and Cathy was standing behind the bar in her usual place.
“Busy night,” Larry said.
I grunted my agreement. I knew he’d been watching me make my rounds.
Cathy set a beer on the counter. A San Miguel, I noticed. I guess my mood didn’t rate any of the stash Larry had brought me. I picked up the bottle and drained half of it before stopping.
“Better?” Larry asked.
“Slightly.”
“You get like this often?”
“Not too often,” Cathy answered for me. “But often enough.”
I tilted my bottle toward Cathy in a mock salute, then finished the rest of the liquid inside. “Another,” I said as I set the bottle back down.
“Me, too,” Larry said, pointing to his own empty bottle. “Isabel?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“How about you, Cathy?” Larry asked.
She shrugged. “Why not?”
Before she could retrieve our drinks, Larry put a hand out to stop her. “You have any champagne?”
“Of course,” Cathy said.
“Grab a bottle.” He glanced at Isabel. “And four glasses.”
The first thing that went through my mind was that Larry had asked Isabel to marry him. They’d only actually been in each other’s physical presence less than seventy-two hours, but I’d seen it before, even after just one night together, and it had never ended pretty. The guy always lost interest, and the girl, after bragging to her friends that she would soon be moving away from the Philippines, would then be forced to make up some lie to cover the fact her departure date never arrived.
I liked Larry. I thought he was pretty smart. I even liked Isabel and Larry together. It seemed, I don’t know, right. But I was going to have to force myself to reassess if he did an idiotic thing like proposing.
Larry took the bottle from Cathy as soon as she brought it over. He worked the cork loose, then aimed the barrel of the bottle at the ceiling above the dance floor. He pushed the cork until it shot out of the end, arcing through the air and striking inches away from where one of the poles was attached.
The attention of the room immediately turned toward us as champagne spewed out of the neck of the bottle and onto the floor. The other three members of my party laughed excitedly, while the only thing I could think about was that someone was going to have to clean up the mess.
Soon our glasses were filled, and Larry, careful not to spill any more of the liquid, handed one to each of us. Once we were all taken care of, he picked up his own glass and raised it in preparation of a toast.
“To seeing friends again,” he said.
We clinked our glasses and took a drink. I even managed a smile. After all, no matter what mood I was in, the perpetual party had to go on.
Larry raised his glass again, so we all did the same. “And to vacations,” he said. “For all of us.”
Again we clinked glasses, but as I started to take a drink, I realized the rest of them were looking at me, with those same large grins they had plastered on their faces when I’d arrived at work.
“What?” I asked, setting my glass down.
“You said you needed to get away,” Larry said.
I looked at him, not quite following.
He took an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to me. Inside was an airplane ticket. I took a look at the destination.
“Boracay?” I asked.
“I hear it’s gorgeous there,” he said.
“I can’t take this.”
“My treat,” he said.
“Thanks, but-”
“It’s too late,” he said, cutting me off. “Not refundable. The hotel’s paid for, too.”
I wasn’t really sure how to react. Did I want to go? Hell, yes. And the fact I didn’t have to pay was a definite bonus. “Why?”
“Larry said it’s because you are always so nice to me,” Isabel said.
“I don’t treat you any different than the rest of the girls.”
I heard Cathy exhale, exasperated. “Just say thank you.”
I looked at Larry, the tension that had been knotted between my shoulders easing slightly. “Thank you.”
“There is a catch,” Larry said.
I looked at him, waiting for the hammer to fall.
“Isabel and I are going, too,” he said. “But you don’t have to hang out with us. Well, maybe me sometimes when she gets sick of me.” He paused. “Is that all right?”
“Sure,” I said. The thing about going on vacation by yourself, the first day was fine, but then it got boring. Having a friend along to do things with might not be so bad.
“Larry said I could bring a friend, too,” Isabel said.
“Really?” I said, suddenly knowing where this was going. I turned and looked at Cathy. “Any idea who that might be?”
“Don’t you get any funny ideas, Doc. I’m going along to hang out with Isabel.”
Another glass of champagne and I was almost feeling my normal self again. Did it bother me that Cathy was coming, too? A little, I guess, but not much. Sexual tension had been building between us for a long time. I guess I was a little annoyed it was Larry’s actions that would make me face it.
A second bottle of champagne was ordered. Around us, the bar was filling up with other customers looking for a fun evening.
I didn’t see Mariella come in, so I didn’t know how long she had been there, but suddenly I looked up and she was standing just outside our little circle.
“So, is this a celebration?” she asked, her smile showing more teeth than you would have thought possible.
“Mariella!” Isabel said happily, her voice full of affection.
As the two cousins hugged, Mariella glanced over at Cathy. To her credit, Cathy hadn’t disappeared this time.
“I tried to find you last night,” Mariella said, as she and Isabel parted. “Did Papa Jay tell you?”
“Hadn’t had the chance yet,” I said.
“That’s okay, that’s okay,” Mariella said in that way she had that always seemed to mean the opposite. She turned her attention to Larry. “So, Isabel, is this him?”
Isabel leaned into Larry, her smile genuine and joyful. “This is Larry,” she said, and then to Larry, “This is my cousin Mariella. I told you about her, remember?”
“Sure,” Larry said. He stood up and held out his hand. “It’s great to meet you.”
Mariella bypassed the hand and went straight for a hug and a kiss on each cheek. To me, her hug seemed to linger a bit longer than was necessary, and was a bit tighter than a first greeting should have been. By the look on Larry’s face, I got the feeling he was thinking the same thing.
“Isabel talks about you all the time,” Mariella said. “Why you wait so long before you come back?” She slapped him lightly on his arm. Again, her hand seemed to linger there a moment too long.
Larry laughed. “I came as soon as I could.” He put an arm around Isabel and pulled her close. “But I agree, I wish it could have been sooner.”
“She tells me you have a very successful business. That’s great.”
“I do okay,” Larry said. I could tell it was not a topic he was comfortable talking about.
“Oh, more than okay, I think,” Mariella said. “Can I have a glass of champagne, too? Or is this a private party?” She laughed.
“Of course,” Isabel said. “Cathy, are there any more glasses?”
Cathy, her pasted-on smile unchanged, went and got another glass without a word. Larry filled it and handed it to Mariella.
