Page 25 of Endless Summer: Stories
“A specialmission?” Barbie says.
“His exact words.”
Well, all Barbie can think is that a “special mission” is Glenn’s nifty euphemism for cold feet. He doesn’t want to marry Barbie after all. He found out about Earl Fischer or, worse, about Barbie’s part-time job this summer as a madam. The thick fog inside the crystal ball meant this: a botched wedding, a bride left standing at the altar. Tony Harlowe had been right; Barbie Pancik wasn’t good enough.
Leon puts a strong hand on Barbie’s bare shoulder, and the kindness and pity contained in this gesture is what makes Barbie cry. Just a few salty tears—she’s too tough for anything more. Plus, there’s her makeup.
“I tried his cell phone,” Leon says. “But he’s not answering.”
Barbie can’t believe this. She spoke to Glenn at noon, and he’d sounded happy, even joyful.
Allegra and Hope close in.
Hope says, “Auntie Barbie, what’s wrong?”
Barbie opens her mouth to explain, to tell them sometimes in life, lots of times, in fact, things don’t turn out the way they’re supposed to. Barbie should never have lied. She could have told Glenn about everything, she realizes now, and he would have loved her anyway.
But before Barbie can figure out how to explain the inevitable disappointments of the world to her nieces, Allegra shrieks. There is a car barreling down the dirt road toward the beach.
“Daddy!” Allegra says. “I swear,I see Daddy!”
Barbie squints. The car, she sees, is Glenn’s Escalade, and in the passenger seat is… is…
Barbie cries out, “It’s Eddie!”
Glenn screeches to a stop in a cloud of dust and sand. He hops out of the car and so does Eddie. A third man climbs out of the back seat. He’s wearing a uniform, and there’s a gun in his hip holster.
Glenn waves at Barbie. “Get-out-of-jail-free card,” he says. “For twenty-four hours!” He gives Barbie a big grin. “What do you get the woman who has everything?”
Barbie’s vision is blurred with tears. She and Hope and Allegra run to give Eddie a hug.
“You look just beautiful, Barb,” Eddie says.
“Doesn’t she?” Glenn says. He kisses Barbie and wipes away one of her tears with his thumb, then he turns to Allegra and Hope. “I’m going up now. You two follow behind me, just like we practiced.”
“Okay,” Hope says.
“Okay,” Allegra says.
The girls line up with their bouquets in front of them, then process up and over the dunes.
Eddie offers Barbie his arm. “It’s our turn,” he says.
