The Game Changer The Final Score - By L.M. Trio Page 0,19
to her, neither does DeDe. You both made it clear you wanted it to be that way. De and I felt if either of you asked, we would tell you what you wanted to know. De told her you’ve been out since April. She asked how you were and nothing more.” Mikey isn’t trying to hurt me, he’s being honest, which is what I expect. “You have to understand, it was hard… ya know? The way you left things with her.”
“I know,” I answer, full of sorrow. “It’s okay, go on.”
“Basically, De and I act the same way with her as we do with you. I guess it’s our way of trying to be a friend to both of you. You never ask for details and neither does she.”
Fair enough, I think to myself, considering how things went down between us. “Thanks, man, I appreciate you bein’ honest. Does she look the same?”
“Sixteen… maybe seventeen tops.” Mikey shrugs. This time, we both burst into laughter. We always made fun of her looking young for her age. “Nah, I’m kiddin’, she’d kill me for saying that, but honestly, she looks exactly the same.”
Mikey fills me in on her daily life, her job at The Blue Martini, the fundraiser this past April and how she sold her first paintings. I wish I would have been a part of it. He tells me about her job at the gallery. She must love it. I remember how she loved her job at the museum.
I ask if Mikey thinks this friend of hers is a good guy. Mikey replies that he believes that he is. I nod my head accepting his honest answer.
“So, what are your plans?” Mikey asks curiously.
“I got my release date. August 20. I’ll still be on probation for the next couple of years, but they’ll allow me to play ball wherever I’m called to play since it’s my career.”
“Is it?” he asks, raising an eyebrow, challenging me to give a commitment.
I laugh. “Yeah… I guess it is.”
“Good. I thought you were goin’ to work for Mr. & Mrs. McKnaulty for the rest of your life, planting shrubs,” he jokes. “So… what about JJ?”
“I’m still a wreck, you see how I am. I’m fine some days, like today. When we were workin’ out, playin’ ball, I felt great; two minutes later, I’m actin’ like an asshole. Most days I feel like a piece of shit, a loser. I’m angry most of the time. I wouldn’t be any good to her right now.”
“Can I be honest?” he asks.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Not to make you feel worse, but… you put her through hell. She thought you blamed her for what happened. You shouldn’t have ended things the way you did, you should have tried to make things better, even a letter would have helped. There’s no sense talkin’ about what should have been done, though; it’s over, move on. My opinion is, work at gettin’ yourself back together again before contacting her, she deserves to have the real you, not the screwed up version of you.” He laughs. “You’ve got some issues to work out. I think today was a big step… you’ll get there.”
“I agree one hundred percent. The last thing I want to do is disrupt her life. God, I never blamed her. I wrote her a hundred letters, it’s what got me through most days. Problem is, I never sent them. I’m proud that she stuck with her plans and that she’s doin’ what she loves.”
“Is there anything you want me to say to her? Do you want me to mention your name? See what kind of reaction I get?” he asks.
“Thanks, man, but no. It’s not fair to put you in the middle. You’ve been a good friend to her. I wouldn’t want her to feel like I had you pump her for information. When, or if, the time is right, I’ll talk to her. Besides, I got to work on gettin’ this together first,” I say, pointing to my head.
Mikey agrees and gives me a pat on the back. He assures me that he is there for me whenever I need to talk. At that moment, it’s almost as if a monstrous weight has lifted from my shoulders. I’m determined more than ever to get myself together, emotionally and physically, to take back my career and the life I once knew.
Chapter 6
(Jesse)
The heat is sweltering, even in the morning as I walk to the gallery. I duck inside my favorite café