The softball game was over and I returned to my Aunt's home, hopping their sex bout would be over by then. It was, thank God. Aunt Marie was tending to her flower pots in front of her porch, wearing jeans shorts and a summer shirt tied to her mid-rib with her hair tied in a ponytail, looking like something out of a Cosmo mag. She turned to look at me when I came up on the driveway.
"Hiya Jer," she grinned at me as I came over and gave her a hug. "How're things with your folks back home?"
"Everything's fine, Aunt. You're looking good yourself," I admired her.
"I'm trying my best, honey. Did you go to check on your friend, David?"
"Yeah, I did. Though didn't meet him at home. How's Curtis doing, by the way?"
She indicated her head upstairs. "You'll have to go in and find out."
She resumed tending to her flowers. If I'd thought she was going to give out any outward signal regarding her relationship with him, I was mistaken. I went into the house and up the stairs to knock on Curtis's door. He told me to come in. I opened the door and there he was putting on a jacket and checking himself out in a wall mirror. He turned to me and smiled.
"Jerry, my man! How're you doing?" he leaned forward and shook my hand. "Never knew you were coming around today."
"I know. I should have called. You look like you're about stepping out."
"Just going for a little walk, that's all. I need to clear my head on some things."
There was a solemn coolness about him that my sixth sense told me wasn't right. Curtis always was a jovial type of person. The kind of guy who'd break out a laugh no matter how gloomy the day has been. Right now I just wasn't feeling his vibe; I sensed that something was eating at his mind.
His hands slapped his jeans' pockets till he found what he was looking for—his wallet. He went about the room opening and closing his desk drawers, searching through the scattered papers on top of it beside his laptop. Not knowing whatever he was looking for, I stood there watching him. He swore to himself as he went on searching but soon found it and dropped it into his jean's back pocket.
"I need to get out of here for a moment," he muttered to himself while his eyes scanned the room.
"Want me to come join you?"
It was a spur of the moment question. He stopped roaming his eyes around and looked at me. He seemed indecisive about the question and in the end shook his head. I moved aside for him to step out the room and close the door, turning in the lock. He walked down the stairs while I followed a couple of steps behind. We got down to the landing and there was my Aunt seated in the living room watching a TV program, though her eyes weren't actually on the program but rather at Curtis. He looked at her pensively then turned in the direction of the front door. He murmured something behind his back about seeing me later seconds before he opened the door then walked out. My Aunt turned her face away from me and went back to watching the program on TV, though not for long.
"Aunt Marie, what's up?"
She made like she didn't hear me. Instead she switched off the TV and walked past me towards the kitchen. I thought of following her but reckoned she wouldn't have wanted that. Something was wrong here, I said to myself. I couldn't believe that within the space of the hour and some minutes since I stopped spying on them that they'd gone from making love to now being distant to each other.
"I'll be back, Aunt," I said to her before rushing for the door.
9.
Evening was fast approaching.
Curtis had a hand stuck in his jacket pocket and had walked halfway down the block when he turned and went into a bar. I stopped across the street, baffled by everything that was happening, not knowing if I should stick my nose into their business or not. The wise decision would have been not to. They were both adults, and whatever issues they've got I reckoned would be best solves between them. That would have been the preferred decision ... except this was my Aunt I was talking about. She'd been through enough hell in her life. Seeing her happy was something I've very much love to see progress.
I crossed the street and went into the bar.
The bar's name was the Rolling Vine, and though I hadn't yet drunk there, David and I had sneaked off drinks and bought pot from one of the bartenders numerous times. The interior of the place was dark and gloomy; the lights inside were a mixture of purple and blue. Jazz music came out of hidden wall speakers. There were few patrons in the bar, most of them seated on tables farther from the counter which was where Curtis was at. He had a beer in his hand, sipping from it nonchalantly. I approached him and drew the stool beside his. He turned to look at me, unsurprised that I was there.
"Hey there, Jerry. What gives?"
"You know what gives, Curtis. What's up with you and my Aunt?"
"Whatever made you think whatever's on my mind has got anything to do with me and her?"
"For one thing I've never seen her with a long face with you around except a few minutes ago. She's in love with you, that's what," I blurted, not wanting to hide my feelings. "She's in love with you, and you just don't want to handle it."
"Your Aunt's my landlady, Jerry," he said stubbornly. "This isn't exactly something someone of your age would understand."
"That still doesn't hide the fact that you and her are sleeping with each other." These words seemed to sting him. He turned from his beer to look at me seriously. "I came by the house earlier on. I saw the two of you making out in the living room."
I thought he was going to explode on me: turn to face me and then maybe throw a sock at me. I would have understood if he did. Really I was expecting it, now that I'd let the cat out of the bag. But instead of that he held me with those sharp eyes of his, then he broke into laughter.
"Congratulations, kid. Always thought we'd make enough noise to interest the neighbours. How well did we perform?"
"Don't bother asking me that."
"Come on, humour me just this once."
