Broken Sky

by Saurav Dutt

  There was a rap on the door and he glided across the room as he cracked it open, observing the glistening expression on the face of the attractive concierge who greeted him on his arrival. ‘Is everything satisfactory?’ she asked with a toothy smile as her eyes twinkled through spectacles.

  ‘Everything is just great’ Sean replied as his eyes darted from her ankles right up to her forehead, quietly digesting every groove and curve of her skinny frame. ‘I was wondering if you wanted to know about our city packages as this is your first time in New York’ she chirped as Sean’s dreamy blue eyes bore into hers.

  ‘This isn’t my first time’ Sean coughed ‘I mean in New York..well what I mean is that I live in Long Island originally…y’know’ he stammered. ‘Oh’ the lady hesitated ‘well if you’re here on business then I guess you won’t have time to go around town..’ she trailed off.

  ‘I’m here on um..personal business shall we say’ Sean smiled as he raised his left hand to show the dull glint of a wedding ring. The lady arched an eyebrow and nodded ‘Well if you need anything while you’re in the city let me know..’ she replied with a nod and forced smile. ‘Know a good divorce lawyer?’ Sean quipped. ‘Um..’ the lady blinked ‘I..well..I..’ she hesitated before Sean waved her off ‘I was only kiddin’-thanks for the concern’ he grinned as he closed the door.

  He shrugged as he looked down at the ring, gently tugging at it as he pondered slipping it off altogether. He sat down on the bed and studied his cell phone. Hesitating for a moment, he began to dial and reclined onto his bed as he listened to the dial tone and then threw the phone casually aside as he pulled himself up again, staring long and hard at the ceiling above.

  *

  ‘Well I won’t lie to ya Andie’ Sean paused as he narrowed his eyes ‘you look good, you look really good’ he commented as he sat across the cafe table from his wife. Andie smiled awkwardly and curled a strand of hair around the rim of her ear lobe as she carefully studied his face. ‘I like the beard thing you’ve got going there..’ she observed as she studied his demeanour, his clothing, his grooming. At six foot one, with immaculately cut hair, piercing blue eyes and a hewn, rugged sexy look about him she remembered the day he first turned her head. He looked good in black she thought to herself and then instantly reminded herself to keep her thoughts in check. ‘It’s called a goatee’ Sean grinned as he stroked the rough edges of his jaw and circled the spoon within his coffee cup ‘I thought I should bring in some changes, and this was one of them’

  ‘I see the other is wearing black’ Andie quipped ‘is that supposed to look stylish or is it because you’re depressed?’ she smiled crookedly as she noticed his watch which sparkled as a trickle of sunlight threw itself onto its glassy surface. ‘Well I figured since I was a single man’ Sean replied ‘I should at least try to look good..y’know to attract women, you have to look after yourself don’t you? I mean not that I didn’t when we were together, but you have to make that extra effort when you’re back alone..and when you’re a lot older’ he added.

  ‘You always maintained yourself well’ Andie replied ‘although it was more jeans and t-shirts and overalls..now you look like you’ve just started seeing a stylist’

  Sean forced a smile as he nodded his head, letting the awkward silence linger as he refused to break eye contact ‘Well that’s how life is as a single person, right…not that you would know’ he smirked.

  ‘What does that mean?’ Andie grunted, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. ‘It means that you’re with someone now, that guy you thought I was when I called you the other night’ Sean grumbled ‘I mean it’s fine with me, though seven or eight weeks is a bit of a short time to meet someone and get over your husband, but it’s cool with me…just remember bigamy is still outlawed in this country’ he added as he slowly sipped his coffee.

  ‘We haven’t been married for a while now..not in the traditional sense’ Andie bit back ‘so if you came here for a guilt trip then you’ve made a wasted journey. Anyway you’re a man; I bet you were out on the town the minute I was out the door’

  ‘Ah I see..’ Sean replied, grazing his beard with his thumb as he paused ‘so because I’m a man I don’t have the same entitlement as you to go out looking for sex or to meet someone if I feel like it. But you as a woman, well you can feel free to do whatever you want because it’s okay somehow, because you’re out of love or something like that right? That’s how you reason it..ain’t it? Oh and did I forget the little detail about still being legally married…’ he grinned.

