One Drop of Golden Sun

Ch. 37 Ice-Cream Guns and Baby

*Ray

The second body that splashed into the water from the far end of the pier had to be Lokela. She'd recognize that trim, muscular form anywhere.

When he surfaced a second later, confirming her assumptions, he was towing someone after him. Should she be worried? She took a step forward, but realized that Beth was still bent in half.

"Are you all right?" Ray asked.

Beth held out her ice-cream. "I don't want this after all. I think I have gas or something. I'm going to sit down while you figure this out."

"I'll call Russell."

"Please," Beth said, groaning as she first squatted, and next lowered herself to sit, her legs outstretched. She waved vaguely at the sea and swimmers coming their way. "Take care of this. Talk to them and get the answers you need. You can't always run away from confrontations."

"They shouldn't be here. I should stay with you. You don't look so good." Ray sucked at her lower lip, torn between facing the pair of soaking wet surfer dudes stumbling to the shore and sitting with her very pregnant sister who had broken out in a sweat from crossing the beach.

"Take care of you for a change, Ray. You are always looking out for others, me especially. But I don't need you right now. You do." She jabbed her chin at Lokela who had arrived, and Zach weaving unsteadily behind.

Ray swiveled to face them, ice-creams clutched in her hands like dripping guns. Lokela's chest heaved for air, his wet, faded grey tee-shirt practically see-through. Veins in his arms popped and he rolled his shoulders several times, not meeting her glance.

Zach swayed several times, narrowing his eyes at her. "We came here," he said, motioning back and forth between himself and the crowded pier. "We came because you have to choose between us. I love you. Lokela said you guys were together when I was gone. Those other girls, the girls, well hardly any girls, just a couple of girls I hooked up with. were nothing. You are the one for me, and you belong to me. You have to choose."

"Dude, you have got to shut up," Lokela muttered.

Ray wished she could cross her arms in order to look tougher. But, wielding her dripping cones to maintain distance, she hardened her expression. "Funny fact, but no, I don't have to choose between anyone, and I sure as heckfire don't belong to anyone, least of all you."

"Ray, I love you. Can I have one of those, I'm so hungry."

Without waiting, he lurched forward completely off balance. And fell face-forward in the sand at her feet.

Lokela groaned with impatience. "I'm sorry. He's really drunk. I told him not to come, but when it looked like he was going to no matter what, I decided to come with him and try to minimize the damage. Is that your sister?"

Beth held up a hand, giving him a wan smile.

"Yeah, and she wants to kill you, but it's not a good time because she had too much spaghetti for lunch," Ray said.

"What about you? You're the one who is important to me."

His words crushed her. "So important you would lie and hide the truth from me? That you would let me believe lies? Is that how important I am?"

"Ray," Zach slurred, "he doesn't love you, that's right. That's right, baby. I'm the one..." He drifted off and she thought he had fallen asleep, but he jerked awake again. "I'm the one who loves you. I will stay here—" He pointed emphatically at the beach. "Until I die."

"Yeah, you do that," she muttered. "Lokela, you should know I'm moving out. I've already checked with Doug's boyfriend, and he said—"

Her phone buzzed. Thinking it must be Russell telling her he was home, she paused to look. It was Doug.