Journey to the Unknown

by Jacqueline Francis

  Perry shook his head with disappointment. “Did you just fuck another girl in my dad’s shed?”

  “What do you mean another girl? It’s Claire, man. Her dad got laid off and my mom’s always at home with my nieces. Where do you want us to go?”

  “Not in my dad’s shed.”

  “Hi, Perry,” Claire greeted from behind him.

  “Hey, Claire.”

  That was the beginning and end of their conversation before Claire’s eyes returned to Kevin. “I’ll see you later…at around four? I have violin lessons until three-thirty.”

  He ran his hand through his disheveled hair. “Sure.”

  They watched her walk away and Perry only spoke once she was out of earshot. “I didn’t know she could play the violin.”

  “Neither did I.”

  “I’ll never understand the two of you.” He paused for a moment. “Hey, weren’t you dating Hope this morning?”

  “I was.” He started walking towards the street and Perry followed behind him. “But that was before I found out she was fucking the whole football team…Sorry, I’m exaggerating. It wasn’t the whole team. Just five of them.”

  They took a long stroll, heading towards the Barber Shop. The Barber Shop wasn’t really a barbershop. It was a coffeehouse that had the appearance of a barbershop. Pillars decorated in red, white and blue stripes, mirrored walls, even some reclining chairs at the back. It was ridiculous, but they loved its uniqueness. And the desserts were great.

  “I don’t understand the point of cheating, Perry,” Kevin complained as they crossed the main road. “If she wasn’t happy, all she had to do was say: ‘Kevin, it’s not working out. You’re short and I don’t like you very much.’ And that would have been a nice, amicable ending to our relationship. I’m a faithful guy and we were only dating for a month. Is it so hard to not fuck five other guys in a month?”

  He heard his friend chuckle beside him. “You seemed pretty broken up about it while Claire was sucking you off.”

  “I’m not hurt. I’m upset. It’s false advertising. Her name is Hope. Hopes organize charity drives and volunteer their weekends to helping underprivileged children. Hopes don’t gangbang half the football team. I mean, I would expect that from a Jennifer or a Tiffany or a…”

  “Or a Jackie,” Perry filled in.

  “Or a fucking Jackie,” Kevin agreed exasperatedly. “Jackies can’t be trusted. But a Hope…That name comes with responsibility, Perry.”

  They walked into the Barber Shop and Shandré was already there waiting for them.

  “Hey, beautiful.” Perry sat down beside her and placed a long kiss on her mouth.

  Kevin ignored the smacking of their lips and looked towards the door just in time to see Clayton walk in. Perry and Shandré were still making out by the time he sat down.

  “Where did you go after class this morning?” Clayton asked, ignoring the lovebirds. In the short time he’d been hanging out with them, he’d learned how to block out their sickening affection as well. “I thought we were gonna study together.”

  “I was with Claire,” Kevin replied.

  Clayton was confused by this because even he knew that it was out of character. Kevin enjoyed sex. He loved women. He had flings all the time. And if he was horny enough and Claire wasn’t available, he would even indulge in a one-night stand (maybe). But cheating? Cheating was a no-go zone. He had three nieces, two moms and one sister. If there was one thing his dad and brothers had taught him, it was that a woman’s heart wasn’t something to be toyed with. Unfortunately, not everyone shared the same views about cheating.

  “What happened to Hope?” Clayton asked.

  Perry finally pulled his lips away from Shandré. “Don’t get him started.”

  Rose came to the table then. She was fifty-six years old and the owner, but she didn’t think it was beneath her to still wait tables. Three kids and age had rounded her figure yet she still carried herself with elegance. “The usual?” she asked and while everyone chirped their yes’s, Kevin looked her dead in the eye.

  “Rose, I want you to know something. You live up to your name.”

  “Oh, shit,” Perry cursed under his breath.

  “You are as sweet and as beautiful as a rose. And I appreciate that.”

  “You best stop flirting with me, Kevin,” she teased. “You know I like them youngens.”

  “If I were even ten years older, you’d definitely be my girl.”

