17. sandcastle showdown
sandcastle showdown
OTHELLO
Whatever this silly contest is will be a great distraction from all these thoughts that keep circling back to Marley. I don’t usually get thrown off like this, but she definitely has me off my game. Not that I’m complaining. So, yeah, a distraction is exactly what I need right now.
The only way I know how to do that is to focus on what I really came out here to do.
Be there for my cousin. But shit, I don’t even know where to start with that.
A part of me was waiting for Gavin to break the ice.
But would he? Trust me, I’m not under any illusions.
He probably didn’t want me here just as much as I didn’t want to be here.
We were both doing this for Mimi. And I have yet to be the best best man for him.
Mimi had carried both joy and sadness when she talked about this wedding. Joy for Gavin and sadness because she knew she wouldn't live long enough to see her only child get married.
But I don’t think anyone stopped to think about what it would feel like for me, playing best man to a man who betrayed me.
I try to put myself in Aunt Mimi’s shoes and see her side of this.
But nothing about it makes sense to me. Nothing except the fact that I love my aunt and I’d do anything for her, including this. It’s the only reason I’m here.
The only reason.
I make it to the lobby, which is buzzing with guests. Even from here, you can see beyond the resort, the beach, and a huge banner reading: The Grand Palms Annual Sand Castle Contest.
I shake my head as I think of all the things planned for this week. Too many group activities and forced interactions, I won’t be able to back out of.
When I step outside, the Maui heat is blazing, and although my shirt is lightweight for summer, I undo the buttons, leaving it open and exposing my chest.
Years of early-morning workouts and discipline make me confident enough to do so. Six days a week, I hit the gym. Weights, HIIT, and just enough cardio to keep my heart in check. It’s less about vanity and more about staying sane.
It helped a lot with my grief too. Mental suffering has a way of unraveling you from the inside out. Cutting you raw and deep. At least it did that for me. After my parents and my Aunt Mimi passed, I needed something to anchor me. The gym became my sanctuary, my outlet, and my lifeline.
There are still 45 minutes to spare before the contest begins. And the men’s group text says we should meet at the Ohana Kitchen. Looks like out of the five of us, I’m the first to arrive at the resort’s open-air restaurant.
The smell of buttered croissants, seared pineapples, and bacon drifts out before I even step in. I find a seat at an outdoor table near the entrance, so I’m easy to spot, and I order an egg white omelet with smoked salmon, sautéed spinach, and a side of mixed fruit.
Minutes later, I hear, “Othello, right?”
My mouth is stuffed with food when I look up to see a guy standing over me with tan skin and brown locs that he has twisted up in a knot on the top of his head.
I nod, my mouth chomping and swallowing mangos. I grab my juice to wash it down.
“I’m James,” he introduces himself and takes a seat at one of the three empty chairs. I recognize his name from the group chat. I wipe my mouth with a cloth napkin, and we exchange a firm handshake.
“Nice to finally put a face to the stories,” he says with a grin that I can’t tell is smug or friendly.
“I can only imagine what stories you were told,” I tell him half-heartedly.
Here we go.
I’ve been preparing myself for these “stories” and whatever else comes my way this week. Me and Carina’s relationship had never made headlines or been featured on social media blogs, but that didn’t matter. In tight circles like this, people always knew more than they let on.
James grins. “The stories have been…surmising to say the least.” His gaze sharpens. “People are joking around, wondering if you’re going to be the one standing when the preacher asks if anyone objects to the wedding.”
I grunt. “They don’t have to worry about that from me. That’s water under the bridge now. We’ve all moved on.”
“Have you now?” James asks. “I assumed it was different from the silent treatment you’ve been giving everybody.”
“Don’t assume. It has nothing to do with that.”
A waiter comes to the table to take James’ order, but he declines.
“I believe you. You’re strong. Being here, I mean. I mean, I probably would have shown up, but accepting to be the Best Man takes a whole nother level of grace.”
“I’m here because my aunt can’t be.”
“I respect that. And listen, I don’t even believe half the shit that was told. I know there are two sides to every story, and Carina’s side is just that…her side.”
Yeah, the truth depends on who’s telling the story, I want to say. But I save my breath.
We’re interrupted by the other two groomsmen.
I know their names are Todd and Vernon, but I don’t know who is who.
They’re both wearing Polo swim trunks without shirts.
