Nice Guys Don't Finish Last (22 page)

The
police station painted a disgruntled picture of handcuffed hookers & criminals anguished away by the burly cops, who often took advantage of the power they proclaim. They stereotypically stood around devouring pizza & jelly donuts, while cracking the corniest gay jokes about their counterparts; proving their masculinity towards each other. It would be the right thing to do if they chose to whip their dicks out, and compare sizes to each other.

Abdul & I sat in Detective Roland’s office, waiting for further instructions about what we do in a case like this. I am terrified we won’t have full coverage on the condominium loft’s insurance, and will owe the complex money & stay with my mom until we’re back on our feet.

Abdul tapped on the arm of the chair, presumably annoyed with everything surrounding him. He has barely said two words to me, since we’ve been in the office. I found myself seduced by an uncanny stench reminiscent of an old man wearing a disposable diaper three days past due. I wasn’t sure if Abdul slipped a fierce one out, or if it was just Roland’s musty office drenched with aged gray paint.

“Did you fart,” Abdul asked me covering his nose. “That’s the same thing I was going to ask you,” I laughed, as he turned in his head in aggravation. I thought it would at least loosen him up, but my attempt to make him laugh was a failure.

“I apologize for that long wait, guys,” Roland said walking into the office with a Baltimore Ravens mug filled with coffee.

“It’s all good, man,” Abdul said nudging his cane into the floor.
“So I’ve talked to your insurance company. They said you two were insured, but they need to do more investigation to see how exactly the fire was caused.”
“Did they say how long it will it take for them to figure out what happened,” I asked.
“Approximately two to three days, based around how it happened… it will determine what they pay for,” Roland answered as Abdul noticeably exhaled. He presumably relieved by the current news.
“Where do we go from here,” I asked.
“Well, you’ve spoken to your mother, so I guess when she arrives here that’ll be the end until we get word from the insurance company,” he said spraying Lysol in the air. “I apologize for the scent in this office; it’s been like this for the past week.”
“Maybe it’s a dead rat,” Abdul insisted.
“Or maybe you should try Febreze,” I laughed, as Abdul & Roland looked at me like I asked them if ‘Chicken under the Sea’ was chicken or tuna. Neither one of them cracked a smile or found my comment to be amusing.
Detective Roland is seemingly disconnected to the world. Sure, he seems like a pleasant individual, but he sparks as the guy who was unpopular in high school & got bullied by the jocks for being an intellectual. Forced to join the police academy to gain some balls! He’s an attractive Caucasian boy no older than thirty one, yet geeky with an extensive pointy nose & brown bowl haircut, and doughy green eyes. The married type with a kid or two, living a dangerous life!
“Are you guys roommates,” Roland asked.
“No, we are in a ---“
“A fraternity,” I cut Abdul off, as he blankly stared at me shaking his head. What the hell was he thinking? I can’t allow anyone to know about my business.
“Fraternity? I’m a Sigma from Tennessee University.”
“Yeah, we are Kappas,” I lied.
“Oh okay, well I’m about to get another cup of coffee. Do you guys want any,” he asked as we both shook our heads ‘no’. He responded with a head gesture, walking outside the office closing the door behind him.
“So we’re in a fraternity now, Nic,” Abdul asked.
“He can’t know I’m gay. I’m a singer trying to sign with Def Jam.”
“And I’m in the Marines, but I wouldn’t have lied to him about us being together. We only had one bedroom, it’s obvious we are together,” he slammed his cane into the floor.
“Well, what do you want me to do?”
“Nothing at all,” he said slowly rising from the chair with his cane, and walked over to Roland’s desk reading our police report lying on the surface.
“Stop being nosey,” I said.
“Shut up,” he said looking through different papers on the desk, and his eyes suddenly grew larger than his head.
“What’s wrong,” I asked.
“Isn’t this Ms. Bridget,” he held an obituary up with Roger’s wife picture on the front of it leaning over the desk to pass the paper to me.
“Mr. Bilal, your mom is outside the office waiting for you,” Roland said, as I sat there with a broken heart & dead impulse.
“I just thought of her last night, and had the intentions on calling her this morning,” I said to Abdul in a friction himself.
How did Ms. Bridget past & when? Why does Roland have her obituary?

