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"Corains of salt crinkle under our shoes At least a dozen people pass us, one or two nodding hello,us completely We are just two people in wool coats, on our way home

We make it to the harbor, and it is different up close from how it looked in the limo It’s more vibrant We can really s of boats against the dock I’ before we’re discovered, but I see the awe on Gabriel’s face and I allow hi like you reht I remembered the ocean, but I didn’t reainst hiives an excited squeeze

"Think you can steer us out of this place on one of those boats?" I say

"Oh, absolutely"

"You sure?" I say

"Well, if I’uess we die"

I laugh a little "Fine by me," I say

There isn’t much time to be particular I let Gabriel choose the boat because he’s the expert He’s only ever seen pictures, and most of these models are much newer than the ones you can read about in Linden’s library, but his expertise is still greater thanboat with an indoor steering panel--I’m not sure of the technical name, and Gabriel has no time to explain--but it will protect us froly easy to untie the rope, to cast ourselves off And even if Gabriel isn’t familiar with these newer models, he’s impressively deft I try to help, but I only make it worse, and eventually he tells me to just be the lookout That

Gabriel works the steering unit, looking so serious and important, such a contrast to the uncertain little attendant pushing lunch carts around on the wives’ floor He watches the horizon, and his eyes are blue like the water, and I know he’s right where he’s meant to be Maybe his parents were sailors Or o, when people were natural and free, his ances-tors looked just this way

We’re finally free, and I have so much to tell his he wants to tell s can wait I stand at a distance, ad him have his moment I let his capable hands steer us into the forever, over sunken continents, until Florida disappears Just disappears, as though sed

Maybe, I think, we’ll end up on the beach Deirdre’s father painted Maybe we’ll touch real starfish that we can hold in our hands, that don’t fall right through our grasp Either e’ll have to find a shore somewhere

We’ll have to stop and ask for directions to Manhattan; only, e stop, it will be in a place where nobody knows us, where I’m not Linden Ashby’s bride and he’s not an attendant, and nobody has ever heard of Vaughn Ashby or his sprawlingup the coastline, and the wind has picked up

Gabriel puts his ar the sturdy resistance of the steering wheel

"Look," he says in ht washes over us and continues on its rotation This tiuide us