Pitchfork in the Road

by M. J. Schiller

  I had a long drive ahead of me. I needed to get this done. Taking a breath, I lifted my hand to knock, but the door suddenly opened, my hand in the air left purposeless. A dark-haired woman with a toddler straddling her cocked hip glared at me for a second, then a smile brightened her face.

  “Why, Zack Issaacs. What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Maria. Long time no see.”

  She snorted. “Yeah. No kidding.”

  Something buzzed by me, and I ducked. Maria swatted the air.

  “Damn bees. They like our trash. Come on in and we can talk without threat of being dive-bombed.” She waved another one off, then I followed her. It was dark inside and my eyes had to adjust to the change in light. Maria kicked a Fisher Price school bus out of her way as she crossed the small room. The floor was littered with toys. A twin mattress lay on the floor against the front wall, a double on the wall adjacent, where two girls held half-dressed Barbie dolls who seemed to be having an animated conversation. They giggled, ignoring us completely. They were still in pajamas even though it was nearly dinnertime.

  Maria blew on a section of hair that had escaped her ponytail, and fallen in front of her eye. When it returned to the same position, she physically moved it with her free hand. The little guy on her hip kicked his dirty feet.

  “All right, all right. I’ll put you down.” She set him on his feet and waved a finger in his face. “You be good.” He nodded with a shit-eating grin and took off running down a short hallway. Reaching the end, he entered a room and slammed the door behind him. “Yeah. I knew that wouldn’t work.”

  Her gaze ran over me. “You look good, Zack. You haven’t changed a bit.”

  I was saved from lying by a baby screaming. She wasn’t the same. In fact, I don’t think I would have recognized her if I’d seen her on the streets. She was much bigger, and her face had aged considerably. Her hair, which always seemed to be healthy in school, appeared brittle. She wore stained pink sweatpants and a wrinkled blue button-down that obviously belonged to her husband, or partner, because of the size.

  “Javi, dammit. You woke the baby.” She huffed. “Just sit on the couch,” she said to me. “I’ll be right back.” She disappeared down the hallway.

  A dark, mustardy-gold tweedy couch lined the wall farthest from the door. I tried to squeeze between it and the coffee table, but accidentally kicked the table leg, causing the whole thing to collapse.

  Maria’s voice came from behind the wall the couch was on, startling me. “Don’t worry. It happens all the time.”

  But I felt bad. I messed with it for a bit, then got down on the floor so I could see what the problem was. The leg in one hand, holding the table up with the other, I discovered the reason it was so loose. The screw had been ripped out of its hole at some point and now the opening was too wide. I could see Elmer’s glue residue where they’d tried to repair it before.

  “But I can’t go to the ball without shoes.”

  I craned my neck to look behind me. I think Barbie had more to worry about than a pair of shoes, considering she only wore a mini-skirt. The girls rummaged around in the folds of the sheets.

  “Where are those shoes my fairy godmother gave me? Can you help me find them, Livvy?”

  “Of course,” responded the other doll, who had dark, wavy hair as compared to her counterpart’s platinum blonde.

  I had to smile. The little girls were cute. And the way they were helping each other warmed my heart. Returning my attention to the table, I lined up the leg to the hole in the top, and gently lowered it over the screw protruding from the leg. A face popped down under the table, tilted sideways, surprising me.

  “Well, hello.”

  He giggled. “Wanna see my Nerf gun?”

  Apparently this is what Javi went to get. He wanted to show me his prize possession. I slid out from under the table, careful not to jostle it in any way, and sat cross-legged as he came around to meet me.

  “Ooh. Wow. That’s sweet. That’s a crossbow, isn’t it?”

  He nodded and giggled, then whirled around and plopped into my lap. I laughed at his lack of reserve, and admit I was happy he chose to sit in my lap. He worked on pushing the bullets down more securely in the tiny holders on top of his toy.

  Maria returned with a red-eyed baby who looked miserable. “Ahh, yes, Javi. He’ll need to get over his shyness when he goes to school.” She put a hand on his hair and ruffled it. “Javi. Let the poor man up.”

  “Oh, no. He’s fine.” But Javi had already scampered off. I stood.

