Page 27

Abby

The shrill sound of the landline wakes me up. I glance at the time. It’s seven-thirty. Fuck it. I cover my head with a pillow, but it’s useless. The phone keeps ringing mercilessly. I had too little sleep, but I drag myself out of bed and hobble to the phone to pick it up.

“Hello?”

“Happy birthday, dear.” It’s Mom. Right. It’s my seventeenth birthday today. “May you be brave in whatever you do. May all your dreams come true, may you reach for the stars and find joy in life and satisfaction with what you are given. It’s the only way to get the most out of life. I love you.”

“Thank you, Mommy. That was sweet.”

“Wait, now it’s Dad’s turn,” she says and passes the phone.

“Hi there, pumpkin! All the best to you for your birthday! Happiness, health, and God’s grace to you!”

I thank him and wait for Lucius.

“Hi, sis. I wish you a great boyfriend, luck in your high-school exams and at college, and stuff. Whatever you’d like, really.”

After all those wishes I can finally hang up. I always feel weird whenever everyone’s attention is focused on me. Like when people wish me things for my birthday. I never know how to deal with wishes. I prefer to be the one giving things to others—be it a good word or material gifts.

Seventeen years! Wow! What a great age. Seventeen is my favorite number!

“Abbs! Have a great birthday!” Vicky says, giving me a brief hug and kissing me on the cheek. “Can we grab something to eat? What do you have in the fridge?”

“The only thing I got is ham, cucumber, and tomato. I can make us sandwiches. That okay with you?”

“Sure. I’ll make tea.”

When we finish eating breakfast and talking about what we’d like to do today, it’s nine. Vicky needs to go, so I kiss her goodbye. I shut the door and I’m left alone again.

I think I’d like to pamper myself today. I turn the water on and when the bath is half full, I step in. My body immerses in pleasant warmness. I relax, thinking about my Ve. That’s so unexpected. To think that I’d had enough of everything connected to relationships when he showed up out of the blue to turn my world upside down and change me. As the water cools, I wash myself and leave the tub. There are some more birthday wishes over the phone, a cousin drops by with a rose, and finally, I go to Grandma’s for dinner. Her homemade hash browns with mushroom sauce are the best! At some point, Grandma says she’s going to sleep at my place tonight. That gets me thinking. She has to have some bigger plan—she’s left me alone before, and now, exactly on my birthday, she decides to pay me a visit? I can’t really refuse if I don’t want to raise her suspicions. That would be the end of everything.

I go back home at five p.m. Still no news from Ve. He isn’t going to stand me up, is he?

Well, whatever, I’m going to prepare. I straighten my hair and put on a bit of eyeliner. I don’t have to think long about my outfit for today—I settle on a tight-fitting, faux-jeans zip-up sleeveless shirt. Add to that a pair of off-white pants and sandals, and that’s that. I’m in the middle of fastening the strap on my left foot when the doorbell rings.

It’s him, my beloved, with a red rose in his hand. I fall into his arms and kiss him passionately as soon as he crosses the threshold. He grabs my ass and lifts me up. My legs wrap around his waist in response. He carries me inside and slams the door shut behind him without breaking our kiss. I feel my back press against the wall and decide to let the moment carry me. It’s blissful. God, I missed him! I didn’t even know how much. When finally we draw back, out of breath, I hear his sexy voice.

“Happy birthday, Abby!”

He gives me another hug and offers me a rose. He looks so good! He’s wearing loose jeans and a two-colored blue polo shirt. I love that look!

“I have something for you,” he says, sporting the most gorgeous smile on Earth.

“What’s that?”

“Open it.” He hands me a package. I feel awkward.

Ripping open the wrapping, I reveal a velvet sapphire-colored elongated case. An interesting choice of color. One of my favorites. I open the box and stare dumbfounded. There’s a breathtaking, thick spiral-shaped chain inside. Tiny beads are lodged between the ridges of the helix. The whole thing is silver and very shiny. It must have cost a fortune! Where did he get the money? It doesn’t feel right.