  She batted her eyes playfully. “Flatterer.” She pinched his cheek and walked away.

  “Maybe you should look for a girl named after a flower,” Perry suggested. “Like Daisy or Lily or…Petunia.”

  Clayton looked even more confused now. “What’s going on?”

  “Kevin’s a little disappointed because Hope decided to release the talents of her inner porn star on half the football team. She didn’t even let him watch. I think that’s what hurting him the most.”

  “Maybe they were depressed,” Clayton offered, “and she was just spreading her little ray of Hope. That is living up to her name.” His expression drooped with fake sadness. “You know…I think I’m feeling a little depressed too.”

  Kevin sharply turned to face him. “Really, Clay? You’d have sex with my ex-girlfriend?”

  “Kev, from the looks of it, everyone’s had sex with your ex-girlfriend. I’m starting to feel left out.”

  Perry burst out laughing. “You’re such a dick!”

  It wasn’t a joke. Clayton was a dick and he would make a move on Hope, because he was a whore like that, but at least he was honest. Kevin liked that about him.

  “Hope is sex-crazed,” Kevin said. “I know this for a fact, and honestly, there is nothing wrong with a woman having a healthy sex drive. I love women who love sex and I don’t care how many guys she’s been with. All I’m asking is that if said woman is in a relationship with me, can I be the only one she’s having sex with? I just want a good, faithful girl that I can take home to my mom. Is that too much to ask?”

  Rose returned to the table and placed a sundae in front of Shandré, a milkshake in front of Clayton, and a bowl of vanilla ice cream in front of Kevin and Perry. She handed Perry a bottle of chocolate sauce and left. Perry squeezed out almost a quarter of the bottle over his ice-cream and then handed it to Kevin.

  “I don’t know how you guys eat that stuff,” Clayton said, looking a little repulsed. “Why not just have chocolate ice cream?”

  “Clayton,” Perry began, “there are only three things in this world that you can never have too much of. The love of your momma.”

  “Chocolate sauce on ice cream,” Kevin added.

  “And fat on a woman’s ass!” they finished together.

  Perry threw an arm over Kevin’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. “And don’t you worry. One day you’re gonna meet a girl with an ass so fine, you gonna wanna keep tappin’ it. Forget about Hope.”

  Kevin shrugged. “Well, so far I can’t seem to last more than a month with a girl. I’m starting to think it’s me.”

  “It is you,” Shandré quipped, tossing her long braids over her shoulder.

  Kevin was intrigued by this and leaned forward. “All right. As the only one at this table with a vagina, give me some insight to the female mind.”

  “Kev, you get bored so easily and even if a girl can keep your interest for longer than a week, you never open up. You shut everyone out. It’s just about sex for you, but a woman wants to feel like the man is equally invested in the relationship emotionally.”

  “I don’t shut people out. I’m actually a very caring guy.”

  Clayton snorted at his response and she actually laughed. “As soon as someone gets too close, you turn into an asshole. I saw it with Melissa. I saw it with Christy. You do it to everyone except Perry.”

  “Which is why I really think we should make those rumors about us true,” Perry said, leaning closer like he was about to kiss him.

  Kevin snickere
d, pushing his face away, and then turned back to Shandré. “Well, thank you for that advice. It was very enlightening. I now completely understand why my girlfriend fucked five guys behind my back.”

  She shook her head. “See? You just proved my point. That’s exactly the type of asshole I’m talking about.”

  “You’re right, Shan,” Clayton said with a nod. “Don’t even waste your time talking to him. There’s no…Hope for him.”

  “I agree. He’s absolutely Hopeless.”

  Kevin laughed and rolled his eyes. “Fuck off! The both of you.”

  He’d meant it as a joke, but Shandré stood up and exchanged a look with Perry. He nodded and she tugged Clayton’s shirt. “C’mon, let’s go get a round of Cokes for everyone.”

  Clayton didn’t know them well enough to pick up anything weird, but Kevin saw right through it. Perry wanted some time alone with him.

  “What’s up?” Kevin asked once they’d left.