  ‘So are we here to argue then? Is this the reason you came all this way?’ Andie sighed as she leant back in the chair and stared her espresso ‘because I don’t really have the time for that, we coulda done that on the phone and saved all the coffee and small talk BS’

  ‘What’s his name?’ Sean piped up ‘I’m genuinely curious and interested in who this guy is. You can sleep with whoever you want Andie, do whatever you want ‘cause like you said we have the rings but we’re not really married like you say’

  ‘He’s into finance’ Andie replied ‘he’s an older man…y’know somebody that doesn’t need tequila and endless shots of neat bourbon every night to make himself feel alive..’ she scowled, biting down hard on her lip.

  ‘I’ll have you know I’ve joined AA since you left’ Sean replied as he cleared his throat ‘so what you see before you isn’t just a result of a new found sense of being single…there’s changes there that I can do alone, without your help...and just before you think that you are somehow responsible for this dramatic change in my life, it wasn’t for your benefit…it was for my son’s and that’s the only thing that matters right now…not some grandpa Hugh Hefner that you’re shacking up with’

  ‘I wonder how many more insults will come out after this whole reformed act wears off’ Andie smiled ‘but you’re right, this is about him and not about us anymore’

  ‘I didn’t come for a holiday’ Sean replied ‘so when do I get to see him?’

  ‘Tonight…’ Andie hesitated ‘he won’t be going to school tomorrow’

  ‘And why is that?’ Sean demanded, his brow furrowed in concern. ‘’Cause he’s taking after his father’ Andie grimaced ‘starting fights whenever he feels like it He’s been suspended for two days for knocking some kids’ front two teeth out. But I suppose you think that’s a good sign of his manliness now, don’t you? Sorta like he’s growing up..’

  ‘No’ Sean replied ‘I would have taught my son to be a lot more intelligent than that actually....anyway I came here to sort the appointment out to talk things through properly. So I’ll see you at your house then... Don’t put him to sleep if I get a little late, but I shouldn’t’

  ‘I see you’re still wearing your ring…’ Andie nodded as she motioned towards his ring finger ‘What’s the point?’

  ‘Just in case the weather changes…’ Sean smiled ‘just in case…’

  * **

  “You know you live exactly how I would have visualised” she smirked as she looked around John’s apartment. She noticed the flicker of the dying lampshade bulb, the way it spat sparkles of amber light across the wallpaper and how the tables were littered with old vinyl records.

  She heard the snap and crackle of the record player spluttering to life and the gentle tinkle of jazz piano illuminating the sparse corners of the apartment. It was dusty, dishevelled and unkempt. It was a cop’s home.

  ‘This is nice’ she remarked as she slumped down on the couch and threw her head back slightly, listening closely to the music and closed her eyes, falling into a deep trance as she concentrated on the female voice singing. John watched her closely, a wizen smile curling around the smooth edges of his jaw as he looked on. He could see the way the light within the room nestled gently against her pale cheeks and how her hair-although worn, roughshod and shorn of the luxury of a recent wash-seemed to glow vibrantly. He realised for the first time just how beautiful she really was. ‘I have to admit’ he smiled as h
e lit up a cigarette ‘I had ya down for a wino or a junkie the first time we met. But then I realised you just carry yourself with a different kind of ….manner; I’d call it class, maybe substance, but I don’t know you well enough to say that”

  “You’re probably still curious about why my blood is inside that hat, right” she replied “but the truth of it is that I don’t remember. I don’t remember much about anything..there’s no point going there anyways, you cops ain’t got nothin’ on me”

  “Well at what point do your memories go back?’ John asked as he took a seat opposite her ‘I mean before we met on the sidewalk, how much you remember about what happened to you? How long you’ve been on the sidewalk, the last time you had a decent meal? And like I said before…you can call me John” he added with a smile as he slinked his way gracefully toward her and offered a cigarette which was snapped up without a moment’s hesitation.

