by Garry Hicks
2016 MIAMI AREA
Four arms hold out a bottle of beer each, clink them together in a toast.
Brandon and his buddies, Derek, Sean and Kyle, sit in Derek's crowded, tiny apartment at the kitchen table. After the toast, they each swallow a big slug of beer.
Sean belches out a thunderous, "Buurrrrppp!"
Derek responds with, "Nice, you pig. Does that toast remind you guys of anything?"
Brandon smiles. "Can you say, 'empty beer bottles'?"
"Oh man, I forgot about that." grins Kyle. "Stealing empty cases of beer. I guess that's something desperate fifteen year old's would do."
"Can we get on with the game?" asks Sean.
They're playing the game 'Risk'. They are now all in their late thirties.
Derek is six foot, slicked back black hair, drop dead GQ.
Brandon is still a bit short and his belly a bit too big. His short hair and average to below average looks would give the first impression that he's a nerd.
Kyle is six foot, thin, average looks. His hair is too long for his face and with his untrimmed beard you could easily mistake him for homeless.
Sean is ruggedly handsome, a melting smile with matching eyes. The women go for him, he just doesn't go for them.
Sean declares forcefully, "I attack Kamchatka. Derek, prepare to defend yourself." They roll the dice, Sean grabs two of Derek's armies.
Derek whines "Butthead."
Sean orders "Again." They roll the dice. Sean takes off two more of Derek's armies.
"Keep that up and I'm going to pummel your face." Derek warns.
"Thees ees not a game of friendship." Sean fires back.
Brandon interrupts. "Guys, our trip is only a few weeks away. Are we all ready for the adventure of a lifetime?" They pause, lean back in their chairs.
Sean glances at the guys. "It's just a cruise into the open seas Brandon, what do you think we're going to find?"
"The fact we don't know what we're going to find is what makes it exciting. Unexplored areas, sunken pirate ships and... maybe even mermaids."
Kyle grins. "Yeah, and maybe we'll fight long dead come back to life pirates."
Derek smiles "And once we kill them, we can take all of their gold booty. Yeah, that's it, we'll come back as very wealthy men. What would you do with all your money Brandon?"
"That's easy, I've already designed it in my head. I'd buy a big house on the water, put in the best game room ever and then decide which of the women chasing me I was going to take. Hell, I might choose three or four. You Kyle?"
"I'd have a gigantic house, isolated from everyone else's place. I'd build a wall around it with electric wire so if anyone tried to get in they'd get fried. Then I'd build a moat around the entire wall, not on the outside but on the inside. That way, if they didn't get fried they'd get eaten by all the alligators I'd fill the moat with."
"That's drastic Kyle, I didn't realize you were such an isolationist...and a masochist." responds Derek.
"I'm not like you Derek, women have never chased me. I just want to keep out all the money grubber's."
"You must have me mixed up with Sean." says Derek.
"Women don't chase me, I just don't chase them."
Brandon adds, "God will punish you for lying Sean."
"Brandon, just because they don't chase you doesn't mean they do me."
Derek chuckles. "You guys are hilarious. You're spending money you don't have, in fact building mansions with it, and have women chasing you. Maybe you should put this conversation off until we find the buried treasure."
"And you all accuse me of living in a fantasy world."
Sean smiles at Brandon. "The difference is, video boy, the difference is, we just talk about it, you live in that world all the time."
Brandon retorts, "Y'all are so narrow minded that..."
"C'mon guys," Derek interrupts. "let's get back to our trip, only two weeks to go. We're gettin' away from it all."
Brandon smiles. "Yep, I can't wait to see all the dolphins, mermaids and pirates."
"You just can't let it go, can you Brandon."
"Bite me Sean."
"I'm sure you have a game for that."
"Yeah, it's called chase the butthead."
Derek sits at the kitchen table with his dad, Lou, and his girlfriend, Jessa. Lou is mid to late fifties, a good looking, in shape man. Jessa appears to be mid-forties, long flowing dark hair and considered by most to be beautiful. They eat sandwiches and salad, sip on wine.
"Dad, how long have you and Jessa been together now?"
Lou stares at Jessa. "How longs it been honey, two, maybe three years?"
Jessa sighs. "Your memory Lou, it's challenging. It's been over three years since you plucked me off that beach on the cruise."
"In the Bahama's, right?"
"Yeah, we were on a cruise and stopped for the day when we met."
She stares at Lou. "Good memory Derek."
"I thought so. Then maybe you can tell me why, in over three years, you haven't aged. I mean at all. You look exactly the same as you did when I first met you." Derek sips his wine as Jessa smiles.
"That's a really nice thing to say Derek but I'm afraid I have aged. I do have youthful looks in my family, but yes, I have aged."
Lou adds "No you haven't honey, you still look fantastic."
"Don't you start with the..."
"I'm just saying you look great."
"Hold on, I'll be right back." Derek hops up from the table, leaves the room as Lou and Jessa glance at each other.
Lou whispers "He isn't going to let it go."
Jessa whispers back, "If he ever finds out I wasn't on that cruise, then..."
Derek ambles back into the room, a big smile covers his face. He holds a picture frame, sets it face down on the table. He sits, takes a sip of wine. "Ahhhh, good."
Lou and Jessa again shoot an uncomfortable glance at each other until Lou asks, "What's that a picture of son?"
"It's from when you first brought Jessa back, over three years ago. Take a look." Derek smiles, hands the picture to Jessa, leans back and folds his arms.
She stares at it as Lou leans over and looks. "He's right honey, you do look the same."
"Well, they say men see with blinders on and you two definitely have blinders on."
Derek smiles. "Really?" He rushes out of the room and quickly returns with a round, hand held mirror. He grabs the picture from Jessa, holds it next to her face, then holds the mirror in front of Jessa. "Show me what's changed on you."
Jessa examines her face, points to a tiny spot on her cheek. "That wasn't there before."
Derek smiles. "I think you get my point. Now, if you can just bottle whatever it is, we can all be rich."
Jessa smiles "I guess you're right, I look pretty good for being a thousand years old."
Lou nudges her. "Honey, don't let your secret out."
"You two are hilarious...I gotta go, thanks for lunch. Oh, dad, the Mystic will be all ready? It's less than a week away."
"I'm taking care of everything Derek, she'll be ready."
Derek smiles and ambles out. Lou sighs, glances at Jessa, rolls his eyes.
CHAPTER FOUR