The shortest out of the two is leering at me with this dumb ass cocky grin on his face.
He has eyes that are too close together and a haircut that screams Carlton Banks.
“Well, well, well, look who we have here. The silent one! A lot of us didn’t think you would make it.” He takes a seat across from me, while the other dude sits to his left. The guy to his left gives me a nod of acknowledgment, but that’s it. He has brown skin and green eyes.
“Todd, be easy,” James warns.
Todd shrugs innocently. “What? It’s a valid observation. It’s a little rude to ignore people. I forget you’re in the group chat sometimes.”
“And somehow the world keeps spinning,” I say, deadpan.
We lock eyes. The poindexter doesn’t back down. He puts his elbows on the table and leans forward in my direction. His eyes narrow slightly, despite them already being cocked like a pistol.
What the fuck is this dudes problem? Did he know I would pummel him into the ground with my bare hands? If this buff midget thought he was intimidating me, he was sadly mistaken.
“Everything good over here?” Gavin’s voice cuts through the tension like a knife as he approaches and stands right next to me. The closest we’ve been since his mother’s funeral, when I gave him a sincere hug and nothing more. That had been a year ago.
But this is the first time we’ve spoken in three years, since I found out about him and Carina.
He looks like he’s aged a bit. And not due to nature, but due to grief and stress.
His dark hair is now cropped close, giving him a cleaner, more refined look.
A white fitted tank top clings to his lean, muscular frame.
“Yeah,” I say, my voice level. “We’re good.”
Gavin’s eyes shoot to Todd, the intensity of it enough to make the cocky grin Todd had been wearing slip from his face.
“You aren’t causing my cousin any trouble, are you, Todd?”
Todd scoffs under his breath. “Nah, nothing like that.” But the edge in his voice betrays him.
Gavin’s eyes flick back to mine. I can feel the others watching. Waiting. Wondering.
“Long time, bro,” Gavin tells me.
“Yeah, been a minute.”
He extends a hand to mine and pulls me to my feet. He wraps me in a hug, clapping my back. And I return the sentiment, years of brotherhood clashing with years of resentment. He pulls away from me, looking me over and then back at his friends. “Did you meet the guys?”
I look between Todd and the one who hasn’t said a word since he got here. “Nah, not properly.”
Gavin turns to his rent-a-friends, and I say that because they can’t possibly know him as well as I do.
I’d never heard of them until the group chat.
“Othello, these are a few of my co-workers. We all work at the Georgia ports. This is James, Todd, and Vernon.” He gestures towards me.
“This is Othello. My cousin. More like my brother.”
Gavin and I hold each other’s gaze a moment longer, the weight of the past settling into the space between us. The unspoken words. The betrayal. The years of silence.
Todd exhales dramatically and stands. “You two aren’t going to kiss and make up, are you? Save that for your wedding day.”
“Are we making a sandcastle or what?” Vernon asks impatiently.
Gavin checks his watch. “Yeah, let’s head out. The girls are meeting us out there.”
James and Vernon stand and follow us out of the outdoor section of the restaurant.
“I can’t remember the last time I built a sandcastle,” says James.
“Me either. I had to be about six, sevennnn,” Todd teases, holding his hands out and seesawing them back and forth.
Gavin shakes his head and chuckles lightly. “Yeah, man, Carina has us doing all kinds of crazy shit this week.”
He doesn’t seem the least bit excited about it, but then he perks up. “Hey, she told me you brought your girlfriend. Is she coming to build with us today?”
“Nah, she’s not. She’s got a headache. I told her to rest for tonight.”
“Shiiit,” Gavin drags out. “I would love a day to rest. I know everything Carina has planned this week is a mile long.”
“Same here!” James admits, walking beside me.
“When you think about it, how often do we get to do things like this in Hawaii?” Gavin asks joyfully. We all look at him like we don’t give a fuck one way or another. “But I mean, this wedding is about her, right?”
James and Vernon scoff in sync. “Man, it’s about you too.”
“It’s your wedding just as much as it is hers, ” I add.
Todd rolls his eyes. “I can’t stand when men say that. When I get married, I’m coming down the aisle on a full dance routine. I want a fog machine, pigeons. Everything.”
“Pigeons?” Gavin asks in confusion.
We all give Todd a baffled look.
“Y’all need to do your research,” he quips and waves us off.