Jennifer

Believe it or not, things were, dare I say normal at the apartment. I mean of course T and I had our share of issues, but there was no physical abuse in front of the baby.

I do not really know what exactly it was about T that kept me from kicking him out. Other than being afraid for my safety. A part of me felt so loyal to him, because he was such a big part in getting the baby back. Then, in his own way, he loved me. At least I thought he did, and I just wanted to be loved. My brokenness and all. I over looked a lot when it came to him, and just went on with life with a baby.

Christin was hanging out more with her work friends. It was a nice change for her. We still had our time. We still lived together, and on occasion she would attempt to cook us all dinner. It got to the point where once we knew she was cooking, one of us had to discretely disable the smoke detector, because, it was that bad.

Alphonso and I were closer than ever. We still worked the same shift, we still had our lunch and breaks together, he still gave me crap on my fashion choices,and I still gave him crap on everything else. After work, we would come home, put the baby to bed, and then play cards and have a cocktail.

T always made his feelings known for Alphonso. He did not like Alphonso and was jealous I spent so much time with him. I made it know in the very beginning of T and I, that Alphonso and I were a packaged deal. You take one, you take both of us. There was always some sort of tension going on between those two, yet, they made it work for the most part.

Because of me.

There was a good mix between us all. Different, but good.

Then there was the night that changed everything.

Christin was in the kitchen cooking dinner. T dismantled the smoke detector, while I was putting the baby to bed. Alphonso was on his way home and already gave us all the “heads up” that he needed to have a “Roommate Meeting.” We all figured he would be short on rent, and needed one of us to cover him. It was a pattern that we all (except T) happily adapted to.

An hour after Christin’s concoction of “chicken” was consumed, Alphonso came home. As soon as he walked into the door, I knew something was up. He did not look like he needed money. When he needed money, he was more hesitant, and for once in his life would beat around the bush, this time was different.

T came over to sit by me on the sofa, and Christin made her way, leftover chicken and all, to the love-seat. Alphonso kind of took his place in the center of the room and asked Christin “Hey, can I catch a ride with you tomorrow to Yakima?”

This was nothing new. Christin would go visit her family about once a month in Yakima. Alphonso knew her family. A time or two he would go with her to Yakima. Christin agreed, and that was that. The good news was T and I would have the apartment to ourselves this weekend, and the bad news was T and I would have the apartment to ourselves this weekend.

Alphonso made his way to the kitchen to make himself a Cosmo, and me a rum and coke. I did not ask for it, he just knew. As he hands me my drink, and orders me to “drink up!” He told us all. “Also, I am moving to Yakima and will not be coming back.”

I was caught so off guard I spat out the little bit of rum and coke that was in my mouth, Christin looked at me, and of course T looked like he had just heard the best news ever. After that, everything happened so fast.

“What do you mean you are moving there and not coming back? Are you messing with me?”

“Nope! It is time for a change, I am moving in with Pat, we are in a relationship, God, you are so blind at times.”

Back the hell up? Did I just hear that right? Alphonso is moving to Yakima to live with Pat? The same Pat who was our roommate? The same pat who tried to get into the pants of both Christin and I? What?

Christin and I needed answers, while T was pretty much patting himself on the back, as if he saw this coming a mile a way.

T did not see it coming. No one saw it coming.

“I mean there is not much to tell. We have corresponded since he left, and we decided to give it a shot.”

I was speechless. I did not know what was happening and Christin could read it on my face. My eyes told her she needed to take over, because although I was in shock, I was also on the verge of tears.

“But Pat is not gay!”

Alphonso took a sip of his Cosmo while looking at me, then looking at Christin. He avoided  the  Cheshire grin on T’s face.

“Well maybe you bitches turned him gay.”

I had had enough. I needed answers. I needed to know something more than Alphonso’s sarcastic replies to Christins questions.

And then it happened. The flashbacks.

Pat would walk Alphonso to work.

Pat would bring Alphonso lunch to work.

Pat and Alphonso had a lot of late night talks.

The look on Alphonso’s face when he thought I had slept with Pat.

The look on Alphonso’s face when Christin and I were fighting over Pat.

It was all starting to make sense. Right in front of our eyes, yet we were too blind to see it. Alphonso was falling hard for Pat. (No pun intended.)

And then just what I always do, when my emotions get the best of me, I cried. I cried the big kind of ugly cry and I broke down. I begged and pleaded with him to stay. I needed him. Alphonso was not only a great friend, he was family. He was my wing man, and he knew how to fix me when I was broken.

As I am in tears, letting it all out, Christin and T are looking at me as if I had lost what was left of my mind. After everything, it cannot end this way.

I cannot lose my friend.

“For the first time in a long time
Everyone was ready
No one said a word and that simply said it all”