Page 13 of Rubbing One Out

Chapter 6

“That’s it, Sammy,” Ben cajoled as he swam through the seal pool with his arm around a small baby seal. “You can do it, look at you, you’re nearly swimming on your own.”

It was late evening, the zoo was closed, and Sammy was having his swimming lesson. The young South American fur pup had lost his mother at birth. Because the pup had no mother to teach him how to swim, Ben had been nominated.

It was no hardship. Ben loved being in the water, and diving was a regular part of his job. Sometimes it was for fun, playing with the penguins and seals, and other times it was for a more serious reason, like today.

He laughed as Sammy grew bolder and swam away on his own to fetch a bobbing ball floating on the surface. The seal nudged it with his nose and pushed it towards Ben.

“You want me to throw it?” Ben asked as he plucked it from the water and tossed it gently, careful not to throw too high. “Here you go. We’re nearly done here. Then it’s time for your dinner.” Being only eight weeks old with no mother, Sammy had been reared on fish milkshakes. They were as gross as they sounded, but the baby seal loved them.

An hour later, out of his wet suit, freshly showered and ready to go home, all his animals fed and content, Ben popped into the staff room to say his good-byes. Hemingway was there, along with the general manager, Hazel Reyes, a comely Puerto Rican woman who ran the zoo with an iron fist encased in a velvet glove. Most of her team would do anything for a smile from the bubbly dark-haired woman. A compliment from Hazel was a sought-after commodity.

“Ben, my friend.” Hemingway waved a cup at him from where he sat on the kitchen counter. “Fancy a drink before you go? I have made a fresh pot of coffee.”

“Sure, thanks.” Ben smiled at them. A warm drink would heat him up before the cycle ride home. His friend picked up a cup from the draining board and poured a rich-smelling brew into the cup. Ben walked over and took it from him. “Thanks. It’s been a long day, and this is welcome.” He took a sip and eyed out Hazel. “Hey, boss, I heard a rumour we got a rather large donation today from some huge construction company? Is that true?”

Hazel nodded, her dark eyes sparkling. “We did. I was at a networking event last week and managed to convince them to open their chequebook.” She grinned. “The owner of the company has a son who works in the Arctic with snowbirds and is always on at him to donate to animal preservation charities. It wasn’t a big stretch to sell us to the cause, and of course, my powers of persuasion can be amazingly effective,” she purred. Her face sobered. “It’s just as well, because there’s so much to do here, and the money will be put to good use. This place sucks money like a leech.”

Ben and Hemingway nodded. Ben knew that funding for the zoo was always a challenge. The situation a few months ago had been dire and it was only at the last minute Hazel had secured enough funding to keep them going.

“No shit,” Ben murmured. “I bet you charmed the pants off them.” He hesitated. Was he about to make a complete fool of himself? “Say, guys, do either of you believe in, like, the supernatural at all?” Even as he said the words, he winced in embarrassment.

Hemingway chortled. “You are talking to an African man brought up in the myths of my ancestors.” Ben knew Hemingway was from Botswana. “Of course, I believe in it. The Tokoloshe, hooting owls, black cats and nkisi—believe me, I’ve heard them all.” He frowned. “Why do you ask?”

Ben floundered then lied. There was no way he could tell anyone the truth about him Airbnb-ing a genie. “Oh, I was talking to a guest at the zoo, and they were telling me they thought their house was haunted. I thought it was interesting, that’s all.”

Hazel hummed. “Puerto Rico is a pretty superstitious place. El Chupacabra, upside down brooms, the mal de Ojo or evil eye. Like Hemingway, I was brought up with all this. I might not believe them all today, but there are still plenty of things I do that go back to my childhood.” She shrugged. “You can take the girl out of Puerto Rico, but you can’t take Puerto Rico out of the girl.”

Ben nodded thoughtfully. “So weird things can happen, and you don’t believe that a person is crazy if they think or see something that is out of this world?”

He knew he’d said too much when Hemingway narrowed his eyes and slid off the countertop. “This sounds oddly specific, Ben, my man. Have you seen an alien or perhaps a werewolf or something?”

Ben hooted in forced laughter. Yes, a half-naked genie appeared in my house and promised me two wishes. He’s stayingin my spare bedroom and rents an inter-realm storage locker. God, he’d be transported away in a white van and never seen again. “No, of course not. This person I was talking too was convinced he had a poltergeist. It was crazy listening to him, but he believed it.”

“Uh-huh.” Hemingway didn’t sound convinced. “If you say so. Anyways,” he nudged Ben with his elbow. “If you had anything weird going on in your life, you’d tell your best friend about it, right? That’s what BFs do.”

Ben nodded vigorously. “Of course I would, Hemmy.” Are you fucking crazy?I’m not looking to get locked up. “StrangerThings, right? We’re a team, you and me, like Mike and Will. Dustin and Steve.”

Hemingway’s eyes lit up. “Yeah. Like them. Reminds me, it’s time for a marathon watch of episodes of Mindhunter. Maybe I can come over to yours tonight, and we can get some food and sit and binge-watch? I’ve got the day off tomorrow.”

Ben swallowed. Oh shit. How am I going to explain Dae living with me? He knew he could fob Hemmy off once, but the man was a pit bull, and he loved Ben’s large TV. He’d think nothing of turning up unannounced and letting himself in.

“Sure, but can’t stay up too late. Some of us have to work in the morning.” He waved a hand. “Oh, and so you know, I’ve got someone staying with me temporarily. He’s a—” Ben winced, “cousin from Scotland. His name’s Daniel. He won’t be around long, but he needed somewhere to stay.”

Hazel stared at him appraisingly. She raised one perfectly manicured finger to her lips and tapped them thoughtfully.

Shit, have I ever told them I don’t have any other family other than Dad? I don’t think I did.

Hemingway grinned. “Wow, I didn’t even know you had a cousin. That’s cool, man. The more, the merrier. What’s he doing staying with you?”

Ben stalled. “Erm, he’s taking some leave, a sabbatical of some sort.”

Hazel looked intrigued. “That implies he’s some sort of scholar or something. What does he do?”

Shit, this lie is growing out of control. Keep it simple.

“Not a scholar, he’s a consultant in the energy field taking some time out from a busy year.”