TABOO: THE COMPLETE SERIES(17)
Like my world.
WELDON
I saw her, sitting by the bar and her familiar smile greeted me.
“Hey!” she kissed my cheek.
“How’re you, Jackie?”
“How do I look?”
“Sexy as ever,” I said. “You make me believe that forty is the new thirty.”
“You look pretty good yourself,” she winked. “But you already know that.”
“So? What can I do for you babe?”
The look on Jackie’s face went from happy to morose. “Dad’s in the hospital. And he’s not doing so great.”
The news hit me harder than I had expected. But on the surface I tried to keep my composure. “I’m sorry to hear that.”’
Jackie stared at me. “That’s it? You’re sorry? That’s your whole response?”
“I think it’s appropriate. Considering…”
“Considering the man is dying!”
“Stop it, Jackie. I feel what I feel. End of.”
“Not end of! Weldon you’re telling me you won’t miss the guy at some point when he’s not there anymore? You’re going to regret it, and you know that.”
“Do not presume to know me.”
“Listen to me, honey. This tough guy act, I see through it. We grew up together. You forget. I know you better than you know yourself. When Ryan died…”
“Jackie!”
She went quiet for once and didn’t push. Just as well. My sister didn’t know me. She knew nothing about me. She thought knowing someone as kids meant something but she doesn’t know that people change. Victims become monsters and monsters become victims. The world was a different place but Jackie always acted like it was the same as when we were growing up. This is something that I’ve hated about her but I have no choice but to endure it.
“Look, I will send you a check. It should cover all the costs. But I can’t be a part of this, I’m sorry.”
“We don’t need your money.”
“That’s not true.”
Jackie slammed her drink on the counter and stood. “You know what, I’ve had it with you.”
“Jackie, come on. Sit. You know I have terrible bedside manner. Don’t go.”
“You’re an asshole!” she cursed at me as she sat back down. “You know that, right?”
I smirked. “Well aware.”
“No, I mean it, Weldon you rub people the wrong way!” she said. “How long do you think you can keep going like that?”
“As long as people keep giving me what I need regardless.”
She glanced at my phone. “Your phone’s blinking, I think you have call.”
The noise in the bar made it impossible to hear but I answered it anyway. “What is it, Mace?”
Mace said something I couldn’t understand so I had to keep shouting at him to repeat it. I couldn’t decipher much of what he said but what I got was alarming enough. Jackie must have noticed and she nudged me. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. But I have to head back.”
“Let me guess,” she said. “Something related to Jake?”
Okay, I almost laughed because she had no clue what was the real story. She was simply going by whatever I tell her over our lengthy phone conversations. Lies, mostly. “You remember him?”
“Of course, I remember him.”
“We barely talked about him. Once.”
“It was enough to understand how you feel about him.”
“You’re so clueless, Jackie!”
“You wish I was clueless, but I’m not. I know this Jake guy is special. I know you feel things for him but I know you’re not going to admit it. Not even if he’s on his deathbed and calling for you.”
“Passive aggressive much?”
“Listen to me,” she said. “You’re not a kid anymore. You’re not fifteen, the world isn’t your fucking oyster! Everyone will find someone they love and settle down and you’ll be wasting your life trying to find something that feels like love. But that isn’t going to happen if every guy you meet you end up hurting. Or worse, not even giving them a chance. Weldon, what’re you afraid of?”
I wanted to come up with a response. “I would love to stay and chat,” I said, putting down money for the bill and kissing Jackie’s cheek. “But I have something I need to take care of. If you need anything, you know what to do.”
“Call Mace. I know.”
“Thank you.”
I walked outside the bar and called Stoll who was supposed to be driving me tonight. He picked up on the second ring and I instructed him to come over. But all the time I stood there, Jackie’s words wouldn’t leave my mind.
WELDON
I went back to find Jake sitting on the bathroom floor completely zoned out and holding a large piece of glass from a broken bottle that lay next to him in pieces. I gestured for Mace to leave and walked up to Jake. “Hey.”
He laughed. “I think I’ve gone nuts. I mean this is nuts, right?”
“What happened, Jake?”