“Don’t you like it?” he asks, instantly growing gloomy.

“Ve, it’s beautiful!”

“So what’s the matter?”

“Honey, you didn’t have to! It must have cost you an arm and a leg!”

“Don’t you worry about that. You’re worth a lot more to me.”

“It’s the most beautiful gift I’ve ever got. Thank you!” I throw myself into his arms, kissing him tenderly. “Help me put it on?” I smile and pass him the necklace.

“With pleasure. It suits you,” he says, turning me to the mirror.

I look at myself appraisingly for a moment. The thing really is gorgeous. I touch it and feel love.

“You ready?” he asks.

“I think so.”

“Let’s go, then. Vicks is already waiting.”

“She’s coming too? Cool!” I clap my hands like a kid. “Where are we going?”

“The club.”

“Wait, I don’t think Grandma would be happy with that…”

“I reckon everything will be fine. It’s all been taken care of.” That makes me pay attention.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that Victoria went to your grandmother and made her agree to it. She did, but she says you have to be back home by two.”

My jaw drops all the way to the floor. She said nothing when I was there! That must be why she’s sleeping at my place tonight. She wants to be sure I’ll be back on time.

We leave the building, and Vicky is already waiting downstairs. She jumps up and joins us.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” I cry, hugging her tightly.

“Don’t thank me. It didn’t really take me long to convince her. I only had to promise we’d be together all the time and that you won’t be walking back on your own. And you have to be back by two.”

As we reach Edge Vibe, it turns out the bouncers are checking people’s IDs. Just great. I don’t have one yet. When it’s our turn, they only ask for Ve’s document, though. That was close! They could have ruined the night for me.

A couple of songs on the dancefloor later, I notice a change in Ve’s behavior. He’s getting nervous, edgy. He doesn’t want to dance anymore and disappears every once in a while. He’s starting to get on my nerves. I’m mad at him. He’s spoiling my evening. The anger evaporates as soon as I notice something: he’s clutching at his heart. That’s concerning. I walk over without a word and embrace him.

“Come on!” Taking his hand, I pull him with me outside, where I run my eyes across the tables, looking for a free spot. “Sit down! Want some water? Or anything else to drink, for that matter?”

“I don’t know, to be honest.”

“Okay, wait here.” I pick out Vicky among the people. “Vicks, please, go grab me a bottle of water from the bar.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing, just do it. Please.”

I love her for never asking too many questions. Whatever she does is heartfelt. She doesn’t press the matter now, either. I can sense so much goodness from her! Having a friend like that is a great boon. A moment later, she’s back with the water.

“Thanks, darling! We’ll talk tomorrow, alright?”

“Sure. I’ll go look for Myro,” she says and leaves us.

I hand the bottle to Ve and watch as he downs the whole thing. He’s still clutching at his chest. Several minutes later, he’s looking a bit better. He takes my hand and takes me back to the dancefloor. We dance to a couple of hip-hop songs, and I feel immense relief. He is better. Clearly. Once every couple of minutes, he kisses me briefly. I turn my back on him, grab the railing in front of me, and shake my butt, rubbing it against his crotch. I can feel him getting hard.

“You keep doing that, and I won’t be able to move at all,” he whispers in my ear, shoving with his hips. His hands grab my waist. He draws even closer, laying my head in the crook of his neck and kissing me aggressively. His tongue is sending signals straight to my pussy. It shivers with familiar current.

When the DJ plays a song we both don’t feel, Ve grabs my hand and leads me outside. He searches for a free table. I notice one by the end of the patio. He takes a seat and sits me down in his lap. I straddle him, pressing my thighs to his hips. He looks me in the eye and says, his lips touching mine, “Thank you for being with me. I love you so much!”

It’s genuinely overpowering, what he says. He’s my whole world, even more than just a moment before.

“I will always be with you! I love you!” I cry out, trying to be heard over the ruckus.

“You know what? Let’s bail. We’ll find ourselves a quieter place.”

