Page 53 of Totally Shipped
I wanted it to be me.
Gray was on a mission with Leander and Killian, and not me. I was left behind, and that feels fucking wrong.
It’s been me and Gray for so long.
Age eleven I started middle school and met Gray. We became best friends immediately. On the first day, entering my new homeroom, this big kid called Bradley snatched the chair from behind this skinny little Mexican kid called Santiago. The kid had hit the floor so hard, and started to cry. Bradley, with his meaty face and expensive clothes, had made it his mission to give Santiago a hard time. I decided my mission was to protect Santiago; I fucking hated bullies. Without knowing, Gray had also decided on a role of Santiago’s protector.
We’d flank the skinny kid like secret service agents, giving each other hand signals and coded looks when Bradley was around. Then, after school, the three of us would go back to my house and Meemaw would make us sandwiches, or we’d go to Santiago’s and his dad would make us quesadillas.
We never went to Gray’s place.
Santiago is now coding new software in Silicon Valley, living in a fuck off giant house, and has a super hot wife called Kelly. When we get off this fucking island we should go visit. I could do with a relaxing week or two by his infinity pool. Fucker.
I’d take Daisy to stay there—she’d get on with them. Introduce Santiago to my girl.
Daisy.
Yeah, she’s my girl. She’s the girl I aim to marry. That baby in her belly, that is going to be my baby, regardless of who put it there. Yeah, I know I’ll have to share her with the others, but that doesn’t matter one bit. A quarter of her is better than the whole of any other woman. I want to pick her up and never let her go. I want to kiss those pouty lips, and run my hands through that tangle of long blonde hair.
I love her. I think I’ve loved her for months, but it’s only now I’m letting myself feel it.
I throw the frisbee again. It sails high above Keyara’s head.
“You’re doing it wrong,” she pouts.
Uncle Rex is doinga lotof things wrong today. At least, according to Miss. Keyara.
“Throw it back?”
“This game is stupid. I don’t want to play any more.”
“No problem, let’s go fishing for a while. We need to do that anyway.”
Keyara looks at me mutinously, her bottom lip trembling. “I don’t want fish. I want a sandwich.”
“Me too, noodle. Maybe we can make egg and banana pancakes for dinner?”
“No! I hate those. I hate this stupid island. I HATE YOU!”
Key throws the frisbee at my head and takes off running.
Her tantrums are few and far between, but when they come, they’re pretty dramatic. I watch her dive into the shelter.
I’ll leave her be for a while, then go in for a conversation and some hugs.
Giving her space, I collect three eggs and mash them in with ripe bananas and set the whole mess heating. Though she may deny it, banana pancakes are her favorite thing to eat. Or at least they are her favorite thing to eat, here on the island.
“Key? Noodle? Can I come in?”
She doesn’t reply, but I hear her little sobs and my heart breaks.
“I’m coming in,” I tell her. “I’ve got hugs for you.”
As soon as I lie next to her, she throws herself in my arms. “I want Daisy back,” she cries. “And I want Mami and Papa. I want my Mami…”
Tears fall down my face as I rock her. “Shh, honey. Everything will be alright. Daisy will be home soon, and we’ll get back to Samoa one day. We just need to be patient a little longer.”
A little longer. If only that were true. My gut tells me we are going to have to be patient for a very long time.
