Venmo Payment from Paige Chadwick to Gamble Air Rejected—$200
Note: Thanks. I appreciate the gesture, but if you try to send the money again, I’m going to block you on Venmo.
I arriveat Grandpa Jack’s just in time for poker night, having run late at the mechanic’s. Cal, Murray, and Darnell are already here as I walk in carrying a six-pack of Coronas, a lime, and pizza from the Turtle’s Head Pub (where they make the best pizza in the Caribbean, bar none).
“What’s all this about?” Jack asks, taking the Coronas from me.
“We’re having a wake for Tweety,” I answer.
“Aww, shit. I’m sorry, kid,” he says. “She was a good plane.”
“That she was.”
“Really bright yellow too,” Cal adds.
“That too,” I say, my shoulders dropping. “If it was just the pontoons and the propeller, it would’ve been worth it, but with the dashboard getting fried like that, the cost to repair her is more than the cost to replace her.”
We dish up the pizza, then settle ourselves around the table. “So, how’d it go on the island?” Jack asks, shuffling the cards.
“Good. I got everything cleaned up and repaid what I owed,” I answer, not bothering to mention I spent the night holding Paige’s pillow because it smelled like her.
“So?” Darnell asks me.
“So what?” I answer.
“So, what happened between you two?”
Cal answers for me. “We know what happened between them. We all saw the news footage.”
They all laugh while my cheeks warm up from embarrassment. “Yeah, yeah. I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
“Nope,” Darnell says. “Now, answer my question otherwise Rosy’ll be pounding down your door for the gossip.”
“I’m a gentleman,” I tell him. “I’m not going to talk about what happened.”
“All right, leave the kid alone,” Jack says, shuffling again. “He’s been through a lot.”
“Thanks, Grandpa.”
Taking a sip of his beer, he says, “I’m a little worried about you, to be honest. You seem … different. Like you just woke up from a long nap and don’t know what day it is.”
I snort. “That may be the best way possible to describe what I’m feeling.”
The three of them exchange a glance, and I roll my eyes at them. “Don’t start getting ideas. It’s over. Which is fine. I’ll be back to my normal self in a few days.”
“You sure you want that?” Darnell asks.
“Yup,” I answer, feeling irritated. “Are we going to play cards or what?”
“Nah, I don’t think so,” Jack says, setting the cards down instead of dealing them. “We’ve got more important matters to attend to.”
“Agreed,” Cal adds. “Now, clearly you’re in love with her. It’s written all over your face. So what’s stopping you from going to get her?”
“I can’t just show up, throw her over my shoulder, and drag her back here,” I answer, my mind immediately flashing to her lecturing me on how men can’t just pick a woman up without asking. “It’s not the caveman days anymore.”
Darnell shakes his head at me. “No one is suggesting you do that. But why don’t you pick up the phone and call her? Ask her how she feels.”
“Yeah, women love that,” Cal says.
