CHAPTER 26: POINT BREAK, PART 6
The male sex of the human species has evolved to take on many tasks, carrying out the goals of hunting and gathering food and other supplies, taking to the wilds to gather necessities for his own survival and that of his family and tribe. Being sent out into the elements, exposure to the dangers of the open plains has made his body evolved to be more hardy and strong...
...but the exceptional oversight of his sex organs, which, too, are kept in the elements, leave him vulnerable to all means of attack and harm. Sam Dullard, a member of this group, has had his testicles suffer the recent blow of a kick, sending him in unbearable amounts of physical pain, forcing him to try to overcome the agony as his body heals itself.
However, a member of the female sex, Reggie Rocket, offers her help to the wounded Sam. The female sex has evolved to provide more of a caretaker role, offering support and comfort to the male after his ventures into the wilds on hunts and forages, carrying out the constant struggle for life...
...but Reggie's role is fulfilled enough by providing a fresh ice pack after Sam's starts to melt. Offering him the new ice pack to cool his pained testicles, Sam accepted the new ice pack gladly, exchanging it for the once currently in use. As Reggie departed to put the pack in the freezer, Sam sighed as the new pack fulfilled its purpose.
The human characteristics of sexes has become far more nuanced and complex over the years of their evolution: The concept of gender has added a new dimension of identity and expression to both parties, the roles that both sides had played have been swapped back and forth or remixing to allow both sides to share responsibilities, and differing sexual orientations and polyamory have blurred the lines further...
...but, at the end of the day, the simple idea of a man and a woman connecting on an intimate level is something that will not go away any more than all the permutations of the dichotomy can be eradicated, either. Love is love, regardless of the identities of who shares it, or how many people it is shared between, so long as consent and care are at the forefront of all decisions.
And it is expressed between the two as Reggie returns to the couch with Sam, sitting next to him out of concern for his pain.
"You getting better, Sammy?" Reggie asked.
"Yeah... I think the other one finally dropped back in." Sam said.
"Good. Good."
Reggie then returned to silence, awkwardly looking to the floor in her lack of conversation.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked.
The question caused Reggie to groan with annoyance, as if the question's answer was so obviously known that asking it was deemed offensive.
"What do you think?" Reggie asked.
"Reggie, listen, I know that things seem bad right now, but we can make things work out. Trust me. It'll be okay." Sam said.
"Oh, really? Well, goddammit, Sammy, you could've had me fooled. Last I checked, 'bad' was when I lost my job because a millionaire theme park owner bought it out. 'Bad' was finding out that it was part of a conspiracy to get his hands on all of Ocean Shores. 'Bad' was narrowly getting thrown in prison in trying to figure that out. But what about when my own brother actively decides to help the bad guy go out and accomplish that? To actually sell out his own home? That's pretty far past 'bad', Sammy. So how do you think I feel now?"
The answer might seem to be far beyond Sam's reach; he is not of any biological connection to Otto Rocket, nor has Otto been as deep a part of his life as he has in Reggie's, and especially not as significant, but this does not defer him from coming up with a response. Instead, despite all of these disadvantages in understanding her emotional state, he can relate to it very well...
...and it gives him the best possible response he can give to her.
"Like you're losing a part of your family." Sam said.
The response had appeared to break through Reggie's anger and depression, making a comment that resonated with her own values and deepest emotions. Nonetheless, she still held onto an inner skepticism that prevented her from a full reciprocation of thoughts, asking another question in an attempt to pierce through what she viewed as a facade.
"Maybe it is. But what do you know about that? He's not your brother. You don't know what it's like to have a brother, what it's like to have someone who's blood of your blood, someone who's supposed to have the closest connection possible with you, be in your life for as long as you can remember, and see them turn into someone completely different?" Reggie asked.
"I don't. Most I know about family breakups is when my mom and dad divorced. It wasn't pretty to sit through as a kid, but I got through it. I still talk to them both. But you're wrong about one thing. Otto's not just your brother. He's mine, too." Sam said.
The profound admission made led Reggie's skepticism to rise once again, listening further to Sam's response with intrigue.
