"Hang on, hang on, you said nine months?
Nine?
I've had a longer relationship with the coffee in my pantry," the tan businessman said to Nate as they laughed with each other across glasses of cheap beer.
"You heard right." Nate ticked off fingers as he recounted. "Three years with his ex, right?" He lifted the first finger. "Break up in college," lifted a second finger. "Met his fiancee like four minutes later," ticked up his third finger. "Six months pass and they get engaged," he raised his fourth finger. "And getting married right here, this week," he shook his open palm towards the stranger before grabbing his beer dramatically and drinking more of it.
"Did anyone tell them that's a terrible idea?" The businessman couldn't stop laughing, and it was rubbing off on Nate. Nate originally actually didn't think it was that silly, but this man, easily twice his age, had been friendly to talk to and seemed full of wisdom. A good guy.
"I guess not." Nate smiled up at him again. "I'm sorry man, we've been talking for -" they both glanced up at the clock outside the bar in the hotel lobby. "Fuck, 45 minutes now. What was your name again?"
"Stephen, and you're Nathan, and your friend is Kyle, and he's marrying Shelby and you are here as his only friend because Ashley is a bitch." He spoke quickly, stood, finished the rest of his beer, and dropped $20 on the table. "Old sales trick, listen twice as much as you talk. Listen kid, you have a nice time, I'm getting off to a meeting."
Nate stood up when the man did. "Oh, should we meet up later maybe?" Nate wasn't really sure how to connect with strangers all that well.
The older man looked back at him. "Single-serving friends, kid. Remember that, just like in the movie. You have a good week. Make some memories." And with that he grabbed the bag next to his chair and turned, waving, to walk back into the hotel lobby and out the doors.
"Single serving friends," he said to himself, quietly. Nate would think about that phrase a lot over the next few days. He glanced at his phone. He had been here for about an hour, his room should be ready by now.
The flight there had been longer than he expected. Sure, it said six hours on the ticket, but still it was a subconscious surprise. After getting his key and unpacking his things, he laid down for just a few minutes and woke up a couple hours later. The time difference wasn't much, Long Beach to the Hawaiian islands only had a two hour difference, but it was enough for a nap to be restorative. He figured that Hawaii would be full of tourist traps but he had never been here before, so he should make the most of his vacation.
He had been told a few things before he left by another friend. Nate was instructed to not call pineapples "Hawaiian," and that he shouldn't expect to get anywhere fast because people aren't punctual. He was told to learn a few words, especially "mahalo" and "aloha" but also something like "makai" and "mauka" were used for directions a lot. "Wahine" and "kane" were mens and women's bathrooms, so he really needed to know those for sure. But more than that and it would be rude. What Nate had not been ready for, in any way shape or form, was that when he went into little shops, there were long low shelves by the doors that were filled with shoes. On entry to his third shop, he finally bought some souvenirs for home and asked the clerk.
"What's with the bare feet, man?"
The cashier looked up at him as though he were asked this question a dozen times today. "People take their shoes off in lots of places," and that was that - he offered no further information, just stared at Nate as the items were on the counter.
"Got it, thank-
mahalo
, right? Do you have a bag though?"
The cashier shook his head again and pointed to a rack with cotton shopping bags behind him. He saw no plastic bags, but now he saw - everyone was carrying their own bags.
Nate returned to the hotel, carrying his shoes in his hands with the items tucked into his shoes as a makeshift bag. He passed the bar and saw that it was nearly empty, it wasn't even sundown yet. Nate had planned an extra few days before the wedding to go do touristy things but it was his first night here and he had a long flight, plenty enough to make anyone lose their mind and need some time to decompress. So, back to the hotel bar. The catalytic event for the entire weekend.
"Ashley?" Nate asked, clearly and loudly. He took a few steps forward and saw her blonde head turn to face him.
"Oh good. I was wondering if I would see you here this week." She twisted back towards the bar, slouching forward so her butt looked extra plump squished under her against the barstool. Her voice was practically dripping with sarcasm. Even the walls of the hotel could tell there was no love lost between Ashley and Nate with just that handful of words.
"They invited you?" Nate came up behind Ashley, setting his shoes down on the barstool next to her. Ashley didn't look his way, staring across him at the glassware behind the bar, the tender nowhere to be seen at the moment. She was chewing on a straw idley, bored even.
"Yup" she said with her supple lips, making the "P" pop at the end. She clicked her tongue and continued "Shelby thought it was important that
Kyle,
" she elongated the word into two spiteful syllables "should have me here, since its," she raised her hands up and made exaggerated air quotes "important to have people from your past here." Nate moved his shoes from the stool next to her to one more over and made to sit down.
"Mind if I join you?"
"It's a free country," she gestured apathetically with her wrist.
"Why does nobody ever say that if it's something that will make people happy?" Nate said as he straddled the stool next to her. "It's never 'Hey, mind if I pick up the bar tab? Oh no, go ahead, it's a free country.' It's always something that makes people grumpy."
Ashley chewed on her tongue a bit and looked at him, exasperation on her face. "What do you want, Nate?"
"Just thought I'd come say hi to an old friend." Nate said, casting a conversational line out to see if she'd bite.