Flat-Out Matt

“Why is she not with her father? Why did she not tell us? Where has she been staying?”

“I don’t know,” he whispered. “Something must have happened.”

“And what is this apparently stupid and dangerous activity in which she is engaging?” Celeste folded the clothes she had for Julie into a neat pile on her lap.

“She is doing the goddamn Polar Plunge.” He was so mad that he could hardly speak the words aloud.

“Is this a bear-related activity? That does indeed sound quite dangerous.”

“What? No, it’s not a bear-related activity.” He wiped the window with his glove and then backed the car out of the driveway. “She’s jumping into the Atlantic Ocean with a bunch of other insane people. It’s a New Year’s Day event. The water is freezing. “

“How do you know that she is doing this?”

“I just… do.”

“Because you know her?” Celeste asked softly.

Matt took a moment before he responded. “Yes. Because I know her.” And he knew that Julie wanted to do this Plunge because Fi

“I do not think that sounds like an enjoyable activity in the least, but I also feel strongly that Julie must have a solid reason for participating in this cold-water plunging festival.”

“It’s not a festival! And there is no good reason!” Matt looked at the clock. They might make it in time to stop her. Maybe. The ocean water could shut down her body. The current could pull her under. He knew the way the icy water felt as though it were burning your skin, and how the shock of the cold could energize you. It could also debilitate you. Matt and Fi

Celeste calmly retied her scarf. “It is my opinion that you are having an unreasonably strong reaction to how Julie has chosen to celebrate this holiday.”

“I’ll react however I want to when someone does something so alarmingly outrageous.”

“Do you mean when a woman who you desire to engage with above a friendship level does something so alarmingly—”

“Celeste! Stop it,” Matt growled. He was not in the mood to wrangle Celeste’s dramatizations right now. He took a plastic baggie from his coat pocket and held it out. “Here, I have a muffin that I took to school the other day. You should eat something.”

“I do not want a muffin.”

“Yes, you do.” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.

“No, I do not want a muffin.”

Matt shook the bag wildly. “Just eat the muffin, okay?” he demanded. “You’re supposed to have breakfast!”

Celeste took the bag from his hand. “Goodness. If eating the muffin will help alleviate this display of emotionality, I will be happy to accommodate you and eat the muffin.” She paused. “I would be happier if you had not sat on it and if it were not undeniably compressed into a near pancake.”

“JUST EAT THE FREAKIN’ MUFFIN!” Matt flew through an intersection.

“It is my suspicion that by freakin’ you really mean fu—”

“How about we stop talking, okay?”

“Yes. Let’s. I will eat my subpar, unusually shaped muffin disc now.” She patted his shoulder. “And we will find Julie, and she will be perfectly fine.”

Matt took a deep breath. “I know.”

They drove silently to the beach in South Boston.

Matt took the first parking space he could find and slammed the car to a stop. “I’m sorry that I yelled at you, Celeste,” he said.

“I know. I do not mind much as the source of your outburst that elicited such an elevated reaction is near and dear to us both.” She opened her door and stepped out.

Matt shut off the ignition. He looked around the car, cursing himself for not having thought to bring towels, but he was relieved to see a blanket in the back. He grabbed it and opened his door, darting out to run through the parking lot and toward the beach. The sand slowed his pace, but he pushed ahead as fast as he could with Celeste trailing after him.

“Look at all the swimmers, Matty! This is delightful!”

The crowd on the beach was infuriating, and he weaved angrily around cheering people who clearly were not the least bit concerned about their loved ones who were in the Atlantic Ocean in January. He and Celeste finally got in front of the other onlookers, and he sca

“There! I believe that is her.” Celeste pointed a bit to their right. “She is wearing a bikini. A very small one.”

It was Julie. He would know her anywhere. She ran through deep blue waves and then suddenly threw her whole body under water. Matt dropped the blanket and flew forward to the edge of the water. “Julie!” he called. He kept his eyes on her, but knelt down and started to untie his boots. He was going in after her.

“No, Matty. Let her do this.”

“Celeste, she’s going to drown.”

“No, she is not going to drown. She wants this experience. Give it to her.”

Julie burst through to the surface before diving under for a second time. She was crazy. Matt stood up and cupped his hands by his mouth and yelled out her name again.

Sleet was falling, and the sky was darkening as deep gray clouds took over the sky. He watched as she stood in waist-level water and slowly began to drop. The cold had gotten to her, he knew. She was going under now, and not by her own will.

When you are numb, you lose control, you lose reason, you lose care.

“Julie!” Matt screamed as loudly as he could. He began to unzip his coat.

Celeste grabbed his arm. “No, Matthew. It is all right. There is someone there.”

Matt shook with relief as an older, muscular man with a frizzy white ponytail lifted Julie into his arms just before she disappeared under the dark water. Matt and Celeste waved their arms at the man and he carried Julie their way. Celeste handed Matt the blanket, and he held it open. The older man neared them with a smile. Julie was so frozen that she didn’t even look their way. “This girl belong to you?”

Matt nodded wordlessly, and the man set Julie’s feet gently on the sand in front of them before he disappeared into the crowd. Relief rushed through Matt as he wrapped the blanket around Julie. She was shaking in his arms, her body fighting frantically to warm up.

He held her tightly, rubbing her arms. “Oh my God, Julie! What were you doing?”

“Matt? Did you see me?” She buried her head against him.

“Yeah. I saw you.” He couldn’t conceal his anger.

“Did you see Santa Claus, too?” She was hoarse from the cold.

“That wasn’t Santa Claus. That was one of the L Street Brownies who rescued you from certain death. It was considerate of him, after you crashed their event.” Matt tightened the blanket around her and started furiously rubbing her back. “We have to get you warmed up. Dummy. Hey, can you get her sweatpants and socks and boots on? Hurry.”

Celeste helped Julie move her legs into her clothes. “I saw you, too, and I thought you were brilliant! Really stupendous!”

“Celeste?” Julie tried to turn her head, but Matt kept his arms around her, keeping the blanket over her wet hair and protecting her from the wind. He could hear her teeth chattering through the blanket, for God’s sake, and he was livid with her for doing this to herself.

“I’m here!” Celeste said excitedly. “I’m attending to your blue feet!”

“Why are you here? How?” Julie asked.

Matt lowered the blanket for a moment so that he could pull the shirt and sweatshirt they’d brought over her head. What was she thinking, wearing this tiny bikini out in public? She was lucky that she hadn’t been mauled by horny swimmers. Even nearly blue, she was gorgeous. Anyone would think so. Julie met his eyes finally, and he frowned as he wrapped the blanket back around her.