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WES LOOKED at the envelope from its spot on the dining table at John B's. They were all eager to see what was inside, on the outside it had the words For Bird written on it
"JJ!" Kiara called the blonde, him being the only one they were waiting on to open the envelope.
"Yup, yup, yup!" He came over from the kitchen, a sandwich with moldy bread and a soda in his hands. "Hot damn! Let's do it."
Wes grimaced in disgust as he saw the sandwich in the boys hand.
"Don't eat that," he told him.
"What, you mean this sandwich right here?" The blonde teased. "You want a bite, Wesley?"
"It's fine, mold is a natural organism, it's good for you!" The boy took a bite as John B ripped the envelope open and couldn't stop the gag coming from his mouth, spitting out the contents inside of it.
Wes and Pope shared a look and both shook their heads at their friend.
At least Pope wasn't in love with him.
John B brought a folded piece of paper out of the envelope and opened it up to reveal a map of the Outer Banks with coordinates written on it.
"Holy shit," John B raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, X marks the spot," Pope pointed to the X written on the map.
"Longitude, latitude," John B traced, "wait, there's something else in there."
He reached in the envelope once more and pulled out a tape recorder.
"What's that?" JJ asked, looking at the object in John B's hands.
"It's a tape recorder, dumbass," Kiara told him.
John B clicked a button and the recording began to play.
"Dear Bird."
"Who's Bird?"
"It's what my dad called me."
"I hate to say, "I told you so," but I told you so. And you doubted your old man. I suspect at this moment, you're filled with guilt and self-loathing over our last fight, but don't kill yourself just yet, kid. I didn't expect to find the Merchant either."
Clattering sounds are heard on the tape. Wes looked at Pope, both wondering if they should be listening to this, it seemed personal.
"You were probably right to call me out. Wasn't exactly father of the decade. What can I say, kid? I could smell the barn. And hopefully, we're listenin' to this in our brand new sugar-shack down in Costa Rica, livin' off passive investments and pulling on permits. If not, and you find this for less than optimal reasons, well, that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the Merchant. If somethin' happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold, kid. I love you, Bird, even if I didn't always act like it. I'll see you on the other side."