Walking beside Yvonne was Eric Young, her husband. He wore glasses and had a shaved head. Though Gabriel couldn’t deny a slight resentment, he knew that too many years had passed for any real jealousy. He had a strong, friendly face, and they were clearly happy together. Yvonne had said that Eric was good with Melanie, as well, which was the most important thing.

Gabriel saw a flash of red hair hiding behind Yvonne. Apparently, his daughter was as nervous as he was.

When they reached him, Yvonne lunged forward and gave him a huge hug. Her body felt more petite than he remembered, and when she pulled back, he noticed new laugh lines around her eyes and mouth. She looked slightly different in that indefinable way people change when you haven’t seen them in a long time. After the other women he’d seen recently—casual dates, nothing serious—staring into Yvonne’s eyes again felt utterly surreal.

“You’re not drinking. I can tell,” she blurted, then she blushed. “Er, I mean…”

“Thanks.” Gabriel chuckled. “So I presume that this is Eric?”

“Yes, that’s me.” Eric smiled and offered his hand. “It’s a thrill to meet you, man.”

“Thanks.”

Eric had a firm handshake and an enthusiastic smile, though he seemed a bit uncomfortable. But that was to be expected, since he was meeting his wife’s ex-husband. Yvonne had told him Eric was a newspaper reporter, though his hands were brown and callused, as if he could have been a lumberjack.

“I’m actually a big fan of yours,” Eric said. “Seriously, the stuff you did… I mean, the way you did it, on your own. Pretty awesome, man.”

“Thanks.” Gabriel smiled politely. “Now, if you guys don’t mind, I’d really like to meet someone.”

“Oh yes, she’s a quiet one.” Yvonne looked behind her. “C’mere, Melanie.”

Gabriel dug his hands into his pockets. He was as terrified of the little girl as if she were a fire-breathing dragon.

The shy redhead stepped out from behind her mother. She wore a yellow dress and had sharp, angular features, with a mouth and nose that looked startlingly similar to his own. She tried to look Gabriel in the eyes but was too nervous to hold his gaze, and her fingers rose to her mouth.

“Hi, Melanie,” Gabriel said.

“Hi,” she whispered.

Gabriel’s heart melted. For the first time, it all seemed real. That little human being, that little piece of himself that had separated and become its own person, had been walking around the world, living her life. It occurred to him that she had heard stories about her father for years.

“Don’t worry,” he told her. “I’m not as scary as I look.”

She laughed, sounding just like her mother.

Gabriel’s eyes became damp with tears. He crouched in front of her. “I’ve missed you so much, Melanie. Melanie… uh…” He turned to Yvonne. “Young? Luciana? Which is it?”

Yvonne chuckled, and Gabriel was surprised to see that she was wiping away her own tears. She touched his shoulder. “Schist. Your daughter’s name is Melanie Schist.”

Gabriel choked up. “You gave her my name?”

“You got it.” Yvonne nodded with a smile. “If it’s okay with you, Gabriel, I was thinking that Eric and I could stay with my friends here in Hermosa for the week. And Melanie could spend some time with you.”

“You’d be okay with that?” Gabriel asked in amazement. “Her? With me? For the whole week?”

“Yeah. If you need anything, you can call us. We’ll be close by.”

“Well…” Gabriel looked at daughter. “I have one question. Melanie, have you ever gone sailing?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Oh, yeah?” Gabriel grinned. “Good.”

Later that afternoon, Gabriel led Melanie across the dock. When they reached his boat, Gabriel lifted her into the air and placed her on the deck.

“You live here?” She giggled. “On a boat?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“It’s weird.”

“So?” Gabriel climbed aboard.

The sun would descend soon. He had to move fast. Timing was everything. It was going to be her first experience on a sailboat, her first memory of her dad. He wanted to make it count.

Dad. That’s my name now, isn’t it?

He set sail, and the boat took off into the ocean, quietly slicing into the water’s surface with a gentle rocking motion. Melanie gazed around with amazement.

“Now what’s important to remember,” Gabriel said, “is that you have no control over the wind. You have no control over the ocean. You can’t change the environment. But if you want to change your direction, you know what you can do?”

“What?”

He grinned. “You can adjust the sails.”

“What does that mean?”

He demonstrated, and Melanie laughed delightedly as the shoreline slowly disappeared behind them, becoming a small black line of bumps.

She jumped up and down. “This is so cool!”

She reached out and took his hand. Gabriel swallowed a lump in his throat.

He stood at the front of his sailboat in the last breath of the dying sun, holding his daughter’s hand. The powerful winds of the Pacific whipped through their hair.

Together, they met the horizon.

Chapter 44:

Transparent

Summer 2018

“So you brought this guy here from North Wing, right? They didn’t give me a good report. What kind of pills does he take?”