Moonglass

that stuff, you know?” Tamra had smoothed her face over and now wore a polite smile that I guessed she had perfected a long time ago. Even my dad looked a bit hopeful.
    I bit my bottom lip, trying not to smile. Just as Andy thought it was highly important to have women in his life, he also seemed to think that I needed them, as role models or something. Never mind that they were almost interchangeable. His intentions were mostly good, but I also figured it was because he wanted someone to take the women off his hands every so often so he could still hang out with my dad. I looked at him, falsely sweet. “Oh, that’s so nice. But, um, I think I’m actually gonna dive with you guys.” I looked back at Tamra in her tight dress and heels. “You should come. I have an extra wet suit.”
    She shivered a little, then let out a laugh as if I had suggested something ridiculous, which I had. “Honey, I’ll be up here in that living room of yours with my glass of wine and Cosmo , waiting for some fresh fish.” She nudged Andy. “You said you’d get me a halibut, right?” He nodded confidently. “Sunday Poke-N-Eat, baby.” She looked puzzled. He grabbed up a three-pronged pole spear and jabbed at the air. “You know, poke … and eat. Old cove tradition, back from the good ol’ days when we all —”
    “Hey, catch!” My dad threw Andy’s wet suit at him and then walked over to the shed and started pulling out our collection of dive gear. Tamra smacked Andy on the butt and then disappeared back through the kitchen door. I looked out at the choppy water, not entirely sure I wanted to go diving, but sure enough that I didn’t want to spend the rest of the afternoon making small talk with Barbie incarnate.
    I fished my wet suit out of the pile that had been thrown out of the rubber tub, and started turning it right side out. It was completely dried out and stiff with salt from whenever I had gone out last, so putting it on involved a mix of pulling and hopping and cursing under my breath. Once I was zipped in, I pulled the hood over my head and tried to adjust to the squished cheeks it gave me. My dream was to be able to dive with no wet suit, but I had yet to make it to water warm enough for that, so next I put on gloves and then grabbed my fins and mask and followed the guys down to the water.
    We made a silly-looking procession that drew the looks of a couple of kids playing in the late-afternoon glow near the waterline. My dad carried his spear gun and a take bag and looked like serious business. Andy followed him, dragging his pole spear behind. I had shot my dad’s spear gun before and liked the muted thunk it made when I pulled the trigger underwater, but I didn’t have any interest in shooting fish. I just liked to be out there and getting a look at the things most people never did.
    The wind had died down almost completely, and I stood at the water’s edge watching the remaining choppiness rollwith each swell . My dad walked back to me and spit into his mask, then rubbed it around. “We’re going to work the rocks just beyond the tide pools and go south a ways. Try your best to stay near us.” He smiled and pulled his mask down over his eyes, leaving the snorkel hanging off to the side. “If you get separated or get spooked or something, you know which way the shore is. You’re gonna love it out there. It’s gorgeous.” I nodded and spit into my own mask, then used my thumbs to rub it around. I could see Andy’s head out beyond the surf line already. My dad waited while I put on my mask, and we walked out together into waist-deep water, pausing to put on our fins before we submerged our faces into the choppy water.
    The surface water was still all stirred up from the wind, so at first I saw only tiny particles suspended in hazy blue, and the bubbles that came up from my dad’s fins kicking in front of me. We kicked straight out and then made a turn so we were parall el to the shore, headed for the outer rocks of the tide pools. The only sounds I was aware of were my own rhythmic breathing, exaggerated through my snorkel, and the occasional gurgle of air bubbles rising to the surface. The rest was a kind of quiet that only existed underwater. I settled into it, brought my arms down against my sides, and scanned the water below me.
    We came to an area of rock covered in eel grass that promised a bit more clarity. My dad stopped ahead of me and let his legs sink down below him so that he