Family Ties

He looked down at the pistol. Then he looked at me. “Son, I don’t think you understand how close you came…” He took a calming breath and let it out slowly. “Rich is very dangerous. He’s highly trained and capable of…” He gestured at my bleeding face. “Well, violence.”

“With all due respect, son,” he said with a healthy dose of irony, “you’re bleeding and he isn’t.” He let his words sink in. “Give Rich a wide berth for a while. Okay? Just a friendly word of advice, man to man.”

I started to say something sarcastic but thought better of it. “Yes, sir,” I said instead. “And I’m sorry.”

Anne didn’t clear her throat. She didn’t make a sound, in fact.

He almost ran into Christy on his way into the house.

She looked at him fearfully and then glanced at me.

Anne told me to sit down as Christy handed her the first aid kit.

“Just a sec,” I said. Then I walked to the door to the yard, opened it, and calmly threw up.

Rich and I didn’t even glance at each other over breakfast. Christy looked suitably chastised as well, but no one said a thing about what had happened.

And when Jim asked how I got the cut over my eye—which now sported butterfly closures under a gauze bandage—I told him I’d tripped during my run and hit a bench.

Harry and Marianne arrived with John, who went to play with his cousins. Jim told them the accident story with a chuckle. I faked a laugh and said I needed to be more careful.

My tension slowly lessened as the day wore on. Rich ignored me and acted like nothing had happened. Danny and Terry did the same. The women and girls went shopping after lunch, while the men and boys gathered around

the television to watch the Army-Navy football game.

Navy scored on the opening kickoff and then completely dominated Army for the rest of the game, so everyone was in a good mood over dinner.

After dessert Jim suggested a game of Florida Rummy.

“If you gents don’t mind,” Danny said to his father and brothers, “I’m going to take my bride-to-be for a walk on the beach.”

“Be our guest,” his father said.

“You’d’ve lost anyway,” Harry teased.

“It’s a lovely evening,” Anne said to Sabrina. “You might take a blanket with you.”

Danny perked up immediately. “That’s a great idea, Mom. Thanks!”

Anne glanced at Christy with an expectant smile.

Christy’s brow knitted, and I had to smother a grin. Her head shot up when she figured it out. She looked at me hopefully.

Harold followed the glances and unspoken questions, but he didn’t say anything.

Marianne followed too. She grinned and winked at me.

“Mind if we join you?” I asked Danny.

“Christine, dear,” Anne said, “let’s get a couple of blankets so you can sit on the dunes.”

The air was cool and the sky clear, a beautiful southern California evening. I held the heavy blanket over my arm as we walked behind Danny and Sabrina. Christy held my other hand and swung it gently.

“Sorry about this morning,” I said to Danny.

“I told you, Rich is mean.”

“Danny, be nice,” Christy chided.

“What happened?” Sabrina asked. She turned and looked at me. “You didn’t hit your eye on a bench, did you?”

“Rich and I had… a bit of a disagreement.”

“Birdy fell asleep with Paul,” Danny explained. “Rich came to wake us to go for a run and found them together. Things sort of got crazy after that.”

“Bit of an understatement,” I said.

“I thought you were going to fight him,” Danny said with a chuckle.

“No offense,” he said, “but he’d’ve kicked your ass. Or worse.”

“Don’t be so sure. I can fight. Judo, boxing, wrestling… take your pick.”

“That’s nice,” he said dismissively. “Do you know what Rich does? In the Navy, I mean.”

“He’s some sort of diver, right?” I glanced at Christy for confirmation.

“Underwater demolition?”

Danny laughed, low and grim. “In a manner of speaking. He’s a SEAL.”

“Sea, Air, Land. SEAL. Navy special forces. So he’s basically a trained killer. Suits him perfectly, if you ask me.”

“Did you know that?” I asked Christy.

She nodded and looked guilty. “He doesn’t like us to talk about it, though.”

“What he does isn’t secret,” Danny said, “but they do a lot of clandestine operations. Real cloak and dagger stuff. So they don’t advertise who they are.”

“Holy crap,” I said softly.

“Yeah,” Danny agreed. “Think twice next time you get the bright idea to fight Rich.”

“Thanks for the tip,” I said, with only a hint of sarcasm.

“I tried to tell you,” he said lightly.

“I thought you were kidding.”

“I never kid,” he said. “Except when I do.”

We walked along in silence until we reached the park that paralleled the shore.

“Bonfire down the beach,” Danny said as we crossed the grass. “Looks like a party.