Rum Punch Regrets (10 page)

Abby began opening cabinets, looking for cat food. She found where Ben had stored some of his vet scrubs (In the kitchen? Really?) and also spied a portable grill that she knew they could put to good use. She rooted through more cabinets and was about to give up when she saw a bright green bag, labeled “cat food,” tucked behind a box and a half-filled grocery bag.

As she reached over to grab the cat food, her arm brushed up against the grocery bag, causing it to topple over. Its contents came with it, spilling into a flustered pile on the floor in front of her. Pictures, magazines and a few books came falling out.

Abby bent down, gently pushing the kitties out of the way so she could pick up the mess. The magazines were addressed to Ben and there were some that were Leigh’s as well. A few random items, like T-shirts and suntan lotion, had scattered along with the clutter. Abby shook her head as she admired her ability to make such a big mess in such a short time.

She was trying to gather all of the items as quickly as she could when she noticed a few of the pictures that had fallen out of the jumbled mess were taken of someone very familiar.

Her father.

Abby slid from a kneeling position to a cross-legged one as she began to look at the pictures that surrounded her. She couldn’t help but smile, her father looked so happy in every photo. She didn’t recognize any of the backgrounds, so she wasn’t sure where he was or whose home he was in, nor did she recognize the people he was with. There were a few people that kept appearing in some of the same pictures, mainly a woman and a tanned blond man with the most perfect set of teeth Abby had ever seen. Abby reasoned that they were people he worked with or even old friends she had just never met, even though the blond man had an air of familiarity she couldn’t put her finger on. All she knew was that her dad looked happy.

Looking at the photos, seeing him, she could almost see and hear the sounds of the hospital room on the last day of his life. There was a machine that made high-pitched beeping sounds as it struggled to keep him alive, and his labored breathing was being aided by another machine at the end of a long tube. Abby had sat there while her mother had stepped outside to talk to other family members, updating them on his condition. It had become a DNR request, or “do not resuscitate.” Abby had sat next to his bed, talking to him about her schoolwork she needed to do and reminding him that she needed him for her Homecoming dance photos -- it was to be the next week and she was on the Homecoming Court that year. The fathers always brought their daughters out onto the football field at halftime for introductions, as per school traditions. Only this year, Abby didn’t think she would even make it to see the Homecoming Game.

Abby had closed her eyes, just for a minute, and put her head down on her father’s hand so she could sneak in a good cry that day. When she had, she felt his index finger twitch slightly. The nurses had said that when patients were in a coma, they sometimes had muscle reactions. She had gotten used to seeing his muscles jerk periodically and thought nothing of this one. Until it happened again, only this time it felt more deliberate.

Bolting into an upright position, Abby found herself looking into his father’s eyes, and they were finally open. Abby’s heart had leapt into the air as she thought,
This is it!
There he was smiling at her and moving his mouth, maybe he was trying to say something? All she knew was that he was awake. She opened her mouth to yell for the nurse when it happened . . .

The sounds of frenzied beeping and alarms echoed in her memory bank. Abby had fallen on his chest, fighting her own tears and begging him not to leave her. When she threw herself on his chest, she noticed he was desperately trying to get her to look at him. That was when she noticed he was mouthing the words, “I love you,” over and over. His hand was feebly reaching up to pet her head one last time before his heart finally gave out and he took his last breath. Abby had known that day that things were not going to be the same ever again without her dad.

Summoning herself back to the present, she gathered her findings and straightened them, gently placing them all back into the bag, making a mental note to go through it all later. She knew if these were here because Leigh had brought them down with her, then Leigh would want them to be kept in the same condition.
These must be keepsakes that Leigh is storing here for some reason
, she thought to herself. Their father’s passing had done a number on everyone -- some days Abby thought Leigh had been affected most of all -- and it took the trio their own time to recover from the blow. Leigh had faced her own demons at the time, as she was put in a position where she had to step up and become the head of the family in the aftermath of his death. Abby’s mother had all but shut down and Abby was too young to understand much, leaving them reliant on Leigh.

