Chapter 29 #2
“Is everyone else here also a student?” I wonder.
“No,” Brandon says. “Mark dropped out, and Raj graduated last year.”
“Where’s he working?” I ask, hoping that by focusing on the one friend who was successful in academics, I can promote the same kind of achievement in Brandon.
“He’s not,” Brandon responds.
“Then what’s he doing with his degree?” I ask.
Brandon shrugs but doesn’t respond verbally.
I’m starting to get an impression of their lifestyle that’s not entirely favorable.
Nobody in this apartment works, and all they do is watch TV or haunt darkened rooms. I can’t smell any pot, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Brandon has made no move to get off the couch, even to use the bathroom.
He seems content to eat pizza and zone out, with no thought of the future.
“What are you doing, man?” I ask him point-blank.
“Watching TV,” he responds.
“No, I mean with your life,” I clarify. “This is crazy. This apartment. When was the last time you went outside?”
“I dunno,” Brandon tosses out, as if the question doesn’t concern him.
“Marlena would be heartbroken to see you this way,” I tell him.
Brandon shrugs, again indicating that the statement doesn’t bother him. He’s beyond intervention at this point. The pizza arrives and Mark emerges from his hole to eat. He doesn’t speak though. We all gather on the couches in the living room and munch in silence like a bunch of drug addicts.
After dinner, everyone zones out. I’m starting to get a little bit bored when Brandon suggests going out on the town.
“What about Sully’s?” Brandon asks.
“I’m game,” Mark says. “Let me get Raj.”
“Raj is here?” I wonder. I’m surprised that there’s been another person in the apartment that I haven’t even seen yet.
“Yeah, he’s asleep,” Mark says with a laugh.
I shake my head, wondering how anyone can sleep until eight at night. It’s starting to look like I was right about these people being vampires. They’re completely nocturnal.
About five minutes later, Raj appears. He’s wearing pajama bottoms and no shirt. He stretches and gives me a smile, which is more than either of his roommates have done.
“Frankie, right?” Raj asks.
“That’s right,” I exclaim, surprised that he remembers.
“What’s up?” Raj continues, coming forward to offer me his hand.
I take it, but that isn’t what he had in mind. He pulls back and then slaps my open palm in some kind of gang-like greeting. I do my best to keep up, and he laughs at me. Everyone laughs. It seems like they’re finally coming awake.
“Who’s the designated driver?” I wonder.
The three of them look at each other and break into laughter.
“Fine,” I mutter. “I’ll be it.”
“No worries,” Brandon assures me. “We’ll get trashed enough for you, too.”
“Great,” I mutter. “Who was sitting at the kitchen table?” I realize that I’ve lost track of the fourth roommate who silently disappeared at some point.
“Greg,” Brandon answers. “He’s not coming with us.”
“Why not?” I ask.
Brandon shakes his head as if the question is absurd. No one else steps in to explain, so I’m forced to wallow in my curiosity. The whole setup is strange. After weeks of shadowing my father’s employees, I thought I was accustomed to gruff people doing bizarre things. But apparently not.
The four of us leave the apartment to drive to Sully’s. Raj and Mark get into my backseat, and Brandon sits up front. All the energy they were lacking earlier in the day has come back to them tenfold. They talk nonstop, demanding to be driven to a fast-food drive-thru both before and after the bar.
They dance and sing karaoke; they try unsuccessfully to pick up girls. By the time we return to the apartment, it’s four in the morning. The mystery roommate is in the kitchen again, this time staring at the wall. Nobody says hello to him as we all trudge toward our beds.
“You mind sleeping on the couch?” Brandon asks.
“No problem,” I say.
He doesn’t give me any pillows or blankets.
He doesn’t even offer a towel so that I can take a shower.
Instead, he goes into the bathroom and shuts the door, leaving me to fend for myself.
I sit down heavily and take my shoes off.
Putting my head on one of the couch arms, I gaze into the kitchen.
The unnamed roommate is still staring at the wall, as if he didn’t even notice the rest of us coming in.
That’s strange.
I’ve been in multiple situations where dangerous people hover, but this isn’t exactly the same.
My father’s soldiers aren’t often drunk or high.
Clearly, this fourth roommate is on some kind of drug that renders him incapable of having a meaningful interaction with anyone.
I wonder if he’s going to attack me in my sleep, but then I decide that he’s probably harmless.
He doesn’t even look like he knows I’m here, so I close my eyes and try to relax.
When I wake up, the sun is doing its best to break through the curtains. I have to check my phone for the time. It’s later than I expected, but apparently not so late that anyone else is stirring. The kitchen is empty, so I decide to investigate the breakfast situation.
They have a couple of eggs in the refrigerator, along with a bag full of takeout, a case of beer, and two bottles of ketchup. Eggs it is. I pull the carton out and set it on the counter, washing a pan before using it to cook with because I don’t know where it’s been.
