Page 15 of Happy Wife

“Spider-Man!”

“If I bring Spider-Man, will you try jumping in the pool?”

He nodded.

“You’ve got a deal. Let’s go find your mom.”

After bundling Spencer up in a towel and handing him off to his mother, I headed into the locker room, braced for the stale scent of pool water. Pushing through the door, though, I heard a faint sound echo off the tiles, a blend of a mewling kind of cry and something else that got louder with every step.

It didn’t take long for the second sound to come into sharp focus: retching.

I scanned the gaps beneath the bathroom stalls until I saw a small pair of white Keds on the beige square tiles.

“Hello?”

The white Keds drew closer to their owner at the sound of my voice. I could see cutoff denim shorts and knobby knees. It was one of the drink thieves from the pool. I looked around at the other stalls and realized she was alone.

“You okay?” I offered. “Where’s your friend?”

This only provoked fresh tears and a whining sound from the girl.

Walking to the sink, I grabbed a handful of paper towels and ran them under cold water, then crouched down beside the stall door and showed the towels to her.

“I’m going to put my hand under the door, okay?” When the girl didn’t object, I reached in, and she tentatively accepted the towels. “Clean up a little, and I’ll go get you some water.”

Approaching the bar outside, I caught the attention of Andres, the manager on duty for Saturday mornings. “Can I get a water for a guest?” He nodded, grabbing a plastic cup. Feeling a little protective of the girl curled up in the bathroom, I raised an eyebrow in his direction. “Hey, did you see those kids stealing drinks?”

He just made a noncommittal shake of his head. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean?”

“I try not to get involved.”

“So youdidsee them?” My voice was accusatory.

He handed me the water. “If we catch them, they just say we’re lying and then their parents try to get us fired.”

I started to say that the club could lose its liquor license, that someone could get hurt. But I could already imagine Andres’s response. The district attorney for this county lived three houses over, and the member directory included judges and other higher-up city officials. The rules were whatever members wanted them to be. What did I expect Andres to do about it?

“Nice.” Rolling my eyes, I reached across the bar to grab a handful of saltine packets, then made a beeline back to the bathroom.

—

When I reached the stall, the girl had opened the swinging door, but she was still sitting with her legs drawn to her chest. Her head was on her knees.

“Here.” I sat down beside her and put the water and crackers between us.

She lifted her head for a second before groaning and putting it back down.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Mia,” she whimpered.

“I’m Nora. Is there someone I can call for you? Someone who can help you get home safely?”

Without lifting her head, she pulled a cellphone from her back pocket and handed it to me. “Just don’t call my mom.”

Her lock screen was a picture of her and her friends on the back of a boat flashing duck faces and peace signs. I tried to swipe it open, but her phone was password protected.

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