As she placed the last photo back into the bag, Abby patted the top one fondly, closing the door again to the memories of a time when her heart had truly been shredded.

Abby then began to place the books and magazines back in the bag as well, when one of the books,
The Great Gatsby
, smacked down onto the floor next to her again. It had fallen open to a page where someone had made an inscription. “To my pride and joy: May the world always be your oyster. Love, Dad.”

She recognized the handwriting and her heart swelled with emotion. Their dad had given both his girls special editions of
The Great Gatsby
as presents when they were children. It was a tradition his own father had started that he passed down when he had begun his family. Abby’s copy was back home, at her apartment in Los Angeles on a bookshelf next to a framed picture of her and her dad. But why was this here, with Ben’s things? Were these his things and Leigh’s, too?

Even though she didn’t know how this book had found its home here, one thing was for sure; Abby couldn’t deny her sadness that her sister had been given twenty years more with their dad than she had.
Maybe that’s why Leigh keeps the things he gave her here, so I won’t see them,
she thought. She smiled at the thought of her sister wanting to spare her feelings.

Abby was snapped back to the present by Ben, who was calling her name from outside. She took everything -- photos, cards and books -- and quickly tossed it all back into the bag, which she then shoved into the cabinet in its original location. The cats were still eyeing her and meowing louder than ever, as if blaming her for their hunger.

“Crap . . . last thing I need is for Ben to think I was going through his things!” She stood up and grabbed the bag of cat food, realizing she was conversing out loud with the two felines. “Not that you can help me, but do you know why my sis has her things stored here at Ben’s?”

The two kitties caterwauled in Abby’s general direction, the volume of their cries increasing as they realized she was holding the bag and about to pour them dinner.

She added the food to their dish before she ran over to the front door to see what Ben needed. He was outside on the ground stretching his hamstrings, calling to her.

“I also wanted to tell you that some of my friends saw you with Tracey the other day in town. They think you’re hot.”

Even though her mind was filled with questions, Abby couldn’t help but smile hearing this news.

“Is that why you want me to go to the game? If you’re hoping for a virgin sacrifice, I’ve got news for you, Ben. That ship sailed a long time ago,” she countered playfully.

Ben laughed at her answer. “No, I just thought . . . Tropical island, visitor, young college boys . . . ” he was grinning ear to ear and clearly enjoyed making Abby uncomfortable.

“Ben. No. In the same way you didn’t want me to clean the house before? Do. Not. Set. Me. Up. With anyone. Nobody. No friends, no hook-ups. No ‘Oops, my buddy just happens to be here’ bullshit, okay? Look, we all have our issues. Mine happens to be having any kind of relationship -- fleeting or long-term. Got it?”

Ben threw his hands up as if she were pointing a gun at him. “Whoa, Captain Serious. I just meant that people think you’re cute.”

Abby realized that in her typical chick way she had just taken a simple statement and made it into a thousand other meanings. She realized that Ben did have a point. Here she was, in her mid-30s, on an island surrounded by hot, rugged young men, in their mid-to-late 20s. If they thought she was cute, then she really did need to embrace it. She had seen some cute boys herself when out with Tracey. Apparently, she still had yet to enjoy the nightlife on the island. Tracey always went out on the weekends, but Abby felt like she would be out of place, so she had never gone anywhere except Ricky’s when it was dark to hang with Cutty.

“I’m sorry, Ben. I’m still smarting from the last breakup. I’m gonna grab my things. Need anything from inside before I close up?”

He shook his head and went back to concentrating on his warm-up. Abby grabbed a few extra water bottles from the fridge to throw in her bag as she headed out the door. She was actually excited to do something that involved Ben. She had a feeling they had finally turned a small curve in their relationship and was light on her feet as she made her way out to his car, with the discovery of the book forgotten for the time being.

#

The Rhodes boys won the rugby match, which was no surprise. The boys from the medical school were known more for their ability to screw around than to be serious about anything, including sports. In celebration of the win, the team headed down to Pirate’s Bay, one of the beach bars on Frigate Bay.

