One True Loves

On the day that Jesse returns, Sam leaves home in the morning without saying goodbye to Emma. Emma heads to work at Blair Books, reflecting on how it is “the one thing in [her] life right now that [she is] unequivocally proud of” (143). At work, she sees an email from her mother, with a link to the article about Jesse. It details how he went missing three-and-a-half years ago and was presumed dead, but had been stranded on an islet in the ocean. He was finally picked up by a ship seven weeks ago. The article includes a comment from Jesse’s parents on how relieved they are at his return; the piece also notes how Emma had no comment. Emma is distracted all day, and is relieved when it is finally time to head to the airport. On the way, she receives an “I love you” text from Sam, which feels “both life-affirming and heartbreaking” (148).

While Emma is waiting in the parking lot, Olive calls to express her support. Jesse’s parents arrive, and Emma goes to greet them; she is engulfed in an embrace by Francine. Francine asserts that their main job is to make Jesse feel safe. To this effect, they have not told Jesse that Emma has moved on, as they are uncertain how he will feel about her “already [being] engaged” to someone else. This upsets Emma, who proclaims that she already feels guilty enough without other people piling on. She feels conflicted over having moved on, being uncertain about her feelings, and being unable to stay loyal to Sam.

The plane lands, and Jesse walks out. Emma’s heart is racing; she registers that although he seems worse for wear, Jesse has never seemed as beautiful to her as in this moment.

Jesse is thinner and frailer, and missing the pinkie finger on his right hand, but his smile and mannerisms are the same. He hugs Emma, and she immediately feels like no time has passed at all. She still loves Jesse, and cannot imagine how she spent all these years without him, or how she could ever love someone else the way she loves him.

Emma spends the next couple of hours in a daze, watching Jesse reconnect with his family. Her phone keeps ringing, but she cannot bear to look at it. Emma notices that Jesse is getting overwhelmed by all the people around him. Eventually, he pulls Emma aside and asks her to take him away. Emma agrees; though emotionally exhausted, she tells Jesse that she loves him. While Jesse tells his family that they are leaving, Emma notes the diamond ring on her finger; she chose to wear it instead of Jesse’s ruby ring, despite each of them being “only half the truth” (162).

Emma and Jesse drive away and stop on the side of the road, a little way from the airport. Emma asks Jesse to tell her everything; Jesse is hesitant, but agrees to tell her part of his story as long as she never asks for further information.

After the helicopter went down, Jesse realized he was the only survivor. The inflatable raft and supplies that were on board helped him survive weeks at sea, before he found land. He landed on a small rock formation in the middle of the sea, which he intended to rest on for a while, but was stranded after the raft got punctured on the rocks. Jesse survived on rainwater collected in canisters, raw fish, oysters, and mussels. When he realized no one was coming to find him, he had a crisis, then an epiphany: He would train to swim into the open water. It took him over two years to work up the stamina and courage; he endured a jellyfish sting along the way, and even had to put off leaving the islet because a shark was circling it for weeks on end. When Jesse finally set out, “it wasn’t  because he believed that he could make it. It was because he knew he’d die if he didn’t” (166). Less than two days after he started swimming, a ship finally found him.

Jesse doesn’t mention his missing finger, and when Emma starts to ask about it, he cuts her off and proclaims that he thought about her every day. He asks her to fill him in; when she mentions that she’s engaged, he is relieved, as he’d imagined her already married to someone else. Jesse asserts that Emma being engaged will not stop him from putting their life back together. He apologizes for leaving before their anniversary, and for putting Emma and his family through his ordeal.

Despite Emma’s love for Jesse, she is conflicted, because she knows any choice she makes will hurt people. When she expresses this to Jesse, he changes the subject. He takes her in his arms but doesn’t kiss her. Jesse asks Emma to drop him off at home, and to meet him for breakfast before work the next morning. He is surprised to learn that she works at Blair Books now, but is excited for their upcoming breakfast.

Emma returns home to a worried Sam; he has been calling her, and didn’t know if or when she was coming home. As Sam prepares dinner, Emma assures him that they can talk about anything he wants to. Sam asks questions, and Emma describes Jesse’s current state, her own confusion, and how she didn’t kiss him. Emma asks if they can pretend things are fine just for the evening; Sam agrees, but is unable to keep up the pretense. He opens up about how emotional he is in anticipation of being hurt. He and Emma make love with unprecedented urgency.

Afterward, Emma and Sam talk about the situation again. Sam acknowledges that it is an impossible situation, but he feels angry at everything. He wants Emma to be with him not out of pity, but because she wants to. He thinks they should call off their wedding, in the face of Emma’s inability to completely commit to him: “I have to let you go […] If we have any chance of surviving this and one day having a healthy, loving marriage” (187). Sam allows Emma to explore what may be left between her and Jesse, to determine what she truly wants. Emma decides to stay with her parents for a while; she packs her things, and the couple tearfully bid each other goodbye.

Emma arrives at her parents’ house early in the morning and lets herself in. When her parents come to check the noise, she fills them in on the situation. They comfort and reassure her before heading back to bed. Emma is unable to sleep; when she sees a light come on in Marie’s house early in the morning, she takes off her engagement ring and heads over.