Marie Sexton - Coda 02 - A to Z (16 page)

“Thought you knew, Zach” he said to me over his shoulder. “I’m a real ladies man.”

 

“Right,” I said, laughing. “But she’s
old
.”

“Josh thinks everyone over twenty is old. Asked me the other day if we had TV when I was growin’ up.” We reached his apartment. He set down his boxes and unlocked the door but then turned to me apprehensively before he opened it. “No foolin’ around here, okay?”

“Okay,” I said. He was so serious, and I was trying to keep from smiling. I couldn’t help but add, “Not even a little bit?”

I said it jokingly, but he didn’t laugh. His eyebrows went down a little, and he got that stubborn look in his eyes that was starting to become very familiar to me. “I mean it, Zach. It’s my space. I need it to stay mine, even if it’s only for a few more days.”

“Okay, no fooling around, I got it!” He watched me for a second, like he wasn’t sure whether or not to believe me. Finally he sighed, pushed the hair out of his face, and opened the door.

There wasn’t much in the apartment: one couch straight out of the Seventies and showing every year of its long life; a dining room table that was covered with junk mail; and a kitchen that looked like it had never been cooked in.

“That is the ugliest couch I’ve ever seen,” I said, and he laughed.

“I know, right? Came with the apartment. The table too.” “So what do you have that needs to go in the truck?”

“My bed. A dresser. And that.” He pointed to the wall behind me.

I turned around to see what he was talking about, and my jaw dropped. On the wall behind me was a giant plasma TV. Then I noticed the speakers. “You have surround sound?” I asked in astonishment.

“’Course, man. You’re the only guy left in the world who doesn’t.”

 

On a low table underneath the TV was a VCR, a DVD player, and a Blu-ray.

 

“Blu-ray even?” I asked.

 

“Yeah. We gotta start orderin’ those for the store, too, you know? Lots of people have ’em now.”

“New technology will be the death of me.” I wasn’t kidding actually, but he laughed anyway. “You have all that,” I said, “but where are the movies?”

He gave me that lopsided grin. “I rent ’em, remember?” I had to laugh at that. “Right. Is there a wall in your new apartment big enough for that thing?”

 

“No,” he said, suddenly looking unsure of himself. “I was gonna set it up at your place.”

It was ridiculous, how happy those words made me. Not because I was dying to have a plasma TV, but because it meant that he was planning to be there with me, at least some of the time.

“I’d like that.”
“Thought maybe you could let me take your little TV instead?”

“Anything you want, Ang.” And whatever doubts I may have formulated over the last hour, they were all swept away by the smile he gave me. He walked up to me and kissed me once, quickly.

“Thanks, Zach.”

He turned and picked up an empty box and headed for what I assumed was the bedroom. “I’ll be back here,” he said. He turned and looked at me. “You can’t come in.”

“I won’t.”
“I mean it.”
“Okay,” I said, holding my hands up in defeat. “I promise.”

He watched me again for a minute but then sighed. “Not tryin’ to be jerk, Zach. I just—”

“Angelo,” I said, interrupting him, “it’s fine. Really.” I smiled at him and was relieved when he immediately smiled back. “Go pack. I’ll be here.”

“Okay.”

It took me less than twenty minutes to pack up his kitchen. I eyed the mail on the table, trying to decide if I could sort through it for him or not. It was mostly junk—fliers, pizza coupons, credit card offers. One porn magazine. I glanced through that for a few minutes, before realizing I better stop. It was having the intended effect, and I had a feeling Angelo was pretty serious about the “no fooling around” thing. I didn’t want to push it. I put the magazine down and decided to start on the entertainment center. I was unhooking the stereo equipment when there was a knock at the door.

“Zach?” Angelo yelled from the back.
“Yeah, I got it.”

I opened the door and found a woman looking back at me. She was tiny, maybe five three. She had dark skin and thick black hair. It was hard to judge her age. She could have been as young as thirtyfive, as old as fifty. Her eyes were deep brown, and she looked scared to death.

“I’m looking for Angelo Green,” she said shakily.

And I knew immediately that this was not going to be good. I was actually considering telling her that he wasn’t home, but I wasn’t fast enough.

“Who is it?” Angelo called as he came out of the bedroom. And then his eyes landed on her.

