with both arms, a stupid but instinctive action, and for a moment they both sank down, but then he held on to her with his right arm and swam with his left arm and kicked hard with his legs. He reached the surface and gasped for breath, and he looked at Beth, who was also gasping for breath but smiling, and he yelled, “I’ve got this.”
And he watched for the next wave to gather itself and rise and rise, he pulled Beth with him into the channel of the wave and it carried them all the way over the bulkhead and onto the street. He swam to Cambridge Street, still clasping Beth with one hand. Water was already massing on North Beach Street, but he could stand. Beth could stand.
They stood on the brick sidewalk with waves slapping their ankles and Beth started to speak. Instead, she leaned forward and vomited out a stream of water. Her entire body shuddered. She stood up, wiping her mouth with the tail of her wet shirt.
“Theo!” she cried. “I love you!”
“I love you, too,” Theo said.
He took her in his arms and held her tight as she broke down and sobbed with relief. His fractured humerus hurt like the devil but Theo held Beth tight and wouldn’t let her go.
“I’m okay now,” Beth said.
“Let’s get out of here. I’ll hold on to you. Tell me if I’m pulling you too fast.”
Theo grasped Beth’s hand and began slogging through the high water. Beth kept up with him, but several times she was seized with a furious cough that shook her body.
They reached Union Street, where only an inch of water covered the bricks, and hurried to Theo’s car. Once inside, Theo set the heat to high. A line of cars still clogged the street heading into town. They had to wait until ten cars passed before someone let them out onto the street.
Theo looked over at Beth. Her hair was plastered against her face. He gently removed a small leaf from her cheek.
“I need to go to Ryder’s garage to get some dry clothes,” Beth said.
“And there it is, my favorite sentence in the world,” Theo muttered, not joking.
“Theo, Ryder doesn’t ever come into the apartment. He’s letting me use it so I don’t have to make it impossible for my dad to have your mom over for…dinner.”
“I still don’t like it,” Theo said, staring at the cars in front of him.
“Really?” Beth cocked her head and made her eyes wide and innocent. “I can’t imagine why.” Her hair was plastered against her face and she was shivering.
“Because, I told you, I love you,” Theo said.
“Oh, Theo,” Beth began, and then sneezed, a long, involved sneeze that made her shudder.
They parked in Ryder’s drive, as close as possible to the garage, and Theo followed Beth up the steps and into the apartment. Theo scanned the place for signs of male habitation, but the rooms, although attractive, were spare.
“I’ll be right out,” Beth called, shutting the bedroom door.
“You know that with your clothes sticking to your skin, I’ve got a fairly good idea of what you look like,” Theo called. “Why don’t I come in and help you change?”
Beth laughed from the other side of the door. “No, thanks. You’re all wet yourself. Want to borrow a sweatshirt of mine?”
“Right,” Theo said. “Because it would fit so well.”