  Maria waved her hand, indicating the couch behind me. “Have a seat.”

  A door slammed.

  “Javi!”

  She sat right next to me, and the scream hurt my ears. I must have winced, because she apologized.

  “It’s just…that kid is so noisy. He’ll be making a racket in his coffin.”

  I thought that an odd comment from a parent for their child, but let it pass.

  “So how’s Zoe?”

  It stung. “Zoe and I broke up before I left for college, remember?”

  “Well, yeah.” She blinked. “But I always thought you’d get back together someday.”

  “Well, actually, that’s sort of the reason I’m here….”

  Javi came back with a Nerf machine gun and climbed up on my lap.

  “You mean it wasn’t to check out Javier’s Nerf arsenal.”

  I grinned. “That’s a plus, sure, but….”

  “I think I know why you’re here.”

  “You do?” What a relief to not have to say it.

  “Yeah.” She ran her hand up my thigh, between her son and my jeans. Far up my thigh. I squirmed. “We can take this conversation back to my bedroom. My husband won’t be home for a couple of hours. And even if he does come home early, he’ll just want to watch.”

  I grabbed Javier under the armpits, lifting him as I stood, then setting him on the ground. “No. That’s not the reason.”

  She rose to her feet, too. “Javier. Go play in your bedroom.” She set the baby on the couch, which seemed a bit unsafe.

  “But—”

  She twisted her head and gave him a wicked smile. “Do you want me to get the belt?”

  That kid tore out of the room so fast, if he’d been in a cartoon he would have raised a cloud of dust. He had his hands covering his ass the whole way. I couldn’t say I blamed him.

  Maria walked her fingers up my arm. “Maybe that’s not why you came, Zack. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still screw each other’s brains out.”

  Oh, my God.

  I put my arms out in front of me and backed away. “Listen. You’ve got a nice family here. I—”

  “And you haven’t even met the other two.”

  I swallowed. “There are more?”

  “Yeah. Mannie and Pete are over at a friend’s house.”

  That stymied me briefly. Six kids. She’d been busy since high school. I started again. “So, like I said, you have a nice family and I wouldn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that in any way.”

  She took a step forward, and I took a step back.

  “But like I said, my husband doesn’t mind.”

  I wanted to run. Hop in my Cobra and peel out of this trailer park. But she had something I needed.

  Someone with an extremely loud muffler pulled up out front.

  “There he is. I called him from the bedroom. He’s anxious to meet you.” She reached up and began to unbutton her shirt.

  I waved my hands in front of me. “Please, don’t do that, Maria. I only came to see if you’d give me back the pictures,” I blurted out.

  “The pictures? The pictures of Zoe? Are you kidding me? Why would I give those up? I can use them to make you do whatever I want. And I want.” Her shirt was almost all the way open, clearly displaying her cheetah-print bra. “I always thought you’d be a good f—”

  Luckily the blast of her husband’s horn prevented me from hearing the rest of that thoug
ht. I walked backward, tripping over a toy, and catching the doorframe to right myself. I whirled, slammed my palm against the screen door release, and flew out of there. As I ran to my car, her husband yelled, “Hey, Zack!” When I glanced over, he gave me this sick smile, raising and lowering his eyebrows rapidly.

  It was that Zane kid from high school. Maria collared him after all. He drove a red Corvette convertible, spotless, with a black top. He revved the engine. Maria stood out on the porch with her shirt open, but still, thankfully, on.

  “Oh, come on, Zack. You can’t tell me you don’t want some of these.”

  I didn’t look. I got in my car and screamed the hell out of there.

  Four-hundred-and-eighty-some-odd miles later, I pulled into Denver shortly after midnight. I’d made good time. Maybe that was because I was so eager to get away from Maria. Or maybe it was because I was so desperate to get back to Zoe. I thought about her during the whole ride. Seven and a half years had passed since the last time I saw her. We were outside the gymnasium and Maria was sticking her tongue down my throat. The image of Zoe in that dress…man. I’d thought about that a lot.

