Part 36 (1/2)

”You'd know if you returned my calls,” he said easily.

I ran his flowers and chocolates through my scanner.

”Will that be all for you?”

”They're not for me, they're for you,” he said, opening his wallet and finding a credit card.

”You don't have to do that,” I said.

”I want to.”

”You misunderstand me,” I said. ”'You don't have to do that' is a Southern expression for 'stop embarra.s.sing me, you frikkin' b.a.s.t.a.r.d you.'”

”Is it really?” he asked with a smile.

I handed the flowers to Tyrone, put the chocolates in a bag myself, and handed them to Jackson, along with his receipt.

”You have a good day,” I said.

”These are for you,” he said, taking the chocolates out of the bag and putting them on the bottom end of the conveyor belt.

”Are you really going to do this to me, right here on my job?” I asked.

”Well, you won't call me.”

Tyrone grinned for the first time that day. When I glanced at him somewhat angrily, he drew a smile over his lips and raised his eyebrows.

b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

”Jack,” I said quietly. ”Take your flowers. Take your chocolates. Take your prescription medications that you probably stole from the pharmacy where you work, and take your excuses and your phone calls and your messages and everything else and stuff them straight up your bony Yankee a.s.s and don't bother me while I'm working. That's Southern for f.u.c.k off.”

”I quit the pills,” he said. ”Please, Wiley. I need your help. I know you're mad, but won't you at least talk to me?”

”Take your things and go, and I'll think about it,” I offered, wanting to get him off my line.

”Who knew you were such a b.i.t.c.h?” he asked, offended.

”Who knew you were a drug addict?” I countered.

His face clouded over with embarra.s.sment.

Tyrone continued to stand at the end of my line, grinning like a Ches.h.i.+re cat.

”At least talk to me,” he said. ”I'll wait for you outside.”

I turned to the next customer, embarra.s.sed, suddenly hoping Jalisa would be late so my s.h.i.+ft would be extended and Jackson would have to wait.

But no.

”Hey, boo,” Jalisa said after she'd timed in.

”How are ya?” I asked.

”I'm having a blessed day. I'll be even more blessed when it's over. You doing all right?”

”I'm still not dead,” I said. ”But that could change.”

”You know it,” she said.

50) One more chance?

JACKSON MET MET me at the door. He'd been sitting on the bench outside that employees used for their breaks. He hurried over to me, an anxious look on his face. me at the door. He'd been sitting on the bench outside that employees used for their breaks. He hurried over to me, an anxious look on his face.

”Don't do this to me,” he said.

He tried to thrust the flowers and chocolates into my hands, as if these would make all the difference. I pushed them back, making it clear I did not want them.

”What can I do?” he asked. ”I made a mistake. I'm sorry. Help me fix it.”

I began to walk to my car, not in the mood for a conversation like this.

”Wiley, please,” he said, trailing after me. ”You're making me look like a fool.”

”Drugs make you look like a fool,” I said, throwing a glance over my shoulder.

”I know,” he said. ”It was stupid. But I'm going to stop. You have to trust me.”

I turned to face him.

”I don't have have to trust you. I don't to trust you. I don't have have to do anything.” to do anything.”

”I didn't mean it like that.”

”There's no point to this because I don't like drugs and I don't like people who like drugs, and that's not going to change. And I'm not about to waste my life waiting around for you to decide whether you want reality or some artificially induced world. I prefer reality. If you had any brains, you would too.”

”I'm trying,” he said miserably.

”Good for you,” I said.

”I took them back,” he said. ”All the pills. I put them back. The rest of them I flushed down the toilet. I told myself I wasn't going to do that again and I'm not going to. But please, Wiley, you've got to help me.”

”Why?”

”I don't want to lose you.”