"You think just because you had him longer, or because he's your brother in a literal sense, that makes him only your brother? No. He's my brother, too. So's Twister. Both of those guys, I've spent way too long with to just think of them as friends. Friends come and go, friends you can choose, but, after a while, it doesn't become much of a choice anymore. Soon, the choice is made for you. They're just... yours, and you're just theirs. Just like you and me." Sam said.
Sam then grabbed Reggie by her hands, seeking a more intimate touch to make his point.
"And on top of that, you and I have come together a lot closer than that, too. That makes Otto family to me in a literal sense, too. And you don't just give up on family. I don't know how far deep down the rabbit hole he's gone, but I'm not going to let him stay down there, and neither are you. We're going to do whatever it takes to stop him, and save him before he makes a mistake he'll regret for the rest of his life." Sam said.
Reggie then finally let her defenses die down, at last coming around to Sam's side and his reasoning for the position he held.
"But... But how are we gonna do that, Sammy?" Reggie asked.
"He said there's going to be some big announcement at the boardwalk tomorrow. We'll confront him there, along with Alex Gravity and the rest of the bad guys, and we put an end to this." Sam said.
Their belief in the subject's loyalty to the villains is not as strong as they believe in this moment in time, for his recent encounter with the aftermath of the massacre at Good Burger have made him question his allegiances for the last time, and for a definitive one. He is sure that Lars is responsible for all the deaths, and no longer does he doubt the words of Twister, nor Reggie and Sam.
He is correct in his assumption that Lars was responsible for the carnage, but the previous fight he has had with his family prevents him from returning as of yet to make amends and come to a reasonable strategy to stop the enemy. Furthermore, he still holds enough loyalty with the Rippers to question whether they would go so far as to allow this tragedy to unfold, which he must question for himself to know.
Returning to Zero Gravity Zone, he is immediately met by Alex Gravity and the Rippers, who stood in the VIP section awaiting his arrival. He does not see Lars among the group, and his focus on questioning his enemy has not yet broken. He is of one track on his mind, and he must know where Lars is.
"Otto Rocket, good to see you back to the party." Alex Gravity said.
"Where's Lars?" Otto asked.
"Ah, yes, we want to talk to you about that."
"Don't bullshit me. I saw what happened at Good Burger. I heard it was him who went in there with Twister and killed all those people, tried to get Twist to go along with it, too. Is it true?"
Attempting to reconstruct his premeditated responses on the spot, Alex Gravity paused before responding, soon giving the response of...
"Yes, and that is the topic of discussion we need to-" Alex Gravity tried to say.
Otto threw a punch to Alex Gravity's face in response, sending him reeling back in a struggle to stay on his feet. Attempting to prevent any further violence, the Rippers all collectively grabbed Otto and held him back, not allowing his assault on their employer to continue, and giving said employer a chance to continue his case.
"WHERE THE FUCK IS HE?! I'M GONNA KILL THAT SON OF A BITCH!" Otto shouted.
"Lars Rodriguez is no longer under my employment. That's what I was trying to say to you before you would hear me out." Alex Gravity said.
After hearing the semi-satisfactory news, Otto backed down from his attack, allowing the Rippers a chance to release him.
"What?" Otto asked.
"We are all well aware of this unauthorized outing and its consequences. We have since given him up to the authorities and eliminated him from the equation." Alex Gravity said.
Otto stopped to think over what he was told, not yet contempt with what information he was given.
"So, wait a minute. What's to stop him from telling anyone else about what's going on here?" Otto asked.
"The police are under my employment with my purchase of the city. Remember?" Alex Gravity asked.
"Yeah, but what's to stop him from squealing to a judge or another police station? Won't that be a problem for you?"
"Yes, we've already thought of that. That's why we've made sure that we crafted a foolproof story that is fully admissible in court, and which nothing he says can change. After all, it'd be hard to hear out the case of a Mexican-American drug dealer with a history of juvenile crimes and take it at face value. A good chunk of the country still doesn't take brown criminals at their word then white ones, even in this day and age."
