Page 16 of Day Break

Rod’s eyes narrowed. “You and your family were always cocky shits that needed to be knocked down a few notches.”

“And you’ve always been nothing but a bully. Praying on the smaller and weaker just to make yourself feel strong.”

Just then, the store’s door opened, and two officers walked in.

The island had a handful of police and sheriff departments on it. On the south of the island, there was one of each.

I was slightly shocked to see Alex Everette in uniform. Alex was a few years older than I was, but we’d always hung out together back in the day.

The other man with him, Officer Oliver Whitlock, I also remembered very well. The older man had busted me and my cousins plenty of times back when we’d sneak onto the school grounds to shoot basketballs. It was the only court for miles around, and we had never understood why it wasn’t available to us to enjoy in the summer.

Seeing the two uniformed men, I took a giant step away from Rod and lowered my hands to my side, easily dodging his last swing as the two men watched with both amusement and annoyance.

“That’s enough, Rod,” Officer Whitlock growled, getting Rod’s attention.

“I didn’t start it,” Rod complained as he spun around to face the officers.

I couldn’t stop the quick burst of laughter, which I was happy to see pissed Rod off again.

“He got between me and a woman. I was about to get her number.”

“Rod,” Officer Whitlock sighed, “there isn’t a woman on the island that would let you get near her on purpose.”

Rod’s fist tightened, but he jerked his massive body towards the door. Officer Whitlock laid a hand on his shoulder and stopped him from leaving. Then he looked in my direction. “Since we can all see that he hit you, I have to ask. Do you want to press charges?”

For a moment, I thought about saying yes. I was a lawyer, after all. And Rod’s family had plenty of money, which they’d had to use to bail him out of jail numerous times. I’d heard a few rumors from my cousin about just how many times he’d been in trouble. But I didn’t want to be labeled as the sniveling big city lawyer who couldn’t take a punch.

“No, not this time” I said with a sigh, and Rod stormed out the door.

“Well, shit, look who it is,” Alex said, slapping me on the shoulder. “Lane Robinson. I thought that was you.” He flipped the collar of my white button-up shirt with a finger and added. “It was hard recognizing you in the monkey suit. Last time I saw you, we were jumping off the pier in our underwear.”

I laughed, remembering the fun that we’d had, then my smile slipped at the memory of that last summer I’d spent on the island. The one before my childlike innocence had been ripped away and I was forced to grow up very quickly.

“Right.” I nodded. “So, you went into law enforcement?” I motioned to his uniform as Officer Whitlock walked over and sat in one of the booths.

“Yeah, after everything… I was drawn to helping others.” He glanced over my shoulder, then motioned back to the dining area. I followed him into the dining area. “I hear you went into the law as well, in a different way,” Alex said, sitting across from his partner.

I had gone into law, but that last summer I’d spent on the island hadn’t really played a factor in my decision to do so. If anything, for years after, I felt discouraged about becoming a lawyer.

I sat down next to my grandfather, who had watched the entire display with curiosity in his eyes. The old man had never been the kind to stick his neck out for anyone, least of all a stranger. At least he didn’t berate me like he would have done when I was a kid.

I was only here today because of what he’d said over the phone to me after our last visit, a visit that had troubled me. It was clear to me that the stroke had had a more lasting effect than my family had let on.

I could see that Alex was eyeing my grandfather.

“I hear you’re back on the island full time, Mr. Robinson,” Alex asked.

My grandfather swiveled the barstool around and narrowed his eyes at Alex.

“You that Everette boy? The one that was always getting my boy here in trouble?” my grandfather asked, and I held in a chuckle.

Alex smiled. “Sure am,” he said proudly.

“I see you’re on the right side of the law now,” my grandfather joked.

My family members weren’t monsters. I could tell that my grandfather had meant it as a joke. In the past, there would have been a hint of truth just to cause a slight sting to the recipient.

Everyone laughed, but then the conversation fell away as we all ordered food.