Amongst The Water-Fresh Waters

Chapter 34: Study Date! Part 2

   FIRST UPLOADED: JANUARY 15, 2021    UPDATED: AUGUST 2, 2021 11:29 AM    

"That's right. Matthew also goes to Sydney Seaside United." Kylie looks at her dad and grunts. The tanned man; now known as Matt's dad, looks at her curiously. He asks her if she's alright in a different language. Kylie looks at Mr. Miles confused. He looks at her and chuckles. "Do you not know that translation?" Kylie looks at her dad. Kevin is staring at her confused. She looks back at Mr. Miles. "I do. And I'm okay." She swallows hard. "My birth mom is part Samoan." She looks at him curiously. "But how did you know I'd understand it?" She asks him. Kevin looks at his new friend inquisitively. "That's what I'd liked to know?" He says, protectively. He steps from around his side of the counter. Taking a sip from his glass, he looks at his friend. "So do you know my fiance? Have you been around my daughter?" He asks after he swallows the dark golden liquid. Mr. Miles turns around to face Kevin. "I do not know your fiance. And I don't know much about your daughter because I haven't been around her." He assures Kevin. Mr. Miles nods at Kevin. Kylie glances back and forth between her dad and Matt's dad. "How did you know I'd understand what you said?" She asks him as her chest tightens. The strange feeling gaining on her. He looks at Kevin, then back at Kylie. He shrugs. "Loʻu atalii." He says looking at Kylie. She stares at him trying to decipher that. "Oh." She says sounding a little confused, she thinks he said "my son." "Matt?" She asks, not sure if she remembered the translation correctly. He nods. 

She looks at her dad and tries to ignore the weird and creepy feeling that Mr. Miles knows more than he's letting on. "Ummm...." She stutters nervously. "I was wondering if I could go to the Crab Shack and study with Evie and Jakobe." She asks, finally. "Since the rest of the day was canceled because of Mr. Rites murder..." She pauses, still not used to saying that. "We thought it would be smart to study for the Marine Biology test next week. And afterward, we thought of practicing our lines for the play." She lets out a sigh of relief because she finally figured out a lie to tell her dad. Kevin smiles in delight. "They released the roles for The Little Mermaid already?" He asks excitedly. Mr. Miles' light blue, almost white eyes widen. "That's right! They did! Matthew told me it was today." He reaches into his light, bleach stained jeans. He pulls out a dated flip phone. He texts slowly on it. "I wonder if Matt got the part he wanted?" He looks up from his phone at Kevin and Kylie. He stops texting too. "He tried out for Prince Eric." He says and looks back down at his black phone. Kevin looks at Kylie and nods. "Kylie tried out for Ariel." Kylie rolls her eyes at her dad. Kevin flinches at his daughter's reaction. He's not used to his kids giving him that kind of reaction to anything unless it's included with a joke. He looks at her sternly. Kylie sighs and puts her head down. She stares at her black leather, ankle-high converse. She looks up at Mr. Miles and chuckles. She quickly covers her laugh with a cough. "Sorry." She says looking at Mr. Miles, who is peering up from his phone. She pounds on her chest. "My water went down the wrong way." She lies as she pulls out a water bottle from her new purse. She holds it up and shows him. "Sometimes I drink it too fast." She chuckles nervously. Matt smiles at her. "I know how that feels." He laughs. "But it's interesting how you don't choke on the water while you swim." He says eying her inquisitively. She purses her lips confused. Then a sudden feeling hits her. 'Does he know?'

"If you are going to the Crab Shack to study, then I will allow that." Kylie is snapped out of her thoughts. She looks up to her dad, letting her peripheral vision stay on Matt's dad. He returns to his phone. "Thank you, dad." She smiles sweetly. Kevin returns the smile and says your welcome in French. "De rien." Kylie smiles again, adoring her father's French accent. It's even more pronounced when he speaks his native language. She hasn't heard him speak French in a while. And it makes her happy to hear him say thank you in French. Since learning Samoan from Brianna and trying to not lose her Spanish; she was afraid she'd lose her French too. She needs to start speaking it again before she loses it completely. Her pronunciation is already rusty.

"But you need to be sure to do your homework and study before you rehearse." He advises her. She nods. "Si papa." She follows up in Spanish. He sighs pleased. "Look at my la petite fille speaking 3 languages." He smiles at her awing her need to learn. She nods. "I'm hoping Brianna will teach me Maori. It is a language spoken in New Zealand and is slowly dying off." She informs her dad. Kevin nods interested. Matt's dad nods. "It is. My son Matt can speak it fluently." He says closing his phone. Kylie forms a tight smile. Kevin looks at Kylie and smiles. "Maybe Matt can tutor you in Maori too." Kylie scowls at her dad. She sighs relieved when she notices that he is looking at Mr. Miles opening his phone again. He smirks amused. Kylie's expression changes from annoyance to amusement. She quietly chuckles at him slowly texting again. Mr. Miles glances at her and smiles. Kylie lets out a sigh of relief. Glad that he didn't hear her. 

He keeps working on the text and he grunts a few times frustrated. "Is everything okay?" Kevin asks him, trying to hold back his laughter. Mr. Miles stops for a moment and looks at Kevin. "Yes." He sighs annoyed. "Phones are aggravating. I have no clue why Matt and Lonnie pushed my wife and me to get one." He says sighing. Kevin and Kylie look at him curiously. "You've never had a cell phone?" Kevin asks him. Mr. Miles scoffs. "Absolutely not." He laughs. "Matt says that mobile phones are a necessity on land and I need one." He blurts out while he looks back at his phone. He quickly looks up at them, his eyes wide. Mr.Miles notices the confusion on their faces. "Did I say land?" He laughs. "I meant....." He trails off nervously. "Necessary to communicate in case of an emergency." Kylie answers for him. "Indeed!" Matt's dad says relieved for her help. Kylie stares at him without blinking. Focusing on his reaction. His personality and mannerism are definitely odd.