Eversea A Love Story

slipped under the water again. Something didn’t ring true about that last part, but I decided to let it go.
    I waited until he emerged and circled back away from that line of questioning. “So, this principal of yours, Mr. Chaplin, must be proud of you. Does he know how much he inspired you?”
    What an amazing gift to give a teacher, to know how you changed a kid’s life, and even more that the child had grown up to become world famous. I shook my head with wonder. I couldn’t remember any teacher having such an impact on me, although I’d liked my English and art teacher in high school. But it was mostly Nana who had inspired my love for the written word and allowed my creativity to flourish. She and I, with all of the art projects we would work on all summer long, and look what I’d done with it ... a big fat nothing. Yet. My heart squeezed as I thought of Nana. I missed her so much. I wondered what she would think of Jack. If she would approve.
    “Mr. Chaplin, as far as I know, has no idea.”
    “He must know, I mean surely you are as famous over there as you are here.” In fact, the Erath saga was a global phenomenon. There was no way he wasn’t recognized the world over.
    I was obviously straying into dangerous territory again. I hadn’t meant to. Jack turned without answering and broke into a powerful stroke. Though we’d only known each other a few days, I was already picking up cues for when he was uncomfortable. When he turned at the other end, I quickly moved to the edge of the pool where he was headed and slipped my feet into the water.
    “I’m sorry,” I said as he came up in front of me. “It’s none of my business. I’m not trying to pry, I was just curious about you. What makes you ... you. But, as I said, it’s none of my business. I’ll stop.” I smiled. “Sooo, how about this fall weather we’re having? Hmm?” I waggled my eyebrows trying to lighten the mood.
    “Yeah,” he said, going along with it for a moment. “Gorgeous.”
    I waited. He seemed like he might say more.
    He did. “My life in England is not something I talk about. Ever. I’m sorry. I will tell you, though,” he took a deep breath and looked up at me, “that the reason Mr. Chaplin doesn’t know who I am is because I wasn’t Jack Eversea back then. My mother and I changed our names when we came here. In fact, she doesn’t go by Eversea anymore either since she remarried. So, for the most part, no one bothers her, which is how we both like it.”
    My vivid imagination could only grapple with the kind of reasons a mother would first put her young child in a boarding school, and then flee to another country and change their names. My stomach churned at his words, and my heart hurt. He must have seen my reaction, because he came forward and put a hand on each knee. My pulse sped up.
    “Don’t, Keri Ann. Don’t feel sorry for me. It’s not something I want to talk about, but suffice it to say that for some reason, you know more than anyone. It’s not that bad. If it was, I would never have put myself in such a public position.” I wanted to feel warm and fuzzy that he had confided in me just a little, but knowing the little bit was torture. “Okay?” he asked.
    “I wish you hadn’t told me anything,” I said quietly. I saw a flash of something in his eyes, and just as quickly, it was gone. I realized my words could have sounded callous, I hadn’t meant them that way.
    “Me too.” He made to move away, but I grabbed his arm.
    “Wait,” I said, in case he had been about to shut me out, or swim away. “That didn’t come out right. I didn’t mean you couldn’t tell me, or that I ... well ... ”
    He shook his head. “It’s fine, Keri Ann.”
    “It’s not fine. I just want you to know, I wished you hadn’t told me because ... I care about you. I’m not pitying you, I care about you.” I paused. I really did care about him—as crazy as that could be after only knowing someone a few days. And I didn’t mean in the way you care about another human, just because you’re human. But I’d keep that tidbit to myself until my grave.
    I decided to forge ahead. “When you care about someone, you don’t like to think of them hurting whether now or way in the past. Especially when you can’t fix it. That’s all I meant by saying that. In reality, I want to know everything about you, but I understand your boundaries.” I took a deep breath and shrugged. “I have them, too.”
    He