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“See you at the launch.”
“See ya then, Mark.”
When he’s well out of earshot, both Dwight and I exhale hard.
“Fucking hell, that guy is a prick.”
I laugh at Dwight’s keen insight into the man and slap him on the shoulder.
“Thank you, my man. You did great. I knew it was the way to go from the start, but these investors sometimes. Especially Mark. Remind me next time there are other rich people out there.”
“No fucking problem. I don’t want to work with that guy again, either, and I’m your permanent contractor now.”
“After everything you’ve done for me at this point, you’re damn right you are.”
We lean in for a quick bro hug, and I grab my things to find Elijah at the hotel. It’s still plenty early, and I know we can fill up the rest of the day with some fun.
“You want to get a drink?” Dwight has his phone open, searching for bars.
“A drink sounds great. Why don’t you come back with me, and we can get one at the hotel while my son eats? I’m sure he’ll regale you with tales about all the tropical fish from Hawaii.”
He smiles. “That’s awesome you guys have been able to have some fun. Sure, I’ll call the wife and have her meet us there with my daughter.”
“Great! We’ll make a whole afternoon out of it. I know Elijah wants to go to the beach, and you guys are definitely invited. The hotel is right on the water.”
“Perfect. Oh, my kid will be so happy I’m not making her stay in the boring hotel room anymore.”
I laugh, remembering how hard it can be to juggle responsibilities. But at least he’s got his wife there as backup.
“It’s nice you have Mallory, though. I’m sure that helps.”
“Yeah, for sure. But I can’t pin the parental duties on her all the time. She needs some fun, too.”
I consider what it would be like to be the only parent in a two-person relationship and imagine it breeds resentment pretty damn quick.
“Completely. Let’s show them a great time.”
“Deal, bro!”
We head back to the hotel, meeting Dwight’s family, and Elijah is thrilled to have someone to play with.
Elijah adored the fish at the aquarium so much I’m glad I’ve managed to squeeze in time to take him snorkeling right at the beach near the hotel. We do, in fact, swim with sharks, but they’re small and gentle.
Watching them move through the water is somewhat peaceful, despite the lingering unease from snorkeling that still clings to me.
Elijah is a natural, and I wonder if he might choose a career like this. Or perhaps working at an aquarium.
“This is really fun, Elijah. Do you think you want to do something with fish as a job?”
He considers me for a moment, and I have to smile at the deep look of concentration that paints his sweet face.
“I don’t know. It could be really cool. But what if there’s nothing more to learn about fish? I wouldn’t really make a difference.”
“Not necessarily. The fish still need to be protected and cared for. Or you could teach kids like yourself about why the fish are awesome and how to be a good neighbor to them.”
“Ooh, that could be super cool! Yeah, I want to be the person at the aquarium or whatever that works with the fish and talks to kids!”
“There you go, buddy. I think that’s a great idea.”
