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“It’s so hard to know where to begin. It’s all pretty spectacular,” I tell her.
Ethan grins. “If I had to guess, I’d say it was the Dole Whip at Disney.”
Prisha groans, “I know, right? Sheila and I bought season tickets one year just so we could stop in and get one whenever we wanted.”
“And being that Anaheim is so conveniently located, that turned out to be, what, twice?” Ethan teases his friend.
“Three times, smarty pants.” Prisha glares at him.
“Which works out to only what, a hundred bucks a whip?”
Ethan and Prisha have a wonderful friendship that I honestly envy. But, who in the world buys season passes to Disneyland so they can stop in for their favorite treat?
“What are you kids up to this afternoon?” Prisha asks.
“We’re heading out to the beach. The boys are excited about miles of sand and warm water temperatures. I thought I’d give them their first surfing lesson.”
“Nice.” Prisha nods her head. “You going to your parents’ place?”
“We are.”
“I thought they lived in Beverly Hills.” I stare at Ethan.
“They do, but when my sister and I were little, they bought a beach house as an investment. It was nice to have a place to spend the weekends.”
Prisha interjects with, “Wait until you see it. It’s the house fromSummer Sands.”
“Their house is the one inSummer Sands?” I sound like I’m choking on a mouth full of marbles.
“My folks have been updating the place over the years,” he says almost sheepishly.
“Ethan, that house is extraordinary! How can you sound so casual about it?”
He looks at me like I’m speaking Swahili. “It’s just an investment.”
Oh, yeah, well that makes total sense.Not. My idea of an investment is a new hot water heater or a new mattress. Both of which I got secondhand because I couldn’t afford toinvestin something new. “Maybe we should just stay here.”
“Why?” Ethan asks.
“Because my boys aren’t exactly careful, and I can’t even begin to imagine what it would cost to replace something at that house. Besides, I don’t want them thinking this is how real people live. How will they ever go home and settle back into normal life?”
Ethan’s head snaps back. “Moira, you’ve met my parents, you know me, we’re obviously real people.”
“That’s not what I meant …”
He nods his head, “I get that, but it sounds like you’re calling us spoiled or entitled or something. I can assure you that we have all worked very hard for everything that we have.” Oh yeah, I’ve pissed him off.
“Iwork hard,” I tell him. “I’m at the diner fifty hours a week, and when I’m not there, I’m raising three kids and trying to make enough repairs to my house so that the roof doesn’t fall down around us.”
Ethan doesn’t answer right away, and for once Prisha doesn’t seem to have anything to say. A wave of guilt for being so harsh comes over me but before I can find a way to apologize, Ethan says, “I know you work hard, Moira. That’s why I really wanted to make this a nice trip for you. If you’d rather go to a public beach, I’d be happy to oblige.”
I’ve made a mess of things and I’m not quite sure how to back out of it. “I’m sorry,” I finally say. “I’m just overwhelmed. All of this …”—I spokesmodel with my hands like I’m Vanna White about to turn over a new letter—“… is a lot to take in.”
“Just treat it like any other vacation, hon,” Prisha says. “Kick back and let Ethan be your own personal concierge.”
Not only do I not go on vacations, but if I did, I certainly wouldn’t be staying in a place with a concierge. “This is my first vacation since I was ten,” I tell her. I don’t mention that trip was to Anchorage where we stayed in a motel by the airport.
“Girl, then you need this. Just let go and enjoy.” She picks up her phone and punches in a number. “Holland, babe, can you get to Malibu this afternoon? I need to treat a friend of mine to a massage and hot stone treatment.”
