Penny, Melissa and Aunt Martha were going down the hall to the lobby and presumably they'd be getting into the shuttle bus after that. John's mother was standing next to him to make sure he didn't get away while she was going on and on about how now that they were all there they were going to have a good time together just like old times. There was going to be no more bad blood.
Aunt Sophia and Aunt Amy brought their daughters to John and the mother's stood behind the young women with their hands on their shoulders. Susan's face was emotionless revealing nothing of the private arrangements she'd already made with John. Carol was not so good at poker. She broke down once she was place before him and her sobs echoed down the hall.
John had very mixed feelings as he stood there and listened to Aunt Sophia and then Aunt Amy apologize again for what their daughters had done in Paris.
John was angry to know that Jill was on her way. He still felt angry at Carol, or at least that he should behave with anger towards Carol. Susan was another matter. It was almost crazy how much his opinion of her had changed in just a few hours. Before he'd hated her even more than Carol. Susan was always the mastermind behind everything those two ever did. But now that they shared a secret it was like she had left Carol's team and was now on John's team. What was more, instead of being the leader of her own team she was now a follower on his. He had no way of knowing if that was how she really felt about it on her end but that was how John was thinking of it.
"John. I want to apologize for what I did. It was wrong and I'm sorry." Susan said.
"I ..." Carol tried to start but then her voice cracked and she couldn't complete the sentence. She tried again. "John" she sobbed; "I'm so sorry."
John was not unmoved by this. Maybe his heart had been softened earlier because just the day before he couldn't have imagined himself every forgiving either one of them much less saying so. But here he was about to do just that.
"Susan. I forgive you."
Susan bowed in recognition of what he said. John turned to Carol and informed her of the same thing. Upon hearing of her absolution she was overcome with emotion and fell to her knees in front of him. Her mother tried to get her to stand back up but John stopped her. John brought himself down to Carol and he hugged her.
"I'm sorry." she whispered again into his ear.
"Come on. Dinner is waiting." John held her hands and got her to her feet. Susan came close to her friend and the three of them had a group hug.
"Wonderful." said John's mom. "We're all one big family again."
John didn't say anything when he heard that but he looked at Susan and she returned his gaze. The secret knowledge of what they had between them dance between their eyes.
...
John wondered if the sun ever set in this place. Of course he knew it did but the daylight seemed to last forever. They were down by the beach and had dinner in the lagoon. The tables were actually set up in water about ankle deep. John sat with his feet in the water as the restaurant staff brought food out to them. Another thing they brought out to John was Jill who they sat right next to him.
John didn't greet her. John's mother did the task of introducing Jill to everyone even as John sat there annoyed. John's mood was not lost on everyone else either. Penny picked up on it immediately and so tried to muscle herself between John and his alleged girlfriend. Penny started talking with Jill but it was less for Jill's benefit and more so that John could get away.
John was sitting by Aunt Martha when he heard Jill say the stupidest thing.
"I never knew John had such a big family."
"Oh, we aren't related." Penny corrected. Out of the corner of his eye John noticed Aunt Martha cast a look at John's mother. John widened his observance and noticed his mother looking with a worried look back at Penny's mother.
At one point after everyone had finished eating and taking pictures of the amazing view they had, John left to relieve himself. As he walked back to the main restaurant building that was up on the proper land Jill came up behind him.
"Isn't this place just so beautiful."
John was not going to humor her. That had never been his way.
"Tony is in the hospital."
"I know."
"What are you doing here?"
"Your mom bought me a ticket. I wasn't going to waste it."
"Wow. You are so ... Just so ... he deserves better than you."
"It wasn't like that."
"Well, Tony sure thought it was like that."
"I would never leave you for him."
"But you'd cheat on me with him."
"I didn't."
"He told me everything."
"Then he lied. I don't know what he said but if he said I had sex with him then he lied."
She might have said more but John entered the men's room and wondered if there was a way out that didn't put him directly back into her path. He didn't care what she said. He knew what really happened. And even if there was some truth in what she said, since John had no way to know how far her relationship with Tony actually went, he had already decided it was over.
After washing his hands John left the bathroom and expected Jill to be right on him. She was looking down at her phone. John slipped away right past her. That was easy, he thought. John went over by the shuttle bus but then he got the idea to use the phone himself. He went to the pay phone and made a call. John saw his mother looking for him by the shuttle bus as John got in Denki's truck to go down by the dock and head out fishing.
On the boat one of the men offered John a beer but John passed. They told him that it was legal for those as young as 17 to drink but John still refused. He knew very well that American citizens were still bound by US law even outside the US. Even though there was practically zero chance of it happening, the idea that there was a possibility of being prosecuted back home for taking him up on his hospitality was enough to deter John.
John wondered if his mother would be angry that he just took off without telling anyone. It was done and he had no way to call from the boat so she'd just have to learn to trust him.
The men all told stories of the huge fish they'd caught on previous nights but that night the only fish that got on any of their hooks was the smallest thing John had ever seen. The men all laughed about it and each took a turn taking a picture with the baby fish in imitation of what would be done if they had caught a huge shark.
It was late when they returned to shore safe and sound and right there at the docks was John's mother waiting for him.
"How did you find me?"
"The staff at the front desk. It seems you've got quite a reputation already."
"You make it sound like I'm doing something wrong."
"I was worried about you."
"Well, mom, you're going to have to learn to worry less."
"What's going on between you and Jill?"
"Nothing."
"Come on. You asked me to get her out here and then you act like you're mad that I did."
"She cheated on me. The reason I came out here in the first place was to get away from her."
