“All we do is fight?” He’s looking at me like I’m nuts. “What planet are you on, Violet?”
What planet is he on?
“Well, you fight. You yell and shout and I… I just cower. I haven’t been happy for a long time, Ray.”
“I do not fucking believe this shit. I was just out there trying to make a better life for us, Violet.”
“So, what happened then?” I ask, feeling brave. There’s noise in the hallway. I straighten up. “What went wrong this time, Ray?”
“Shh.” He gives me a death stare and slices his index finger across his throat in warning.
“Ray, you need to go, please.” I’m intentionally loud. “We’re broken up. I broke up with you months ago and you refused to go. I’m done. Please. Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be.”
He looks panicked as he lunges at me. There’s loud knocking at the door as he covers my mouth with his hand.
“Shh. Shut it,” he mouths and leans forward aggressively meaning we both topple into the tub and the shower curtain rod tumbles down, bringing all the metal shower curtain rings down a few at a time, hitting the floor and the side of the tub with a racket.
His hand is too tight across my mouth. I struggle but he’s on me and I can’t move.
Ow. My back and shoulder are screaming.
“Fuck!” Ray cusses under his breath, face going enraged as I hear what sounds like the front door flying open and hitting the wall.
I then hear a crash sound as a young guy I’ve never seen in my life hauls Ray off me and throws him.
Throws him!
Ray is six feet tall and not a scrawny guy at all, but this other guy just threw him! Ray lands on his ass on the floor.
The stranger’s eyes are filled with concern. He’s young. Younger than me, for sure. Is he a new neighbor? His arms are like tree trunks.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“Willie?” Ray asks.
Willie? Who is this?
“Stand back, fucker,” the guy warns and then looks to me. “I’m Will Coulter. Kill’s brother. Here. Let me help you up.” He reaches for me, but Ray tries to leave so he abandons that plan, twists, and reaches out, catching Ray by the scruff of the neck, halting him.
Ray shoves Will, but the guy does not budge. “Sit your clown-ass down,” Will orders. “Kill’s coming, fucker. Sorry for the language, Violet. This guy though…”
I hear Ray protest. “Willie, fuck. Lemme go!” Ray swings a fist, but Will ducks.
“I’m here.” I hear Killian’s voice in the hall and then he peers into the bathroom and his eyes sweep over me. I’m still in the bathtub with half a shower curtain draped over me.
“Kill…” Ray starts. “Brah…”
“Sit the fuck down,” Killian growls coldly.
Killian leans over and carefully lifts me out of the tub. He carries me out. I’m zombie-like, feeling like I’m watching a movie as I’m carried to the dining room table and set on top of it.
“You okay?” He looks at me and does what looks like a visual survey to ascertain if I’m in one piece or not.
I nod.
“You sure?”
He cups my jaw and stares right into my eyes.
My voice fails me, so I nod again, though my chin trembles.
“Stay here, Violet, please. Will, hit the road - I’ll call you later.”
“Yeah man,” Will says and shoots a scathing look at Ray who is standing by the front door, looking like he wants to run. “See you’re still a piece of shit,” Will says.
Ray stares at the floor.
Killian hauls him into the room by the scruff and deposits him on my couch. Not gently.
Ray isn’t fighting now. Ray puts his head in his hands, and he looks defeated.
“You’re okay, Violet?” Killian checks.
I nod shakily, so his eyes move to Ray.
“So… Raymond…”
“Kill, brother… ”
Killian laughs a little and folds his arms across his chest and then scratches his left eyebrow with his right thumbnail. “Let me guess. You can explain.”
“Man, I’m sorry.”
“So, you disappear for a week after you run up over seventeen thousand dollars on my credit card and you have the nerve to call me brother?”
“Seventeen?” Ray asks. “It was all expenses paid, man.”
“Yeah, and your expenses should’ve amounted to about $3800.00, based on the generous daily meal and transportation allowance on top of your gambling expenses. That said, you owe me about thirteen, five. I said I’d pay you 8 large for taking the trip, this means you owe me $5500.00 plus for the overage.”
“And I’ll get you paid back as soon as I can. Things went wonky, man. I can explain.”
Killian looks at him icily. “You planned to explain? Why did you take off instead?”
“I did. I do.”
“When? When were you planning on doin’ that?”
“I got home a half an hour ago, Kill. I needed to see Violet, and then…”