The Real(83)

“Oh, Bennie, I’m so sorry,” I said digging through my purse for my wallet and grabbing every bill I had. He stilled my hands.

“I said I’ve been missing you, Abbie, not your money.”

“I know,” I said with a wobbling chin. “I know Bennie.” I held out several bills toward him. “Please take it.”

“I only take what I need, and you know that ain’t much. I’ve been okay. Staying at the church most cold nights. That Cameron man comes to see me every week. Gives me food and blankets and plenty of money for dates.”

My throat filled as my eyes watered. I’d forgotten Bennie. In my heartbreak, I’d completely abandoned him, but Cameron hadn’t.

“He looks as sad as you. I think he’s on the sauce.”

“The sauce?”

“Drinking a little bit. I see him all the time.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. Saw him not too long ago today.”

“Really?” I cleared the burn in my throat and looked over Bennie. “Please just take a little money,” I insisted, folding a couple of twenties and pushing them into his calloused hand.

“Thank you, Abbie.”

“Bennie, I’ll be there this week. I promise.”

“Abbie,” he said sternly. “Nothing to feel guilty for. You don’t have to promise me anything. I’m always going to be alright.”

“Are you still taking your meds?”

Bennie lowered his eyes as I challenged him. “Bennie?”

“I’ll go see Bree first thing tomorrow.”

“You need those meds, Bennie.”

“I know. I know.”

Bennie had HIV. He confessed to me weeks after I met him. He met and married his wife a few years prior to finding out. She miraculously hadn’t been infected, but upon hearing his diagnosis she cleaned out his life, kicked him out of his home and left him to fend for himself.

The problem was he was too sick to help himself at the time and ended up selling everything he had to try to survive. Eventually, he was left with nothing.

Bree had taken it upon herself to get him enrolled in a program to keep him supplied with the HIV cocktail. He wasn’t religious about taking it and it was clear by the way he was wasting away beneath the blankets. Everything about his situation shocked me to my core. And I hated that he had given up.

“Bennie, I’m going to get you a cab. I’ll pay for it. You get to Bree. She’s at work right now. I’ll text her and tell her you’re on your way, okay?”

“Abbie, I’m fine.”

“Bennie, please?” He stayed silent, his eyes weary. “Please?”

“Okay.”

Bennie gathered his things as I hailed a cab and spoke to the driver. I stood at the door while he piled into the cab and the driver gave me a side eye. I ignored it as Bennie grabbed the handle and looked up at me with his signature toothless grin.

“Abbie, you are good people.”

“Bennie, you go right to the hospital, promise me.”

“I promise.”

“See you Saturday.” I shut the door and the cab driver sped away.

After shooting off a quick text to Bree, I rushed into the pub and wandered through the small happy hour crowd until I heard my name. “Abbie?”

“Terry?”

“Yes,” we both said in unison. We shook hands before I joined him at the cocktail table where he stood. He was handsome—in a silver fox sort of way—and had soft brown eyes.

“Sorry I’m late. I missed the train and had to take a cab,” I offered knowing I was making a shitty first impression.

“It’s fine, it’s good to finally meet you,” he said taking my coat and hanging it on the chair behind me as I took a seat. “I’m glad you could make it on such short notice.”

“Me too. I’ve been anxious to meet you as well.”

I swore I heard a mottled scoff behind me. “I’m not sure about this place. I haven’t been here in years, it was the first bar I could think of in the neighborhood when you called me.” That was a lie, but I wasn’t about to take him anywhere near the bars Cameron and I frequented on Milwaukee.

“It’s fine. I used to live in this neighborhood years ago.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I had a place just down the street. Are you new to the area?”

“No, I’ve been here a since I graduated from Northwestern. I live just down the street in a three-flat right across from Wicker, the dog park side.”

“What a coincidence I was of the park as well.”

“Small world,” I said.

“Yes, it is,” he agreed.

“Are you going to ask her sign next?”

Neither Terry nor I had said it and in searching for the source, I looked behind me and saw a set of stairs. My phone buzzed on the table and I hit ignore before I spoke.

“Anyway, it’s great to finally meet you. I’ve been reading up, and I have to say I’m impressed with your bio.”

Terry grinned. “Thanks. I’m just going to admit now, I’m kind of nervous about this whole thing, I wanted you to know you’re my first. You’ll have to guide me through this.”

I sat up straight on my stool. “I’m an old pro at this point, I’ll take care of you. I promise.”