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He knew he ought to reconsider. It wasn’t as if his mom and dad had ever beaten or molested him. In fact, they were two of the most loving, considerate people he knew. His own motives for running away remained a partial mystery to him. He guessed his subconscious mind had pulled him to D.C. to see the world he and April might have known as husband and wife.
He admired his lover’s small nose and high cheekbones, searching for a way to refuse her. “Let’s talk about this later.”
“Don’t you love them?”
An awkward silence hung in the air, as part of him sided with Helen: What did he have to lose by calling? They only wanted what was best for him, so why did they deserve punishment? He pictured his mom, weeping with her needlework in hand and blaming herself for his disappearance.
“Fine. Give me your phone.”
Helen handed Ed her cell phone, and he dialed his parent’s home number, hoping to get by with a message on their answering machine. He frowned when his mom answered.
“We miss you so much. Thank God you’re alright. Your father feels terrible about the way he spoke to you.”
“No. It wasn’t dad’s fault at all. I behaved like an immature jerk, and I’m sorry.” Ed remembered hurling a plate of tomato sauce at his dad.
“When are you coming home?”
“I’m with a new friend. We’ll probably come to visit soon. Tell dad I’m really sorry, and that I’m doing okay.” He ended the call and feared his brother, Stephen, might call back.
Helen led him to the bathroom mirror. “I’m very proud of you. Look yourself in the eye, and say congratulations.”
Her awkward instructions made him want to tease her about watching too much Oprah and Dr. Phil. Instead, he complied and welcomed the return of a hint of self-respect. He guessed he’d done the right thing for a change.
They returned to the bedroom, and she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his neck. He pulled her to the bed and positioned himself between her smooth legs before imagining a powerful tide surge through his body, cleansing his regrets and calming his lonely, restless soul.
After sex, Ed looked at the melting ice cubes in his glass, as Helen used the hotel television to schedule what she called their “honeymoon.” He found her use of that word bizarre and thought again of mafia enforcers hunting them.
"From Miami, we'll begin a four night cruise through the western Caribbean, departing in two days."
While she completed the online transaction on the hotel television, he looked out of the hotel window at the guests, arriving in cabs.
“There’s one problem.”
“What’s that?” Helen turned off the television and sat on the bed.
“I left my license and passport at Kenny’s place.”
Her eyes flashed with irritation, and her brow wrinkled. “We’ll have to get them then. If we don’t, it will take at least two weeks to get you another passport.”
He agreed, and they talked late into the night – mostly about his desire to “break into the music business one day.” Unlike Kenny, she didn’t mock him for discussing his dream with her. Instead, she insisted he possessed “real talent.”
When she became quiet, he dozed off – only to wake up to find her shaking his arm. “Are you ready to call Kenny?”
Days of sleep deprivation had crept up on him. “I’d rather snooze.”
“How bad can he be?”
“That weak, insecure backstabbing ass? I”
She put her index finger on his lips and asked: “Why’d you move in with him? You must have seen something positive in him.”
Ed looked at colorful lights flickering through the window. “When Kenny wasn’t ridiculing someone, he was throwing lavish parties to show how wealthy and powerful he was. I liked mooching off him. All of us did.”
Helen moved closer to him beneath the sheets.
“Forgive and move on,” said Helen.
Who was she: Mother Teresa? Some people didn’t deserve forgiveness. Ed knew it was a mistake to reestablish contact with that spiritual vampire. He’d seen Kenny’s long history of staging dramatic break ups with acquaintances then pressuring all of his remaining acquaintances to embrace an us-against-them mentality against his newest enemy. From his two months living with them, Ed remembered seeing Kenny alienate April from at least three of her close sorority sisters, using this technique. At this very moment, Ed had little doubt Kenny and April were brooding over the many ways he betrayed their friendship. He guessed April had acknowledged him as their common foe soon after he saved her from that last beating.