"Fair enough. But what if he tries, anyway?"
"If he can manage to jump over the legal roadblocks we've put in his way, he deserves to take us down."
The answers at last seemed to satisfy Otto, putting an end to his angry demeanor and aggressive actions.
"Was there any other concern you had to bring up to us? And perhaps you'd like to share with us why you're practicing your pose for GQ?" Alex Gravity asked.
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. I, uh, brought back the hoverboard, but, I, uh, kinda busted it up a bit. I don't know if you guys can fix it or not?" Otto asked.
Otto handed the shirt-wrapped hoverboard over to Dax, who subsequently handed it to Jared, awaiting his professional view on the damage. Unwrapping the shirt from the board, Jared, not expecting the damage to be so severe, reacted in shock and confusion upon seeing what was done to it.
"Holy shitballs! What'd, you smash the damn thing on a rock?" Jared asked.
"Actually... Yeah, that's pretty much exactly what I did." Otto said.
"Why?!"
"It, uh, seemed like a good idea at the time."
"That 'good idea' of yours could've blown the whole fucking city to Mad Max and back. This casing was designed to make sure none of the radiation got out. We're lucky it held up to this point to make sure none of us got mutated and shit."
"Well, sorry. I had a big fight and I was pissed, and I needed something to smash, and that thing just happened to be in my hands."
"Spoken like a true Neanderthal with no basic understanding of technology."
"Maybe I ain't one, but why do you need to make this shit run on nuclear power? Didn't you think this kind of shit would cause a problem later on?"
"A thought that had indeed occurred to my scientists. However, the technology that this device was based on couldn't run on anything less powerful than nuclear, nor anything as portable. It was a necessary evil, but one that we took great lengths to avoid any issues with. This operation was supposed to double as a field-test for the product. Evidently, you've shown that it needs to get back to the drawing board as far as protections go. Can't have a customer go using this and coming back to the store with complaints of a third arm growing out of their stomach."
Gaining yet another piece of the puzzle in the yet-unknown plan of Alex Gravity, Otto inquired further into his comment regarding the board.
"Wait a minute. You're planning to sell these things?" Otto asked.
"Of course. We've also got rental options lined up, too, for those unable to shill up a few hundred thousand dollars for a hoverboard of their own. Something like a thousand a day sound reasonable?" Alex Gravity asked.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, 'renting'? Where's all this going?"
"I managed to find away to bring to life the science-fiction staple dream of a hoverboard. You don't honestly think I just had it made for a few skaters to do guerilla hit-and-run attacks, do you?"
"No, but I don't know what the fuck half your plan even is. Inventing and selling hoverboards, buying up all of Ocean Shores, what's the end game?"
"All will be revealed, Otto. In time. Tomorrow, when I make the announcement at my press conference. With the boardwalk under my ownership, I'll have the very last bit of Ocean Shores under my ownership for me to do with as I please, and you will see just how I please to use it then."
"Fine. But I'm gonna crash here. I got problems at home."
"That won't be a problem. Feel free to find a girl to take to bed with you. All of you get the chance to relax. We've got a big day tomorrow."
"Right. I'll make sure this thing gets the radiation issue settled." Jared said.
Before Jared departed with the hoverboard, Otto had a thought strike his mind that he spoke out as a suggestion...
"You know, man, nuclear doesn't seem like that good an option. Why don't you just hook up a car battery or something to it? I saw Sam-" Otto began to say.
...but then quickly stopped himself short of his sentence, preventing him from saying his friend's name and endangering him. Nonetheless, the comment caught the attention of Alex Gravity and the Rippers, who turned to him with curious eyes and ears with the intent to hear more.
Needing to find a way to cover for his mistake, Otto quickly thought up a lie to prevent his friend any more danger.
"Er... I saw this NewTube video where a guy hooked up a car battery to... his house, and he added a lot of mini-amplifiers and shit to it, and it managed to power up his whole place for a few hours. I'm not a big science guy, but that seems like a hell of a more efficient way than to use nuclear." Otto lied.
