Beatrice shook the beer from her hair, began to cry silently.
Landis said, “Maybe it is enough, Billy.”
“I say when it’s enough,” Billy said. “You just sit.”
Landis shrugged. He might have a conscience, but it wasn’t a strong one. Jason pulled a fresh beer from the cooler, popped it, looked off in the distance, possibly in search of Atlantis.
The rod began to bob up and down and the line on the reel was running out. The fish was still diving down.
Leonard said, “Lady, anytime you say it’s finished, trust me, it’s finished.”
Billy sneered at Leonard.
Leonard looked at him and smiled. “And I might finish it before it’s finished.”
Ferdinand came out of the cabin. “I have killed the engine. The fish will sound. And will keep sounding. It is too much for her. My daughter cannot take much more. I must ask you to take the fish, senor.”
“Me and Beatrice made a deal,” Billy said. “She does what I say for a while, and you get a whole lot of reward out of it.”
“I know,” said Ferdinand. “But it is not enough. Not for such a thing as this.”
My skin had begun to crawl. Not only because of what Billy was doing, but that her father was allowing, and worse yet, Leonard and I were allowing it. I couldn’t imagine anything being worth this.
Billy slipped his hand beneath her bathing suit and began massaging a breast.
The shears Ferdinand had used on the barracuda lay on the deck behind the chair. I picked them up and cut the line. The rod snapped back like a whip. The line jumped over the side of the boat and the fish was gone.
Billy turned. But before I could hit him, Leonard was there. Leonard stuck the tips of his fingers in Billy’s eyes. Billy’s hands went to his face and Leonard kicked him hard in the balls. Billy went to his knees.
I looked at Landis and Jason. They were both on their feet. Jason dropped his beer onto the deck. It rolled up against the side of the boat and foamed.
I said, “I wouldn’t.”
“Naw,” Leonard said. “Come ahead.”
I was still holding the shears in my hand. Leonard had Billy by the hair, grinding his knuckles into the top of Billy’s skull. He pulled Billy forward onto his face, dropped his knee across Billy’s neck.
“Taste that boat,” Leonard said. “Learn to like it. I plan on feeding it to you.”
Beatrice was crying. “You do not know what you have done,” she said.
“Maybe not,” I said. “But enough is enough. Ferdinand, take this boat back to port. And don’t anyone give me any shit about it.”
“Oh, no,” Leonard said. “Please give me some shit. I’m already sweaty and worked up now. And I’m bleeding again. So I’m mad enough to need some shit. Come on, either of you pussies. I want some shit.”
No one gave him any shit.
Ferdinand gunned us toward shore.
18
That night in our hotel, Leonard, wearing fresh bandages, propped himself up in bed with pillows. He said, “I enjoyed our fishing trip. Didn’t you?”
I was sitting in a chair at the desk, drinking a diet cola. “So much,” I said.
“Just a little rest. A vacation…”
“That’s enough. I was trying to help the old man.”
“You’re always helping someone, Hap. Except yourself. And by the way, what do you think of the old man now?”
“I think he saved our lives, and he’s a good old man, but… I don’t know. That stuff with those dipshits. What’s up with that?”
“She’s a masochist, Hap. Where the fuck have you been all your life? Or maybe she has this big daddy thing goin’ with Billy Boy. Boss me, and I’ll be your slave shit.”
“She seems intelligent.”
“Probably is. She’s just fucked up. Leave it at that.”
“Or she’s in some real deep shit and she and her old man are doing what they need to do to survive.”
“Your idea was we were there to protect her today. We did that. In spite of the fact I’m not so sure she wanted it. We haven’t been invited back tomorrow.”
“At least I won’t have to put those nasty sardines on a hook.”
“Do you know how long I had to shower to get that fish smell off?”
“You mean after we went fishing today, or before?”
“That’s funny, Hap. Real funny. And I give up on the vacation.”
“You talked me into staying.”
“I know, and it was a mistake. We cannot take a vacation, Hap. It is not in the cards. Least not together. I miss John.”
“Admit it. He might be your lover, but is he as much fun as me?”
“Trust me, Hap. You’re not fun. And who knows, you might even call Brett and she might even like you calling.”
“I must admit I think about her.”
“She’s all right, that one. You should try and stick with her.”
“I have.”
“No. When she gives you a little bit of coolness, you bail. Every woman you meet can’t beat a drum all the time and blow a trumpet. They got to have their moments.”
“Like you know anything about women, Leonard. You’re a queer.”
“But a smart queer. Brett, she’s all right. We’ve known each other for a while now, Hap, old buddy, and I finally figured out why you don’t stick with women.”
“You mean besides the ones that double-cross and try to kill me?”
“Besides them.”
“You mean like the one falls in love with a good friend and then goes off and gets killed.”
“Well, besides her too.”
“What’s the answer, O Sage Queer?”
“What you got to do, my man, is give your relationships some breathing space. You’re working so hard to have a relationship, you don’t just let it happen. Hang with the moment, buddy.”
“That’s it? Hang with the moment? What kind of fuckin’ advice is that? You haven’t exactly had the best love life in the world either, if you’ll recall.”
“Got me there, but at least I figured out your problem. You meet a woman, you get that charge of being in love. That romantic, sexual rush, and then it gets everyday, and you don’t know how, or don’t have the character-”
“Watch it.”
“Don’t have the character to make it work when it gets into the everyday. I’m not one of those says a relationship should be a job. That’s the case, get a part-time at the 7-Eleven. I am sayin’, it ain’t all about moony eyes and exchanging body fluids.”
“This from the guy telling me that the size of John’s hammer was what you were really impressed with.”
“It is impressive. But… I been away from him awhile, and, you know, I’m beginning to rethink things. Not about the size of the hammer. I still like that part. But about love and life.”
“Oh, shit. Love and Relationships by Leonard Pine. Save it. Write a column.”
“Hey, listen to me, buddy. That’s how I realized I’d turned a corner with John. I just let things be.”
“You hung with the moment.”
“Exactly. Bottom line. Don’t try so hard. And this one. Beatrice. Let it go. She’s about two dogs short a sled team.”
