The Mechanic

THIRTY NINE

Harry

I leaned against the door and stared at Jade. She was sitting on the bed and putting her clothes inside her suitcase, her eyes red and swollen.

I fought the urge to punch the door or threw it outside the window. I'd been fighting the itch to break something since I stepped into Hunter's house and found her there. I still couldn't believe that I left that place without smashing Louis' face. Trust me, I wanted to do it, but Jade's presence stopped the beast inside me.

We drove back here in complete silence. I would be more grateful if she yelled and cursed at me, but she didn't. She just cried quietly and every time I tried to talk to her, she brushed me off and said she's too tired.

I walked into our bedroom and sat on the right corner of the bed, the only spot which wasn't covered with Jade's clothes. She didn't even glance at me, she just continued packing her stuff like I was invisible.

I lifted my legs on the bed and stretched them in front me, then rested my back against the wall. I studied her every move. She was folding her shirts in a very slow manner, like she was still unsure if she was doing the right thing.

I cracked my knuckles and released a breath. I wouldn't let her leave without telling her the truth.

"I met Melissa three years ago. Spring of 2013, when she moved here in New York because of her job. She was a nurse," I started.

Jade's shoulders stiffened but she didn't lift her eyes to me. But I knew she was listening, I knew that this was what she wanted to hear...the truth.

And I would give it to her tonight. Even if there was a big chance that she would hate me more once she heard what really happened.

"Melissa and Louis were really close. Like you and Dirk. Both of their parents died because of drugs when they were still kids. Their father was killed in the middle of a drug war while their mother died 'cause of a crack overdose a year after."

Jade gripped on the shirt she was holding, her jaw tight. I was sure that she remembered her father and the unfortunate things that happened to her family. She and Melissa were almost in the same boat.

I parked my eyes to the windows and stared at the glimmering lights of the bridge. "Louis' grandma who lives in Florida took care of Mel, while one of their aunts here in New York raised Lou. That's why I didn't meet her until she moved here. But they remained close despite the distance. However, they grew up as two very different people. Louis obviously didn't learn from his parents' fate. But Melissa, she grew up with a soft heart, thinking that the world was a fair and beautiful place and that no one out there would hurt her.
A month after she moved here, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Mel was one of the nurses who was assigned for my mom in the hospital. That's when we first met. That time, I had no idea that she was Lou's sister because I was never close to her brother. Until one day I saw him in the hospital. He brought some lunch for Mel and he also saw me. Louis asked me what I was doing there. I told him about my mom's condition and my struggle with money because of the bills. That's when he offered me this job...that's how everything started."

I closed my eyes when I had short flashbacks of those hard and desperate days. I had no other choice back then, so when Louis told me that I could earn fast in dealing, I took the plunge and jumped to hell without thinking twice. I didn't give a shit about the possibility of getting caught or judged, I just wanted my mother to live.

I glanced at Jade. She stopped fixing her stuff and was just looking outside the window, clearly waiting for me to continue my story.

"I entered the world of dealing. Louis had only one instruction to me, I shall not tell Mel about it. His sister didn't have any idea that he's dealing drugs and he wanted it to stay that way. Which I didn't mind. I mean, that time, I don't fucking care about their personal lives. I just wanted to earn money. I quit school, worked in an auto shop while dealing drugs on the side. Mel helped me in a different way. She made sure that my mother was getting extra care. That's how we got close. So close that one day I just found myself sleeping in her bed."