She was relieved when at last they all went to bed.

She and Marlin lay looking at the Big Dipper not speaking. She knew Marlin didn’t want to force her to talk if she didn’t want to and she didn’t much want to but she finally said, “I’m never talking to Al again.”

“Fair enough,” said Marlin. “I wouldn’t either. From now on I’ll take his dinners over myself and you can just cut him out of your life.”

“Thanks,” mumbled Fiona sleepily. “Were there any girls dancing in pants?”

“I didn’t see any,” said Marlin, trying to remember. “But it was dark.”

“Oh well,” said Fiona, falling asleep. “It doesn’t matter now.”

The Boat

MARLIN had her own reasons for wanting to take Al his dinners. That week she had received a rejection slip from Random House. When she appeared on his doorstep with his dinner he, instead of opening it and shouting “WHAT!” said quietly, “Listen, about last night—”

“Never mind about that,” she said curtly. After all, how could he possibly explain himself? “I just wanted to tell you that you were right. I got a rejection slip from Random House.”

“Huh,” he said. “Well, that’s too bad, kid. What did the family say?”

“I’m not telling them,” she said. “It’s too embarrassing.”

He just nodded.

“But that’s neither here nor there,” she went on rapidly. “I still think it’s a really good book and I want you to help me get it published.”

“ME?”

“Yeah, who else do I know with a published book?”

“International bestseller,” corrected Al.

“That just means a bestseller in the USA and Canada, right? I mean, it doesn’t mean it’s a bestseller all over the world,” said Marlin, who since her rejection was spending more time reading about publishing in general. “Just two countries is international.”

“Maybe but it so happens it was published all over the word, smarty-pants,” said Al. “And what do you mean just? Do you know how many copies you have to sell to get on the bestseller list in the USA?”

“All right, and anyhow you’ve made my point. You’re the person to help me. I want you to send it to your agent.”

“Whoa, whoa.”

“You still have an agent, don’t you?”

“Yes, but I haven’t published anything in years. And I’m not sending my agent anything I haven’t even read.”

“You can read it.”

“What makes you think I want to?”

“I think you owe us this after what you did to Fiona. She locked herself in the bathroom and said she was going to sit in the tub and wait for eternity to claim her.”

Al burst into laughter at this. “That’s what she said? Wait for eternity to claim her?”

“It’s not funny. She didn’t even get to tell Davy why she didn’t come and now school is out and she won’t see him until the fall. You ruined everything for her.”

Al stopped laughing abruptly. “And anyhow what do you mean I owe you? Who just gave you a two-thousand-dollar engagement ring?”