He froze. For just a second, he was completely still. The room practically crackled with tension, like the calm before a storm, when you see the lightning and know the thunder isn’t far behind.

And then without saying a word, he walked over and slammed the door in her face.

 

“Angelo,” I said, “was that—”

 

“Angelo,” she called through the door, cutting off my question. “Please let me in.”

 

He turned and leaned against it, like he was afraid she might try to break it down. “Fuck you!” he yelled back.

 

“I know it’s been a long time, but—”

“A long time?” he snapped. “Is that what you call it?
A long time
? You leave me with the goddamn neighbor and never come back, and twenty years later all you got to say to me is, ‘It’s been a
long fucking time
’?”

It was quiet for several seconds, and I almost wondered if she had left. But then she said, quieter, “Angelo, please. Let me in. I just want to see you.”

He put his head in his hands, but he didn’t move.

Nothing happened for what seemed like an eternity, but it must have only been a few moments. I waited for some kind of clue as to what he needed. I had no idea what to do. Finally I said, “Angelo?”

He looked up at me, and there was so much pain and anger and confusion in his eyes, it was heartbreaking to see. I closed the distance between us, and wrapped my arms around him. I thought he might resist me, but he didn’t. He leaned into me, like he couldn’t keep standing on his own. He was shaking, and I held him tighter.

“Zach,” he whispered, “tell me what to do.”

 

“Angelo?” she called uncertainly from the other side of the door.

 

“Just a minute,” I yelled toward the door. And then to him, softly, “Take your time. She can wait.”

 

“Why, Zach?” he whispered. “Why she gotta come back now?”

 

I didn’t have an answer. I was pretty sure he didn’t expect one. I could feel him putting himself back together. His breathing slowly evened out. He quit shaking. He became stiffer in my arms. “What should I do?” he asked again, firmer this time. “It’s your call, Ang. But I think you should hear what she has to say.”

 

He nodded against my chest, took a deep breath, and pushed me gently away.

 

“Do you want me to stay?” I asked.

 

He looked at me, and I could tell he really was considering asking me to leave, but then he said firmly, “Yes.”

 

“Okay.”

He pushed his hair out of his face, stood up straighter. He also went around to the other side of the couch so that it would be between them when she came in. Then he looked at me and said, “Guess I’m ready as I’ll ever be.”

I opened the door, and she looked up at me in confusion. There were tears on her cheeks.

 

“Come in,” I said and moved aside for her.

She stepped through the door and stopped. She stood there, nervously looking around, looking everywhere but at him, while I closed the door. It became evident right away that neither of them knew what to say, so I stepped up to her and held out my hand.

“I take it you’re Angelo’s mother?”

 

“Yes,” she said, shaking my hand. Her hand was tiny and her grip weak. “Nita.”

 

“Nita, I’m Zach. I’m a friend of Angelo’s.”

“More than my friend, he’s my—” Angelo stopped short, and when I looked at him, he looked alarmed, like he hadn’t actually meant to speak. He obviously wasn’t sure now how to finish. I stood there wondering if he was going to tell her, but then he said softly, “He’s my boss.”

“Well,” she said awkwardly, “nice to meet you, Zach.” “Nice to meet you too.”

I looked back over at Angelo. He was looking at me with a mute apology in his eyes, and I smiled encouragingly at him. That obviously made him feel better, and I saw him relax a little.

“Why don’t we sit down?” I suggested. Of course in the living room, there was only the couch. Angelo and Nita both eyed it with obvious apprehension. “In here,” I said, pointing to the dining room table, and they both relaxed and nodded.

I went in ahead of them. I pushed the pile of mail to one side. I hid the magazine at the bottom of the pile. If he didn’t want to tell her I was more than a friend, it was a safe bet he didn’t want her seeing exactly what was on that magazine either.

“Thanks, Zach,” he said quietly, and when I turned to him, I was relieved to see him grinning at me. It was that same lopsided grin he always had, and I was glad to see that he was getting his bearings so quickly.

We sat down, Angelo and I on one side of the small table and Nita on the other.

“So,” she said, “you still live in Denver?”
“Obviously,” he said dryly.
She licked her lips, cleared her throat, and tried again. “Do you work around here?”
“Work for Zach.”

She waited, but he didn’t say anything else, and she slumped a little when she realized that was all he was going to give her.

