The Game

TY

I wake up to my phone ringing on the nightstand. I reach over to see who’s calling, and it’s a New York number. “Don’t know anybody in New York, so leave a voicemail,” I mutter to myself.

I roll over and go back to sleep.

I wake up a couple of hours later and get out of bed. I slowly make it into the kitchen and make a pot of coffee.

I walk out onto the balcony and see Frank doing what he does every morning and all day—looking for the holy grail of beach finds.

A couple of days ago, a bunch of kids had a party on the beach that lasted all weekend. So Frank is checking every square inch of the beach looking for something good.

Out in the distance, I see a woman splashing around in the ocean, screaming for help. I stand up and look over the rail, then all of a sudden, she stops and looks at Frank.

Frank looks back at her and continues to comb the beach. She stands up in the water naked. Frank stops again and looks at her while shaking his head.

Marsha crosses her arms and puts them under her boobs, giving Frank an evil stare. She starts to walk back to the apartment. She bends down and picks up her towel, wrapping it around her waist.

She gives him two middle fingers and walks away. I start laughing out loud. I think Marsha hears me laughing because when I look down, she shoots me the finger too.

“Sorry, Marsha,” I say. I sit back down and grab my cup of coffee. My phone rings, and it’s Ted, the owner of the surf shop. I answer the phone and let him talk.

He lets me know that the shareholders want to take the surf shop in another direction. They sold their shares to another company who will market and mainstream new surf shops all over the country.

Even though Ted only had 49 percent of the shares, he didn’t want to sell. He didn’t want a bunch of shops; he just wanted his.

The new company fired everybody who worked there, even Ted. The one who started the business fifteen years ago from the ground up to where it is today.

“I’m sorry, Ty,” he says over and over.

“Don’t be. I just hope they gave you a pretty nice settlement for buying you out.”

“They did. I wanted to retire in about ten years, but it looks like I’ll be retiring early. The wife and I want to move somewhere inland. She’s really tired of the beach life now.”

“Best of luck to you and your wife on the new adventure,” I tell him.

“Thanks. And hey, if you plan on opening a business someday and you need partners, just make sure you own more than 50 percent of the shares or you too will be bought out.”

“I will, and thanks again for giving me the opportunity to work for you,” I say as we both hang up at the same time. Wow, I didn’t see that coming.

I stare at my phone and notice I have a voicemail. I wonder if it’s more bad news? I hit the button to the voicemail and listen to the message. My eyes get big when I realize who it is.

I hang up the phone and call the number back that was listed in the message. Cassie answers the phone, and I confirm I will be playing The Game.

When I get done talking with Cassie, I have the biggest smile on my face.

“Hell yeah!” I scream out loud.

“Hell yeah, what?” I hear above me.

“Is that you, Marsha?”

“It is.”

“Hey, come down to my apartment. I got something I want to share with you.”

Before I can get another word in, I hear her slam the front door to her apartment, and within seconds I hear a knock at my door. “Come in,” I say as my door swings open.

Marsha is standing there, still wearing the towel around her waist.

“Jesus, you could have put on some clothes before you came down.”

“I can’t sunbathe naked on the beach anymore, so I do it on my balcony. You just caught me at the right time. What’s up, baby?” she says as she sits on my sofa and spreads her legs.

Now I can see everything. I blink my eyes twice and look away.

“You like my shaved kitty. Don’t you? I hear all the young men love shaved pussy.” She places her hand on top of her pussy.

I smile and give her a small nod. “Listen, I’m going away for a few months and would like to know if you would like to live here? You know, take some time away from Frank.”

“Where are you going?” she asks.

“I signed up for something. So now I’m going to be traveling for a couple of months.”

“I can’t stay here. I can barely afford my own apartment—you know, with all the money Frank’s rolling in,” she says.

“Marsha, baby, you don’t have to worry about anything. I’m paid up for the next six months.”

Her eyes get wide thinking about living on her own without Frank. “When are you leaving?” she asks.

“I leave in two days for New York.” Marsha stands up and walks around. “Now promise me you won’t be throwing any crazy sex parties in here.”

“God, you’re no fun. Okay, ‘no crazy sex parties,’” she says while making air quotes. “I promise I won’t squirt on everything.”

“What do you mean squirt on everything?”

“I’m kidding. I’ll do it over the balcony,” she says, laughing.

“I don’t want to know.” I shake my head.

***

The day before my flight, I try to find someone to take me to the airport. All my friends that I worked with disappeared after getting fired or let go.

I didn’t want to leave my car at the airport because I would pay out the ass for storage sitting for a few months. The only person I can think of is Frank.

My flight leaves at seven in the morning, and I have to be there a couple of hours early for TSA. Frank is the only person I know that’s up at that hour.

I see Frank out walking the beach with his detector. I walk up to him. “Hey, Frank. How’s it going?” I say.

“You need a ride to the airport, don’t you?” he says before looking up at me.

“How do you know?”

“Well, my wife can’t stop talking about living alone for a few months. That you are going to New York to meet your new wife.”

“My wife?! I never said anything about a wife to Marsha,” I say, laughing.

“Regardless, you got her out of my hair—or what’s left of it—and for that I’m grateful,” he says as he turns off his detector.

“Listen, I love my wife with all my heart. I hit my sexual peak in my twenties. She hit hers in her late forties. She’s constantly trying to get me to do things I never thought about doing.

“I just want to be left alone and do what I love—walking the beach and being retired.”

“I understand. Maybe she needs a toy to play with.”

Frank’s eyes get big as he looks at me and snaps his fingers.

“You’re a genius, boy,” he says.

“What do you mean?”

“A toy! I’m going to go on Craigslist or Tinder, whatever one, and find her a young stud to do all the dirty work for me.

“Maybe when you get back, she’ll have her fill and come back to me so we can retire like normal old couple, like drink margaritas and make fun of the kids on the beach,” Frank says, all happy now.

“That’s not what I meant, but if that’s what you want to be happy, by all means.” In the back of my mind, I think, Maybe she’ll stop hitting on me.

***

The day of my flight. I grab my bags and keys and lock my door. I make it down to the parking area to see Frank already in his car waiting for me. I open the passenger door and step in.

Frank looks at me with a big smile.

“What’s with the smile?” I ask.

“I found her a stud!” he says.

“Already?”

“Sure did. After we talked yesterday. I went and told her what I wanted to do for her. She was so happy that we both went looking online. She found him on Craigslist under ‘Studs for Sale.’

“I thought she was looking for a horse. He’s twenty-three and hung like a horse, go figure. He’ll be here in a few days. They just got done video chatting about an hour ago.”

“Do I dare ask how much he’s charging?” I ask.

“Too damn much! But to be alone for a couple of months was worth every penny,” he says as he puts his car in drive.

We get to Orlando International Airport in no time. Frank pulls up to the drop-off zone. I start to take off my key to the apartment for Frank.

“I’ll take it, but she won’t need it.”

“What do you mean she won’t need it?” I say with a confused face.

“She already has a key. Remember a while back when you lost your keys? She found them and made a copy of your apartment key, then gave them back to you,” he says with a snicker.

“Are you serious? You’re just now telling me?”

Frank just nods his head.

“That’s so wrong on so many levels,” I say as I get out of his car. “Thanks again for the ride.”

The whole time I’m in line for TSA waiting to go through security, all I keep thinking is, How many times did she watch me sleep, or hide in my closet watching me shower or change my clothes?

A shiver goes down my spine just thinking about it.

I make it through security and wait at the terminal, eager to get on the plane to New York sooner than later.