  I’d rehearsed what I would say to her mile after mile. It always ended up sounding lame. That’s because it was lame. I was a complete idiot and remained so for seven and a half years. The thought of Nick with her…touching her…it made my blood boil. We were practically brothers and he stuck a knife in my back and walked away while I bled out. The speech I prepared for him, oh, that one was coming along just fine.

  I checked in to a cheap motel to catch a few z’s before facing Zoe. With the dark, moldy curtains in the room, I ended up sleeping in longer than I wanted. I rushed so much I think my hair was still wet when I showed up outside her condo door. A redhead with a bag of groceries held the door for me. It turned out to be only the two of us in the elevator. I stared at the scrap of paper in my hand.

  The woman’s voice startled me. “What’s the number?”

  “What? Oh. 512.”

  She nodded. “Fifth floor.”

  “Oh, thanks.” I pressed the button and looked at her expectantly.

  “We’re good. That’s my floor, too.” She shifted the groceries to her other hand.

  I leaned against the bar along the side at first, then straightened. “Since we’re going to the same place, would you like me to carry your groceries for you?”

  “Oh. That’s nice. Actually, I’d loved it. I’ve lugged them six blocks.” She eyed me as I took them from her. “New to the building?” She sighed and shook her arms out.

  “Uhh, no. Just visiting a friend.” I glanced down at my shirt.

  Maybe I should have ironed it.

  “Oh.” She nodded. “How do you know Zoe?”

  I blinked. “You know Zoe?”

  She chuckled. “She lives right across the hall from me.”

  What were the odds? “Wow. That’s crazy.”

  I followed her to her place and stood while she unlocked her door. Now that seeing Zoe was only minutes away, my heart beat faster, and my palms became sweaty.

  The lady opened her door, then frowned as she took the groceries back. “You know she has a boyfriend, right?”

  Boyfriend? Were they that serious? “Yeah. I heard that.”

  “You never said, how do you know each other?”

  I tilted my head, glancing down before raising my eyes to hers. “I feel like we’ve known each other forever. I think I was three when she moved into the neighborhood.”

  She nodded. “Oh. Neighbors. Nice.” She gestured toward the interior of her condo. “Want to come in for a drink? I’m sure if you’re Zoe’s friend you’re a decent guy.”

  It wasn’t even noon yet. “No, thank you. I think Zoe’s expecting me,” I lied.

  She studied me. “I don’t think so. She and Nick left an hour or so ago to shoot some hoops and maybe get something to eat at the block party.”

  My heart sank. “Oh. I guess we got our wires crossed then. Thanks.” I spun around to leave, and she put a hand on my arm.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come in for a drink?”

  “Thank you for the offer, but I need to get going.” I could feel her eyes on me all the way to the elevator. I pushed the button and waited, clearing my throat and staring at the door. It dinged, and a wave of relief hit me. I turned my head as I got on. She was still watching me. Luckily, I was alone in the elevator. I exhaled, running a hand over my face, then bringing it back up to rub my temples. Now I was so close, not being with her was unbearable.

  When I stepped out of the building, it was pretty clear which direction this block party was. Everyone was on their way to the park on my right. Soon the smell of corn dogs and grilled burgers confirmed my suspicion and my stomach growled. I picked up my pace, weaving in and out of pockets in the crowd. Catching a glimpse of her hair, and the green of her bomber jacket, my heart stopped. It made me smile. I tried to look over and around people, but she disappeared behind a set of bleachers. I reached the spot, and kept searching the crowd in front of me, hoping to see her. My eyes caught the flash of green, zeroed in, and I froze. They were holding hands as they walked, and Zoe’s jacket hung over Nick’s arm.

  A blinding, white-hot rage surged through me. Somehow, the sight of her jacket on his arm ignited my anger. I made a beeline for them. That jacket was mine to hold before Nick decided to ruin my life. It represented her, and the sight of it in Nick’s possession was like waving a red flag in front of me. How could he do this to us?

  I got close enough to hear Zoe say, “Surely they have funnel cakes.” She searched the vicinity, and her gaze landed on me. “Oh, my God.” Her voice was little more than a whisper, but I heard it anyway.

  “What?” Nick turned and had about two seconds before I mowed him over and rode him to the grass.

  “You son of a bitch!” I pushed off him to get some room to swing.

