Rock, Pirate, Ninja

Chapter Five

Chapter 5

Tetsuo stormed out of the room into the hallway, nearly colliding into a luggage cart parked in front of the door. He shoved it out of the way, nearly knocking it over, but it counterbalanced and tipped back towards him entangling his backpack in its metal frame. He cursed as he yanked his bag out of the cart, causing the cart to lurch after him. Infuriated, he kicked the cart hard and turned his back before it fell back against the opposite wall with a loud crash. “What the hell…?” he heard an older man’s voice protest behind him. He didn’t look back.

The street outside was crowded with tourists, and many of them, oddly enough, were dressed like pirates.

He pushed himself forward, barely glancing at one of the banners hanging across the main street, noticing it was the first day of a weeklong pirate festival.

Wonderful. Not only had he been forced to abandon his girlfriend, but he was stuck on an island with a bunch of drunk pirate tourists.

He didn’t know where he was going as he plowed through the crowds, his body trying to pull him into a run. He found himself heading out to the beach, which now was swiftly growing overcast and unusually windy, to find some lonely place to bury his misery.

He was fortunate that the weather was forcing most fair-weather tourists and sunbathers inside to hold out in nearby bars and restaurants until the squall passed, leaving the beach empty. He found a small grove of pines and threw his backpack at them forcefully. He sat down on his haunches, stared out into the darkened sea, and let the tears flow.

He was outside of himself now, watching himself like a distant observer, hunched over and crying like a child, making sounds he had never heard himself make. He felt like he no longer cared about this man and wondered if it would be better for him to just walk out into that sea and let the storm take him away.

He watched the man stagger out to the water, letting the waves lap his legs and feet, pulling him farther and farther into the water.

The sound of a baby crying carried past him on the wind, and he snapped back into himself and turned, wiping his eyes and trying to find where it had come from. Down the beach a woman struggled with a collapsible stroller while carrying an infant, the wind whipping her skirt violently, blowing her bright red straw hat down the beach until it landed at his feet.

He stooped to pick it up, walking down the beach to return it.

“Your hat,” he said numbly, holding it out to her.

She brushed the hair out of her face and took the hat, “Thank you,” she replied simply.

“Let me help you with the stroller,” he offered.

“You’re too kind,” she smiled, “The stroller is a bit of a bugger; best let me do it. Would you mind holding Abby for a moment?”

“Oh, well, I…,” Tetsuo stammered as he quickly grabbed hold of the baby she had shoved into him. He held her awkwardly as she wailed at the sand and wind blowing around, her face contorted into the saddest frown he had ever seen as she hiccupped sobs. His heart melted for her. He pulled her into his chest and turned to protect her from the wind.

“Got it!” the mother exclaimed proudly. “I’ll take her now. Thank you so much for your help. Best get out of this wind and get yourself inside instead of hanging around here by your lonesome, don’t you think?”

Tetsuo nodded, handing the baby back to the mother. She continued, “I can see you’re good with children. Have any of your own?”

Instead of trying to come up with an answer, he turned abruptly and left, only glancing back long enough to see the woman’s husband run up to her and the baby, shepherding them into a waiting restaurant. He decided right then and there he wouldn’t lose himself to the storm. He would go find a bar instead.