"she's still going by joseph but if and when ya catch up to her landlord, ask for jenna black. brown complex on 56th and Main, apartment 456."
"she lives alone? no boyfriend or husband?" tyler asked nervously, hands shakily reaching out for the paper where the private investigator had sloppily written out what he'd just said. "hell, not even a girlfriend?"
"listen, kid. i like ya, i really do. but when it comes tah givin' out relationship advice, just man up and tell her how youse truly feel." sam shook his head, cigarette dangling between his lips. an Alice in Wonderland surrounded the two of them as the smoke circuled around, reminding tyler of Alice coming to the blue caterpillar.
"jus' go to tha address and you'll find ya pretty girl. look, i gotta let ya know somethin' though. be gentle, alright? a lot'a shit can go north or south in three years, depends how ya see it." he coughed out, patting the much younger man on the shoulder. "i gotta go, husband ran out of his wife with all her retirement money, but tell ya mother i wish her all tha best. and best a' luck to ya, tyler."
tyler nodded quietly as he watched his mother's friend drive off in his old car, smoke filling up the windows.
"start spreading the news, im leaving today..." the golden-eyed man hummed quietly as he started to look up the closest flight to his destination. "new york, new york."
~~~
5 hours, an interesting journey to get a taxi, and an argument with the closest hotel's front desk attendant later, tyler found himself sitting outside jenna's apartment in Manhattan in a rental car he'd managed to get at the overpopulated airport.
the slip sam had given him said that she leaves the apartment around 3:30 so he figured that he'd wait until he saw her to get out and follow her.
"now listen here, ms. black, im too old to be cleaning up after youse folks. just help an old man out and make sure that hall is clean." tyler looked up from the paper, watching an older man come out followed by a familiar tall blonde dressed in a yellow dress with a black trench coat and heels.
"anything for you, joe." he heard her laugh, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek. tyler couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. there was a time where she only kissed his cheek.
"oh, but i can't stay too mad. you and the other one did a wonderful job with the garden." joe chuckled, patting her arm. "makes the place look more like a home instead of a garden. i'll let ya go now, im taking up your time."
"tell your wife i say hello!" jenna grinned widely, blue eyes shining as she placed what was no doubt her keys in her purse and walked off. 'now's our chance!' a voice whispered from the back of his mind, leaving tyler to shake it off. it'd been a while since he'd heard it but it would have to wait.
locking the car as he exited, tyler quickly jogged across the street to catch up to her. she still looked beautiful with her blonde hair pinned up in a messy bun. he would have let her keep walking just so he could admire the girl he thought he once knew but he had a mission.
as she rounded the corner, he quickly ran up and grabbed her elbow gently, just enough to grab her attention. but jenna whipped around faster than tyler had anticipated, recognition quickly settling in her eyes before being replaced with fear.
"tyler... h-how'd you find me?"
"i hired a private investigator and he led me here. jen.. did you really think i was just going to be fine with you disappearing off the face of the earth? three years, jenna! three and you couldn't even manage to call me to say you were fine or alive?" he asked hurriedly, tears filling his eyes before blinking them away.