Alex Gravity and Jared then looked to each other with interest, silently agreeing to keep in mind Otto's retracted words and investigate further.
"A NewTube video. Right. I'll, uh, take a look at it and find out what I can. Thanks, man." Jared said.
"Yeah. Don't mention it." Otto said.
Continuing to depart, Otto was left alone to with half of the Rippers, with Alex Gravity departing with another half. With Mike and Jared accompanying him, Alex Gravity discreetly whispered among the two, explaining his current needs to the two in order to let his plans keep up with the new information.
"Otto is now off-limits at all costs. We need to find this science whiz of his and see what he can do. Mike, you find Lars and give him an update. Jared, stay on the board." Alex Gravity said.
"You got it, boss." Mike said.
"Already on it." Jared said.
Though not able to hear the quiet conversation, Otto still cannot help but feel an uncertainty and a trouble that not all is as well as may seem, as if all angles were accounted to too perfectly to be believable. This is when Dax steps in to use his own trust built up to ensure that Otto's concerns are laid to rest.
"See? Alex Gravity's a lot of things, but he's a man who means what he says, and he can clean up his shit." Dax said.
"Yeah. Just... Just still not sure about Alex Gravity and all. He's getting a little too friendly with the troublesome two, and we both know what those two were up to." Otto said.
"Don't worry about that. I told you I'd talk to them, and I did. The problem is solved, and the problem with Lars is also solved. We're good."
"Tell that to those people in Good Burger. You know, I saw... I saw... kids in there, man. Kids. You... You're just not supposed to do that. I mean, murder's almost always wrong, but you just don't do it to a kid. I know Lars, and I know how big a shit-weasel he always was, but... Jesus Christ. He's even fucking crazier than I thought. Just makes me wonder, was he always this way, or was it the robot arm and the position he thought he was in that gave him the freedom to do it?"
Dax kept his lips pursed at the question, feeling responsibility on his part for the massacre that unfolded.
"Listen, man, I'm still feeling real off about the whole thing. I mean, anybody would be, but, I still feel a little guilty about this myself. Not like I did it, but, like, that I can do something about it. I, uh, I wanna see if I can give some of my share of the money to some of the victims' families. Is that something Alex Gravity can arrange?" Otto asked.
Once again Dax felt an overwhelming sense of emotions come over him, vicariously sharing Otto's own guilt and feeling a need to act as well.
"No, but I'll talk to him into seeing if he can do a fundraiser for the victims or something. I think he's already floated a similar idea, and he's gotta pay them off in some way to keep them quiet, anyway. Good enough?" Dax asked.
"Yeah, yeah, that's good enough. Listen, man, I'm still not feeling so good. I think I need to just get some rest, if I can." Otto said.
"Want me to send a girl to lick your pole? Or maybe I can interest you in a sleep-aid? A real sleep-aid, I don't mean anything heavy."
"No, no thanks, man. Just... just give me some time to sort this shit out, okay?"
"Yeah, sure. Of course."
And even with Otto now departed, Dax is still left with the discomfort and guilt left over from their conversation, left to sulk alone as he believes himself to be alone. But his belief in that he is alone is unfounded; with him is his romantic partner of Wes, who, a person as close to Dax as can be, is close to the point where his presence does not register as another person and he feels alone.
Nonetheless, Wes is still another person with his own thoughts and concerns, and he shares them in full with Dax, voicing them in a discontent manner.
"I don't know if we can keep this up for much longer." Wes said.
"Oh, don't worry about Otto. He's gonna be fine. Somebody like him probably watches 10 movies a day where violence like that is shown in full, and probably grew up on Jackass where guys hurt themselves all the time. He's no stranger to gnarly sights." Dax said.
"Maybe I wasn't making myself clear. I don't know if I can keep this up for much longer."
It is now when Dax understands Wes' concern, and gives him his full attention to address it.
"What? Babe, why do you have to talk like that?" Dax asked.
"When you talk like that is when I have to talk like I am now. You know I didn't like this idea when you first got us into this... game, or whatever you want to call it." Wes said.
