The Temporary Detective

Chapter Thirty-Six

James spent the entire subway ride home psyching himself up for a confrontation with Jayla. It was time to put an end to this frustrating limbo, once and for all. But when he exited the subway, he found he wasn't quite ready to face her. Not yet. He set off instead toward his buddy Gerald's house. He pressed the buzzer several times, but there was no answer, so he hiked a few blocks north to his friend Michael's house. There was nobody home there, either. James paused on the corner, just outside a deli.

He hadn't seen Michael, Gerald or any of his old buddies in several months. It was too hard to chill with them and not drink. These were the guys he'd played football with in college, but unlike him, they had graduated, and they could hang out in bars without it being a threat to their health and sanity. Since James had started AA, he'd avoided them entirely. Now he was seeking them out again...why? He was forced to ask himself that question, and he didn't like the answer.

He was too much of a coward to face Jayla.

What he really needed was moral support. He wanted desperately for them to tell him that it was time to dump her, that he didn't owe her anything. He was even, he realized, prepared to admit he was in AA, although he wasn't sure what their reaction would be. But even if he ran down the list of all his buddies, he'd still have to have it out with Jayla eventually. There was no point in putting it off any longer.

He ducked into the deli and bought a Coke. He downed it in several strong gulps, crushed the can against his forehead just because he could, and ditched it in a nearby trash can. Then he turned the corner and headed downtown to Jayla's apartment, ten blocks away. Just as she had a key to his apartment, he had a key to hers, although it had been a long time since he'd used it. That should have told her something. He took a deep breath, sucked in his stomach, walked up the two flights of stairs and let himself in.

For one endless moment, he stood in the foyer wondering why Jayla was sitting naked on her kitchen counter. Then he took in the bottle of chocolate syrup next to her and the mini-fro between her legs.

"What the fuck-?"

Jayla's eyes popped open. With a shriek, she jumped off the counter, knocking the kneeling man headlong into a cabinet.

Jayla kicked him. "Get up, Michael!"

"Michael?" roared James.

He stood up, rubbing his head, and backed away from James. "Hey, bro'...go easy."

"Get the hell out of here right now!" screamed James. "This is between Jayla and me!"

"He can stay," Jayla said defiantly.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you. But I might hurt him," James said, cracking his knuckles into his fist. "So get the fuck out of here!"

Michael bundled his clothes into a ball and ran toward the door. James grabbed a roll of paper towels and threw it after him. "And wipe your mouth! You're all sticky!"

He slammed the door behind Michael and whirled around to face Jayla, who had wrapped herself in a blue silk kimono. She looked at least as angry as he was.

"How long has this been going on?" he demanded.

"You can't have it both ways, James!"

"You can't, either!"

"It's pretty clear that you're not interested in me anymore. Don't you think I'm gonna look elsewhere for satisfaction?"

"If you know I don't want you, then why are you hanging around me all the time?"