Page 6 of Wingmen

“Why not? I got money. I can stay where I want.”

“Bro, she’s yourmoms.She’s gonna kill you. Like, wherever you stay, instead of with her – she’s gonna find you. She’s gonna find your ass, and she’s gonna murder it, and then she’s gonna bring it back to life so she can force-feed it mofongo.”

Elliot closed his eyes. The sun was warm on his eyelids. “Yeah. I know.”

He walked backto the hotel a different way and got turned around twice, and by the time he keyed into his room, he was exhausted. His suitcase was open on the floor with clothes strewn out, and he remembered with a groan that he needed to pack. The time on his phone said one PM. He set it on the nightstand as he sat on the bed, and lay back to close his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them, it was dark.

“Shit!” Elliot rolled off the bed, blinking and staggering. He snatched the phone off the nightstand and squinted as it lit up the room. “Shit, shit.”

The plane was long gone. Five hours gone, according to the time on the screen. There was a stack of notifications from the American Airlinesapp, and a missed call from his mom. Sighing, he sat on the edge of the bed and texted her back, then scrolled through upcoming flights. He sat with his thumb hovering over one tomorrow at noon for a long time before swiping the app closed without booking it, and heading out to find something to eat.

Portland at nine PM was as nice as it was at noon. The street was busy with freshly-showered people walking hand in hand,and the air was still warm and smelled like perfume. He crossed the street and wandered down the block.

The first place he stopped at had a chalkboard menu and a few picnic tables on the sidewalk. At the top of the chalkboard was a pineapple, drawn in pink, yellow, and green. Elliot couldn’t have said why he picked it except that the wordpineapplerang a bell. He was looking for food and didn’t see any on the menu, but a pint of whatever they were serving would fortify him for the search.

Inside was brightly lit stonework, mason jars, more picnic benches, and a bar that looked like cement. It was loud and crowded with hipsters. He found a stool and a QR code that revealed a food menu. The bartender was green-haired and covered in tattoos, and Elliot asked her to bring him whatever the best local beer was, ordered a burger, and scrolled his phone while he waited. His mother had texted again.

Hey baby. Todo bien? Are you coming tomorrow then? Bed’s made. And a smiley face.

He put the phone face-down on the bar.

The bartender set down his beer and he took a long pull. It was so good Elliot frowned in surprise and looked at the name on the side of the glass. Deschutes. When he looked up, Dustin Bennet was standing beside him.

Elliot blinked. He frowned and shook his head and blinked again, and Bennet was still there, wearing a beat up leather jacket, a gray t-shirt, and the same slight squint he’d been wearing last night. His ruddy-brown hair was damp and the beard he was apparently growing for off-season was immaculately groomed. He smelled like deodorant and something woodsy – and he looked as surprised to see Elliot as Elliot was to see him.

“Thought you had a flight.”

Elliot set the glass down. “I missed it.”

The bartender set a beer in front of Bennet, and Elliot saw the flicker of a smile as Bennet picked it up. “Ah.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I live near here? The Pineapple?” Bennet indicated around with the glass. “We talked about this last night? Although, I guess there’s no possible way you’d remember that. Thanks Jackie, start a tab.” He snapped a black card onto the stone bar top, and Elliot glared at it.Pineapple– right; he knew it was familiar. Bennet tipped his glass to the bartender as she retreated, and Jackie grinned and made a face like poor little Elliot’s hangover was still visible from the outside.

Bennet pulled out the stool beside him and sat. “How hungover were you this morning?”

“Not bad. You?”

“Felt great. I had water all night.” The burger arrived and Elliot picked it up and took a bite. “Plans tonight?”

“Sleep. I gotta get another flight tomorrow.”

“Sensible.”

Elliot went about inhaling the burger as Bennet swiveled on his stool and set his elbows on the bar behind him. Elliot followed his gaze to a high top by the window where a blonde with a bubble butt was showing her friend something on her phone. She looked easy enough. Too bad he had to be sensible.

“Bet I pull her before you do,” said Dustin. Elliot frowned and looked at him. Dustin sipped his beer again, looking amused. “Oh, you don’t remember that, either.”

“Remember what?”

“How bad you got beat by anold manlast night. You wanna take a shot at redeeming yourself?”

Redeeminghimself? Elliot went back to his burger. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Ask Reef. Actually, I bet he doesn’t remember either.”