"I did it so we could make some money and we could have a future."
"No, you did it so you could have a future, and I could just come along if I wanted, right?"
"Look, it's... You know it's not like that. You know I love you. But I also don't want to force you into anything. That's what I've tried to avoid all my life. Trying to force anyone into doing anything."
"No, you just talk them into it. Whether it be convincing your boyfriend to sell out to the big man, or you want some other sap to do the same."
"C'mon, Wes. You think I saw this coming? You think I wanted any of it? A bunch of people dead from somebody on our team?"
"You certainly didn't foresee anything that good. Why else would you need to argue to Otto that things are gonna be bad, but it's okay because you got a paycheck? You trying to convince me or yourself?"
"Wes, babe, please. Don't be like that. We're almost at the finish line. One more day and it's all over. Then we can spend the rest of our lives doing all the good things you want. And I want you with me doing those things."
Dax took Wes by the chin and attempted to move in for a kiss, but Wes moved away with the wave of his hand.
"You can do whatever you want. I'm going to try to find some sleep, too. At this rate, I think Otto'll have better luck than me." Wes said.
The rejection of his partner, the missed opportunity to seek touch with his body gone, Dax sighed and retreated to the half-pipe, preparing to try to skate to waste away the hours and built enough fatigue to sleep. In preparing to skate, his first instinct is to go to his hoverboard, the transportation specifically designed for him to use...
...but, today, there is an urge to use a traditional skateboard instead. Forgoing the hoverboard, he instead moved to a nearby collection of skateboards, propped up for customer use, and took the one he believed to be the right size for him, looking down on it as he felt the wood and plastic in his hands.
Walking back to the half-pipe, he stepped on his board, beginning to move back and forth in order to build momentum. The effort is slow and careful, not unlike a patient learning to walk again the first day out a wheelchair, or perhaps a retired musician picking up a guitar once again for the first time in years.
But just like either of those instances, when the action is done once, it is easily repeatable, and repeat he does as he begins to skate again. Skating up to the tops of the half-pipe and beginning to get air with each rise, he remembers once again how good the traditional sense of skating feels, and how far back it takes him to his childhood once again.
He remembers, in spite of all the abuse and problems he first suffered as a younger boy, the joy that skating once gave him. He knows that there is a connection to be had in the sport, something anarchic and spiritual in its connection to youth, and it takes him away from the thoughts of money and survival that the world he occupies now has led him to think.
He forgets about the struggles of life and the boot of capitalism on his neck that drives him into immorality, selling his soul in exchange for his body, and he thinks only of the rush and thrill. He is free, he is himself, and he answers to no one except himself and the things he loves.
But as he begins to run out of steam to keep skating, he is once again plunged into the real world once again, where childlike wonders are crushed and the merits of labor and work are placed on everyone's head in order for their bosses to make a higher profit margin.
He remembers again the kind of optimistic boy he used to be, and how much the sport of skating helped save him through his troubles in life.
And he also knows at the same time that he has killed that boy when the circumstantial world around him made it his only choice.
And these thoughts make him cry.
Meanwhile, as the afternoon began to change into night, Tito, the metaphorical uncle to the Rockets, made his way back home after several days absent, spent in service of assisting the two young Rockets and their friends in the process of stopping Alex Gravity's conspiracy to take over Ocean Shores.
Upon reaching the front door of his house, a small apartment-like setting that rested above the Shore Shack, Tito opened the door and stepped inside, giving a loud yawn and stretching his arms as he entered, allowing himself a chance to relax his nerves and relieve his stress.
Now being in his place of solitude, Tito walked to the kitchen and poured a glass of water, rehydrating himself from his day the hot Californian sun. Sipping down the contents, his sip subsequently turned to a chug as he downed the much-needed hydration into his body.
After getting his cold drink of water with a satisfied 'ah', Tito decided to sit down on his couch and relax, making plans to sleep on the couch for the night in his dimly-lit living room. Preparing to provide himself with relaxing noises to distract his mind, Tito reached for the remote to the TV.