  “I remember meeting Pollard” she remembered as her eyes circled the room “he was actually trying to steal a few dimes from my hat. I was about to knock the little imp on his butt before I realised he was about five foot tall. I felt sorry for him and we sorta just stared and looked at one another for a few minutes. He looked pathetic and he just stood there and returned two dollars to me that he’d taken. Since then we’ve been quite the team..before that, well nothin’ ain’t very clear” she smiled.

  “A team? If you call looting and pick pocketing teamwork you mean” John quipped, rubbing his eyes gently as he stifled a yawn. “Beats real work” she retorted, flashing a glare at him as she inhaled the smoke twirling away from the tip of her cigarette “tell me, what does say it say about you that you’ve just invited me back to your home?”

  “That I like you…” John replied as he took a drag from his cigarette “and that I’d rather not think about why I didn’t talk myself out of it..”

  “I’m glad you didn’t..rules are made to be broken after all” she replied as her eyes looked around the apartment.

  “How much you think a detective like me makes?” John grinned “actually don’t answer that”

  ‘”You’ve been single for a long time” she remarked “I can tell by the state of the place, all the old 45’s laying around …the constant stink of Marlboro’s in the air..not to mention the complete lack of dusting-there ain’t been a woman’s touch to the place for a very long time”

  “You’re very perceptive” John chuckled, standing to his feet “I’m twice divorced..and besides a nice glass or three of whisky after work every night, I have little else to look forward to besides my jazz records and killing myself slowly by smoking cigarettes and cigars that cost far too much. I guess some people would call it a soft kill. I call it a great way to alleviate boredom”

  “Now, you’re not being honest with me” she chuckled as she licked her lips and let the cigarette dangle loosely from the corner of her mouth “the other day you wanted to take me to Carlucci’s to eat lunch, I bet a regular tab there costs half of what you make a month, probably more”

  “Lady” John replied as she shot her a glare “I think you’d be surprised at what I make a month”

  “Y’mean besides kickbacks and backhanders and bribes?” she sighed, stubbing out the cigarette against the rim of the ashtray she had propped up on the arm of the couch “or are you going to tell me you’re an honest cop?”

  John smiled to himself, slowly prowling around the room as he unfurled the tie from his collar and slipped off his jacket blazer. ‘You don’t have much faith in the goodness of people do you?” he replied “maybe I wanted to take you to a nice lunch ‘cause I liked you..and it’s as simple as that”

  “Brain damage” she shot back, crossing her arms defensively. “What does that mean?” John chuckled as he slipped down on the couch beside her. “It means” she sighed “no man, no woman does something like that from the goodness of their heart..unless they have brain damage”

  “I don’t follow you” John shook his head “you sure have a way with words..now I may be a bit..off sometimes myself, but you talk like you’re from another planet sometimes”

  “You’re not your typical cop either” she smiled as she rose to her feet, walking over to the bookcase in front of her, curiously running her finger along the spines of the magazines and volumes of books “for instance, instead of questioning me about the blood or assaulting that little prick in the hotel, you help get me released and bring me back to your apartment and try to swoon me with 1930’s jazz, cheap red wine and cheaper cigarettes”

  “Don’t forget the use of my shower..” John chuckled. “Oh yeah of course” she nodded as she pointed at the oversized t-shirt she was wearing. “One of my best” John winked “so first off, forensics established it’s your blood” John began “and I’ll get to the bottom of that in time…secondly that prick in the hotel dropped an assault charge that was a done deal considering you spray painted his face in front of about twenty people and thirdly these cigarettes are damn good for the price, same goes for the wine..” he smiled, turning to face her as he moved closer.

  “You’re not curious why I did that to him?” she enquired as she turned to face him, taken back by the ferocity of his gaze. “I figured he lied to you in some way or the other” John murmured “and like any woman scorned, you got your own little payback on him”

  “It doesn’t bother you that I slept with him?” she whispered as he noticed he had drawn closer, his lips not far from hers and their eyes now locked firmly onto each other.

