Tears on a Sunday Afternoon - Michael Presley [68]
I laughed; her truths were my ignorance. “Yeah, you’ve got me on that one. Love is like a soccer ball. It gets kicked around all over the place until someone scores; then it becomes an irreplaceable trophy. People are then willing to pay up to a million dollars for it.”
“Or twenty million,” she added, bringing the conversation back to our reality.
I didn’t feel like discussing the robbery that day. “You had to remind me.”
“Yes, I did, because our lives depend on it. Where we go from here is dependent on what happens in two days. Donald, I’m not going to be a kept woman. I want to be your wife. I want us to have a child in celebration of our love. Emerald is such a wonderful boy. Don’t you think he needs a sister?”
“I’ve thought about it.”
“Just thought about it?” The disappointment in her voice made the phone seem heavy.
“Julie, please don’t question my love for you. I have a lot of things on my mind. Some of it I can’t discuss with you. You know my life is complicated and the things I’ve done and I’m going to do will change my life forever. And it might not be in a good way,” I said. Julie’s being in my life for the past few days had started to wear heavily on me.
“Donald, what happened to the times when you would tell me everything? Isn’t our love based on friendship? Now you’re making me feel like an outsider; untrustworthy. I don’t like that feeling. Hold on; Brian is on the line.”
She clicked the phone over and I was left in silence. To protect Julie, I had to limit her information. I couldn’t tell her of my plans for Malcolm or the situation at home with Lauren. There was a beep on my phone and I looked at the incoming number. It was Malcolm. I had left a message for him to call me back.
“Yeah, Malcolm,” I said, knowing that he would be irritated with the way I was speaking to him.
The irritation was clearly evident in his voice. “I thought our next conversation would be the conclusion of our deal.”
“There’s been a change in plans. I’m leaving this place tomorrow night.”
“You’re picking up and leaving your child behind.” He sounded skeptical.
I paused before answering, making him think that his words were affecting me. “Do you have the money for me?”
“But I didn’t complete my part of the deal,” he said. “I was planning to take care of Annette in a couple of days.”
“I’m not concerned about you taking care of Annette. You have no choice in the matter. She will not let your daughter have another child for me. So, if you want your granddaughter, you’ll have to take care of Annette. I’m not doing this twice. Once was terrible enough. Will you have the money tomorrow?”
Malcolm paused for a second. “I could have it by the evening. But you won’t get it until I receive all the signed paperwork.”
“The paperwork is already signed, Malcolm.”
“So what happened, Donald? She wants you to leave New York and start a family someplace else?”
“Malcolm, it’s none of your fucking business why I do what I do. Just meet me by the park around eleven and bring all my money. Hopefully, that’ll be the last time we see each other.”
The phone clicked again as Julie hung up, probably in frustration.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Malcolm said and hung up the phone.
I dialed Julie’s number and waited for her to pick up. She picked up after the fifth ring. “What’s up with Brian?”
“He isn’t happy. He wanted to come over.”
“Is he coming over?” I asked, not sure that I wanted an answer.
“Donald, how could you ask me something like that?” The anger was evident in her voice.
“Julie, I had to ask.”
“Donald, I don’t know what your opinion of me is, but it was enough that I had to go from Brian to you. I’ve never had two men in one year, much less slept with two men at the same time. I haven’t been with Brian since I’ve been with you and I doubt I’ll ever be with him again.”
“Julie, it’s just the life that I have lived. I usually have to ask these questions.” It was comical that Julie had said that she hadn’t slept with two men in one year. I had personally slept with more than five