Friday Story — Pool.

Teddy Parks wound his way up Burbank Boulevard in the Hidden Hills of LA. The sun was high overhead, though the breeze from the scooter he sat astride kept him cool. He was filthy. His black and green checked pants flapped around his legs in the breeze. A white long-sleeved shirt ballooned in behind him as the front of it filled with air. He wore purple sunglasses and an open-faced green helmet, neither of which could suppress the expression he had on his face. It was split into a wide grin. The scooter’s engine rose and fell as he rounded each corner and snaked his way further into the hills. The houses got larger as he climbed, though so did the fences until all he could see were the gates at the front of each section. He pulled over to the side of the road, whipped out his phone and rechecked Maps for his directions. It was another mile or so up the road. The back wheel spun as he launched himself into the home straight.

‘Teddy?’ said a voice through the intercom.

‘Yeah, mate. It’s me. How are you doing Steve?’

‘Holy shit! It is you. I can’t believe it. How long has it been? Look at you and your scooter. Hilarious. I’ll buzz you in. Come on up.’

The gate swung in on itself, like a grand gesture to something hidden. It was an expansive property with lush gardens and a mound of grass that the drive curved around. Teddy didn’t know which way to look as he made his way up the driveway. It swept from one side of the section to other giving you a good view of what lay up ahead. And that was spectacular. A white Californian bungalow hovered between palm trees and lush gardens. Steve walked across a green lawn to the steps that lead down to the driveway.

‘Man o man buddy. Look at you,’ he said giving him a hug. ‘You look like you’ve just driven through the Nevada desert.’

They embraced, then slapped each other on the back as they pulled apart.

‘Not far off. It’s been a journey, he said staring at the house over Steve’s shoulder. ‘Look at this place. Anything you’re not telling me?’

‘Let’s just say my father got lucky.’

‘Okay then.’

They walked in through a large glass door, past a slate wall that guided them on to an expansive back area. A deeply tanned couple were reclining on chairs beside an oversized pool.

‘Dad, this is Teddy. The school friend I told you about.’

‘Ah, the traveller I hear.’

‘That’s right Mr Ryan.’

‘Call me Frank,’ he said standing, offering his hand. ‘This is my wife, Mel.’

She didn’t get up, just smiled, gave him a gentle wave, like she was playing the high keys of a piano, a drink held in her other hand.

‘You hungry?’ he asked, ‘because you look it,’ he smiled.

The pool was enormous. It was long enough to do some serious lengths in and that was all Teddy could think about as he sat down for lunch. The sun was high in the sky as he waxed lyrical with Steve about what they’d been up to over the last ten years. Who they’d seen, who was doing what to whom, who had just walked away and disappeared into the ether. It was fair to say Teddy had been one of those. He had travelled. Everywhere. From Marrakesh to Sri Lanka to Swappa Koepel. He was on the bones of his ass though loved it. He’d met someone and was packing it in to move south to Baja in Mexico. Frank was impressed, though Mel seemed ambivalent, choosing to drink without saying anything.’

‘Teddy’s in town for a week, so I’ve offered him a room. Hope that’s ok Dad?’

‘Sure son, no problem. Though aren’t you heading across to NYC at the end of the week?’

‘I am, though Teddy and I will get a few days in before that. He’s on a flight to Mexico, so he might stay here for a few extra days when I’m gone. If that’s good with you?’

‘Fine by me. Mel?’

She just looked away and shrugged her shoulders.

‘It’ll be great to have you here Teddy,’ said Frank.

Teddy stretched out, lengthened his stroke as the sunset. He’d always wanted a pool. He was a good swimmer. They’d been taught well in school and it had stayed with him. He kept his arms bent, his body straight and head slightly raised to limit the surface water as he gently rotated from side to side, taking a breath on every third stroke. He loved that he could lose himself while he chewed up the black line on the bottom of the pool. To just relax, float and let his mind wander. He’d had fun with Steve over the last couple of days, though could clearly tell that something was wrong with his fathers’ married life. He hated to admit it, though she was hot. She seemed way out of Frank’s league. Though who cared? It seemed to be the way of it around here. The man was charming. Power to him. She was rich, they had all this. The pool! Teddy, tumble turned at the wall, rotated and slipped back to the surface with an easy stroke. He’d probed a little about the relationship, though Steve had been quick to close it down, had even eyeballed him prior to changing the conversation. Beyond that, it had felt like they’d been back in school. Steve being overly generous as they poured beer down their throats while eating burritos in local bars. The days had flown.

Teddy had driven Steve to LAX on the back of his scooter which he had loved. The pair of them packed on to it, weaving in and out of traffic as easy as you like. Steve revelled in the freedom of it all, the wind and the lack of safety with nothing but a small backpack and helmet to break his fall. Teddy grinned underwater as he thought of Steve’s face laughing at him from his rearview. The last few days had all seemed surreal, though he was thankful for being welcomed in and treated so well. He’d had a few awkward moments with Mel, though Frank had talked his way through them. The pair of them seemed to be a strange match. He’d heard them arguing, though it sounding like nothing more than any other relationship dispute. He was flying out tonight and as much as he’d loved it, he was looking forward to seeing his girl.

Boom! An explosion of water sprayed itself in all directions as Frank dropped in.

‘Jesus Frank!’ said Teddy, scrambling to the surface. ‘If you were trying to scare me, you succeeded!’