  “No…” he replied as he leant forward and gently kissed her on the lips, hardly pulling back before she returned his with another. She leant back ever so slightly, looking directly at him and then without a moments hesitation both of them leant in together and locked their lips in a slow interlacing of smouldering intensity, both reclining their bodies onto the couch, the wafting of music cloaking them both like a warm shadow squeezing them together tighter and tighter as they embraced and continued to kiss.

  *

  “I have a breakthrough” John exclaimed as he ran feverishly towards her. She sat up in bed, letting the turquoise duvet slip gently over her breasts as she opened her eyes. In the mist of candlelight, she could see John half naked, stumbling around, something held within his hands as he stood by the door. “What the hell is it?” she snapped, pulling up the duvet to the edges of her jaw as she struggled to adjust her eyes to the darkness around her.

  “I know what your name is, or as good as the real thing” John announced with an ear to ear grin as he sat down on the bed. She looked away, her expression collapsing as she averted her gaze. “That’s not funny at all” she muttered as she sunk down into the pillows and glared up at the ceiling. “It’s in the most obvious place” John smiled “the inside of your hat rim. It’s got your initial there. I don’t know where you came from or what you did for a living, but it involved that bowler hat. It’s got G in bold, woven lettering, obviously personalised” he nodded as he propped the hat up on her knees.

  She pulled herself up and stared at the hat, letting her long fingers wrap around its edges as she felt the velvet material and ran her nails across the silk lining within. As she brought it closer to her nose, she sensed a smell that seemed to send memories fluttering through her mind. She closed her eyes as she took in the distant husk of strong perfume. She could visualise bright lights, dazzling fireworks, laughter and the rippling of applause, but nothing more.

  “Well whaddaya think?” John asked as he noticed her nonchalantly swat the hat aside.

  “It doesn’t matter” she sighed “what use is that to me. It doesn’t change where I am now, where I’m going” she sulked.

  “A name is pretty important for somebody claiming they got amnesia..” John replied “why haven’t you opened those suitcases of yours? Y’know, actually got down on your hands and knees and ripped the freakin’ thing open just to see what’s in there?” he grunted.

  “What did your office find out about me?” sh
e enquired “after you fingerprinted me and all that stuff you do?”

  “Well we ran you through the system” John cleared his throat “and usually we’d expect to find something about people that live on the street..there were some misdemeanours, but nothing substantial on you. It’s like you dropped out of the sky” he added as he placed his hand on her shoulder “now that we have an initial, maybe we can try to find something else about you, put the pieces together” he nodded.

  “I don’t even have a social security number..” she lamented as her hand gently brushed his away “I stood in the welfare line for a whole day once, I couldn’t even get any money from them. I waited all day only for ten people to scratch their heads and tell me I didn’t exist..nothing on their stupid little computers, nothin’”

  “But that blood…” John shook his head as he pointed to the hat “it looks maybe a few months old, if that, I’m guessing here but I bet you got into some kinda scrape and then-”

  The doorbell rang. John’s eyes darted around the room as he searched for something to cover his naked body with. She stared at him for a moment, searching for some indication of what to do. The buzzer went off again, this time followed by an impatient knock. John yanked open a chest of drawers and threw on a dark navy t shirt and wrangled into some jeans. As he did so, he paused momentarily and glanced at his wrist watch. “Shit” he exclaimed as he fumbled around with socks and belts as the rapping continued “go into the bathroom, here get this on” he yelped as he threw over a t shirt and cardigan towards her.

  As she scurried towards the bathroom John calmly walked down the hallway to the door, unfurling the chain and gently allowing the light from the corridor to squeeze in. ‘We’re not disturbing you are we?’ croaked a gruff voice. John stared at the cherubic, grizzly face for a moment before he realised who it was. ‘Ah Captain..’ John yawned ‘no I fell asleep on the couch, just had a few beers, watchin’ the game and before I knew it I was out like a light’ he grinned as he realised the Captain’s wife was glaring at him with obvious suspicion.