Part Three – Day Three
Gunner
I slept through the alarms I set the night before. A knock came towards the end of the best dream I’d ever had, awakening me to the real world.
“Who is it?” I called out.
Nobody answered, so I rolled out of bed and opened the door. I yawned before noticing Desiderio was standing before me.
I realized I was in only my boxers, and quickly grabbed my blanket and wrapped it around me.
“Desiderio? What are you doing here?”
“I was supposed to pick you up at nine, remember?”
“Yeah… W-what time is it?”
“Five past ten.”
“Damn it,” I groaned, “I’m sorry, let me get ready and I’ll meet you in the living room.”
He started to walk away before turning his head towards me.
“You don’t have anything to be embarrassed about, you know…”
I hurriedly closed the door in self-consciousness and quickly dressed. After rummaging through my clothes, I quickly put on the first outfit I found before running to the bathroom.
After brushing my teeth and fixing my hair, I walked to the living room where Dad and he talked and laughed.
“If you thought that was a funny story, let me tell you about the time his shorts came off when he jumped from a diving board!”
“They didn’t!” Desiderio gasped.
Mortified and already humiliated, I walked in and pointed a finger at Dad.
“Don’t you dare!” I yelled.
“Oh, come on, Gunner, it was funny!” Dad snorted.
“Not when it was in front of my crush!”
“Oh, a crush?” Desiderio wiggled his eyes. “Do tell.”
Dad started again before I could speak.
“Derek Hollins. Oh, he and Gunner were inseparable back then.” Dad smiled, recounting the memories.
“Why did they stop hanging out?” Desiderio asked.
“They moved away after…”
“After what?”
“After his parents caught us kissing in a closet.” I added, my voice low and sad.
“They caught them and told me Gunner was no longer welcome there. There was one good thing that came from it, though.”
“What’s that?” I asked in confusion.
“You came out of the closet!” Dad held out his arms as Desiderio bent over in laughter.
I scoffed and rolled my eyes.
“Really, Dad? That was terrible.”
“Thank you, I’ll be here all week.”
I groaned. “Desiderio, can we leave? Please?”
“Yes,” he stood and shook Dad’s hand, “It was a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
“You as well, Desiderio. Take good care of my boy, and don’t break his heart.”
“Dad!” I yelled.
“I won’t, sir, I promise.”
“Need any money, Gunner?” Dad asked.
“No, sir, I’ve got it.” Desiderio smiled. “After all, he is my guest.”
“A gentleman. Unlike the fish you catch, Gunner, make sure you keep this one.”
I walked out the door, horrified, and Desiderio caught up with me.
“I’m sorry, my Dad can be… a lot.”
“I thought he was funny.”
“Yeah,” I huffed, “Because you don’t live with him.”
“Hey,” he walked around me and touched my chest, “Don’t worry about it. It’s your last day in Cuba, so let’s make the most of it. What do you say?”
I smiled. “Sounds good.”
He wrapped my hand in his and kept it there as we walked to the car. We got a few glances, but with how good I was feeling, nothing could bring me down.