In the Fight of Our Lives, part seven

“They were having drinks at a table, under an umbrella. Maybe they were beers. Probably they were beers. You know how the guys gravitate to beers,” I said to my sister, Angela. She wanted answers, but what I had to offer likely was more questions. “Or maybe you don’t know what guys like. Do you, Anj? Do you know what guys like?”

 She wasn’t having any of that. She refilled my drink and thrust it into my hands. “Get to the point Barbara.”

 They were drinking, had been all afternoon. My Robert, and Johnny. Robert was still wearing the robe that had been hanging in the resort room’s closet. It was velvety, a rich golden color that was interwoven with crimson and gold filigree. The sleeves and collar had piping and the draw around the waist was wide and shiny. The entire garment was shiny, and when the wind gusted and shifted the umbrella, the sun landed on Robert and he stood out like one of those flamboyant viziers he liked to read about in his collection of mythology and what-not. With a beer in his hand. And three or four empty bottles collected at his elbow. Robert was feeling no pain.

 “I thought a vizier was some kind of glass pitcher but Rob, in his way, explained they were some stupid king’s assistant, or minister. Whatever.” I was drinking too quickly. I handed over my glass. I was strung out. I needed to pee. Angela took my glass and set it on the table. No more for me, I guess. She tapped her wristband and it lit up. “Okay…”

 So a vizier – not a container for delicious, mind-numbing elixirs. Drat. Rob and Jonny were getting along fine, they always did, especially on weekends, and when we could all get away from Kenetica. I was off from them, by the pool. We slept in ‘til late morning and had some breakfast brought to the room. Then I got up and had a dip in the pool and stretched out on a beach chair while Robert slipped on the ridiculous robe and watched the news. Johnny came out first and sat beside me for a few minutes, exchanging morning pleasantries, like people do. Then he left to sit at the table and Robert came out, still in that robe. I thought it was funny at the time. I don’t even know if he was wearing anything under it. “Sort of sexy, do you think?” Angela wasn’t impressed. “No, I guess you wouldn’t”

 “Is this going anywhere?”

 Me and Johnny, we were only casual friends. He was, well sort of, a work acquaintance of Robert’s. They weren’t in the force together, but in the same line of work, only on opposite ends. Kenetica is such a conundrum. A hot, ironic mess. I’ve always wondered what my place was here. I guess that’s why I started to drink, and smoke. And leave as often as I, as we, could. The afternoon started to get away, I had gone in and out of the pool of few times. I was putting sun tan lotion on myself, instead of having a man there to do it. By now the boys had gone through a case of beers I suppose. The bar guy just kept bringing them out.

 Johnny wasn’t hard on the eyes, you know. I noticed. Rob had on that stupid robe. But he had it open to the waist now and I could see he was sweating. But Johnny had on his swimsuit and he was tanned and stretched out on the chair. His hair was longer than Robs. He had some tough tattoos. One on his arm and another down his right side. You put these guys together and anyone could see who was who, and what was what. Rob was always bigger, and confident. But Johnny? Johnny was tough, and I don’t think he ever shied away from any circumstance. He was always in the thick of everything, good and bad. People gravitated to Johnny, I think they envied him. Johnny could do things that other people, anyone, could never do.

 “We all like to step out of our roles, sometimes, don’t we,” said Angela. “Do you think Kenetica is too structured?”

 “Maybe. Probably it just isn’t for me.” I was getting bored, and it looked like the boys were winding down. They waved off the bartender when he came around again, so I got up and took a seat by them under the umbrella. It felt good to get out of the heat. One thing I remember, and I don’t know why. Johnny rubbed his scar and looked right at Robert. Johnny had some pretty colorful bruising going on from his last transgression in Kenetica – looked like he was just  in a prize fight, but in all likelihood it would have been Robert who had cuffed him and slammed him into a wall after an arrest. He probably needed a vacation more than anyone I know. Johnny drained the last bit from his bottle and made a face. Warm beer, I guess. And Robert looked back at him. Slow and steady, like something had been decided. I wouldn’t know, I’d been off by myself.

 “And that was that. Robert wanted a shower, and boy did we take a shower, then we were all going to meet at the café for late lunch.”

Angela got up and poured herself two fingers and brought it home. “There’s more, right?”

 There was more. “I wasn’t happy. Later that night they went off together. Rob made some lame excuse. Something about researching the local scene for work stuff. I don’t know. I didn’t like it, but Johnny and him had it all worked out, and they were going to do it whatever I said.”

 They were out late. I saw a stupid magic act and drank some fruity stuff most of the evening, then hung out at the room and fell asleep. When Robert finally got back, I could tell something was wrong. But we didn’t talk. He was out of his clothes, which were a bit more disheveled than usual for Rob’s tastes, and into the shower. I thought he might like some company, but he wasn’t interested, just stood under the water, leaning against the tiles.

 “Then we went to bed. We had another day at the pool. Johnny barely came by. And back to here, the center of our universe. I could never put my finger on it, but I guess you know that things went a different direction.” After that, nothing was ever the same.