One Tough Love

True Colors

Winter 1993

Winter came around faster than expected. The wind was blowing, the temperature dropped tremendously and some of the trees had lost their leaves.

Marissa and I was still living with Michael and I think she gave up on searching for our own place, to be honest. Her and Tito were getting super close and as for Michael and I, there was a strain.

About a month ago we had sex for the first time and of course it was amazing but shortly after, he started acting distant. He constantly had an attitude and the open, soft spoken Michael I met, was slowly starting to fade. When I tried to get him to talk, he'd either brush it off by saying, "it's nothing." Or he'll completely ignore me. He hasn't even been getting much sleep these past few days. I'll wake up in the middle of the night to get some water or use the bathroom, and I'll here him downstairs fiddling around, pacing or talking to one of those big burly guys that always hung around him. I knew a lot was on his mind, it didn't take a genius to figure that out, I just wish he would talk to me. Unfortunately, I found out in due time what it was and who He was.

• • •

One night we were all sitting in the living room enjoying one another's company. A cold front had blew in and Michael and I decided to make Cappuccinos with chocolate chip cookies to warm up everyone's insides. It was the first time Michael partook in any form of activity in the last few weeks and it felt nice. I figured he was coming back around and whatever was bothering him, had subsided. At least for the moment.

We were all snuggled up in blankets in the living room. The fireplace was going and there was soft jazz music playing in the background. Marina was sitting on Tito's lap and Michael and I was taking up the other couch. I laid my head on his lap and stretched out my legs. He was combing through my hair and laughing at a story Tito was telling. I was really enjoying the fact that he was back to himself and actually engaging with us.

I was too busy playing with his fingers and the tape he had wrapped around them, that I didn't even notice when these two big guys walked in with some scrawny man between them.

"Boss, we found him." The white guy spoke, breaking my trance. He seemed the most intimidating to me. His name was Richard and he was huge!!! Like body builder huge but times 1000!! He was clean shaven and wore a tight fighting gray suit. The other guy, Nigel, was African American and was just as big but a little more friendly. He actually took the time to speak to me in passing and for some reason he gave off this warm welcoming vibe. He was also wearing a tight fitting gray suit but tonight in particular he didn't look too happy.

Michael looked up at them and his face become blank and expressionless. I'd never seen him like that and it was a little eerie. A smile soon spread across his face and he spoke.

"Well hello there!!" He said in his usual soft voice, but there was a kick of excitement in it.

"Sir," Nigel hesitated, looking around at us. "He claimed that he doesn't have the .......you know and he also said you weren't getting it."

"He put up one hell of a fight too, boss." Richard weighed in.

"Oh did he," Michael said, moreso to the guy in the middle.

This man looked like he feared for his life and I would too standing between two men 10x my size.

"So you don't think I need my money?" Michael asked, tilting his hand to the side. His tone became a little less soft and a lot more sinister. "So, let me get this straight. You took out a $25,000 loan, spent it all and didn't think you'd ever have to pay it back? Let me ask my friends if that's fair."