Meg & the Mystery Man
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Elise Title
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19
PROLOGUE
“FOR FOUR LONG YEARS, Berkeley School for Girls has nurtured and nourished us. Now the time has come for us to take what we have learned here and use that knowledge to sustain us in the next stage of our lives....”
Meg Delgado, her graduation cap tipped at a precarious angle because of her ponytail, fought back a yawn. She was thinking, as she listened to Chrissie Harris’s valedictory address, that it was certainly long. At times it felt like forever. Not that she didn’t have some terrific memories to look back on. And some wonderful friends, like Sandra, Kim and Laurel. The Four Mouseketeers, as she sometimes thought of them.
They’d become fast friends, working together on the school newspaper, the Berkeley Crimson—and had set it right on its ear, Meg thought with a feeling of pride and accomplishment. She bet the paper would never be as controversial or so in the thick of things again once they were gone. On the other hand, she bet plenty of teachers and school officials would breathe sighs of relief now that the staff of the Crimson was graduating. “Too provactive,” the school superintendent had angrily charged when he’d attempted to get them to back off from certain issues.
Well, there hadn’t been much chance of that, Meg thought. They’d told it and photographed it as they saw it. For her, working as an investigative reporter for the school paper had been the best part of high school. She always did have a nose for news, as well as a knack for putting that nose where a lot of folks felt it didn’t belong—especially those who stood to lose the most thanks to that refined sniffer of hers.
“...choosing different paths. College for many. Jobs for others. And for some, marriage and even motherhood...”
Meg saw the blush rise in the valedictorian’s cheeks. Chrissie was right about the marriage and motherhood bit, but not necessarily the order.
“...what’s important is that we are the women of the future. We have the opportunity to make a real difference. We have the drive, the determination, the intelligence to make the right choices...”
The right choices. Am I making the right choice? She’d chosen to go to the University of California at San Diego, following in the footsteps of her four big brothers, Tony, Alex, Sean and Paul. Family tradition. The Delgados were big on both family and tradition.
“...to be responsible, dedicated, unswerving in our conviction to make this place a better world...”
Responsibility. Meg sighed. Oh, sure, responsibility was important, but what she wanted was excitement, thrills, life experiences. Okay, she could probably land a job on the college paper, continue digging up dirt on campus for four years, but it already felt old to her. She ached for something new.
“...and when this summer comes to a close we will all be going our separate ways. A time of fond but sad farewells...”
Meg felt an uncharacteristic lump in her throat. Saying goodbye wasn’t going to be easy. Especially when it came to Sandra, Laurel and Kim. They’d been through so much together, shared so much, laughed together until they cried, cried together until they laughed. Meg didn’t dare look at them for fear that if she did she wouldn’t be able to hold back the tears. They’d never let her live it down if she started to bawl right out here in the open in front of the whole senior class, her family...
Her family. Saying goodbye to them was going to be awfully hard, too. Her mom would cry. That was a given. Mom always cried whenever one of her brood flew the coop. And since Meg was the youngest, it was going to be at least a three-hanky deal. Then there was her dad. He was as emotional as Mom. Oh, he wouldn’t actually blubber, but he’d be hugging her and ruffling her hair, sniffing the whole time he was lecturing her about studying hard, staying out of trouble...
“...our troubles may seem insurmountable at times, but we must steer our course ahead, looking for smooth waters...”
That wasn’t at all the course Meg wanted. She wanted choppy waters. The choppier the better. Ever since she’d been a little girl and the family had taken that cruise to Hawaii, sailing right into a hurricane, Meg had loved being at sea. She could still remember how frightened almost everyone on board had been on that trip, even her parents. Not so she or her brothers, who were wired with excitement. For them it was a great adventure.
Great adventure. That’s what she wanted. That’s what she longed for. Risks, danger, mystery.
“...and we will go forth to make our mark in history. Onward and upward.”
Yes, Meg thought with a surge of anticipation. Onward and upward. All she had to do was get through the next four years and then she really did mean to make her mark in history. Just where, when or how exactly...well, she had time to figure that out.
