Page 95 of That Last Summer

“They’ve been pinched!” I exclaim.

“That’s karma,” Alex says disinterestedly as he finishes dressing.

Karma? What does he mean by that?

“Oh, come on,” he says at my sad face. “I was joking. Chances are there’s some crazy person out there who likes giant rosettes on flip-flops and since they are so... rare, they took them.”

“Is that supposed to be funny?”

“Sure it is,” he replies, with the most beautiful smile in the entire world.

“Well, I’m glad you’re in such a good mood, because now I have to go home to get some shoes and it’d be lovely if you came with me.”

“Who? Me?” Alex asks, realizing I’m talking about him. “No. No fucking way. Why would I do that?”

“Because I’m barefoot and I walked here, so I need someone to take me home. I’m sure you have your car here, you always drive everywhere.”

“Ask one of your bunch of brothers. You have two right here,” he says, pointing to Marcos and River.

“We all walked down here; besides, I don’t want them to miss the party because of me.”

“And I have to?”

“You don’t like parties that much. You won’t mind missing it.”

“Call your parents or whatever, I’m not driving you up.”

“Come on, Alex, mate, it’d be nice of you,” Marcos intervenes. “And while you’re at it, I need you to pick me up some sneakers, these are hurting like hell. I think they’re Dad’s, but they’re the first ones I saw on my way out,” he explains, pointing at his feet. “Dad’s feet are smaller than any of ours.”

“Damn it, you Cabanas are so annoying. Every single one of you. All right, I’ll go, but you owe me,” he says to my brother.

“They’re in the kitchen, they’re green and yellow,” Marcos says. Alex looks at him blankly. “The sneakers,” my brother clarifies.

I suppress my victory dance and say goodbye to my brothers and Alicia with a smile. Following that bipolarity that characterizes my new status with Alex, I climb on his back to avoid walking barefoot and we head like that to his car, which is parked near the beach. Once inside we don’t talk much, and soon we arrive at my parents’ place.

We park out front and go in, leaving the door open; we’ll only be a few minutes, then out again. The house is submerged in a deep silence; the whole family is at the town festival.

While Alex heads straight to the kitchen to get my brother’s sneakers, I go upstairs to grab a pair of summer sandals from my closet and then go looking for Alex again. I find him coming upstairs too.

“Where the hell are your brother’s sneakers? He said they were in the kitchen, but they’re not.”

“Probably Adrián got them mixed up and he’s wearing them now; it’s always the same with these two. I’ll get another pair from Adrián’s room. He’s got tons.”

Adrián and sneakers... I daresay he has more sneakers than underwear. I walk down the hall with Alex right behind and when I get to Adrián’s bedroom I just open the door, sure that no one’s inside since the whole family is out, but... surprise! There is someone inside. Two someones.

One is Adrián.

The other: her.

Alex reacts immediately: “Oh, fuck, sorry! We’re on our way out.”

It takes me seven seconds. Seven seconds. Even though Alex has grabbed my arm and is trying to drag me away. “Pris?”

“Oh, no. Please don’t. Not with her,” I cry, devastated.

I don’t even notice they’re naked, having sex in my brother’s bed. I only see her. She’s on top of him, her back to us, but I recognize her. How can I not?

There are moments in life that are forever burned on our retinas. Some are good. Some are not. This one belongs in the not good ones: my brother Adrián having sex with the redhead’s sister, who is also a redhead.

I turn and run.

“Pris, wait!”

Shit.

Pristy the Squirrel: After having a great day.