Page 56 of The Chaperones

“What are you doing? The talent show already started.”

I slip out of my tent and follow my son across the campground toward the lights hanging from the trees. When we make it halfway, I peek back, expecting to see Cassie glaring at me. There’s just enough natural light to see her tent, the door that remains closed. I find myself willing her to open it.

“Mamí, come.” My son’s voice breaks my trance.

We sit in the front row, staring at Dave on the makeshift stage, solar string lights flickering around him. All the children gaze up at him in awe. I nestle in behind Javi on one of the blankets that’s been laid out. Even though River is right next to him, and Lily and Sawyer nearby, he leans back against me. Dave’s voice is shockingly good. I’m surprised I’ve never heard him sing before. The girls laugh when he belts the opening lines of a Taylor Swift song that even I recognize. They chant the words as Dave plays along, and Javi joins in. To my surprise, the other boys follow suit. We sing loudly, freely. Occasionally, I glance in the direction of Cassie’s tent. It’s completely dark now, and I can’t see the tent, let alone her. Suddenly, I’m hit with an overwhelming ache to be with Cassie.

When the song is over, Dave strums on his guitar, encouraging everyone to clap for the next performance, then announces he has to take a leak and staggers off toward the bathrooms. Lei takes his place at the stage. He’s got a top hat on, a deck of cards no one can see in his hand. I’m nervous he’ll mess up, that even if he doesn’t, the boys will laugh at him. When he asks for a volunteer, all the boys’ hands shoot up. He picks River. Of course he picks River. I hold my breath, expecting this to be some sort of nine-year-old boy version of Carrie. Instead River is wowed by Lei’s trick. He even calls it awesome.

Someone hoots. It’s Ray, retired from his role as chef for the night. He sits behind Charles, cradling his husband. In the ambient string lights, Charles catches my eye, and I don’t pretend not to be watching them. The anger I feel for him surprises me as much as the yearning I felt for Cassie. It’s unfair that she’s alone in her tent crying while Charles is here, snuggling his husband. Over dinner, Charles tried to make excuses for being with Cassie, explaining that he and Raymond have an arrangement. I didn’t want to hear it. Javi and Lei have been best friends for four years and we’ve never become close. We aren’t about to now.

I check my watch. It’s almost nine. The talent show is scheduled to go until nine-thirty. Then I can finally put this terrible day to bed.

I consider walking down to the Visitor Center to call Juan. It would be good to hear his voice, to tell him everything that’s happened today. Ultimately, that will do nothing more than remind me that I’m stuck here, on this island, until Sunday. With Cassie and Charles. And Lily.

“Mamí,” Javi whispers. “I have to pee.”

I hand him the flashlight in my pocket.

“Will you come with me?” I can’t remember the last time Javi asked me to go to the bathroom with him, but it’s darker than he’s accustomed to in the city. So dark that even with the flashlight, the short walk to the bathroom would be difficult for him to navigate.

I stand up and hold out my hand to him. Together, we make our way over to the bathrooms.

“I’ll be okay,” he says as one of the stall doors swings open.

“I’ll wait here,” I call.

As he runs up, Dave steps out. I just watched him fumble toward the bathrooms. Still, I’m not prepared to interact with him.

“Hey,” Dave says, unable to avoid me. In the dim solar lights from the bathroom, I can see that he’s holding a bottle loosely in his hand, apparently having taken it into the bathroom with him. I watch as he pours the beer down his throat. Cassie hates when he gets on what she calls beer autopilot. I wonder if he and Cassie will fight about it later.

“Cassie called it an early night,” he says, seeming to read my mind. “You’re safe until tomorrow.” He laughs, and I’m not sure what to make of this comment.

I expect him to wander back to the talent show. Instead, he remains beside me as I will Javi to hurry up.

“Why’d you do it?” Dave asks. He mimes a paddle with his hands, pretending to splash water up and instead spilling some of his beer. “Fuck,” he whispers, as he wipes beer off his fleece pants.

“It was totally inexcusable of me,” I say.

“No shit, Sherlock.”

We stand in silence, Dave swaying slightly, and I debate whether I should tell him about Lily, if it’s petty to get him involved in my issues with Cassie. This isn’t about Cassie, though. And I actually do care about Lily.

“I’m not sure if Cassie told you about our conversation earlier—” I know that she didn’t. I heard as much when I was listening to them in the tent. “It’s no excuse for what I did, but Lily . . . she said something to Javi. Something mean.”

I won’t tell Dave what she said unless he asks.

Dave signals for me to hold on and downs the rest of his beer.

“Okay, I’m ready. Let me have it.” Dave tries to lighten the mood, but I can see in the way he twists his beer bottle between his hands, that he knows what his daughter is capable of. His wife too.

“She asked Javi if he was legal. Actually legal,” I add, exactly as Javi said it to me.

“Shit.”

“Shit indeed.”

“Sof, I’m sorry. I’ll talk to her.”