  “So it’s your birthday…and I got you something.”

  “Sentimental shit again, Perry?”

  “Of course. It’s me.” He took two small boxes out of his pocket and placed it on the table, but only slid one across to Kevin.

  Kevin opened the box and saw a silver dog-tag chain with Saint Christopher engraved on one of the tags.

  “I got the same one for me,” Perry said, opening the other box.

  They put it on together and even though Kevin wasn’t a fan of sentimentality, he knew it was never coming off. “Is this a male version of a BFF chain?”

  Perry chuckled. “Yeah, something like that.”

  He lifted the tag and gently rubbed his thumb over the engraving. “Why Saint Christopher?”

  “We’re big boys now. We’re gonna kill it in college. You’re gonna become an electrical engineer. I’m gonna start my own business once I get my degree. We’re gonna make a ton of money. I’m gonna marry that girl right there.” He pointed to the counter where Shandré was standing. “Have lots of babies. We’re gonna do amazing things, see the world—starting with Florida.”

  Kevin tried not to roll his eyes. “I promise we’re gonna go to Florida one day.”

  “You bet your ass, we are.” Perry grabbed his own chain in one hand and wrapped his other arm around Kevin’s neck again. “Saint Christopher is the guider of the travelers…and we’re going places, Kev.”

  November, 10

  Somewhere on the outskirts of Vegas

  “Happy birthday, little brother.”

  Considering the way he left home a few days ago, he hadn’t expected Dom to sound so cheerful. Kevin guessed that it was probably another trait of being the eldest: the maturity and heart to forgive.

  “Thanks, Dom.” Kevin replied. “How’s mom?”

  He didn’t know why he asked that question. The answer was obvious. His mother had been the first to call him this morning. He hadn’t even left the hotel room for breakfast before her name was lighting up his screen. She’d sounded worried and distraught, but Kevin just wanted to know if it was worse than what he thought.

  “She’s okay,” Dom replied. “She’s just worried about you, Kev. I don’t know what exactly you’re up to, but we all understand that this is something you need to do.”

  That made him feel a lot better. Dom always knew what each of his siblings needed to set their minds at ease. He was actually the best big brother ever, protective and reliable. As his mother always said, typical Capricorn qualities. Hearing his voice made Kevin feel a little homesick. He was starting to miss them. There was, however, someone he was missing more than his mother, his father, his siblings. “How’s Kay?” he asked.

  “Why don’t you find out for yourself?” There was silence for a few seconds and his eyes shut as soon as he heard her little voice. “Hi, Uncle K.”

  “Hey, Princess. How was your day with Grandma?”

  “Nice. We made cookies.”

  Hearing that reminded him of how he blew up at his mother over those stupid chocolate chip cookies. He ignored the guilt and listened to Kay as she spoke about how she’d messed the flour in her hair and the batch that got burnt. But then, just like a three-year old, the conversation shifted without warning. “When are you coming home, Uncle K?”

  He tried not to let her hear him groan. “I know I said I’d be back in a couple days, but I’m gonna be gone for a few weeks, okay? And I promise, we’re gonna have that ball as soon as I get back.”

  “Okay.” She sounded completely disheartened. It was painful to hear. “I love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  He hung up the phone and turned around to see Jasmin staring at him. Sharing a room with her was going to take some getting used to. He liked his personal space and, for her, nothing was personal. It was going to be their second night together, and he had to admit that it wasn’t as bad as he’d anticipated. There were some issues, minor issues though.

  They’d left Provo this morning and drove for six hours to… He didn’t even know where the hell they were. All he knew was that they weren’t in Vegas yet. He knew this because Jasmin insisted on doing some girly shit before they actually entered the city. She wanted a manicure, pedicure and a wax. She didn’t want to go into Vegas not looking her best. Ridiculous! She only ever wore sweatpants and baggy tops. What difference did it make? But they were here now, in a motel in some small town in the middle of nowhere.

  “So it’s your niece, not your girlfriend,” she said.

  His eyebrows drew together in confusion. “What?”

