“But how…”
“The life raft is on a long line. If you drop it in the right place, the wind and waves will blow it onto the boat and your father can get it. ”
Ikemi did not ask any more questions. She took off her seat belt and got up.
On the Elizabeth, Hiru watched the Manatee disappear in to the storm. Then, suddenly, over the radio:
“Elizabeth, Manatee! Sir, can you hear me? Over!”
Hiru crossed the boat like man in a dream and picked up the radio.
“Who the hell is this?”
“It’s me, it’s Max, sir. Listen, I can’t pick you up here, so I’m going to pick you up in the eye of the storm. I’m going to fly low over the boat. I’m going to drop you a life raft. There’s a long line on the life raft. The wind will blow the line onto the boat. The wind will blow the line onto the boat. Tie yourself into the raft and make sure you close the raft. We’ll pick you up inside the eye. ”
Hiru stood in his sinking boat like a man who’d been hit on the head. Max, Not Max, Ikemi,s loud American friend? Max who drove a motorcycle too fast, spoke too loudly, and was training to be a pilot at flying school. Hiru felt himself go even colder. Max had said, “We’ll pick you up in the eye.” . Who was “we”? Don’t let Ikemi be on that awful old plane with that crazy American boy in this terrible storm, please no . . .
“Max, is Ikemi with you? Listen to me! Fly back right now. Right now, do you hear me? Don’t worry about me, I’ll be all right, just take Ikemi back right now, right now, Do you hear me?”