Abby had tried to get Ben to drop her off at La Cantina, but he insisted on dragging her with him to the after-party.

“You need to meet more people. If you meet more people, my life is easier,” he stated matter-of-factly.

Abby couldn’t deny his reasoning.

“I get it. You introduce me around and eventually at night you can study in complete silence?” Two could play this wicked game. Ben didn’t realize Leigh had trained her in tactical verbiage.

“Exactly. If I have my way, you might be home one night a week.”

Pirate’s Bay was hopping when they arrived. It was a Thursday night, and apparently on Thursdays they were known for hosting
the
bonfire to go to on the island. The Frigate Bay area was surrounded by rental condos and hotels that allowed tourists to access the beach and island bars with ease. Palm trees flowed with the breeze, swaying back and forth in the wind, and the sound of island steel drums played on the ears.

One area of the beach had been cordoned off specifically for the celebration. As Ben and Abby walked up, a buzzed Tracey greeted them.

“Hey, you!” she yelled as she grabbed Ben into a big hug. “Congrats on the win! Not that anyone thought you guys weren’t going to make it happen.”

Ben was blushing as a few other ladies came over to offer congratulatory hugs and praise for a game well played. Abby watched Ben as the ladies were flirting with him. He looked uncomfortable and kept looking at her a little sheepishly. It was obvious to Abby that he was a popular guy among his fellow students.

Abby made her way to the crowded bar and ordered a drink for herself. The employees were dragging firewood out to the large fire pit in preparation for the bonfire that would start as soon as it was dark. She let out a long sigh.

As the bartender placed the drink in front of her, Abby reached for her wallet. He waved her off.

“No, mon. It’s taken care of.”

Abby was confused. “Huh? What do you mean?”

The bartender nodded his head toward the other side of the bar. “That guy over there. He got it for you.”

Abby looked across the bar, searching for a familiar face so she could say thank you for her drink. As she was combing the crowd for someone she knew, a set of piercing blue eyes met her gaze and she knew it was him. He was smiling at her like he had from the balcony the other night at Ricky’s.

Who are you?
she thought to herself. He couldn’t be too bad, since she had seen him around with Cutty and Ziggy. He was probably harmless, but who was he? She smiled, toasting the air as if to say thank you, and began to gather her things to go introduce herself to the handsome stranger.

As she reached the opposite side of the bar, she didn’t see the man she wanted to thank. Her heart sunk just a little, when out of the corner of her eye something moving caught her attention. It was the mysterious, good-looking stranger, and it appeared he had commandeered a few chairs near the bonfire for them.

Abby slowly made her way over to him, lowering herself into one of the empty chairs. She smiled at her new friend. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” he said in a distinctly British accent. He put his hand out. “I’m J. D.”

Abby took his hand, feeling an energetic surge inside her as she touched him.

“I’m Abby.”

The two strangers smiled at each other for what seemed like hours, but in real time was a matter of mere seconds. They both took swigs of their cocktails and began talking at once. Abby threw her hands up and gestured his way, saying, “No . . . you go first.”

J.D. grinned at her, his blue eyes piercing into her brown ones even through the dark night.

“I tried to come say hi and introduce myself to you before. At Ricky’s.”

Abby cocked her head to one side. “Really? The night you were on the balcony?”

He smiled at her, his eyes slowly wandering over her body and coming to a full rest on her lips as he answered simply, “Yes.”

She was mesmerized by this man, feeling an almost animalistic pull toward him, but also felt that was a ridiculous thought to have since they really didn’t know each other. As she was taking another drink from her rum punch, she realized she still had her wallet in her hand from when she was at the bar. She’d never gotten around to putting it back into her bag.

As she was returning her wallet to her purse, she heard her phone ringing. And surprise of all surprises, it was Leigh. Abby silenced the call, but knew it was one she needed to deal with now. Handsome, hot, mysterious man or not. J.D. would have to wait.