Page 80 of People We Meet on Vacation

“I’ve got Buck’s number,” I say.

“You do?” Alex gives me a pointed look.

“I haven’tusedit,” I say. “But I have it. I’ll text him and see if he has Lita’s number.”

Hey, Buck!I write.Not sure if you remember me, but you gave me and my friend Alex a water taxi ride to the hot springs, like, five years ago, right before your friend Lita moved to Colorado? Anyway, I’m in Vail and was gonna see if she was still here! Hope you’re well and that Tofino is still the most beautiful place on this whole entire planet.

By the time we’ve finished eating, Buck has written back.

Damn, girl, he says.Is this sexy little Poppy? Took you long enough to use those digits. Guess I shouldn’t have kicked you out of my room.

I snort-laugh, and Alex leans over the table to read the message upside down. He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, you fucking think, pal?”

No, no, no worries about that, I tell him.It was a great night. We had an amazing time.

Sweet, he says.I haven’t talked to Lita in years but I’ll shoot u her contact info if u want.

That would be amazing, I tell him.

If you ever make it back to the island r u gonna tell me?he asks.

Obviously, I say.I have no idea how to operate a water taxi. You’ll be invaluable.

Lol, he says,ur such a freak I love it.

By that night, we’ve booked a rafting trip with Lita, who doesnotremember us but insists on the phone that she’s sure we had a great time together.

“To be fair, I was on, like, atonof drugs back then,” she says. “I wasalwayshaving a great time, and I remember almost none of it.”

Alex, overhearing this, pulls a face that reads as anxiety with a side of unanswered questions. I know exactly what he wants me to find out.

“So,” I say, as casually as I can, “do you still... use... drugs?”

“Three years sober, mama,” she replies. “But if you’re looking to buy something, I can send you my old dude’s number.”

“No, no,” I say. “That’s okay. We’ll just... do... the stuff... we brought... from home.”

Looking beleaguered, Alex shakes his head.

“All right, then. See you two bright and early.”

When I hang up, Alex says, “Do you think Buck was on drugs when he drove our water taxi?”

I shrug. “We neverdidfind out what he was ranting to no one about. Maybe he thought Jim Morrison was hovering on the water just in front of him.”

“I am so glad we’re still alive,” Alex says.

The next morning we meet Lita at the raft rental place, and she looks almost exactly as I remember her, but with a wedding band tattoo and a small baby bump.

“Four months,” she says, jogging it in her hands.

“And it’s... safe? To do this?” Alex asks.

“Baby number one did just fine,” Lita assures us. “You know, in Norway, they stick their babies outside to take naps.”

“Oh... kay,” Alex says.

“I wouldloveto go to Norway,” I say.

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