  “What the fuck are you doing, Zack?”

  I took my first punch, connecting solidly with the side of his face.

  “No. Stop!” Zoe shrieked.

  Nick twisted his head, and his lip was split open. A wave of regret and sympathy smacked into me—after all, he was my best friend once—someone who I would defend in a fight, not clobber—but it was turned back by the tsunami of my fury. Nick ground his teeth together and grappled with me. I think the shock of actually hitting him made me put down my guard. He brought a knee up into my crotch.

  “Ohh.” My response was automatic. I released my hold on his jacket and fell off to one side, curling up and rocking side to side. I forgot how much that hurt.

  “Nick, stop.”

  Zoe tried to grab his arm, but he shook her off and climbed on top of me. I turned my head enough the first punch only grazed my cheek. Although I couldn’t really see them, I felt a crowd gathering around us in a circle. Shouts of, “What the hell is going on?” “Someone get the cops.” mingled together. I picked out one voice who encouraged me for some reason. “Come on, son. Get him off you. Use your hips.” Above all this floated Zoe’s distraught voice. “You guys, stop.”

  Taking the old man’s advice, I bucked my hips as hard as I could while at the same time, grabbing Nick’s left arm. I dropped my left shoulder and used that momentum to slide him partially under me as we continued to scrap.

  “Ahh, yeah. This is awesome,” someone said. Followed up by, “Bash his head in.”

  And I wanted to. Eight years he’d taken from us. Eight years.

  “Zack, don’t hurt him. Come on, you guys. You’re friends.”

  Nick and I didn’t waste breath with talking. I got the feeling he wanted to beat the shit out of me almost as badly as I wanted to beat the shit out of him. He grabbed for my eyes, but I tilted my chin back and landed a blow to his ribcage. I didn’t get a lot of power behind it. In defense, Nick sent a flurry of punches to my face. I blocked as best I could and tried to pick up his rhythm and get him in the off beats.

  “You know wh
at? Go ahead and beat each other senseless. I’m not going to stand here and watch it.”

  We were both tiring. I took a few more shots at Nick. Then it dawned on me, he’d probably slept with her, too. Slept with my Zoe. A guttural growl escaped from me and I dove in with new passion. The rest became a blur. The only thing I can remember is a few minutes later, two people grabbed my arms and tore me off Nick. While I was incapacitated, Nick took the opportunity to kick me in the abs, which I wasn’t ready for, then people hauled him to his feet. Some big guy stepped between us, his hands extended from each side at chest level.

  “Knock it off. I said knock it off!” he screamed at Nick. He glanced over his shoulder. “You guys need to get the hell out of here before the police come.” Movement in the crowd drew my attention to the left where I could see two cops striding in our direction. “Get them out of here.”

  The two guys holding me spun me around and grabbed my elbows. They started walking toward Zoe’s condo building.

  “Hold it right there,” a deep voice rumbled.

  The guys exchanged a look, but kept moving.

  “I said hold it.”

  Again, they glanced at each other. One jerked his head to the right, the other nodded, and they released me. I fell to my knees, panting. I searched for Nick’s group. They had been stopped by two policemen arriving from the other direction. I watched one of the cops cuff Nick as the guys who were helping him escape now attempted to aid the police in subduing him by hanging on to his arms.

  A vise grip clamped on my shoulder. Nick looked over and caught my eye from a distance. My body tensed again. I wished it was just he and I, without all these people around. I was being cuffed. A thought suddenly occurred to me in a mind besieged with pain receptors which were screaming alarms. I lifted my gaze and searched for Zoe. The person I really came to see. Her jacket lay on the ground, trampled on and muddy. A basketball she was holding lay about fifty feet away, resting against a trash can.

  She was nowhere to be found.

  Chapter 15

  Zoe

  I lay on the couch with a raging headache. The shock of seeing Zack, coupled with watching my two best friends pulverize each other, was a little much. Of all the places in the world, what was he doing there? And what was his beef with Nick? He couldn’t be jealous, because if he cared enough to feel that way, he would have never let me go. That thought made me horribly sad. And I was furious at those two assholes for beating on each other. And I was sick over the fight.