pulled it away quickly. He pulled his hand back as well, frowned then met my eyes again. “There’s no need. I don’t mind.”
We stared at each other for an uncomfortable moment while I searched my mind for something to say. Something that would move us past the awkwardness of that touch and into neutral territory. Thankfully, Abbot came to my rescue.
“We’re going to miss you around here, buddy. Friday night won’t be the same without you and Dave here to share giant hippo stories.”
André spun his beer between his hands and smiled. “That was mainly Dave. I’m afraid I don’t tell a story as well as he does.”
Abbot turned to me again. “Dave likes to tell the story of how he and André became friends. Have you heard it?”
I glanced at André and smiled then shook my head before turning my attention back to Abbot.
“Well, the way Dave tells it, they were in this aluminum boat on the Nile. Dave was getting footage of the banks flowing past, and they saw some locals waving their arms at them. Dave and most of the crew just smiled and waved back thinking they were just excited to see Americans or something. But the local’s waving gets more frantic. Then all of a sudden, André shoves Dave to the side and leaps for the motor while yelling at everyone to get down and hold on.”
I looked at André. “What was happening?”
André clasped his hands in front of himself and leaned his chin on them as he shook his head. “A hippo,” he said with a smile.
“A hippo?” I repeated.
Abbot continued the story. “Yeah. A fucking hippo was under the water, chasing down the boat. André grabbed the controls and steered them to the side just as the fucking thing rose up out of the water ready to snap.”
I looked at André again. “What, like a crocodile?”
“Yeah,” Abbot said. “Those things can rip a boat in half. More people are killed by hippos every year than sharks, or lions, or any other animal most people are afraid of. They’re dangerous.”
God. I hated Dave’s job...
I took a deep breath and plastered a broad smile on my face to hide the fact those stories scared me. “No wonder Dave likes you so much. You saved his ass.” I was truly grateful that André had kept my brother alive when his own commonsense couldn’t.
André looked away then took a long drink of his beer. “Dave likes to see the good in people. But I assure you, it was my own ass I was worried about when I did all that.” Then he got up and left the table.
“Don’t take that personally. He’s a complicated guy,” Abbot said as I stared after André, watching as he joined the group that had gathered not far from our table. Amanda was a part of it and moved to stand next to him, placing her hand on his chest as she said something in his ear. He smiled, looked at me then took her by the hand and walked into the next room where the pool tables were set up, and I couldn’t see them anymore.
“I don’t think he’s too complicated,” I stated, lifting my beer to my lips and taking a long drink until I’d drained its contents.
“Just don’t take his actions personally. He generally hurts himself worse than he hurts everyone else.”
I turned and meet his eyes. “He’s not hurting me. There isn’t anything going on.”
He looked at me for a long moment then gave me a friendly smile as he watched me pick at the label on my empty bottle in agitation. “You want me to take you home? I’m kind of ready to call it a night anyway. I’ve got work tomorrow.”
I let out my breath slowly, looking in the direction André went before I nodded. “Yeah. Actually, I’m pretty tired.”
- 7 -
––––––––
W ith my head down, I kept scrubbing the sink. Cleaning the apartment was the only thing that had stopped me from going insane until André finally walked through the front door around lunchtime on Sunday.
“You must have been having fun.”
I kept my voice as even as I could. He was wearing
We stared at each other for an uncomfortable moment while I searched my mind for something to say. Something that would move us past the awkwardness of that touch and into neutral territory. Thankfully, Abbot came to my rescue.
“We’re going to miss you around here, buddy. Friday night won’t be the same without you and Dave here to share giant hippo stories.”
André spun his beer between his hands and smiled. “That was mainly Dave. I’m afraid I don’t tell a story as well as he does.”
Abbot turned to me again. “Dave likes to tell the story of how he and André became friends. Have you heard it?”
I glanced at André and smiled then shook my head before turning my attention back to Abbot.
“Well, the way Dave tells it, they were in this aluminum boat on the Nile. Dave was getting footage of the banks flowing past, and they saw some locals waving their arms at them. Dave and most of the crew just smiled and waved back thinking they were just excited to see Americans or something. But the local’s waving gets more frantic. Then all of a sudden, André shoves Dave to the side and leaps for the motor while yelling at everyone to get down and hold on.”
I looked at André. “What was happening?”
André clasped his hands in front of himself and leaned his chin on them as he shook his head. “A hippo,” he said with a smile.
“A hippo?” I repeated.
Abbot continued the story. “Yeah. A fucking hippo was under the water, chasing down the boat. André grabbed the controls and steered them to the side just as the fucking thing rose up out of the water ready to snap.”
I looked at André again. “What, like a crocodile?”
“Yeah,” Abbot said. “Those things can rip a boat in half. More people are killed by hippos every year than sharks, or lions, or any other animal most people are afraid of. They’re dangerous.”
God. I hated Dave’s job...
I took a deep breath and plastered a broad smile on my face to hide the fact those stories scared me. “No wonder Dave likes you so much. You saved his ass.” I was truly grateful that André had kept my brother alive when his own commonsense couldn’t.
André looked away then took a long drink of his beer. “Dave likes to see the good in people. But I assure you, it was my own ass I was worried about when I did all that.” Then he got up and left the table.
“Don’t take that personally. He’s a complicated guy,” Abbot said as I stared after André, watching as he joined the group that had gathered not far from our table. Amanda was a part of it and moved to stand next to him, placing her hand on his chest as she said something in his ear. He smiled, looked at me then took her by the hand and walked into the next room where the pool tables were set up, and I couldn’t see them anymore.
“I don’t think he’s too complicated,” I stated, lifting my beer to my lips and taking a long drink until I’d drained its contents.
“Just don’t take his actions personally. He generally hurts himself worse than he hurts everyone else.”
I turned and meet his eyes. “He’s not hurting me. There isn’t anything going on.”
He looked at me for a long moment then gave me a friendly smile as he watched me pick at the label on my empty bottle in agitation. “You want me to take you home? I’m kind of ready to call it a night anyway. I’ve got work tomorrow.”
I let out my breath slowly, looking in the direction André went before I nodded. “Yeah. Actually, I’m pretty tired.”
- 7 -
––––––––
W ith my head down, I kept scrubbing the sink. Cleaning the apartment was the only thing that had stopped me from going insane until André finally walked through the front door around lunchtime on Sunday.
“You must have been having fun.”
I kept my voice as even as I could. He was wearing
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