A Death, Baked Bob, and the... Ch. 01

As we lay there, spent from our lovemaking, Monica looked over at me and said, "This is going to be perfect."

I couldn't have agreed with her more. There was a surprise I had for Monica, and I'd been waiting for the right moment to spring it on her. Actually I'd been procrastinating, unsure if it was too soon and too much all at once. But up there, in that setting, seemed like a perfect time.

*

It was around four in the morning when I got back to my building. Monica was still on my mind, but it didn't hurt as much as it did when I ran out hours earlier. The little white pill had done its job. I would need more of them, and I had a feeling Renee would give me what I needed. The only question was what she wanted in return.

I turned to walk up the front steps of my building when I heard his voice.

"Hello my little homo niglet."

It was Ronald, a Nazi skinhead who lived in the building. He stood six feet tall and looked like he could hold his own in a fight. Ronald was leaning against the railing on the stairs, which is where he usually spent time when he wasn't out doing whatever Nazi skinheads do. Next to him was Tim, Ronald's short and stocky sidekick. I kept walking towards the door and tried to ignore their taunting.

"What? No smart-assed comeback from the monkey dyke?" Tim said.

"She's not so brave when her girlfriend's not around." I felt the sorrow starting to rise from the pit of my stomach when he brought up Monica.

Tim smiled. "Yeah, where is that cute piece of ass anyway?"

I was just passing in front of Ronald when he gave his response. "Where she belongs, six feet under ground."

I stopped and stared at him. He held my gaze as the corners of his mouth rose into a smile. Anger raced past sorrow as I balled up my fist and hit Ronald in the chest. His smile dropped and he looked down at where I'd hit him and put his hand over the spot. He looked back up at me. "Ouch."

He started laughing and Tim laughed along with him. Ronald scared me, but Tim just made me angry beyond words. He had this baby face that made me think about some mother somewhere who loved this guy. I just turned and went inside.

I managed to calm myself by the time I got upstairs. The little white pill was still having an effect on me, and the rush of emotion during my confrontation with Ronald seemed to increase it. I walked into my place and went straight for the stereo. At first I was going to put on one of my CD's, maybe some Portishead or Faithless, but then I looked at the collection of records I'd inherited from my father.

Soon the funky sounds of Parliament filled the room. My dad had been a studio musician, and one of the many things he bestowed on me was an appreciation for great music. I became lost in the song, the familiar beats soothing my muscles and the singing speaking to me like a good friend. My body swayed and moved slowly to the sounds of "All Your Goodies Are Gone", wishing I could live up to the singers' refusal to be blue. As powerful as music can be, sometimes things are easier sung than done.

As I started to twirl I noticed the light on the answering machine was blinking. I danced over to the machine and dipped myself as my finger hit the button. Baked Bob's voice spoke over the music and I went over to the couch and plopped down.

"Hey Keish. Listen, I think I gave you some bad advice before. I really don't think you should go see that Renee chick, she can be trouble sometimes. I don't know what the hell I was thinking sending you to her. I mean, you wanted some stuff and I didn't have any...by the way I finally got to smoke cause Leslie took off. She told me I was acting weird. Fucking woman's insane and she calls me weird, go figure. Anyway, once I got my head straight I remembered that I sent you Renee's way, and trust me that wasn't cool on my part. Just give me a call and I'll hook you up. I'm guessing you want to get your mind off of Monica for a while and that's cool, I can understand that. Later."

The very second the message ended, the phone rang. It scared the shit out of me and I jumped back. I was almost afraid to pick it up. Finally I did.

"Keisha?"

I sighed. "What is it Andy? It's late."

"I need to talk to you about before. I had a vision," he said. "It happened today, at the funeral, right when you were standing over Monica's coffin. I saw you in a hallway, or maybe in a house, walking up some stairs with a girl who had blonde hair. I couldn't make out much about her, but I could tell that you cared about her a lot. All of a sudden she was shot. And then you were kneeling, holding her body and crying, telling her you loved her." Andy paused for breath, his words just spilling out of him all at once. I sat there stunned at what he had told me.

"Andy...what...what the fuck?"

He paused for a moment and said, "I think what happened with Monica...it's going to happen to you again."

I slammed the phone down. Suddenly I wasn't so relaxed anymore. I got up and started pacing, which is what I do when I get nervous. My eyes caught the picture of Monica and me at the cabin. I felt pressure in my chest, almost like the sorrow in my heart was going to crush my insides. The thought of going through all this again was unbearable.

That went on for about ten minutes. But then I stopped and looked at the picture of my dad, which reminded me of what I believed – that our destinies are not so predetermined that someone else can predict them. I sat down and my nerves eased up, my mind calmed down and my body started to relax again. No, Andy was wrong. Maybe he gets visions, maybe he can see one possible future, but that doesn't mean it's definitely what's going to happen. Fuck that. And fuck Andy too. I'm sure his powers are not as sharp as he makes them out to be.

With that thought I looked at the answering machine and realized something. Bob wanted to talk to me really bad, but all he could do was leave a message, because he didn't know what time I'd be home. Yet it was four in the morning, and Andy just happened to call five minutes after I walked through the door?

Fuck.

*

Coming next in Part 2- Baked Bob to the rescue! (You can shake your head now)