“Hey baby.”
“Hey Val, I was just thinking of calling you.”
“What happened? Is everything ok?”
“Yes everything is fine. It’s nothing I was just thinking of you. I wanted to call you to again thank you for taking such wonderful care of me yesterday.”
“Come on baby you know that you don’t have to thank me. Who was there to help me off the floor when I was a total wreck after Joanna left me? This is what we do, we be there for each other.”
“So, how did last night go?”
“Last night? Oh you mean my date with Brea?”
“Yes. Come on you know that’s what I am calling to be nosy about.”
“Well, last night went fine. I went in there and did what I had to do. I was a real man about it. She took it well. Not a single tear, I would say she left the restaurant feeling completely liberated. Fuck I dare say she was totally empowered.”
“Really?”
“No kidding.”
“So give me details.”
“Now you know I don’t do that.”
“Ok fine.” She is silent, thinking, she then states, “I don’t know Val, something doesn’t seem right with your story.”
“I can’t imagine what you are trying to imply here.”
“I am not implying anything; it’s just that my instinct is telling me that you didn’t break up with her.”
“No I didn’t,” he admits.
“You’re such a wuss. What happened, couldn’t you go through with it? Big bad Valde couldn’t break poor little Brea’s heart?” she teases as she starts to laugh, “That’s sweet though besides I do believe that you should give her a chance.”
“Well hey I was going to, I mean I walked into the restaurant resolved that she and I was through so I must break up with her and then I saw her there and that was enough to make me think that maybe I hadn’t tried hard enough. Unfortunately I must confess that at the end of dinner it was me sitting there tearing up as she broke up with me.”
“She did?”
“Yep, yes she did.”
“Oh my poor baby, don’t worry you can do much better than her. Besides that girl was no good, she certainly is not good enough for you.”
“You are so funny.” He bursts out laughing, “What happened to I should give her a chance and all that crap.”
“Well that was before she broke your heart. Nobody breaks my Valde’s heart.”
“Nobody but you and for the record she didn’t break my heart.”
“Neither did I, instead I would like to believe that I made you stronger by leaving you when I did.”
“Yeah I am familiar with the whole what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger mumbo jumbo.”
“Well you should be. You were always quick to point that out to me. Anyways I think this is the perfect segue to ask you another big favor.”
“Do any of your requests come in any other size?” he quips.
“Shut up smartass! As you know, they are pretty much tailor-made just for you.”
“What do you now need of me my dear?”
“I need you to go with me to have this abortion done.”
The solemnity of her request bears heavy on him rendering him momentarily speechless.
“Of course I will”, he says in a tone befitting the moment, “To the ends of the earth and the bowels of hell I will venture with you if you wanted me to. A doctor’s office should be a piece of cake.”
“Good. Thank you. I really mean that, thank you. I just don’t want to go through this alone, and I couldn’t think of anyone else to turn to who wouldn’t judge me and make me feel like I”
“No thanks necessary”, he interjects.
The line goes silent. Val checks to ensure that poor signal hasn’t resulted in another dropped call.
“Val!” she says.
“Yes?” he replies.
“Do you think I am making a mistake?”
“You know based on my general disregard for organized religion and a few of their controlling tenets, from a religious point of view I see nothing wrong. I don’t believe I have the spiritual authority to deem the act of abortion sinful or virtuous. Secondly I am a selfish bastard, a wonderful byproduct of what you and I both know as the Me Generation, and as such I believe you should do what is best for you. If you aren’t ready for a kid yet, then you just simply aren’t ready for a kid yet. You could consider having the kid and giving it up for adoption but why should you be subjected to putting your life on hold for months. Adoption versus abortion, it’s your decision, your choices to weigh. Whatever your resolve, it should be one that you think well suits you. If abortion is your winning choice, you shouldn’t feel guilty about it. I believe that you are an arête young woman, who is not only sexy, beautiful and confident but also very kind. You having an abortion won’t change all those wonderful things about you.”
“I love you Val.”
“Yeah why is that?” he playfully inquires.
“You are truly a good friend. I don’t ever want to experience what life would be like without you and our friendship.”
“Thank you, but stop already. You are making me blush.” This is his way of saying it is no big deal as he knows that she would be doing the same for him if the circumstances were appropriately reversed. “Have you made an appointment yet?”
“No I haven’t. The truth is I haven’t done much since you left me at home yesterday. I was also waiting to hear that you would be able to go with me.”
“Ok set that up. Look I have to go but I might drop in to check on you later. By the way I heard from Alex, he’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Yeah! Now perhaps you can sleep better at night,” she jeers.
“Why, is he going to restrain you and prevent you from inconveniently dropping by late at nights while I am trying to sleep?”
“Shut up asshole,” she smiles and says, “You know you love it when I do.”
