Alexi called me the next day, to meet at a certain bench on the boardwalk at noon. He said would wait there for fifteen minutes past noon but if I was late he would be gone. He said this in a school principal-like tone, appropriate for his fifty-seven years but I just assumed he was nervous. I was eighteen, I could easily think of an excuse to not show.
But I didn't bail on him. He was my prince. I took an Uber to the spot, asking to be dropped off across the street. I needed the extra few seconds of walking to calm my nerves.
Alexi sat on a bench looking into the sun with his sunglasses on his forehead. "Annika?"
"Yeah, it's me." I wore a cheap blue sundress with a flower pattern, like something from the 1970s, paired with my dirty sneakers and my long blonde hair braided to the side. I had no makeup on, looking more like a real girl, not the living doll I was at the party. "I'm so happy you called. I was afraid you would have something better to do."
He just gave a 'your welcome' smile and nod. Alexi looked quite different from his professional look from the night before. He wore a black leather riding jacket, over a plain t-shirt, with jeans and running shoes.
"Umm.. so you have the day off today?" I asked in my shy little girl voice.
"Does it matter?"
"Of course not..l-o-l." Yes, I seriously said L-O-L. To salvage my dignity I walked ahead of him, down the Atlantic City boardwalk. "Let's go there!" I pulled him to the first casino I saw. I knew I was not old enough to gamble in the state of New Jersey but with a mafia man by my side- maybe this would be my lucky day. I planted myself at a slot machine and proceeded to pull out way too many large bills.
Alexi was silent- but I could have sworn I heard him snicker before the inevitable happened.
"I'll need to see some id!" said an old crone of a casino worker. This woman was not security, likely just an employee who felt the need to make sure every gambler was over 21.
I, of course, refused, because even if I showed my ID it would show I was not 21.
"You and your daughter need to leave!" the worker said in a tone, too demanding for someone of her pay grade.
I was livid. "But I put a $100 in this machine!"
The old woman looked at the total, which was less than 100- meaning I was not taking home any profit. She pressed 'cash out' and handed the ticket to Alexi.
"Let's go," said Alexi, with a chuckle and an eye roll.
"Really?" I asked with a glare. "That's all you're going to say?"
"Very sorry about this," Alexi said to the worker. He gave a sarcastic smile before picking me up and throwing my smaller body over his shoulder like a caveman.
"What the Fuck?" I shouted once he put me down. "Do you know how much I got paid yesterday?"
"We can find something else to do," he said calmly, "Let's just go for a walk."
"But it's, like, 1000 degrees out."
"Don't make me regret meeting you here," Alexi replied with a laugh. "Why did you even take that job in the first place?"
"It was my roommate's idea. She was the bi-racial girl at the party with the purple hair. I think she's Philippine and Dutch or British.—all I know is she's an international student."
"I think I remember a girl with purple hair; quite open and flirty but in a very unappealing way."
"She meant well and the money was good, as promised," I said with a shrug. "Want to get a soda?" I was already making my way to a cafe, again hoping (or just assuming) Alexi would follow.
"Where is your family?" he asked as I ordered a lemonade and a pack of chips, pulling out money quicker than I could.
I bit my lip, as my mind searched for the words. "My family is all over the place."
Alexi placed a hand on my shoulder. "You are looking for forgiveness but not from God."
What the fuck, man? His words caused me to burst into tears. But at that moment, it felt strangely therapeutic. "I-I grew up in Maine. My dad died in a car accident eight years ago." I spat out the words like a piece of food stuck in a tooth. "My mother suffered no injuries, at least not physically, my brother Brian...m-my older brother broke his spine- but at least he also got into NYU- because nothing makes for a great essay like how breaking your spine caused you to want to rise above your handicap and fight for your dreams of becoming a journalist," I added an awkward chuckle to lighten the mood. "...And my mom lives in Tampa; she has good days and bad days. I don't really see her as much as I should."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not like you put a hit out."
"Was that a little Mafia humor at my expense?"
"Sorry, It's a joke me and my brother made up. There were just too many people saying 'sorry.' all the time it was getting annoying- sorry." I stood up, preparing for the inevitable. "You can leave if you want."
"Why would I leave?"
"Because I'm a hot mess," I muttered as I started down the boardwalk to a souvenir store. The entrance was full of cute, jersey shore, themed items.
Alexi followed, staying just close enough.
"My dad had been driving," I said as I looked at rainbow magnets with the state name and little seahorses. "A smaller car crossed over the barrier, hitting the driver's side of my Dad's chevy, so hard it managed to flip." I twirled a magnet between two fingers. "The steering wheel crushed my father's sternum, he died before the ambulance arrived- all on a beautiful sunny day."
"What about you?"
"My window was completely broken, so I was the first one to escape the car. I pulled my father's body out of the car, with supernatural strength, crying, screaming, and praying. If God would not take him I would be a good daughter; get good grades, go to a good college."
Alexi silently put his arms around my waist.
I put down the magnet and turned to face him. "My father tried to tell me everything would be ok. He admitted to me and only me; he was afraid of dying. Even if there was a heaven, he didn't want to leave his family."
"Let's go outside." We took shelter in the shade of an alleyway, by a dumpster. Alexi held me close, in the comfortable coolness. "Do I remind you of him?"
