Page 73 of That Last Summer

“Do you realize you’ve started your last eight responses with ‘fuck’?”

“Fuck, I really have. Don’t hold it against me today, ok?”

* * *

After having lunch with Mom and Dad—just the four of us this time—and after some table conversation, Jaime and I go down to the beach. We’ve been working on the comic strip all morning and part of noon and we need to relax. Let’s just say that Pristy has been kind of... intense. Or maybe it’s me. And what better way to calm down than a swim? I’m hot to the bone and sweating all over.

As soon as we reach the beach—we haven’t even put a foot in the sand—we run into Marcos and Alicia, who are sitting on their towels and leaning against the small stone wall that separates the beach from the promenade. They have a huge piece of card between their legs, names and drawings of round tables written all over it. I guess they’re organizing the guests for the banquet. I mentally tell Pristy to make a note and remind me later to keep an eye on those tables. Check who I’ll be seated with.

They stand up to greet us and before I can even say “hello” my brother mentions that damn husband of mine. The one I really don’t want to know anything about. Where Alex is concerned, it’s like swimming against the current.

“Thank God Alex isn’t here today—between the jellyfish incident and the rescue day, you’ve got the poor guy panicking every time you step onto the beach. I can tell just by looking at him, every time we have breakfast together.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I say sarcastically, “poor Alex, shaking in fear to the point that—”

A dog running along the promenade toward me—a dog I know very well—interrupts midsentence. I step out to the middle of the walkway and crouch down, stretching my arms out to welcome him. I scan my surroundings, but Alex doesn’t seem to be in sight.

“Dark, honey, what are you doing out here all alone?” I ask lovingly as we roll on the sand.

“He must have snuck away.” Marcos comes over to pet Dark, Alicia and Jaime following behind him. “Alex has been complaining that he’s been doing it a lot lately.”

“Where is Alex?” I ask.

Dark didn’t come here looking for him, because my brother just told me Alex isn’t working today. And if he’s not working, how could he not notice the dog had escaped? Where is he? I can’t control my curiosity, I confess.

“He’s at home,” my brother says. “He had an infiltration in his knee this morning, he’s usually fucked for a few hours after. I don’t think he’d be able to come looking for Dark. I’ll get the dog back to him.”

“Infiltration? What kind of infiltration?” I ask him, getting up from the ground.

“Plasma.”

“Why?”

Marcos sighs loudly—very loudly—and runs a hand through his hair. Alicia gives me a pity face and pats her boyfriend on the shoulder. Great. I don’t feel out of place or anything... No. What I don’t feel is intimidated. I haven’t wanted to hear about Alex these last four years—not about him, not about his injuries from the skiing accident—but now I do. I want to know why he needs plasma injections in his knee. It doesn’t mean I’m changing my mind. I just want to know.

“Why?” I ask again. Jaime takes my hand and listens in silence.

I see the moment when Marcos gives in.

“Because of the skiing injury. The one that ended his career overnight. He fucked up his knee, Pris, his knee and his groin, but the knee was worst.”

So, it was the knee then. I didn’t know. Back then I just wanted to forget everything and get on with my life; now I know, and nothing has changed. Or has it? Why does my heart feel cramped in my ribcage? Why do I feel like crying? Why does Jaime squeeze my hand harder?

“I’ll do it. Take Dark home, I mean,” I tell my brother, who’s frowning now, looking confused. “I want to spend some time with him. With Dark,” I clarify again.

“Are you sure?” Marcos asks, his brow revealing his doubts.

“I’m sure.”

“Well, I’ll call Alex to let him know the dog is with you and not to worry.”

“Okay.”

Marcos takes his phone out of his pocket and calls him straight away. I listen to my brother’s side of the conversation while I ask the dog quietly where he wants us to stop first on his way home.

“Alex?... Dark is here with us.... At the beach. He ran all the way down here.... Well, he’s gone straight to Priscila....”

My brother starts laughing his ass off. Only he knows why. Alicia looks at me and I force a smile, shifting my eyes away and meeting Jaime’s. I need some fresh air.