Page 18 of River
CHAPTER 5
Bad Haircut
River
The next day, Maximum and I were hours into our second day on the beach before we saw Noah and Peter.
They were surfing further down the beach, and Peter waved at us from afar.
We waved back.
“Did you have fun with them last night?” I asked Maximum, who had gone to a local bar with the two men while I’d chosen to stay back at the hotel.
Four of the children were burying his legs in the sand, making his movement limited, but he turned his head. “We did, but I shouldn’t have stayed as long as I did. I’m knackered.”
“Yes, you do look tired. How much did you have to drink?”
“Too much.” Maximum yawned. “Those two know every cute girl in town, and the Austrian twins they told us about came to the bar.”
“Oh, the Magnum girls.”
“It’s just one of them who can do the trick. They aren’t identical twins.”
“Did you see her keep a whole Magnum in her mouth.”
“No. I spent more time talking with her twin. They were quite different.”
“How so?”
“Well, Patricia, who I spoke to, isn’t as much of a party girl. She studies philosophy and is on this journey for different reasons than her twin. We spoke a lot about the Asian culture while her twin was giggling with guys all night.”
“Did you and she…” I left out the real question because several of the children understood basic English, and I didn’t want to involve them.
“No, they’re only staying a few more days before they’re heading up North.” Maximum drew in the sand with his left hand. “I liked her and we flirted, but I’m just not interested in any more one-night stands.”
“It’s going to be difficult for you to find anything else when you’re always moving around,” I pointed out.
“Or maybe I’m waiting for the woman who’ll make me want to stand still.”
We played and swam with the eight children that we’d brought to the beach and just like yesterday, we bought them ice creams. It warmed my heart to see them have so much fun. Even the otherwise shy girl, Ana, was laughing and splashing in the water.
In the afternoon, Peter came over to chat while Noah stayed further down the beach.
“Isn’t Parker coming over?” I asked after twenty minutes of talking with Peter.
“I don’t know. He’s in a strange mood today.”
“Why?”
Peter shrugged. “I don’t know.”
With my curiosity piqued, I got up and brushed sand off the backs of my legs and my behind. “Peter, would you mind helping Maximum keep an eye on the children? I’m just going to check on Parker.”
“Sure. I can do that, but I’m not teaching surfing today. I only got four hours of sleep, and I’m ready for a nap.”
“Who wants to bury Peter in sand?” I asked the same group who’d loved burying Maximum’s legs earlier in the day. They lit up and got their little buckets to get the sand wet.
“All you have to do is be still and keep an eye on them.” I winked, and Peter grinned back at me.
