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Time. Dragged. On.
I even turned the radio off. I wallowed in the silence, let the last few months replay in an effort to see if I willingly ignored any signs—something I’m apparently good at.
After locating the courthouse, I drive to my hotel about half an hour away and overlooks the Gulf of Mexico. Last week when Lily assigned me this job at the federal courthouse who would’ve thought a short beachfront stay was just what I needed. To think, I almost invited Amaury to join me but never got around to it. The universe works in mysterious ways and here I am—thank you Madam Universe. I check-in, drop my things, and immediately head down to the beachfront bar.
With a margarita in hand, I mosey down to the sand and stretch my legs on the lounge chair bordering the calm waters. My free hand finds my phone. I see six text messages from Amaury and ignore them then dial Melida’s number.
“What up, bitch,” Melida says when she answers.
“Hi, Sol,” Jestine says in the background.
“Hey, girls,” I respond, closing my eyes. What I’d give to be with them right now. They’d comfort me and then help me snap out of this self-pitying spiral I feel coming on before it overwhelms me.
“I’m at Fort Myers Beach sipping on a margarita.”
“Is the sexy Cuban with you?” Jestine inquires.
“Ugh, no! That’s a good thing, too.”
“What happened?” asks Melida.
I recount the entire happenings of last night and this morning.
“Get the fuck outta here! He’s married?” Melida exclaims.
“Are you sure?” Jestine adds.
“Yup. Her exact words were, ‘his wife,’ but in Spanish. There is no mistaking them. He couldn’t even look me in the eye when I tried to ask him about it. He ignored me! Didn’t even have the balls to respond to me. If that’s not an admission of guilt, nothing is!” I exclaim. “Tells me everything I need to know!”
“Wow, you get all the good ones, don’t you?” Melida quips.
“Seriously, I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me.” I sigh and lick some salt off the rim of my glass.
“Maybe there’s some misunderstanding,” Jestine chimes in.
“What misunderstanding, Jess? I heard the words. He didn’t deny it in the moment and ignored me. It’s like I wasn’t even there. There is nothing to misunderstand! Sorry, I don’t mean to snap at you, but I’m just angry and bitter about this entire situation.” I lick more salt off the rim and gulp some more.
“Speaking of losers,” Melida says. “Krissa said Carmine was in the hotel restaurant last week with a group of people. When he recognized her, he stood up from the table and walked over to her and said, ‘I know my girl moved to Miami. Tell her I’ll see her soon enough’ and then he went back to his table.” The hairs on my arms stand tall and a shiver runs through me, instinctively causing me to look around.
“What?”
“Well, it’s not exactly a secret you moved. Plus, that news segment you were on, it was national news, played everywhere over and over for days. Someone probably saw you and told him,” Melida adds.
“I told you she’d freak out and we shouldn’t have said anything yet,” Jestine says.
“Um, what do you mean you shouldn’t have said anything? Of course you had to tell me! What the fuck, Jess?”
“That’s not how I meant it. What I meant is we should’ve gotten more info before telling you because now you’re freaking out.”
“You should always tell me anything that has to do with Carmine. He’s sick and apparently looking for me so yes, I’m freaking out!” I stand from the chair and head toward the bar to get another drink. I decide to enjoy the view and have dinner from the comfort and safety of my room’s balcony instead of down here on the beach. Although I know Carmine isn’t here, just hearing he’s looking for me is enough to worry me.
“I’m sorry, of course we’d tell you. We’re just trying to get more information about what he knows,” Jestine’s voice softens.
“I know. Sorry. When it comes to Carmine, everything freaks me out. If you hear or find out anything, let me know, and thank you for telling me, now I can be extra vigilant.”
“So, let’s get back to the Cuban, what are you gonna do?” Melida changes the subject.
Inside the lobby I find a bench across from the elevators and sit, placing my drink on the ledge to my right. “I haven’t thought about it. He wants to talk to me but I’m not ready to listen to what he has to say. We’ve been together for about six months and I saw no red flags. It’s causing me to not trust myself and my instincts. First Carmine fucked with them now Amaury too?” I twirl a lock that’s hanging over my shoulder while staring at the artificial plants surrounding me.
