Read Rum Punch Regrets for Free Online

Leigh, you did it again. I always think things will be different with you, Leigh, Abby thought. They never are. I don’t even have the pleasure of being able to shut a door to close out all of the complete strangers I keep meeting.
    Abby found a corner behind the dining room table where she could hide her bags for the time being. May as well wait to see where Ben wanted her to store her things. She then made her way through the pool house, looking at pictures -- Ben had only a few present in sporadic locations. It was most certainly the home of a college student. There were some schematics of animals up on the walls as well, skeletal systems or diagrams of some sort, and shelves that were laden with books on anatomy, physiology and animal science. There was a pile of dishes in the sink and the coffeemaker looked as if it had seen better days about twenty years ago.
    Abby moved slowly through the house, taking in the quarters she would be sharing for the next few weeks. The downstairs appeared neat, but when she looked upstairs, she was granted a glimpse into Ben’s bedroom, which appeared to have suffered from a small explosion. She started climbing the steps and then opted not to go. It was, after all, someone else’s living quarters. It was awkward enough without her rooting around any more of his space.
    As she surveyed the surroundings, she noticed a litter box a few feet from the air mattress . Please don’t let that thing stink in this heat, she cringed silently.
    The sound of Ziggy’s voice snapped her back to the present.
    “Mon, all set. I’m taking you to Ricky’s now,” Ziggy said, looking ready to go.
    Abby furrowed her brow. “I thought Ben was meeting me here first?”
    “Happy hour, Abby. I need to meet some people at Ricky’s for some tings.” He was grinning widely. It was the smile that said, “I’m about to sell some of my weed that perfumes the air around me.”
    “Okay. As long as he knows I’ll be there?”
    “Yeah, mon. Handled.”
    With that, Ziggy sailed out the door, heading to his cab. Abby took a look around at her new digs one more time. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. I hope Ben and I get along was the only thought she could muster.
    #
    Abby took her cup and wiped it across the top of her forehead, letting the condensation from the drink trickle its way down over her flushed face. It was harder to catch her breath here today, and sitting outside was turning out to be a dumb idea. But she wanted to “break bread” with Ben since they would be living together for the next who-knows-how-many weeks.
    Ricky’s Café and Bar was a comical little spot down the road from La Cantina. At the end of a pothole-infested drive, it was tucked in the underbelly of a hotel that was slowly rotting away due to lack of love from the owners and a hurricane that had hit seven years ago. Abby got the feeling that Ricky’s was a home away from home, much like Cheers, to many of the folks gathered around its plastic patio tables and picnic benches. There was a dive shop, and the whole crew was at one end of the patio enjoying the sunset, knocking back the local beer, Carib, and hanging with tourists from a cruise ship. The bar had only four seats pulled up to the window, with two customers sitting with their heads together, sharing beers and cigarettes. One of the gentlemen was quite dark and weathered with bleach-blonde hair and seemed kind of dirty in that needing-to-be-washed way, while the other man was tall and rugged with dark hair and a great smile, emitting a “mysterious stranger” quality. The two were speaking in hushed conspiratorial voices, the blonde one gesturing wildly ever other word or so.
    Behind the bar, the bartender was fanning herself with a People magazine that was so tattered Abby thought it must be from at least three years ago. Abby knew she needed another drink to keep herself cool, so she slowly crept up to the bartender.
    Abby was walking up behind her