Page 35 of Stony Point Summer
“All right. Could use a few more,” Kyle tells him, then does a double take. “Hey, Gallagher. You really fishing in your security uniform?” He hitches his head to the short-sleeve gray button-down and black pants Matt wears.
“Shit, yeah. Getting some overtime tonight,” Matt says, straightening his necktie, too. “Third shift, clocking in at midnight. So I’ll take off from here.”
Neil looks back at Matt. “Youneedto make some dough, dude. Hear you’ll be a family of three pretty soon.”
Matt takes a can of beer out of his brown bag and snaps it open. “Not to mention the wedding I have to pay for now.”
“A wedding?” Neil motions for Kyle to give him his lighter. “Seriously?” Neil asks Matt as Kyle tosses a disposable butane lighter across the rocks.
“No lie,” Matt tells him.
“Noshitis more like it.” Neil shakes his head, pulls a rolled joint from his tee pocket and lights up.
“So you’re gettingmarried?” Jason asks while maneuvering across the rocks, touching a boulder to keep his balance. When Neil hands him the joint, he takes a couple of hits.
“You’rereallytying the knot.” Neil squints long at him before taking the joint back from Jason.
“Sure am.”
“Hey,” Kyle says, slapping Matt’s uniformed shoulder. “Congrats, guy. Good for you.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Matt baits his fishing hook and casts his line. He stands there alone, watching the water for a quiet minute.
Kyle keeps walking toward Neil and snags a hit or two of his weed. But no one says anything more about Matt’s nuptials.
“Eva’s mom is so pissed,” Matt finally admits. “You should’ve seen her, saying I took advantage of her eighteen-year-old daughter. I mean, come on! Me and Eva have been together for three years already.” He looks back at his dumbstruck beach friends. “So, you know,” he goes on, “hope you guys will come to the event.”
Maybe it’s the way Matt says it, with some kind of defeat, that gets the others moving closer to him. They slap his back then. And give him a slight shove. And have him take a toke off Neil’s joint while wishing him well.
A wedding? Wouldn’t miss it. Should be a helluva party.
Need a best man?
Just name the date.
You can count on us, Matthew.
But their enthusiasm is short-lived, replaced by some disbelief. They must all besingle, after all, in their early twenties. Lifetime beach friends. They’re all pals they lean on. Bullshit with. Cruise the beach roads with. Party with up on Little Beach. Bros, man.
And it’s all changed now. One of them’s gettingmarried. With a kid on the way, no less.
Yes, that enthusiasm quickly fades.
“Too bad,” Kyle finally tells Matt right as something tugs at his line, then goes slack. “Guess this’ll be one of your last outings with the guys. We’ll miss you.”
“Hey,” Matt insists. “I’m not moving away or anything. Just getting married. That’s all.”
“Where the hell did this even happen?” Neil asks before taking another hit off what’s left of his joint.
Matt looks over at him. “Didwhathappen?”
“You and Eva. You know,” Neil says while casting his fishing line. “Getting down.”
“None of your fucking business.” Matt, in full security uniform, gives Neil enough of a shove then that Neil almost loses his footing on the slippery rocks.
“Doesn’t matter now anyway,” Jason puts in as he grabs a beer for himself. After bringing his brew and fishing pole to a boulder off to the side, he looks over at Matt again. “The deed’s done and you’re getting hitched.”
“Eh.” Matt picks up his fishing rod and checks the hook. “We would’ve gotten married sooner or later. Eva’s the one for me.”
