smooth seas//john b

eight

I pull out a FedEx envelope from the hole. For Bird is written in black marker on the front. I pass it through the crack to John B.

"That's not gold," Pope states.

I grunt as I start to pull myself out of the tomb.

"Holy shit. This is from my dad," John B tells us.

JJ lights a cigarette. "Code red. Code red. Square groupers! Square groupers!"

"Go," Kie says.

"It's the guys who robbed your house," JJ warns.

"Light!" I say.

We had behind tombs trying to stay out of sight.

Pope starts to fiddle with JJ's light. "Turn your light off, man!"

"John B? Your light!" Kie tells him.

"I see something!" a man shouts.

"Do you think it's them?" I ask.

"Homie's got a gun," JJ warns us.

"Screw this." I take off running and everyone follows after me. We climb over the cemetery gate.

"Hurry up!" JJ shouts.

"Go!" I shout. I can hear the golf cart coming towards us.

"Guys! Guys! Guys, I'm stuck," Pope tells us. His pants are stuck to the gate.

"Pope, come on!" JJ shouts.

"All right, guys..." John B says.

"I got you," Kie says as she runs towards him.

JJ holds up the gun. "No. Pope, don't move, okay?"

"You're gonna rip me," Pope protests. "Wait. You're gonna rip me!"

"You're fine. Come on!" Kiara shouts.

"Pope, come on!" I yell at him.

Kie gets Pope off the fence but his pants get ripped off in the process.

"Nice! Come on, dude. It's a little Tootsie Roll," JJ taunts.

Kie laughs. "Come on!" We all run to the van. "Get in! Stupid!"

Everyone is barely in the van when John B takes off towards his house.

We stand around the dinning table as John B stares as the envelope. JJ is in the kitchen making a sandwich.

"That bread had mold on it three days ago," John B tells him.

"I'll just pull off the bad parts," JJ states. "Plus, mold is good for you. It's just a natural organism."

I call out to him, "JJ!"

He comes running into the room sandwich and beer in hand. "Yup, yup, yup! Hot damn! Let's do it." JJ bites into the sandwich and then spits it out.

John B rips open the envelope. He unfolds a map with markings on it. "Holy shit."

Pope points to a spot. "Oh. X marks the spot."

John B moves his finger over the map. "Longitude, latitude. Wait, there's somethin' else in there."

"What's that?" JJ asks.

"It's a tape recorder, dumbass," I state.

John B plays the tape. "Dear Bird."

"Who's Bird?" JJ asks.

"That's what my dad called me," John B explains.

The tape goes on, "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." There are clattering sounds in the background. "You were probably right to call me out. Wasn't exactly Father of the Decade." He sighs. "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." He sighs again. "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." There is a vehicle in the background. "I'll see you on the other side." There is static on the tape and then it ends.

John B gets up from the table and walks away. He leans against the doorframe and I can hear him crying.

"Holy shit, he did it! Big John... He found the Merchant..." JJ starts.

I cut him off, "Can you... can you please?"

"Sorry," JJ says.

I walk over to John B and wrap him in a hug. He holds onto my arm as he sobs. I can't imagine how it feels to lose a parent. Ward isn't my biological father but I would still be devastated if he died. Hell I would be upset if I found out my biological father had died even though I've never met him.

Once John B calms down we sit out back on the dock. Thunder rumbles in the distance. Kie strums on the guitar.

"How much was it again?" JJ asks.

"Four hundred mil," John B states.

JJ sighs. "All right, let's talk the split. Now, before we say 'evenly,' may I remind you that I am the only one that can properly defend us from those groupers who were after us." JJ waves the gun. "Protection? Not cheap, okay?"

"You haven't trained. You've done zero training," Pope points out.

"YouTube, bro! That's at least a five percent bump right there," JJ argues.

"You haven't..." Pope starts.

"Any objections?" JJ shakes his head. "Didn't think so."

Kie and I raise our hands.

"Yeah," Pope says.

"I don't hear any, so..." JJ trails off.

"What are you gonna do with your share, Pope?" Kiara asks.

"Pay for college in advance. And also, textbooks. Those are expensive," Pope tells us.

"What about you, Kie?" JJ asks.

"Yeah, what does a socialist do when she's rich?" Pope questions.

Kie chuckles. "Just wanna make a double album. About OBX, the Pogues." Pope chuckles. "You know, the way Catch a Fire is about Kingston. Record it at Marley Studio, Peter Tosh producing."

"Peter Tosh is dead," Pope reminds her.

"Peter Tosh is dead. I know that Pope. Spirit of Peter Tosh will never die," Kie states.

Pope looks at me. "What about you Mai?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I haven't really thought about it. Maybe I'll buy a nice ass car and drive away from here."

"I know what I'm gonna do with my share. I'm gonna get a big ass house on Figure Eight. And go full Kook," JJ states.

"You're gonna go full Kook?" Pope questions.

JJ nods. "Yup. Gonna get a marble statue of myself. Oh, I'm gonna get a koi pond. Put a bunch of those fish..."

"I'm never visiting," Kie tells me.

"What are you gonna do, JB?" I ask.

"To going full Kook," John B says.

We all raise our drinks. "To going full Kook!"