“I am afraid that I don’t, but I will admit to loving you.”
“Oh Valde you cruel and heartless man why must you tease me so?”
“But it’s true I do love you.”
Chapter 14
The sound of testosterone can be heard from outside the door of Valde’s apartment. Within he and Alex remains unsettled on whose fault both men ended up fleeing a brothel naked with their clothes in hands and a few burly and questionable characters that doubled as security in hot pursuit while on their most recent trip to Rio.
“Look you totally know it’s your fault,” insists Alex
“You said it was on you,” returns Valde, “Tell me why I would bring any money with me?”
“Well what idiot goes to a whorehouse without money? I told you it was on me, I didn’t tell you to not bring any money with you.”
“Dude you said it was on you, you insisted that I leave my wallet. You specifically said and I quote “Leave your wallet, this night is my birthday gift to you.”“
“Yeah I guess you are right. I did say those words didn’t I,” admits a smirking Alex, “Look, I was in my bordello and this gorgeous girl is telling me how much she loves Americans. She insists that I speak to her like the Americans she sees on TV and you know I must have had a bit to drink for I really believed that me and my wonderful New York accent was really turning her on. Somewhere in all that adoration she asks me if I wanted the house special.” Alex takes a swallow of his beer and continues, “You know I was curious so I said yes. How was I to know I didn’t have enough cash to afford the house special as well as your treat? Not my fault they refused to take plastic.”
They both break out laughing.
“So you are saying that it never occurred to you then to ask how much the house special might cost.”
“Well you know me. Of course it didn’t cross my mind to ask; besides that would have been tasteless.”
“Tasteless? Dude we were in a cheap-ass whorehouse God knows where in Rio. What the hell did taste have to do with anything
at that moment? You never did tell me what the house special was?”
“Man was that something! Pop quiz, what’s better than a ménage-a-trois with identical twins?”
“Being that I have yet to do that I have absolutely no idea.”
“What if I told you a ménage-et-quatre with identical triplets?”
“You expect me to believe you had triplets up in that tiny-ass room.”
“I kid you not. Triplets, you didn’t expect me to pass on triplets. Identical mind you”
The laughter grows louder between them.
Now on their fourth brewski, both men take a deep breath. It’s always good to catch up and rehash old times thinks Valde, but his curiosity forces him to ask, “So where did you venture to these past days, and who is the girl?”
“Girl, what makes you think there‘s a girl?”
“I know you partner,” Valde leans over to Alex, “I know it’s about a girl.”
“Well you got me there. Now, now don’t get too excited, I have something major to tell you. It’s absolutely life altering and will quite possibly change the nature of our friendship, after I say what I am about to say there is no taking it back and there is no going back for us. Hopefully we will be able to continue on this new path for us while still remaining close. Do you understand what I am saying?”
“OK Mr. Intensity, are you trying to break to me gently that you were abroad at one of those sex retreats and you discovered that you were in love with me, like seriously in total lust with me? I mean discovering for oneself that you aren’t who you think you are after all these years can be a bit traumatic and even confusing but once you get pass being in denial the adjustment becomes less difficult. So my friend it’s OK if you are gay, this shift in your sexual orientation won’t negatively affect our friendship.”
“What? No! Hell no! Where the hell did you get that from? Dude, seriously you need to check that imagination of yours.”
“Oh I am open-minded; you can come out to me. I have heard that the closet can be a dark and lonely place. How long have you been having these naughty little thoughts about us?”
“Dude, seriously you are beginning to freak me out”, says Alex as he takes a huge gulp, “What the hell have you been getting into? I was only gone for a few days?”
“You know I am just messing with you”, responds Valde who is now laughing so hard he almost falls off his barstool. As he attempts to regain his composure he promises to be serious and insists that Alex continues his story.
“Ok where do I begin?” says a visibly nervous Alex and with a deep breath he announces, “Well, you can start calling yourself Uncle Val because I recently found out that I am a father.”
“What, no kidding?
“No kidding!”
“Congratulations, this momentous occasion calls for another beer”, insists a festive Valde. Handing another bottle to Alex, Valde asks, “I am very happy for you, finally a real reason for you to start acting like a grown up.”
“Oh I will be an excellent dad, not stuffy and always there unlike my own father. Instead I am going to be there as much as I can cause I figure when that kid is all grown up and decides to make its own way through this treacherous world of ours, the most prized things I will have will be the memories. I plan on making a lot of memories.”
“Good for you. Forget being Uncle Val, I want to be his godfather or something?”
“Of course you can, once you understand the level of responsibility that goes with that position.”
“Alex look at me I am serious about this. It’s not the alcohol talking nor am I caught up in the excitement of the moment. You are my dearest friend, damn we are so close it feels like we are brothers, not only do I want to share in this joyous occasion of your life I also want you to know that as with everything else that goes on with you I am ready and prepared to be there for you in whatever capacity you deem fit.”
