Chapter 4
“How did you get the money?” he wanted to know.
“None of your business,” I replied, and then chuckled to make up for my rudeness. “From now on, I’ll make the deposits. Have a good week, sweetheart.”
He wished me a good week and hung up. I should have been relieved to finally have dealt with that problem, but instead a vast, empty feeling overtook me.
As I sat at the bus stop, with things finally starting to feel normal again, I realized that normal was actually no fun at all.
The thought of my dull home-work-study routine just depressed me now.
Having strangers over for bizarre dinner parties at least gave me a bit of an adrenaline rush.
Before the bus reached the stop, my phone rang. It was Miguel.
“We need to talk,” he said, his voice heavy with grief.
“I was calling you all weekend and you didn’t answer.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I didn’t want to talk to anyone.”
“I was worried.”
“I’m almost home. Are you there?”
“I’m going to work, I’m running late.”
He was silent on the other end, and I could tell he was crying.
“Please, Dante…” He sighed. “I need to talk to you now.”
My bus pulled up. I got in line, but then I turned around.
“Meet me by the beach in five minutes. In front of the Copacabana Palace.”
Fuck work. I had to take care of my friend first.