There aren’t very many eggs, but I cook them all. I figure whoever wakes up first might like to have some. I can’t find a plate, but there’s a plastic fork in one drawer. I pull that out and help myself to a few bites from the pan.
This kind of living is already depressing, and it’s only been one day. I’m not sure how much longer I can stay, but I don’t have anywhere else to go. I’m not ready to go back home and face my father. He thinks I’m doing something constructive to address the Sofia problem.
I wonder how she’s doing. Was she able to sleep last night, or did my threats send her into a panic? Is she still in the same apartment, or has she given her notice? I wish I could talk to Brandon about everything that’s going on with me, but he’s too far gone.
I stick it out for another two days before I’m climbing the walls.
They have an upside-down schedule that involves watching television until early evening and then partying all night long.
But even when they are lucid, they don’t talk about anything real.
Their conversational topics stick to friends that they know, women, and drugs.
I’d be happy to talk about women, but the other two don’t interest me.
And there’s really only one woman in particular.
I’m not fond of discussing boobs in general.
Before they hijack me for another round of drinks at Sully’s, I take my leave. I’m not sure what I expected, but their reaction is typical. Raj gives me another complicated hand slap, and Mark mutters something unintelligible before going back to his room.
I haven’t spoken to the guy in the kitchen, but I wave at him as I leave. To his credit, Brandon gets off the couch and walks me to my car.
“Thanks for letting me stay,” I begin. I feel like I can’t walk away in good conscience without letting him know what a mistake I think he’s making. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Positive,” Brandon responds.
“Because I could get you another place to live or a…detox program,” I pause, knowing that I’ve probably crossed the line.
But Brandon doesn’t seem offended. He treats my offer the same way he treats everything I say. He shrugs and shakes his head, like he’s turning down an extra French fry. “I’m good.”
I get back in my car and drive away, stopping for gas before I hit the highway.
That whole tangent did nothing to make me feel better.
In fact, I’m even more confused now than ever.
Not only am I worried about Sofia, but now I’m legitimately worried about Brandon, and I don’t know what to say to Marlena if she asks.
She thinks he’s actually still in school, but from what I saw, academics were the furthest thing from Brandon’s mind.
He may still be enrolled in college, but he’s obviously not going to class.
I stop for a bite to eat before I go home.
There’s no place left I can hide out; I have to face the music.
I’m worried about what my father will say.
He hasn’t called or texted since I’ve been gone.
I worry about what he thinks I’ve been up to.
The last time I spoke with him, I hinted that I was going to seek revenge against Sofia.
What if my father thinks that’s where I’ve been all this time? What if he thinks I killed her?
I arrive home around one in the afternoon. I count all the cars in the garage except Uncle Gio’s. He’s probably out doing the rounds. There’s another car that I don’t recognize, but I’m not concerned. There are always people visiting, and I’m not expecting today to be any different.
I walk inside, nodding to the guards. In the kitchen, I find Marlena and my father.
They’re doing one of their over-the-top sappy lovers’ exchanges.
She has a tub of yogurt in her hands and she’s feeding it to him like he’s a baby.
It’s almost enough to make me gag, but I have to be mature about it.
I’m happy they found each other, even though I won’t be joining them in la-la land anytime soon.
My hopes for such a loving relationship have been trashed, along with everything I thought I knew about my former girlfriend.
“Frankie,” Dad says, looking up. He wipes yogurt off his bottom lip with a napkin and looks almost embarrassed.
“Hello, Frankie,” Marlena says, setting the tub of yogurt down. “How was your time away?”
“Fine,” I report.
“Glad to have you back,” Dad says. I’m sidetracked for a moment because I believe him. He isn’t asking where I’ve gone or accusing me of anything. He’s simply stating a fact: he missed me.
“Thanks,” I respond honestly. “I’m gonna go take a shower.”
I decide not to tell Marlena anything about Brandon. There’s nothing I can say that won’t cause her to panic. Eventually, maybe I’ll sit her down and explain my concerns, but not now. Right now, I want to take a shower in a bathroom that doesn’t smell like piss and lie down in a real bed.
I climb the stairs wearily, tugging my shirt off before I reach my bedroom door.
It feels good to get out of the same clothes I’ve been wearing for three days.
I didn’t pack for my trip, and all I had was the shirt on my back.
It didn’t matter at the time because Brandon and his roommates didn’t change clothes either.
It was just one big, stinking pigsty that they live in and I’m glad to be rid of it.
Turning on the water, I have an epiphany as the water rains down on my head. I went to visit Brandon because the universe was trying to tell me something. Just like I need to forget what Brandon is up to, I also need to forget about Sofia.
I’ll just close the book on both those chapters and start fresh tomorrow. I won’t tell anyone anything about what went on these past few days, and with any luck, they’ll magically disappear.
I linger in the shower until I’ve washed away all traces of that crappy apartment.
Dragging myself back to my bed, I pass out almost before my head hits the pillow.
I hope it won’t take long for my brain to paint over the memories of what’s transpired recently.
The sooner I can let all this go, the sooner I can get back to my real life.