Fall With Me

her. She and my dad were really one of those couples that were still in love, that still really liked to go out and do things and be together.”
    “I wouldn’t know anything about that,” Griffin says. “My parents are like roommates that fight all the time. Or that’s how it used to be, anyway. Now they just stay as far away from each other as possible, which usually means my mom stays at the penthouse in New York and my dad travels around doing whatever the fuck he wants.”
    “Traveling around doing whatever the fuck you want . . . kind of sounds like what you were doing before you were . . . kidnapped. ” I smile.
    “Hey. I really was kidnapped. I don’t know why you won’t believe me.”
    “Because any normal person who is kidnapped would call the police. Or would do . . . something.”
    “Something?”
    “Yes, something! I don’t know exactly what—I’ve never been kidnapped before. Why would someone kidnap you, anyway? To get to your father?”
              “That was their plan, I think. But it just shows how they know absolutely nothing about my father. Probably to him, they were doing him a favor. Poor bastards.”
    “But what do you think they wanted?”
              “Money. He’s got plenty of it. And a confession, too, I guess.”
    “What kind of confession?” I try to keep my voice light.
    Griffin shrugs. “Who knows. I’m sure there’s plenty of shit my dad could cop to, but never will.”
    “Like what?”
    He waves his hand like he’s shooing a fly away and looks out at the water. “I’m sure my dad’s pissed off plenty of people in his lifetime. Just like I’m sure my dad’s been pissed off at many people—myself included. He can be kind of ruthless when it comes to that sort of stuff. One track mind, if you know what I mean.”
    I try to sound nonchalant. “I don’t.”
    “It’s all about the money. You know, the whole money equals power equals you must have a giant dick equals you are therefore superior to everyone else and can go around doing whatever the fuck you want.”
    “But . . . isn’t that what you do?”
    “It was. Like I told you though, sweetheart, this whole experience has kind of given me a second chance at things. Listen, I’m going to tell you something and I don’t want you to laugh at me.”
    I look out at the horizon. There is a tiny slice of sun left.
    “What would ever give you the idea I’d do something like that.”
    “I just . . . I kind of came to this realization the other night. I’m glad the whole kidnapping thing happened.”
    “Alleged.”
    He nudges me with his elbow. “Alleged, yeah, yeah. Okay. If this alleged kidnapping didn’t happen, I’d still be in Thailand—or no, I probably would’ve gone back to Europe and been over in Ibiza or some shit—still partying my ass off, getting laid, that sort of thing. Staying up all night and being strung out the next day. Getting to see the sunrise only because I hadn’t gone to sleep the night before. But instead, I get to be here. Where I’m actually doing something. These kids? They’re pretty cool. They’re fun, they’re into this shit. You know, and it’s cool to be outside, to just kind of be in nature, and not be on anything and thinking that the trees are having a conversation with you.”
    The last sliver of sun disappears. “You talk to trees?”
    “I might’ve mixed some K with some molly and some really dank bud and thought I was conversing with a tree before, yes.”
    I shake my head. “I can’t even imagine the life you live.”
    “But that’s the thing—I don’t want to live like that. I mean, I’m not saying I want to go live the life of a monk or something, but I really like being here. I like what I’m doing here.”
    “You want my job next summer? There will be a position available.”
    “Where are you gonna be?”
    I hug my legs and let my chin rest on my knees. “I don’t know. Somewhere else. I’m going to graduate next year.”
    “That’s cool. What are you studying?”
    “Sociology.”
    “You like it?”
    “Yes. But at the same time, I’ll be glad to graduate and move on. I’m ready for that.”
    “I enrolled in a few semesters of college. I was in the middle of pledging the fraternity but then I dropped out and actually went to Greece instead, which, honestly, was way better.”
    “Want to know something? I’ve never even been out of California.”
    “Really?”
    “Really.”
    “Well,