“You look good,” she said. “You look like your father.” “Wouldn’t know.”

She nodded absently. She looked around for a few moments, like a topic of conversation might present itself, but none did. She finally turned back to Angelo. “Will you tell me,” she asked cautiously, “what happened after…?” She let her question trail away.

“After you ditched me with the neighbor?” he asked angrily. I put my hand on his knee, under the table, but he pushed it away. “What do you think happened? Social services came and got me. Went through thirteen foster homes in ten years.” She closed her eyes, sucked in her breath, but he didn’t stop. “First few kept me a whole year or two before they sent me on. But nobody wants teenagers. The last few, I got pushed out before I could unpack my bag.” He leaned back, crossed his arms across his chest, and glared at her. “Real fuckin’ party. Thanks for askin’.”

She sat there for a minute, absorbing that. Then she took a deep breath and looked up at him apprehensively. “Is there anything you want to ask me?” she asked.

“Like why the fuck you left? Where you been the last twenty fuckin’ years? Why you never bothered to find me before now?” He stopped, and she sat there looking down at her hands in her laps. Then he laughed a harsh, angry laugh. “No, man. I got nothin’ I need to know from you.”

She just nodded, and I saw tears forming in her eyes. Angelo obviously wasn’t moved by her distress. He sat glaring at her, not saying a word.

“Nita,” I said, leaning forward, “do you have any other children? Does Angelo have any brothers or sisters?”

 

She shook her head. “I had a daughter, but….” Her words died away.

 

“You leave her with a neighbor too?” Angelo asked, and she winced.

 

“No,” she said quietly. “She died. Crib death.” She took a deep, shaking breath. “It was a long time ago.”

 

Angelo was still just glaring at her, and it was left for me to say, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

She looked over at Angelo, and she looked so desperate, I almost felt bad for her. “Angelo?” she asked. She put a hand toward him across the table. It might have been a snake, the way he looked at it. He pushed back away from her so fast that his chair scraped harshly against the floor, and she quickly put her hand back in her lap. “Angelo, I’m sorry. I was so—”

“Keep your fuckin’ apology,” he said, interrupting her, “and your excuses too. I don’t want ’em.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding. “I deserve that.” She fidgeted some more. “Angelo, I know I have no right to ask this of you….” He made a snorting sound, but she sped up, talking fast so she could get it all out before he said anything else. “I would really like a chance to get to know you.”

“What the fuck ever.”

She blinked at him for a moment, confused, obviously unsure whether his answer meant yes or no. When he didn’t elaborate, she tried again. “Your dad never found you?”

“No.”

She sighed. “He never found me either. I looked for him, but….” She shrugged. “Both of my parents are gone now, so if you have any grandparents left, they would be on his side.” Angelo just stared at her, his face blank.

She apparently decided to give up on him for the moment and turned to me. “Angelo works for you?”

 

“Yes.” I smiled at him. “He’s my best employee.”

It had the effect I was hoping for. I actually saw a little crack in his stony expression—just a tiny ghost of a smile in his eyes as he glanced at me.

“That’s good,” she said. She glanced around the apartment and saw the box on the kitchen counter. “Are you moving in or moving out?”

Angelo waited, looking at me like he thought I might answer for him. I just kept smiling at him, and he finally sighed and said to her, “Moving out.”

“Where to?”
“Coda. In the mountains.”
She smiled nervously. “That sounds wonderful.”
“We’re leavin’ in a few days.”

I wasn’t sure he realized what he had said, but I saw her eyes go a little wide, and I knew what was coming. “You’re married?” she asked hopefully.

“Close as I’ll ever be.”
“That’s wonderful!” she said, smiling. “Do you have kids?” “Fuck no.”

Between his harsh answer and the venom in his voice, her smile disappeared in an instant. “I see,” she said quietly. She seemed to ponder it for a minute as she looked down at her hands in her lap. Then she apparently decided to let it go. She looked back up at him with a nervous smile. “I’d like to meet her.”

A heartbeat of silence, and then he said stonily, “You already did.”

 

She looked confused, and I could tell he was enjoying it. “I haven’t met anybody.”

 

“Sure you have,” he said matter-of-factly. “It’s Zach.” “Oh.” She looked over at me, uncertain, and said, “Well, I realize he’s your friend. But that’s not what I meant.”