The
joints of my fingers became stiffer than a dead body suffering rigor mortis, and my mouth would not open. Did my parents just ask me this question? How do I respond to this?

“Son, answer us,” my father said as my mother got teary-eyed awaiting my answer. But I didn’t know how to respond to it.

“Because things are dead between us for years, and we wanted to know your opinion on it,” my mother said.
“What do you mean you want my opinion on it? You’ve just informed me that the both of you are getting separated & possibly divorced. How do you think I’m supposed to react to that,” I asked with my hand across my forehead looking at them sitting across from me on the luminous gold leather sofa. My mother stared at the floor, it was apparent she was hurt about the decision.
“We both know it’ll affect you, which is why we want to know how you feel about it,” he said.
“Don’t you think God would be disappointed that you two are giving up so easily? Christians don’t give up; you know it’s in the bible. There is no real reason why you two are separating anyways.”
“Delmar, you only know what we tell you. You don’t even know half of the truth,” she shook her head with the Hudson River pouring down her cheeks. It was obvious they both were protecting something from me.
“So, what’s the truth?”
“Your father is expecting a child with another woman, and I refuse to deal with another woman’s baby in my house,” she cried removing herself from the sofa and ran to the bathroom next to the kitchen.
“Dad is this true,” I asked as he looked stared me in the face, and there was no soul in his eyes. I’ve never witnessed my dad look so weak & expressionless. This wasn’t the guy I’ve always admired for his encouraging words; nor the person who would try to tell me not to live in sin. But he committed one of the biggest sins in the book, so what does that make him?
“Well, what are you going to do about this? What about the church,” I asked, and he remained silent.
It was almost like talking to a ghost, his body was there, but his mind & spirit wasn’t present.
My mother walked back in the dining room with tissue in her hand, and I felt for her the most. She supported him since she was seventeen years old, and put her dreams aside to be his wife. She’s beautiful, driven & strong… what a fat ass slap in the face, dad! Why are guys never satisfied? He done dropped the nuclear bomb on our heads, and now we are going to be scrutinized for his actions.
As quick as a church can fill up, the quicker they will stop attending. All it takes is for one rumor to float around for the folks to judge you, and they’ll stop coming. Despite receiving a great word about the Lord, they will think it’s rather hypocritical listening to someone not practicing what they preach.
What am I going to do with a new brother or sister? Especially by a woman I know shit about. A few years ago, my mother wanted to have another child with him & he expressed they were too old to have more kids. I know she wants to rip his head off!
“Will you answer him? That’s the least you can do,” she said to my father.
“I want you two to know that I love you so very much. If we have to pray about this together, then we will. But I don’t believe in divorces, no matter how ugly things are,” he expressed to the both of us, but she didn’t want to hear that. It was obvious she wanted a separation or divorce, not him! I believe in fighting a good fight, but we must also be honest with ourselves.
“Ma, do you think you could give it another chance,” I asked, while she smiled at me.
“Delmar, your father has been cheating on me, since we’ve been together. I prayed each & every time, lifting my hands to Him, and asking if I should move forward in this Christian life! The prayers always led me back to your father. But this new baby has put the icing on the cake,” she said as everything I believed this family to be was completely thrown out of the window. It felt like the first time I found out Santa Claus didn’t exist.
….
I spent that entire night tossing & turning in my bed, trying to understand the startling news I’ve heard earlier. How could I go to church the next day & pretend that nothing is wrong in our personal lives? The rumors will fly around just like Pastor Franklin being exposed for sleeping with the stripper at the Gentleman’s Club. This is a scandal my family does not need, I know for a fact the ‘Boars’ name will be blighted! I can’t stop banging my head into the pillows wishing I could make my father undue the pain he has caused. But I have no control over that, and it drives me crazy. Can someone please tell me what happens next?

The
rain clashed against the top of the roof, as Ms. Pat pulled out sheets & a comforter from the hallway closet for me to sleep on an air mattress in her computer room; while Nico stayed in his old bedroom with a king size bed. It always made Ms. Pat uncomfortable to observe two people of the same sex in love with each other, so sleeping in the same room let alone bed with Nico was no exception. I could tell she didn’t really want me to stay with her, and the feeling was mutual.