  “The girl waiting for you back home, I thought it was your girlfriend, but it’s your niece. Dom’s daughter?”

  Her question made him realize how much she’d overheard. “It’s rude to eavesdrop on other peoples’ conversations.”

  “It’s not like I had a choice; we’re in the same room.” She smiled as if pleasantly surprised. “It was nice to see that side of you. I didn’t know you could be sweet. Um…will you tell me about your family?”

  He really didn’t want to have a discussion about his personal life, especially not after that phone call. “No,” he answered softly.

  Her disappointment was apparent, but she didn’t probe any further. He took it as a sign that she was starting to respect his boundaries.

  The room was becoming unbearably hot and he was starting to feel a little sticky. “Why is it so hot here?”

  “I turned the heat up. I’m a brown person, Kevin. Brown people can’t handle the cold.”

  “I know for a fact that’s not true. And you’re overreacting. It’s not even cold today. Can we turn it off, please? I’m cooking inside.”

  “Kevin, my body is not acclimatized to this weather. I was checking this website and the average temperature for June in Montana and South Africa is almost the same. Now in case you didn’t know, June is our winter and your summer. I saw that on rare occasions Montana gets snow in the summer. So this might be fine for you, but it’s freezing for me. Let me just enjoy this for a few more minutes. I’ll turn it off just now.”

  He was beginning to grow irritable. “I know this shouldn’t be an issue because we’re both speaking English, but I don’t understand half the things you say. You call a traffic light a robot, you call sneakers takkies—”

  “You say crik instead of creek,” she cut in.

  “That’s just a pronunciation issue. It’s not an entirely different word.”

  “You say jockey box instead of cubby hole.”

  “We agreed that there was no right answer for that one and compromised on glove compartment. Besides, the point is that most of the time I don’t understand you, so please, take a second and explain to me what exactly just now means, because South Africans clearly don’t use it in the same context as the rest of the world.”

  Confusion wrinkled her face as she tried to find the words to explain it. “There’s no…definitive time for just now. It like…it’s like just now, like it could be five minutes or five hours. Just now can be
at any time…just…not…now.”

  It was like a hundred degrees in there and he was sweating under his T-shirt. He didn’t know how she could even breathe in this heat. “So what you’re saying is that you’re probably never gonna turn it off?”

  “I will turn it off…just now.”

  “You’re driving me crazy, Jasmin! Can we not get through one day without arguing? We can’t even agree on simple things.”

  “That’s because you become aggressive over simple things. It’s your triple S acting up again. It’s not your fault. I forgive you.”

  “Fuck!” If he wasn’t so annoyed, he would’ve laughed. “I hate you. It’s been brewing for a couple days but it became official today.”

  “It’s a milestone.” Her smile told him she didn’t take him seriously and he hadn’t expected her to. “I’m glad I was here to witness it.”

  His phone rang again and he was grateful to see it was his brother—his other brother—because he didn’t want to talk to her anymore. “Hey, Max.”

  “Hey, Kev. Happy birthday.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Mom says you’re not at home.”

  He looked over at Jasmin before he answered, making it as cryptic as possible so she wouldn’t know what he was talking about. “Yeah…I…uh…there’s something I need to do…for Perry.”

  “So where are you?”

  “I’m…hang on…” It was time to take the conversation outside. He was boiling and he didn’t want her eavesdropping on his conversation again. He walked out of the motel room. It was dark already and the air was cool and refreshing. Closing the door behind him, he lifted the phone to his ear again. “I just had to get out of there. It’s the only way I can get some privacy.”

  “Where are you?” Max asked again.

  “In the middle of nowhere,” he shouted, “stuck on this road trip with a girl who is literally fucking bat-shit crazy!”

  “You have a low tolerance for people. I’m sure she’s not that bad.”

  “Psycho is definitely bad. She’s like Shane. She doesn’t stop talking. Fucking Virgos!”

  He heard Max laugh on the other end and decided to vent to his older brother. Even though he’d chosen not to take the bus, she still found a way to make him question his decision all the time.