However, when Tito reached for the remote to turn on the television, he found it absent, causing him to question its strange disapperance aloud. Picking himself up from his comfortable spot, Tito began looking for the remote, needing it to turn on the television and in turn help him relax.
Before Tito could question where it went, however, his search was soon and unexpectedly cut short as the lights to the room came on, seemingly on their own. When the sudden impact of the light began to subside, the lights showed that there was an uninvited and an unexpected guest sitting across from Tito.
That guest was Raymundo Rocket, who, as he sat across from Tito, revealed that he was holding the remote to the TV in his hand. His appearance was mostly disheveled and battered, appearing as if he had taken on a larger amount of stress and labor than simply running the Shore Shack for a long day, and a smell of liquor came off of his body as well.
"Hey, Tito. I, uh, hope you don't mind, I was waiting here for you, and I decided to help myself to the TV, pass the time." Ray said.
"Oh, hey, Raymundo. Whatchu doing in my house this late at night?" Tito asked.
"You've been gone for two days."
"I've still been at the little cuz's house, I was-"
"You told me you were sick, but you don't look so sick now."
"N-No, not anymore, I'm all better now."
"Really? How come you never called me back about that?"
"Called me back? You only called me the one time."
"No. I tried calling you after that, you didn't answer your phone. I tried coming up here to see what happened to you, but you still weren't back here. I figured, maybe, you needed to go to the hospital So I checked with every hospital in town and in the area, but none of them had you as a patient."
"Hey, now, brutha, what's with this interrogation episode? Do I owe you money or something?"
"A few hours ago, a huge slew of customers came to the Shore Shack, and you weren't there to help. I had to deal with it all myself until I called Noelani for help."
"Well, brutha, that's good we got more business, but I-"
"The customers told me that they were only there because the Good Burger was shot up. There was a big crime scene set up all around it. After we fed everyone, I went to find out more. The Good Burger was nothing but a pile of bodies. It was like something out of a horror movie."
"Well, gee, brutha, that's pretty terrible. I hope they catch the guy who did it. I can't believe that something that horrible could happen here."
"Yeah, it's always funny how you always hear about these huge tragedies on the news and you never give them any thought until it's happening to you? The problem doesn't exist unless it's right in front of you. That seems to be the philosophy most people have these days.
"Uh... Is there a point you're trying to make with this, Raymundo?"
"Yeah. As horrible as that whole tragedy was, that's not even the worst thing I heard of all night. I mean, it feels selfish to be saying this, but I really, really can't think of any other words to express just how... fucked this is. After we closed up, Gabor, the owner of the boardwalk- You know him, right? The little trust fund asshole who inhereted it from his great-grandfather when he built the goddamn place years ago. This guy didn't have anything to do with it, he just gets it passed right on down without a care in the world. Anyway, he comes to me, tells me that we all have to get out by first thing tomorrow. Guy sold it to Alex Gravity. The owner of Zero Gravity Zone, the skate park."
The secret plans of Alex Gravity are known upon Tito, if just barely, but the news that the place of their business was something that brought him genuine surprise.
"What? That can't be right, Ray, there's gotta be some kind of way to go and fight back against it, they can't just-" Tito tried to say.
"I double-checked it, Tito. It's real. It's bullshit, alright, but it's legit paperwork, and Gabor himself came up to me and delivered it. We got no choice. The Shore Shack, everything we've worked for is... It's gone." Ray said.
Ray then reached for a bottle of whiskey on the counter, downing a swig of the liquor to calm his nerves against the distressing situation placed upon him. Taking notice of the low amount of contents left in the bottle, Tito suspected that the bottle was likely full at one point, and all of its fluids had gone straight into Ray.
Intervening to help his friend, Tito took the bottle from him, preventing Ray from intoxicating himself any further.
"Alright, brutha, I think you've had enough. Why are you actually here?" Tito asked.
"Why do you think? I just found out that we're gonna lose our business, and you're gonna lose your home, and I gotta let you know personally. Of course, I wasn't doing so good when I heard that the business that we built up for decades, serving so many people across the city, our business was gonna get shut down overnight for a fucking millionaire, so I decided to have a drink while I was here. After all, better I do it here than at home, because I know I wouldn't want to Noelani to see me like this and know how big a failure I am- GODDAMNIT!" Ray shouted.