“I know and I appreciate it. I know that I can never ask for nor find a better friend than you.” Alex raises his beer, “Let’s have a toast to the best best-friend anyone could ask for.”
“Cheers,” returns Valde then he proposes a toast himself, “Let us celebrate this mystery woman of yours who has brought forth one of the highest blessings this life can allow a man.”
Alex’s hesitation was miniscule but certainly noticeable before his responding, “Cheers.”
Having seen this coupled with his inability to just let some mysteries be, Valde decides to turn up the directness of his prying a notch and outright asks, “Who is the mother and do I know her?”
Alex stalls by finishing his drink then fearfully says, “Ok, I need you to sit down for this.”
“What are you blind now? I am sitting. Will you just go on already?”
“Yes you are sitting, sorry one too many beers,” Alex pauses; he then continues”, Its Joanna.”
“Joanna?”
“Yes.”
Having processing issues Valde insists, “Alex, I don’t mean to sound comical, but dude, say it isn’t so. Tell me it’s not my Joanna. Tell me it’s a namesake or something. Tell me anything but don’t say it is the Joanna that I knew.”
Both men sit there speechless. Alex searches Valde’s face for an expression of anger or pain but there is nothing. Valde’s blank expression means one thing, the damage is beyond repair and what has happened cannot be undone, not even at the emotional level. Still, feeling compelled to break the silence and not leave words unsaid and things unresolved between them Alex tries to explain, “I know there is nothing that I can say or do to make things right between us, I just want you to.”
“Stop don’t say a word,” interjects Valde with anger underlying his calm tone, “Please I think its best that you just go, each second you remain here is the closer this night is to becoming a full blown Greek tragedy. Just leave.”
Chapter 15
It’s early the next morning and Valde’s phone rings. His latest peeve happens be these early bird calls so he decides he’s no worm and turns his ringer, no, his mobile phone off and attempts to continue sleeping. The shock of the previous evening was beginning to wear thin and the hangover starting to set in. Following Alex’s admission both men had cease speaking and Alex’s departure from Valde’s apartment was imbued with the uncertainty of a broken trust.
Valde sat drinking in disbelief and as he downed each beer he wondered how could he have been so foolish? How is it he hadn’t noticed the signs of what was taking place under his nose? He was never comfortable with the distance which belied the interactions of Alex and Joanna. He wanted the two individuals closest to him to be friends for it was his belief that it would have strengthened the synergy of his close-knit group. He was very happy with what seemed to have been a growing friendship between the two in the months prior to Joanna’s decision to leave him. Not once did he suspect her of infidelity and there was no way his best-friend would have betrayed him or so he had thought.
The hours of the night grew and so did the swirling in his head. The more his intoxication increased the less chill his temperament at this malfeasance became. He went from stunned to sad to angry within moments. Unable to contain this anger within, he exploded on the wall leaving a bloodstained hole above his bar as a reminder of the night’s infamy-riddled revelations. After deciding that beer wasn’t doing much to numb the pain he fell asleep hugging an empty bottle of Jack.
Waking up with a serious hangover from all that futile drinking he stumbles to his kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. What’s interesting is the fact that he doesn’t even like coffee. The memory of Alex’ big reveal lingers and so does the resulting emotions as he stares blankly from across the room at the hole he had made in the wall. Centering himself he decides that today is a brand new day and he has to get through it.
He powers up his cell phone. His voicemail alert sounds. To his surprise it was Brea who had tried to reach him earlier. Her message is brief but welcomed. Holding his head in an attempt to cont
rol the nausea, he dials up Brea’s number.
“Hi Valde,”
“Hi Brea,” he responds, “Sorry I missed your call earlier. Sleep got the best of me.”
“I was worried that I might be waking you up. I missed you this morning. Don’t know why I am admitting this to you but I couldn’t sleep and wanted to hear your voice.”
“I have missed you too.”
“I am surprised that you do, but it makes me smile to hear you admit it.”
“Well it’s true.”
She sighs and says, “Look, about the things I said the other night, I am not going to take anything back except for the part where I said I don’t ever want to see you again.”
“This is a strange form of apology.”
“That’s because it’s not an apology. I do believe that you are all those things I accused you of being, however with you I do want to make amends.”
“I don’t want to lose your friendship either.”
“Well, I am hoping we can continue to be more than friends in spite of your fiendish ways.”
Choked up at this surprise, he stammers, “Of course.”
She continues, “I can’t believe I am saying this but do you want to come over later at around ten.”
Like a pubescent boy accepting his first offer at being naughty with his high school crush he gleefully replies, “Yes!”
After finishing up their phone call, he sits back sipping on a cup of coffee and marvels at what a surprising roller coaster the past few days have been for him.
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