On the way, we stop at a gas station to buy drinks. Then we reach our street. There’s this small hill right next to it, with a view of the horizon and the city lights from the top. We climb in complete silence. The only things I hear are the rustle of leaves dancing in the breeze and the chirping of crickets in the distance. We lie down in the grass and look into the night sky, holding hands.

I’ve always loved stargazing. Everything that shimmers and shines is close to me. I’m probably from some crystalline planet that glimmers, flickers, and sparkles, I think.

“That’s Cassiopeia.” Ve’s voice cuts through the silence like a dagger.

“Which one?”

“That one, see? In the shape of a ‘W’. And there’s the Big Dipper.” He points out and talks about all the constellations.

“How do you know so much about them?” I ask, discovering that my love for that man can only grow.

“It used to be a bit of a hobby of mine.”

“I went to a planetarium once. It was the greatest school trip ever.” I smile at the memory.

Ve grows quiet. I sit up and look at him. Something is bothering him.

“What’s up?” I ask.

“There are many things bothering me. All regarding my past. The times before I met you. I really want to tell you about it. I trust you. I’m afraid of how you’ll react, but I love you so much I think you should know if you want to be with me.”

I’m all ears.

“You see, my past was neither easy nor bright. I haven’t been too good to my parents either. You should know I used to steal. I got into fights and hung out with various people. You met some of the guys, but I’ve kept you the fuck away from others.”

“Tell me as much as I need to know. I don’t need the details.”

“That’s what I’m doing. I don’t want to endanger you. But you do have to know that the fact I smoke weed is nothing. I do other kinds of drugs…”

“Weed? That’s nothing,” I say, shrugging.

“Not weed, babe. Not at all.”

“Oh God, you’re doing heroin?” Suddenly a flurry of unpleasant thoughts scatter through my head. That would be too much. I couldn’t live with that.

“I’m not that fucking crazy, but I know people who are.”

“So what are we talking about here?” I ask, calming down. I still can’t really breathe normally, instead holding my breath for what he’ll tell me.

“I’m talking amphetamine… You must have noticed I felt a bit off today.”

“Yes, I saw that. You were nervous and kept clutching at your heart.”

“I did too much speed, and my heart wanted to burst from my chest. It was banging around so hard I was sure it was going to give out. But you, as always, were perfect. You don’t ask questions, you don’t judge. You act. Your patience and goodness are totally disarming.”

“Listen, Connor,” I cut him off. “I can put up with a lot, I’m madly in love with you, but I’m not going to let you do drugs. Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it. But you have to stop! I’ll help you get out of it!”

He says nothing more, only tightening his grip on my hand. He lifts it and places a kiss on the top of my palm. I’m scared. After falling head over heels for him, all that is supposed to go away? Are we going to be a thing or not? I can’t even imagine living without him. I wouldn’t survive it! But at the same time, I couldn’t be with a drug addict. That would be too much.

It’s getting late. Vicks promised my grandma I’d be back by two. I need to go home. I can’t disappoint her.

“Let’s walk back. I need to be home on time.”

He stands up in silence and helps me up, walking me all the way to the door. We say nothing the whole way.

“Go straight home!”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” He grunts and kisses me in a way I’ve never known before. It’s as if he is begging me not to leave him. As if he is terrified he won’t see me again.

I give in to the passion, aching to invite him in, embrace him, and look after him. When finally he draws back, he looks me in the eyes and says, “Help me.” He leaves a kiss on my brow and takes the elevator down.

I’m in shock. I enter the apartment and take a peek inside the living room. Grandma is watching TV. She looks immaculate, as usual, with curlers in her hair, and the entire room is filled with the smell of bath foam and skin creams. I thank her for letting me go out, for trusting me. I kiss her on the cheek and go to my room.

I can’t sleep for the longest time. I keep thinking how to help him. Where to begin? Is the issue his friends? Or maybe a lack of willpower? Addiction? The need to impress? An attempt to mask emotions? That is what addiction is, right? What will I actually have to face? I don’t know! But I’ll do it. At this point, he’s the most important person in the world to me.