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“This brings me happiness.” Dasan places his hand on his son’s shoulder and then looks at the discarded fishing rod. “Was your morning out here fruitful?”
“I caught three, but they’re big,” Nok explains and points to the bucket, his chest swelling with pride.
Dasan peers inside and beams with pride at his son. It makes me ache for my own dad. He looked at me like that… sometimes.
“Did you catch anything, young lady?” Peter asks me.
I shake my head. “No. I’m sorry.”
“Maybe next time.”
I look at Nok who looks at me and crosses his eyes, making me giggle under my breath.
“Perhaps you can bring her back on Wednesday and help her catch her own?”
Nok pulls his lips in and clears his throat. “You’re inviting her to the thing?”
“What thing?” I ask and Nok stares at his dad unblinking.
“We’re having a cookout on Wednesday; you’re welcome to join us.” Peter grabs the bucket of fish and whistles with appreciation. “Nice size.”
“Everybody brings a little something they caught,” Dasan explains. “Say you’ll join us?”
I look at Nok for confirmation, but he won’t give me his eyes. “I don’t want to intrude.”
Dasan snaps at Nok in another language and Nok turns his thin-lipped look to me and grits, “You wouldn’t be intruding.”
“Convincing,” I comment and smile when Peter breaks out his deep laughter, making his wrinkled face crease further.
But then he leans around the side, getting a better look at my face. “You are injured.”
My fingers touch my temple where the swelling is. “I’m okay.”
“What happened?”
Dasan and Nok share a look but I can’t work it out.
“I had a fight with the back of a truck and lost,” I say, it’s not the full truth but I’m not about to rat on Nok. He’ll get what’s coming to him eventually. Karma is a beautiful thing. Even when forced.
“You are okay?”
I nod and he seems appeased for the most part, though Nok can’t meet his eyes when he looks his way.
“So we will see you there?” Dasan asks.
Nodding, I tug on my lip with my teeth. “What if I don’t catch anything?”
“You will. I have faith in my son’s teaching abilities.”
“You overestimate my ability to learn,” I mumble and kick my boot into the dirt beneath our feet. A pebble rolls towards the powerful stream and stops just before the edge. Lucky pebble.
Nok and his father exchange more words before they say their goodbyes.
But then Dasan stops and looks at me, his body turned back towards the way he came. His eyes scan me up and down and a frown worries his brow.
I wait for him to speak, I can see he wants to, but he doesn’t. He nods and goes on his way with Peter following closely behind.
“If you don’t want me to go I won’t.”
Nok clicks his tongue against his palate. “Too late now.”
And he’s gone cold on me again.
“What should I wear?”
His cool demeanor flashes with a brief warmth, I guess he hasn’t totally frosted over. “The skirt you wore on Friday.”
Rolling my eyes, I pick up the fishing rod and glance at the chairs. “We should get back.”
“Scared I’ll seduce you?”
At that I laugh loudly, I can see his ego is bruised but I don’t care. “There’s no way in hell I’m having sex with you, Nok. You made one thing clear back there with your family, I’m nothing more than a conquest to you.” I’m not insulted by it. Not much anyway. “I get it. You don’t like me. I slashed your tires. But I’ll warn you that I hate fake people. You’re either lying to me, or you’re lying to them, either way you’re lying. I’m done with you.”
He laughs once. “You’re done with me?”
“Yes.”
“I just had my tongue down your throat.”
I move towards the rocks that create a slippery path across the stream and inhale a calming breath. I’m not scared per se, but I’ve got consistent, mild vertigo which is making me woozy and off-balance.
“And you think I don’t like you?”
I shrug and step onto the first rock, breathing with relief and smiling at myself when both feet rest on its slippery surface without death. “I know how this goes. We sleep together and you ditch me and brag to all your friends about how you had me, and I was a shit lay. Leaving me the sad, pathetic new girl that you destroyed to fulfill your own psychotic agenda.”
I step onto the next rock and wobble a little.
“Do you really believe I would do something like that?”
“I believe anybody to be capable of anything. Also, I trust nobody.” I leap over the final two and land wonky on the bank but straighten myself before I step in backwards and get swept away by the undercurrent. That would so happen to me. I just know it. “Because then nobody can hurt me.”
