Free Lila Blue by Annie Katz Page B

house.
    Shelly was getting tired of
waterskiing and of trying to keep boys from pestering her to death. Two of her
tall blond cousins, both in high school, appointed themselves bodyguards,
solving the boy problem for a few days. Then they both transformed into
slobbering idiots and competed for her attention, so she was doomed. I was
relieved to be tall and big-footed and gangly, and I felt a deep gratitude for
my insane orange hair. Being invisible to boys was a blessing.
    My description of Lila's library
intrigued Shelly. Every time we talked, she'd send me on a scavenger hunt.
    "Find out how long humans have
been on the planet," she said one day. "I'm trying to predict how
long it will take for boys to evolve beyond chimpanzees."
    When I gave her the answer the next
day, she said, "Okay, what did Gauguin's family think of his naked lady
paintings?"
    Necessity had forced Shelly and me
to progress to something more fun than game shows. I felt closer to her than
ever, even though we were a thousand miles apart.
    I worried enough about the phone
bills though to talk to Lila about them. Rule number four, Communicate
clearly and completely . One morning while we walked barefoot on the beach, winding
along right where the water kissed the shore, I said, "My mom gave me some
money. I'll pay the phone bills." I hoped I had enough to cover the calls
I'd made so far.
    "It's very considerate of you
to offer, Cassandra, but no thank you. It's such a joy having you here. I want
to pay for all our expenses.”
    "I'm glad you and Shelly are
close," she said. "Sometimes long distance friendship can be the
sweetest, the most intimate. Something about all the miles in between cuts to
the heart of things."
    "But long calls three times a
week?" I asked, wondering if I should try to cut back. Shelly's parents
were rich, and they traveled all over the world, so she always had plenty of
money for anything.
    "More often if you like,"
Lila said. "Don't think about money, Cassandra. I have plenty. It's an
honor to share with my only granddaughter."
    I nodded. A thought was sneaking
around in my head just beyond consciousness. I wasn't sure I wanted to know
what it was. Lila seemed lost in her thoughts, too, so we walked along in
silence a while, letting the water lick our toes.
    Just then a huge wave knocked us
both down and rolled us up the beach, where it left us drenched and covered in
sand. I couldn't believe it. The waves weren't even big that day, just medium
sized and well behaved. Where had this monster come from?
    I looked over to see if my grandma
was okay, and she was laughing so hard she couldn't get up off the foamy
debris-littered beach. She looked like a cartoon sea monster, complete with a
rope of brown kelp across her arm. My hair was plastered to my head with foamy
sand, so I must have looked pretty funny myself, because she took one look at
me and laughed so hard she had a coughing fit. She had to roll over and pound
on the sand until she could gather herself together enough to stand up.
    "That was wonderful," she
said, lifting her arms to the sky. "Fabulous!" She came over to see
if I was all right. "That's why they're called sneaker waves. That giant
came out of nowhere."
    I didn't see what was so fabulous about
being drenched in icy seawater and rolled in the sand like a jellyroll in
powdered sugar. My coat weighed about twenty pounds, so I sloughed it off and
starting wringing water out of it. Gritty water was trickling down my face and
into my eyes, and when I wiped it away, the sand scratched my cheeks. Plus I
was freezing.
    "We better get home
quick," Lila said, still laughing. "We'll turn into pillars of
ice." She took off running ahead of me, nearly tripping on her soaked
denim skirt. Her sweater was hanging down to her knees, and she squeezed water
out of it as she ran.
    "Wait for me, Grandma," I
yelled, and when she glanced back without slowing down, I didn't have any
choice but to run after her.
    We still had little