“How are you feeling, Abdul,” she asked.
“There are better days, but I will sleep on it.” “You will sleep on it, huh? Well, I just want to tell you

like this. We don’t have the best relationship, but you’re in my house & as long as you stay here, I’d like for the both of us to communicate better than we do. Leave our differences aside,” she genuinely said reaching her arms out to me standing there in a tank top & tight jeans. I wasn’t sure if this was an empathetic speech from her considering the consequences, but it was only right to wrap my arms around her small waist & hug her back. For her to be twice my age, she had an unbelievable hourglass figure with hips that could cut your fingers. She’s a very beautiful woman, that’s where Nico inherited his looks. She definitely has strong genes!

“I’m down for that, compromise is the key, rite,” I whispered in her ear, still embracing her body against mine. I’ve never felt so welcomed by her, although she helped me get my job at the detention center. She never showed me this much respect.

“Rite! I’m about to go to bed, do you need anything before I leave the room,” she asked.
“No ma’am, I’m fine.”
“Okay, well goodnight dear,” she said walking towards the door to leave.
“Goodnight, Ms. Pat! Thanks again for letting me stay here.”
“My pleasure,” she said leaving out the room & closing the door behind her.
I lied on the uncomfortable air mattress, which shift each time I rolled over to the other side and could not stop thinking about Milo. During rough times, I would lay on the love seat & he’d accompany me with his child-like behaviors. It’s a battle imagining him in the fire, and being so helpless where the only thing he could do was sit there & bark. I am to blame for neglecting him in the house, and thinking I could walk on my own outside. I should have listened to Nico, and stayed in the house. None of this would have ever happened man.
“Are you still up,” Nico whispered slowly opening the door.
“Yeah, I can’t sleep,” I said. As he tip-toed over to the air mattress and lied down with me, climbing underneath my arms.
“I don’t like being in that big bed by myself,” he whined.
“Why not? It was yours before we moved in together,” I said.
“I guess with everything that has happened today. I don’t really want to be alone,” he responded.
“Awww baby, I know. This has been a crazy day, I was just thinking about Milo.”
“Yeah, I thought about him too and all of our clothes, those flat screens & my piano,” he said as I grew annoyed about him bringing up materialistic things.
“I wonder why no one told you about Ms. Bridget,” I changed the subject.
“I know it’s so sad. Just to think her husband died at the end of March and she passed at the beginning of May. I feel sorry for the kids,” he said.
“Did Roland even tell you what happened?”
“Yeah, when you & my mother were in the hallway, he told me she died in her sleep. She was his aunt.”
“Wow, at least she’s back with Roger,” I said with attempts to be optimistic about the situation.
“I agree,” he said as he looked up to kiss me. I rolled on top of him, and began to suck on his nipples as he flipped me over & straddled me down. He sucked on my neck, grinding his ass between my dick causing it to erect. The intensity emerged on the air mattress, as we both tussled with each other & kissed roughly as our underwear flew in the air. My back was the last thing on my mind; I was ready to get a nut in while I threw him around and prepared to eat between his assets.
“Bring your ass over here,” I whispered wrapping my hands around his thighs face down, and lifted him in the air to gobble inside. He struggled to contain himself and tried to crawl away from me, but I refused to let him escape from me like a chicken with his head cut off. He grabbed the edge of the bed pulling his upper body away from me, as I gripped his thighs tighter than before and he fought against me.
“Abdul, let go,” he whispered like he wanted me to continue, but stopped at the same time. I didn’t want to let him go, and he pushed my chest facing forward & accidently flew out of the bed crashing the floor. The uproar competed with the thunder outside, that it was no doubt his mother would come storming in the room as he hid on the side of bed.
“What was that noise,” Ms. Tanya asked wearing nothing but a pink bath robe standing in the doorway.
“Nothing, I just rolled over & fell off the bed. I may have to put some more air in it.”
“Oh okay, would you like me to help you,” she asked.
“Oh no, I got it. You can go back to sleep,” I smiled.
“Alright, goodnight,” she said walking away & closing the door, as Nico peaked his head from behind the mattress lifting up to get his underwear; and tip-toed to the door to leave out.
“See you in the morning,” he laughed.
“Love you,” I whispered.
“Love you too.”