The Unspoken Introduction of Hercules Mulligan

Chapter 8

      After dropping off Angelica, I beat New York traffic across town. I feel oddly dazed--still on the high of being near Angelica. I had almost crashed the car twice, once when she reached across the console to touch my arm, and once when she threw her head back and laughed, and I got a whiff of her lavender perfume. It was pointless, I knew. She didn't, and would never, be interested in me. But as much as I hated it, I was happy just to hope.

      My phone chimed with a text. At a red light, I checked it.

      ALEX: so laf was acting weird after the meeting. like, down about something. you know what that was about?

      ME: nope but im on my way to his place now. i'll check.

      ALEX: great thanks

      The light changed and I put my phone away and hit the gas. As I drove, I contemplated. It was distinctly unlike Laf to be "down". He usually had two emotional phases: cheerful/sarcastic/mildly disruptive, and asleep. And essentially nothing in between. Him being "down" met that something was very wrong.

      Laf lived across town from me, in a busier, wealthier area. I pulled into his building's parking garage, because the idea of getting a spot on the street was laughable.

      In the lobby of his building, I pressed the buzzer to his room. The buzzer crackled with static, and then Laf's voice came through.

      "Hello?"

     "Hey, Laf. It's me. I have the car keys."

     "Great, thank you. You can just leave them in the mailbox."

     I hesitated. "Can I come up?"

     There was a pause. "Of course, if you want to. Go ahead."

     Laf opened the door to his apartment for me right when I knocked. I stepped inside and looked around. He was in his pajamas, and the book he had been reading was discarded on the floor. No one else was home.

     "Parents still at work?"

     "Yes." He sounded uncharacteristically tired. "Thanks for the keys."

     "Sure." I tossed them to him and he caught them easily. "Thanks for the car."

     "Any time."

     I waffled in my head before posing the next question. "Hey, Laf?"

     "Yes?"

     "Are you okay, bro? Alex mentioned you were acting kind of down, and now...just...is everything good?"

     He nodded and smiled, but his usually goofy smile seemed dimmer.

     "Of course, of course. I am just tired. You know me, bro... I'm always okay." Even his 'bro' seemed forced.

      "Okay...but, you know...I'm always here to, like, talk. If, y'know, you need it. Um. Like, John and Alex are better at that kind of thing. But, um, I'm here to."

      "I know. Thank you."

     "Sure, man."

     "Do you want to hang out for a bit? We could play Halo. I think I have Cheetos somewhere."

     As tempting as the Cheetos and the Halo sounded (Laf had an XBox, I did not...just an old       PlayStation that was dominated by the twins) I should get home. It was late, and although Dad let me take a day off from work once a week, which I usually used to attend council, I had to help with dinner and putting the girls to bed.