Spontaneously erupting into anger, Ray began kicking a nearby chair to let out his anger, only for Tito to quickly sit him back down and try to calm him.
"Easy, brutha. Easy. We'll work this out. We always do. We'll make it work." Tito said.
"Oh, yeah? You mean like I tried to work things out with Otto? Well, if I can't even fix my relationship with my own son, then I sure as hell won't be able to fix my own business, can I? No, it's probably for the better that we get out of here while we have the chance. It's definitely not worth saving if it failed. Let's just get out of here and go to Florida, retire and kick off our shoes. Land of sand and sun, whoo!" Ray cheered.
"Ray. Listen to me, man. Don't you dare talk like that. You ain't no failure, and it ain't your fault what's going on with Otto or the Shore Shack. You do your best, but... life just happens, you know? Ancient Hawaiian saying: 'The ocean can never-'"
Grabbing his half-empty whiskey bottle, Ray threw it to the ground, shattering it on the floor.
"Oh, fuck you. Fuck you! I could never understand your stupid fucking Hawiian sayings. You know, I swear you got those things out of a cheap tourist book or something, one of those knick-knacks they sell at gift shops for middle-aged women to shill out money for and giggle at. Who care about that shit? You fly all this way down to California or Hawaii for, what? A stupid little trinket made by swindlers? You don't wanna see the sights or know any of the little people who live there? No wonder Ocean Shores is falling off the map." Ray ranted.
"Raymundo, this isn't you. You're sounding a lot like Otto more than yourself right about now." Tito said.
"Oh, I should hope so. I'm his father, after all. Why wouldn't I sound like my own son? You know, maybe I had the wrong approach about our whole thing. Maybe it's not about getting him to act like me. I need to act more like him. Yeah, I'll just be a skating bum all day and never accomplish anything. You know, it's really not that bad, I'm serious. Otto has no illusions about who he is. He doesn't have any big expectations, so he's not disappointed when he doesn't meet them. He's perfectly fine and comfortable. Why shouldn't I be, too?"
In a desperate attempt to reason with Ray and talk him down out of his drunken state, an idea came across Tito's mind, which he shared without any hesitation.
"You know, Ray, maybe there is a way to get the Shore Shack back. And... And maybe there's a way to help Otto, too." Tito said.
"Oh, yeah? And how do you think we can do that?" Ray asked.
Immediately coming to the realization of what revealing said information would entail, Tito attempted to take back his statement, trying to protect Ray and Otto alike.
"Uh, no, nothing. Forget I said aynthing." Tito said.
"No. I'm not going to. You tell me what it is right now." Ray said.
"N-No, I can't tell you that, brutha. It's, uh... A really long story."
"I've got plenty of time."
"No, listen, brutha, I-"
"No, you listen to me, Tito. The other day, I spilt out my heart and soul to a closed door trying to apololgize to my boy for all the trouble I've caused him over the years. I always tried to control his life, and tried to make him into what I couldn't be. That was my mistake. Forget about the Shore Shack. We can build another Shore Shack anywhere. But I only have one son. How do we help him?"
Tito thought long and hard before he answered Ray's question, debating on whether he should formulate another yet lie to protect Otto, or to come clean with the truth. Furthermore, if he chose the latter, how he would even begin to explain the truth, when the truth itself is so absurd that it barely resembles reality?
The debate is tough as it is short. He has far too deep a connection with the man before him to stoop to such lies, much less to a father sharing concern over his son, not to reveal the truth to him. Tito opted for the truth, preparing to explain it all to Ray, but he knows not where to start, making his response slow and steady.
"It's... It's one and the same. Otto, he, uh... He got himself into a little trouble, and, uh, found out something about Alex Gravity. As well as the reason behind all these places around Ocean Shores blowing up." Tito said.
"How much trouble is he in?" Ray asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, brutha."
"Try me."