edge of the jetty, mask in hand, nodding at something that a couple was saying. Two tan young bodies, newlyweds. So far they had proved to be early risers and given Charmaine no cause to grumble.
“...what do you mean, playing dumb?” Stacy said, into her phone. “No, he’s not playing dumb...he can’t tell the green worksheet from the pink one...”
The bride flipped her hair and laughed too loud at something Gabe said. So stupid; the woman was on her goddamn honeymoon. Why would she be flirting with the dive instructor?
Stacy glanced over, frowning. She shook her head and started speaking again. “...if anyone’s playing dumb around here, it’s you. It should be on his records. Kid’s colorblind as shit. Somehow I figured that out back when he was playing with alphabet blocks, and me just a lowly goddamn chambermaid.” She rolled her eyes at something that was being said on the other end of the phone. “...no, I’m telling you. He’s not trying to be disruptive...he has a genuine medical thing. It all checks out...oh. Oh, I see. Okay.”
She hung up the phone and stuck out her tongue. “Ugh.”
“Everything all right?”
“Nope,” said Stacy, stuffing the phone back into her purse. “I’m sorry - I’m going to have to bail. My darling little firstborn shithead has just earned himself a trip to the principal’s office.”
“Oh dear.”
She shook her head and gave a long, growling sigh. “Hormones,” she said. “And he’s only the first one to hit puberty; I’m gonna have to go through this with the other two. Goddamn, why couldn’t I have had girls? I know what to say to them.”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember making it that easy for my mother.”
“I guess not,” said Stacy, settling her purse on her bony shoulder. “I’m sorry about this. For what it’s worth I would much rather be having a beer than discussing why my fifteen year old son thought it would be a great idea to call his teacher a ‘cockwaffle’.”
“Cockwaffle?”
“Yeah, I don’t know either. These kids make up their own weird curse words these days. I’d blame the internet, but you start blaming the internet for things and you start sounding like fucking Methuselah, you know?”
Blue laughed. “Yeah, I know.”
“Shut up,” said Stacy, good naturedly. “You know nothing of the sort; you’re like twenty. I’ll catch you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay. Good luck.”
Stacy was already halfway to the laundry gate. “Gonna need it,” she called back, and kept walking.
“Hey.”
Blue turned at the sound of the voice behind her. Gabe was standing there, his wetsuit half off and his hair still partly damp. “You clocking off?” he said.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m done for today.”
He narrowed his eyes and nodded in the direction of the gate. “What was all that about?”
“Her kid,” said Blue. “He got into trouble at school or something.”
“The eldest?” said Gabe, with a short laugh. “Well, her first mistake was naming him Axl.”
“Don’t be mean.”
“I’m not being mean. I’m just saying. It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy; if you name a kid after Axl Rose you shouldn’t be surprised if he grows up with anger issues.”
“He has anger issues?”
“He’s a teenage boy. He’s basically a towering beanpole of rage at this point.”
Blue laughed. “You say that like someone who knows.”
“Me?” he said, pressing a hand to his chest. “No. I was an angel of endless delight at that age. Courteous, charming, considerate...” He grinned, playing directly to her incredulous expression. “Nah, who am I kidding? I was a self-absorbed little shitbird.”
This time she laughed too long and loud and made herself feel silly, but he didn’t seem to mind. If anything his eyes lingered on her lips in a way that made her heart skip stupidly. In the striped sun under the palms his eyes were lighter than she remembered – a kind of tiger’s eye brown, fringed with thick,
“...what do you mean, playing dumb?” Stacy said, into her phone. “No, he’s not playing dumb...he can’t tell the green worksheet from the pink one...”
The bride flipped her hair and laughed too loud at something Gabe said. So stupid; the woman was on her goddamn honeymoon. Why would she be flirting with the dive instructor?
Stacy glanced over, frowning. She shook her head and started speaking again. “...if anyone’s playing dumb around here, it’s you. It should be on his records. Kid’s colorblind as shit. Somehow I figured that out back when he was playing with alphabet blocks, and me just a lowly goddamn chambermaid.” She rolled her eyes at something that was being said on the other end of the phone. “...no, I’m telling you. He’s not trying to be disruptive...he has a genuine medical thing. It all checks out...oh. Oh, I see. Okay.”
She hung up the phone and stuck out her tongue. “Ugh.”
“Everything all right?”
“Nope,” said Stacy, stuffing the phone back into her purse. “I’m sorry - I’m going to have to bail. My darling little firstborn shithead has just earned himself a trip to the principal’s office.”
“Oh dear.”
She shook her head and gave a long, growling sigh. “Hormones,” she said. “And he’s only the first one to hit puberty; I’m gonna have to go through this with the other two. Goddamn, why couldn’t I have had girls? I know what to say to them.”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember making it that easy for my mother.”
“I guess not,” said Stacy, settling her purse on her bony shoulder. “I’m sorry about this. For what it’s worth I would much rather be having a beer than discussing why my fifteen year old son thought it would be a great idea to call his teacher a ‘cockwaffle’.”
“Cockwaffle?”
“Yeah, I don’t know either. These kids make up their own weird curse words these days. I’d blame the internet, but you start blaming the internet for things and you start sounding like fucking Methuselah, you know?”
Blue laughed. “Yeah, I know.”
“Shut up,” said Stacy, good naturedly. “You know nothing of the sort; you’re like twenty. I’ll catch you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay. Good luck.”
Stacy was already halfway to the laundry gate. “Gonna need it,” she called back, and kept walking.
“Hey.”
Blue turned at the sound of the voice behind her. Gabe was standing there, his wetsuit half off and his hair still partly damp. “You clocking off?” he said.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m done for today.”
He narrowed his eyes and nodded in the direction of the gate. “What was all that about?”
“Her kid,” said Blue. “He got into trouble at school or something.”
“The eldest?” said Gabe, with a short laugh. “Well, her first mistake was naming him Axl.”
“Don’t be mean.”
“I’m not being mean. I’m just saying. It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy; if you name a kid after Axl Rose you shouldn’t be surprised if he grows up with anger issues.”
“He has anger issues?”
“He’s a teenage boy. He’s basically a towering beanpole of rage at this point.”
Blue laughed. “You say that like someone who knows.”
“Me?” he said, pressing a hand to his chest. “No. I was an angel of endless delight at that age. Courteous, charming, considerate...” He grinned, playing directly to her incredulous expression. “Nah, who am I kidding? I was a self-absorbed little shitbird.”
This time she laughed too long and loud and made herself feel silly, but he didn’t seem to mind. If anything his eyes lingered on her lips in a way that made her heart skip stupidly. In the striped sun under the palms his eyes were lighter than she remembered – a kind of tiger’s eye brown, fringed with thick,
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