Between the Land and the Sea - By Derrolyn Anderson Page 0,75
and wind blasting back our hair. I wore one of my prettiest new dresses and Cruz looked stylish in a black leather jacket and riding boots, a striped scarf artfully draped around his neck. We were making our escape, leaving behind all the stress of the past few weeks. We drove along the coast the whole way, enjoying views of bucolic farmland and wild unspoiled bluffs with surf raging below. My driving skills had improved considerably and we made it into the apartment building’s underground garage in no time. Boris came out to meet us at the entrance and took the Porsche to park it in Evie’s level.
“Allo sveetheart,” he said to me as I handed him the keys.
“Hi Boris! This is my cousin Cruz.” Boris scowled at him as we unloaded two large garment bags from the tiny back seat.
“Bets you’ve been having blast vith za Porsche,” said Boris, eyeing Cruz suspiciously.
“Yes– it’s been great!” I said, giving him a quick hug. I took Cruz’s arm and led him to the elevator.
“That is one scary looking Russian!” Cruz said under his breath.
“Boris?” I laughed, “He’s really the sweetest guy… He’s just super protective of Evie.” We took the elevator up to my apartment, popping in to get cleaned up before we went over to Evie’s. I almost expected to see my dad when we walked in, but the place was empty and the air was still. I went into my room and felt like a visitor, like I was a million years older. I ran a brush through my snarled hair as Cruz stood at the window, taking in the view that swept across the city and ended with the Golden Gate Bridge.
“Wow,” he said, “It’s even better than I remembered it!” I showed Cruz my art studio, a spacious high ceilinged room with the same spectacular view through a much bigger window.
“You have to stay here when you’re in design school! We could share the studio space and you could have the guest room.”
“That would be awesome!” said Cruz, “We could have tons of fun in the city.”
“It’s a plan,” I said.
Cruz sighed heavily, “I wish we were out of high school right now.”
“I know,” I sympathized, “If it wasn’t for you and Megan I’d be outta there.”
“What about Ethan?” Cruz asked slyly.
Ignoring his comment, I shepherded him towards the door, “Ready to go meet Evie?”
“Let’s do it,” he said.
We crossed the hall over to Evie’s apartment and banged on the door. It swung open and Evie threw her arms around me, two leaping little dogs at our feet. She was fully done up for our big day, dressed in couture Valentino with her hair coiffed elaborately. I introduced Cruz, and he just stood, transfixed.
“Come in, come in,” Evie said, gesturing us inside.
Cruz was frozen at the doorway. I took his arm and led him in.
“Marina,” he said, wide eyed, “You didn’t tell me that your Aunt Evie was the Evelyn Pond!”
Evie beamed at him, clearly pleased. After Cruz recovered his composure, he went on and on about how Evie was a true fashion icon, who had inspired some of the great designers of her generation.
“She was the first real ‘it girl’,” he said reverently, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I knew she was famous,” I shrugged, “But she’s always just been Aunt Evie to me.” Evie smiled and gave me a squeeze.
“Your cousin is very knowledgeable about fashion,” pronounced Evie. If she was taken aback at all by Cruz’s makeup and piercings, she didn’t show it. She looked at the garment bags Cruz had slung over his shoulder.
“Come, let’s have a peek at all these marvelous designs that Marina tells me about.” We unzipped the bags and Cruz pulled out one spectacular piece after another, spreading them out onto Evie’s plushly upholstered sofas. She gushed over each item, taking note of the exquisite workmanship and detail. I don’t think I’d ever seen Cruz so happy and the feeling washed over me, so powerful it was contagious.
I looked around fondly at Evie’s enormous and opulently decorated apartment, a riot of gilt and velvet, silk and color. It was so different from my own sparsely furnished place it was almost comical. The floors were graced with dozens of intricate Persian rugs, and every horizontal surface held an object of ornate beauty. The walls were crowded with colorful paintings and tapestries, and there were many elegant portraits of Evie taken by famous photographers.
When Cruz pulled out the mermaid inspired dress Evie