Downfall(9)

Lester roused himself into a sitting position and was watching the girls race each other up and down the sidewalk. The little girl was quick, but her mom had long-ass legs. I’d noticed she was on the tall side when she thanked me for the night before. She barely had to tilt her head back at all to look me in the eye, which was a nice change of pace. I was used to contorting into all kinds of uncomfortable positions to make sure all the good stuff lined up whenever I got my hands on a willing woman.

I frowned as I stomped down the steps. I was not looking to screw one of my neighbors. I didn’t do clingy and needy. I didn’t do time-consuming and permanent. I only had time for one woman in my life, and she gave birth to me.

At the last second, Orley pretended to trip over something on the sidewalk, letting the little girl sail by her in a flurry of dark curls and infectious giggles. The tiny human paused by the stairs and slapped Lester’s hand in a loud high-five. I was waiting for the redhead to scold her for touching a homeless person, but all she did was grin and throw her hands up in mock defeat. The little girl turned to me and I obediently tapped her palm with mine as she celebrated her victory with a whoop.

“I’m fast.” She twirled around, and I watched as Orley slyly produced a wet wipe from somewhere and swiped it over the little girl’s hands. “Do you wanna race, Solo?”

When she said my name, it sounded like two words, So-Low. It was pretty cute, and I couldn’t help but grin at her.

“Maybe later. We gotta look at your car before I have to head to work.” I lifted my eyebrows at the redhead and noticed she was chewing on her lower lip and shifting her weight from one sneakered foot to the other. “Can we walk or do we need to drive to where you left it?”

“Ummm,” she cocked her head to the side and seemed to waffle. “It’s more than a few blocks away.”

“So, we should drive.” I was working with a clock ticking down in the back of my head.

She practically vibrated in front of me. I could see the way tension coiled around her. The chick was strung so tightly she was going to snap. “Noble’s car seat is still in my car. She needs it if she’s going to ride in a car.” I could tell she didn’t want to burden me any further, but she wasn’t going to budge when it came to the safety of her child.

“It’s fine. We can walk. Hopefully, it’s an easy fix and you can just drop me off at my car once I get you up and running.” I was in a hurry, but I wasn’t unreasonable. For some reason, one I didn’t want to examine too closely, I wanted the twitchy, nervous woman to realize she could trust me. That there were good men and women in this rough part of the city. In fact, I was convinced we outnumbered the people who gave it such a bad reputation in the first place.

Orley nodded gratefully and reached for her daughter’s hand. They both told Lester goodbye and I overheard the redhead offer to bring him something to eat when they came back home. It was obvious she was struggling, but she still took the time to think of the lonely man so many people overlooked. Lester declined the offer; he always did. I’d stopped asking him if he wanted something years ago. Now I simply ordered two of whatever I was having or made sure I made enough for both of us when I was home to eat. He never refused when I handed him something to eat, but I knew he would never ask for anything outright.

We walked the first few blocks in awkward silence. Even the little girl was quiet, minus the song she was humming under her breath as she swung her mother’s hand, skipping over every crack in the sidewalk.

“So, what do you do?” My tools clinked together with every step I took. I’d always been the kind of guy who was better with his hands than sitting at a desk struggling to find interest in a boring textbook. I had a busy mind and an even shorter attention span. The only thing about school I liked was playing different sports and the endless number of cute girls who couldn’t get enough of my dick. I barely made it through high school, and by the time graduation rolled around, I was already more interested in figuring out how to make money and survive than I was on getting a degree or pursuing higher education. I was lucky I never fell in with the wrong crowd, because most guys my age with the same prospects ended up in jail, or slinging illegal shit on the streets. My mom made sure I kept my nose clean, even though it was a nearly impossible task. I owed her everything, and I never forgot it.

“Oh, nothing too exciting. I’m a part-time receptionist at a salon. I answer the phone and make appointments.” She flashed a wry grin and nervously looked away. “The only reason they hired me was because my mom used to go there forever ago and the owner felt sorry for me when I called and begged her for a job. But now, she has a family member who needs a job so she cut my hours down to nothing.” She huffed out a breath and lifted her chin. “I’m not exactly qualified to do much of anything, and it’s really hard to find a job that still allows me to spend time with Noble. I want to be there for her as much as possible before she starts school.” She waved a hand in front of her and let it fall in defeat. “It’s also hard to look for something because I can’t leave her alone and now I don’t have anyone to watch her, so even if I did get an interview, I’m not sure what I’d do. I guess I’ll just show up with my kid and hope they’re cool with it.” She barked out a laugh which had zero humor in it.

I remembered my mom working two and three jobs when I was little. My dad was never around, so it was always just me and her. Fortunately for her, we’d had a neighbor, an older woman who lived down the hall from us. She watched me after school and on weekends when Mom had to work. She was actually the one who taught me everything I knew about cars. Her husband was a collector before he passed away, and the woman was living comfortably off selling and restoring his collection. She had a mechanic, an older guy named Gus, who was no longer around. But when he was alive, Gus never minded me kicking it in the garage and asking questions while he worked. There was no telling what would have happened to us if Mom hadn’t befriended that neighbor back in the day. She had to work, and just like Orley mentioned, it wasn’t like you could show up for your shift with your kid in tow.