Sydney arrives early to the hotel and waits at the bar for check in. He orders a beer and watches a soccer game. The bar is tiki themed, dark, smells a bit. But he doesn’t mind. This is his vacation, so no fuss, no problems – and absolutely no stress.

Soon he’s pretty drunk. He’s asking the bartender if the games usually end in a tie when he spots a woman across the room. Her name is Valentina, and it’s a symptom of Sydney’s ignorance and inebriation that he doesn’t notice she’s absolutely terrified.

Not of Sydney of course. But of something else. And Valentina knows that there’s nothing she can do to stop it. So she sits there, smoking, wondering how fast it could spread. “Fast,” Dr. Reynolds said. He told her to get to an island. That was right before she shot him in the head. His last wish was that she get somewhere safe. But she’s not safe. What’s coming is coming…

Sydney orders two margaritas and swivels in his stool, spilling a bit on his cargo shorts. Smiling, he starts over toward Valentina, who now sees Sydney heading her way, his belly bouncing under a fiery red Polo.

“So… I think I may have ordered one too many. Could you give a guy a hand?”

Valentina waves him away.

“Please, go away. Now is not a good time.”

“What? A little hungover eh? You know they say hair of the dog – ”

Valentina stands up: “Did you not hear me? I don’t want to fuck you!”

It’s like a shot through the heart but it hits him in his knees. Sydney could keel over.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Here, you can have this one, and you don’t even have to talk to me.”

He sets down one of the drinks.

Valentina sighs.

“Sit.”

“Excuse me?”

“Just sit.”

Sydney sits, confused.

“How many kids you got?” she asks, sipping the margarita.

“Oh, I don’t have any kids.”

“Wife?”

“No.”

“Cat?”

“Allergic. I had a dog. But he died.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah.”

“So what brings you here?”

“I just wanted to get away from things.” Sydney realizes that he’s too drunk and starts playing with his straw.

“Yeah,” Valentina says. “I get that.”

“Do you want me to go now?”

“No, I could use the company.”

Sydney looks down at his drink. He was never great at talking with women, but he’d hoped to turn things around. His mom last night asked if he was going to Hawaii to find a girlfriend. She was joking, but he didn’t say no.

“Do you watch?” he says, pointing to the soccer game.

“No. Do you?”

“I just started today actually. Did you know they end in ties sometimes?”

“Well, that’s just silly. So what, nobody wins?”

“Nope! I like baseball, personally. I’m Sydney, by the way.”

Valentina smiles. She doesn’t give her name.

“And what do you like about baseball, Sydney?”