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“You done eating?” I asked, interrupting her flow as I reached to pick up her plate from in front of her.
Trish could talk when she wanted to. I needed her to get to the point so I could figure out where this story was going and where she was headed from here. I wanted her to get clean as much as I always had. I just hoped this animated story didn’t mean her ass wasn’t going to rehab, because I meant what I said. This was her last chance to play with me. Most people didn’t get as many.
“Yeah. That was good. You ain’t got no juice in there?”
“You didn’t even try to drink the water as thirsty as you claimed you was.”
She frowned. “I don’t like drinking no plain water.”
“Here,” I said, passing her the bottle of apple juice I had been saving for myself. I needed to order some groceries.
“Anyway, a couple nights ago, I caught that nigga laid up with one of his musty meth heads and almost had to knock her head off. Come to find out, he been dipping in his own stash, yet again. Now he got that heifer tricking off to help him re-up just like he used to have me doing. I’m not with that shit no more. We done played this game too long. I want out of that bullshit.”
“Where have you been staying?” I asked.
“From pillar to post. My friend girl let me sleep on her sofa the first night, but she don’t like letting no female stay with her and her man. I can’t be mad at that. The last couple nights, I been sleeping over with this guy I used to do business with. Thankfully he works nights, but he was off last night. I didn’t feel comfortable going to sleep. See, if I was getting high, I probably wouldn’t even care as long as I had somewhere to lay my head. I don’t want to go back to that, Quint.”
“I get that.”
She poked her bottom lip out, looking at me with sad puppy dog eyes. Thank God my phone rang, giving me a reason to walk away and leave her sitting there. I swiped the screen as I walked toward the living room.
“Hey, baby.” I answered Shiloh’s call.
“Everything OK? I noticed you haven’t come in to work yet.”
“Uh, yeah, I’m good. I had something to come up to put me off schedule a little bit.”
“You sure you’re OK?”
“Yeah, I’ll talk to you about it when I see you.”
“OK, see you later.”
“See you in a few,” I said, ending the call.
“Come on, Quint. It’s just for two days. You said it yourself.”
I sighed. “Trish, you know that’s not a good idea.”
“It’s not a good idea to send me out there into God knows what either. I know you’re tired of me coming over here with the same ol’ sad song.”
“And I’m not gon’ keep trying to save you. You have to want it for yourself. I shouldn’t have to make you do shit.”
“Look at it this way. If I’m here, you can keep an eye on me and make sure I do what I need to do. Plus, I get to spend some quality time with my son before I go. I see how happy that boy gets when I come around.”
“That should be enough motivation for your ass. The older he gets, the more questions he has about why you don’t come around.”
“I hate to have to tell him it’s because his daddy don’t want me to.”
“Don’t fucking play with me, Trish. I will put your ass the fuck out on that doorstep.”
“I wouldn’t do that. I’m just showing you how much I want to get better.”
Sitting at the opposite side of the kitchen island, I pulled out my phone. I texted Pat, letting him know that I needed him to hold down the fort since I wasn’t coming in today. After putting the phone down on the counter, I looked up at Trish.
“This is on an hour-by-hour basis. I’m not putting up with no bullshit. As soon as you start getting the fuck on my nerves or doing crazy shit up around my son, I’m sending you on your way and crossing my fingers that you show back up in two days.”
“I’m not gon’ act up, I swear.”
