Page 196 of Embriagado

The call was sent to voicemail, and I looked down at my phone, a bit bitter at not getting to hear Ariyan’s voice, when I saw an old man struggling to get back on the trail from the sand. Immediately getting up, I went over to him.

“Do you need help?” I asked in Spanish, eyes focusing on his walking cane.

Looking up from the sand, he nodded.

“If you can get me to that bench, I’ll buy you a drink,” he laughed.

Already by his side, I linked my elbow with his. “Don’t worry about it,” I said, helping him to walk without falling. It took a few minutes, but finally, we reached the bench, where he sat down with a deep grunt.

Poor guy. And honestly, up close, he didn’t even look that old, but I guess the walking cane added a few years.

My phone buzzed, and hoping it was Ari, I quickly pulled it out, only to see it was Nacio texting me to buy him chips. My stomach twisted with disappointment, and I bit my lip before tucking the phone back in my pants.

“Trouble in paradise?” the old man asked.

I glanced at him. “Why would you say that?”

“You have the look of a man in love. But don’t mind the ramblings of an old man.”

“Nah, you’re actually spot-on,” I said, not sure why, and sat next to him. I guess it was kinda nice to admit it out loud, even to a complete stranger.

“So who’s the lucky girl?”

I huffed for obvious reasons. “Eh… someone from work.”

“Ah.” He sighed, sinking back on the bench. “A workplace romance?”

Unable to hold my smile, I shook my head. “Sort of. I mean, maybe, I don’t know.”

Glancing at me with the type of judgment suited to old people, he studied me. “Are you an athlete?”

I was a bit surprised he asked that, but old people were always a bit blunt with their questions. I mean, I still remembered the time the old auntie in the fruit shop asked if I was circumcised.

The answer is no.

“A boxer.”

His thick brows rose. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

Closing his eyes, he gripped his cane a bit tighter, a smile spreading on his lips. “I used to box, too, only it was many, many years ago. Back when a champion fight still held fifteen rounds.”

I huffed and crossed my arms. “No shit. You really are old, then, huh?”

“Oh, don’t remind me of it. Life truly is a tragedy. When you’re young, you think you’re invincible, and before you know it, you need this”—he held the cane up—“just to take a step.” He shifted to look at me. “Be sure to hold on to youth for as long as you can, young man.”

For a second there, the intensity in his eyes made me think of Dad, and a feeling of longing overtook me. This older man was just here passing his loneliness by speaking nonsense about life, and yet, I found comfort in it. His Spanish, his age, his way of speaking—it all brought me a sense of nostalgia for something I didn’t know I missed.

“So… were you any good?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

“At boxing?”

“Yeah.”

“Not as good as I would like.” He scoffed, shaking his head. “But I was good at other things.”

“Yeah?” I smirked. “Like what?”