I didn’t argue. Soon he was entering the city. I had no idea where we were going. I thought, what if he decided to show up in the city center and we run into people we know—people who know me as a confused androgynous girl. But then again, why should I care? I realized that it was far more liberating to never have to worry about what other people would say. They do not put a roof over my head. They do not feed me. Why should what they say or think matter so much?
Nick stopped in front of the open beach. It was already nine in the evening and the shoreline was almost deserted. Nick went out of the car and opened the door for me.
“Isn’t the beach closed?” I asked.
“Did it stop me when I got my juvie record?” he asked back, laughing.
“I suppose not. But I hope you weren’t planning on getting me involved in a crime.”
“Why you’re scared to tarnish your spotless reputation?” he asked teasingly.
“If it means my father’s reputation will also be put on the line, then let’s get it on!”
We walked on the sidewalk and Nick led me to the long white wall concealing almost half of the beach.
“Hey!” I suddenly said. “I know this wall. Didn’t you…”
He nodded, touching the wall that was now spotless white. It brought a smile to his face as if he suddenly had a rush of nostalgia.
“What did you paint on it?” I asked.
“Street graffiti. Busy graphics with neon colors that were sure to catch the attention of anyone who passed by,” he replied.
“Why did you do it?”
He shrugged. “This city was boring. It still is. To be honest, I have no idea what this was for and why this was all plain, blank, and white. They could have used this for advertising, infomercials, something that could generate income for the city. They could use the money to help out people who needed it the most.”
I nodded. I completely agreed with him on that. A smile crept to my face. Nick raised a brow at me.
“What are you smiling about?”
I shrugged. “Nothing. It’s just that I admire the way you think. You always think of ways to help out other people. Like you’re a natural-born superhero.”
Nick looked away and I thought that he was blushing. He had always been humble about the charitable things he did. But it was true. Nick was not just my superhero. He’s a superhero to many people, too, such as Margaret and the people at the diner and the kids from the other side of town and their families.
When I stared at him, he gave me a shy smile. Then he said, “Superhero complex, right?”
I shook my head. “Except you do not do it to boost your ego. You do it out of the goodness of your heart.” I gave him a warm, genuine smile. “Superman,” I added.
“You sound like Margaret,” he said, wrinkling his nose.
“Well, because we both see you for who you really are. I’m sure Margaret would always be thankful for what you did with the diner.” Nick took a deep breath and suddenly, his expression turned serious. “I-is something wrong?” I asked.
He stared at me for a long moment and then he shook his head. He took my hand in his and intertwined our fingers as we walked along the long line of the white wall. We walked in silence for a while.
I wondered what he was thinking about and why the mention of Margaret and diner changed his mood as if he remembered something that made him weary and sad, even.
“Nick…” I whispered.
He sighed. “We are in danger of losing the diner.”
This came out as a shock to me, and immediately, I understood why Nick was worried.
“Why?”
He sighed. “Because when they were in dire straits before I even met them, they owed a lot of money to a loan shark. They used the diner and the lot it stood on as collateral without realizing they could not afford the interests. When the sharks came to collect, they couldn’t pay up. They took the titles and sold them to an even bigger loan shark. I came in the picture, helped them with the money.”
“It must be a lot of money,” I murmured.
Nick gave me a hard look. “I had to win two major poker tournaments for that.”
“If you had the money, then why were you still in danger of losing the diner?”
It took Nick a moment to respond. “Because the sale was done. I was too late. The bigger loan sharks have the papers to their name now.”
“Then why can’t Margaret just use the money to build a new place?”
“Because some places, some locations aren’t simply replaceable, kitten,” Nick replied. “That place had so much history and sentimental value to Margaret. It’s been in their family for generations. So, moving to a new place was never an option for her.”
“Can’t you buy it back from the new owners?”
“We tried.”
“And?”
Nick took a deep breath. “Let’s just say that once you are at the mercy of these sharks, they will take more than what you are willing to bargain.” There was sadness, anger, and frustration in his voice. “I was negotiating on behalf of Margaret. She was too old to handle pressure like that. Legally, it was a lost cause. The transfer had long been done. I was surprised the new owner kept them there for so long.”
“What happened with your negotiation?”
Nick stared at me for a moment; the look on his face was dark, unfathomable. I could definitely tell he was mad at the loan sharks, the diner’s new owners. He didn’t think it was a fair game he was playing, but he was helpless about the situation.
“I thought the deal would be fairly easy. We had the money. A little more than what they originally asked for. A few conditions here and there. I thought it was easy. Back then, nothing was more important to me than to help Margaret get her diner back. I would do anything. Hell, I entered and won two poker tournaments just for that. If I pulled that off, everything else would be easy. Including convincing the new owner to sell the diner back to me.”
“And they wouldn’t?”
Nick sighed. “They would, on their own terms. To be honest, I didn’t care at first. So I said yes. But I forgot my own rules to never agree to terms you are unfamiliar with. Join the game only if you know all the players. Never say yes, until you have all the factors figured in.” He squeezed my hand gently. “The game changed. Circumstances changed. I had to back out. I never backed out on a deal before. But this time I did. I have to.”
“Why?”
He stopped walking and faced me. He looked into my eyes and raised his hand to push a lock of stray hair away from my face. He took a deep breath and said, “Because I didn’t realize I was walking toward my own grave. The terms were far too risky. And then I realized that saving Margaret’s diner became secondary now, compared to what I had dragged myself into. I could never deliver my end of the bargain. Even if I could, I wouldn’t.”
“Why?”
He sighed. “Because apparently, my heart isn’t made of steel, kitten. Every Superman has his own Kryptonite.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, completely lost about what he had just said. “Nick, what did you drag yourself into?” Suddenly, I realized how Nick dealt with people from the other side of town. It was a good place, but maybe there were still some shady people there. Mobsters and gangsters such as the loan sharks he was talking about. Damn! I hope his life wasn’t in danger because of this.
Nick saw the panicked look on my face. He cupped my face between his palms. “Hey, hey. It’s over. I backed out. Done deal. I lost. And I was glad I lost. Now, I just have to figure out another way to buy back Margaret’s diner. It’s become more difficult now because business has been great since we renovated. I know the owners will push us to the wall. But I’m sure we’ll find a way. That’s why we’re organizing fund-raising events once in a while. To raise awareness among the people, and to generate more cash, so we can afford the new asking price.”
Relief washed over me. I was happy to hear him say that all of that was in the past now. Deals with illegal terms are always bad news. And I was glad that whatever illegal trade the loan sharks may have asked Nick to do, he had the sense to back out of it before he became too far gone.
“When is your next fund-raising? We can help! I’ll get the band to play there and we’ll invite more people from the city. We’ll make it bigger. More people should learn about what you guys stand for in that diner. And when more people stand by you, no gangster loan shark could ever win over you.”
Nick nodded. “That sounds like a great idea. We can organize something next month.”
“Cool. I can start talking to Brett about it.”
Nick took my hand again and led me away from the sidewalks and to the beach.
“I hope you don’t mind getting sand in your shoes,” he said in a teasing tone.
“Sure. They’re snug tight. They can handle some sand.”
We walked toward the shore. The beach was dark, the only illumination coming from the full moon above us. As we walked, I could see some flickering lights on the sand in the area closer to the shore. As we got closer, I found that there was a big mat on the sand surrounded by lighted candles inside enclosed glass lanterns, which were securely planted in the sand.
I looked around. There seemed to be no one within a mile radius. We were completely alone.
Nick stopped in front of the mat.
“Kitten?” he said, motioning for me to step on the beach mat.