Frank didn’t answer.

He lay face down floating.

‘Frank?’ said Teddy, shaking an arm gently.

He didn’t respond as blood began to seep out, then cloud around his head.

‘Wha… what’s happened?’ said Teddy clawing his goggles off his face. ‘Oh, man. Frank? Jesus. Mel! Mel? It’s Frank. He’s…’

‘Dead?’ she said, standing over the pool. She held a broken glass bottle in her right hand. Blood seeped over the edge of it. ‘I know,’ she spat.

‘What the hell? Wha… what happened? Don’t just stand there, call someone! An ambulance or something. Please. Mel!’

She shook her head.

Teddy turned him over. He was unconscious, though barely breathing.’

‘We can save him!’

She walked away.

‘Holy shit! Come on Teddy. Get it together. Get him out of the pool. Hold his neck. Hold it,’ he whispered under his breath. ‘Jesus Christ. This is… it’s just-. Stop thinking about it Teddy… just move.’

Teddy dragged him towards the ladder. It was shallow at this end so he could stand. He took a deep breath, braced himself beneath Frank’s’ body and rose slowly out of the water with him on his back. He rolled him gently to the side of it, then held his neck upright as he scrambled around it to pull him out. By the time Frank was flat on his back, he had stopped breathing. His attempts at resuscitation did nothing. He was gone. Mel sat there with a fresh drink and a cigarette at the table. She was trembling.

‘Mel. Are you okay?’

She didn’t respond. Just inhaled from her cigarette and stared at the courtyard floor. The broken bottle lay sideways on the ground beside her.

‘I don’t know what happened between you two, though we need to call someone.’

She said nothing.

‘Mel? I need you to listen to me. We have to call someone.’

‘He beat me you know.’

‘I’m… I’m sorry to hear that. But Mel, you can’t just-‘

A phone began to ring inside. She didn’t move to get it.

Teddy stood still, paralyzed. It didn’t stop. He made his way in, picked up the landline and answered it.

‘Is he dead?’ asked Steve.

‘What?’

His heart sank as he recognized who he was talking to.

‘You heard me.’

‘Steve? Did Mel text or call you?’

‘Something like that.’

‘What do you mean, something? Did you…’

He heard him sigh. A deep expulsion of air that halted all conversation.

‘Listen, buddy. The last thing I wanted to do, was to bring you into this thing. Though my father, man. Dude. Let’s just say you didn’t know him. I mean… he looks and sounds great on the outside, but internally man, when no one else is around … it’s ugly man. Mel and I … I couldn’t take it anymore brother.’

‘Mel and you?’

Teddy let that sink in. ‘So, I’m here as what?’

He didn’t speak, just let the call hang, neither of them filled the silence.

Finally, Teddy spoke. ‘You’re my felon buddy. I’m sorry man. Know this, he was dead before he hit the water. He had drugs in his system. They’re prescribed and made him docile. Mel just nudged him in.’

‘She hit him over the head with a bottle of gin for Christ’s sake! The bottle broke. She opened the back of his head!’

‘That’s not what I think she saw. And buddy, she’s loved in these parts. She donates to every charity and poor house that needs it. You’re a total stranger here.’

‘This is bullshit, Steve. This is just-‘

‘Hear me out, my friend.’

‘Don’t make me laugh.’

‘Even so, I need to you to disappear. You’ve done it for years, so I’m confident you can do it again. You’re already holding a ticket, aren’t you? You’re on a plane tonight. I’m not going to leave you high and dry compadre. In the back of the wardrobe is a bag of money. There are enough pesos for you to live comfortably in a destination you’re already planning to go to. The extradition orders between the States and Mexico are not compatible. They can’t bring you back if you’re facing the death penalty and I’m sorry to say, that you will be.’

‘I’m not doing this.’

‘You are buddy. See I’ve got footage of you arriving and if you take a look outside, you’ll see cameras above the pool as well. I’ve got someone on the darknet editing that footage as we speak. And he’s good Teddy. Really good. Make no mistake, the evidence we submit will point in one direction. My question to you, is how much of head start do you want?’

‘This is insane!’

‘It is. Though once the policy clears, that bag of money you’ll take with you, will reappear every year for the next ten years to any address of your choosing. Are we clear?’

‘This is bullshit, Steve. I don’t know what you’re thinking but you and I, this whole thing, isn’t happening.’

A gun clicked beside his head. Mel stood beside him, her arm extended in his direction.

‘Sorry buddy, it sounds like it is. I’d suggest you get your things, take the money and go. Enjoy Mexico.’

The line went dead in his hand.

Mel had followed him from room to room as he changed. She held the gun out in front of her as he gathered his things, took the bag of money and headed for the door. Not a word was spoken. He started his scooter, put his helmet on his head and tore down the driveway. He paused as the gate opened inward and threw up in the garden beside it. He didn’t look back as it closed. Thoughts of his girl, of his future, of a friends betrayal coursed through his head. He sat at the bottom of the hills, LAX to his left and a precinct to his right. He called his girl. Cried down the phone and pleaded with her for a future. He watched thin white jet trails appear in a golden sky overhead. His flight had left by the time he presented the money as well as a broken and bloodied gin bottle he’d salvaged from the courtyard floor. He was cuffed and lead to an interview room. Thoughts of Mexico and his girlfriend left him.