One Day Past NaNo Year Four - Chapter Nine + Outline
2:59 pm
Chapter Nine
Present
It snowed the first week of December, the first snow of the year. It fell from the sky in feathered clumps, wetting the street, soaking the sidewalk, and melting upon contact. It hovered in the air, blown around by the wind channeled through the streets. The sky was overcast, large puffy clouds of a gray color hanging low in the sky. The snow drifted downwards, collecting on car wind shields and windows, melting, and running down in rivulets. Jess loved snow. She loved the cool, clean feel of the air during a snowfall, the silence, the muffled silence that absorbed all echos, making the world quiet and calm, a solitude. As a child, she loved snow as well, racing outside still in the process of yanking on her snow suit to play in the snow, even if it was just a dusting. It brought up childhood memories, a childish zeal to the adult world that she lived in.
Gazing out the window, cup of African Harvest tea from the Henry and David company in hand, several squirts of honey sweetening it, she watched as the snow fell, a rain of white polka dots, frozen lumps of water. Jess sighed and brought her tea to her lips and drank. Behind her, her kitchen light was on, the toaster cooking her toast. She turned around as her toast sprung out of the toaster. Setting her tea cup down, she buttered her toast, returning to the window to watch the snow fall as she nibbled her toast.
Jess loved morning where she woke up to a snow fall, especially if it were the first snowfall of the year. Down on the street, people rushed past, but at a slower pace, their coats buttoned up to their chins, their hats pulled down over their ears, and scarves wound around their necks. Cars whizzed past, taxies pausing at curbs to pick up and drop off passengers. Still nursing her tea and toast, Jess filed through several cases that she would work on that day. She smoothed down her skirt and buttoned blouse as she did so. In her line up, she had a court case to attend that afternoon, four visitations to make that morning, and what she knew was a desk filled with paper work. It would be a full day, but with the snow, it would give her a certain child like whimsy to the day. Setting her dishes in the sink, she puttered around the apartment for ten minutes, brushing her teeth, making her bed, fixing her hair, straightening this, arranging that, before the clock read seven ten, and she grabbed her brief case, files stuffed inside, and donned her coat.
Opening the door, she nearly tripped over somebody laying in front of her door, stumbling over him and catching herself on the far wall.
"What the?" she uttered, catching her balance, her hand splayed out on the wall. She glanced behind herself. "Alex?"
Alex, who had been laying outside her door, sat up. He'd been obviously been sleeping.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked, fixing her high heeled shoe that had come partially off in her stumble.
He looked up at her, his eyes blood shot and a certain degree of personality shift in his eyes. He looked wild, untamed, and almost dangerous. So, naturally, she stooped down, grabbed his arm, and hauled him to his feet. His skin was clammy and cold. He shook and trembled getting to his feet. Suddenly, down the hall, Cliff Brooks stumbled down the hallway, clutching his chest. He was diaphoretic and groaning in pain. With a dramatic flare of hand waving, he keeled over, hitting the floor with a thunk.
Jess stared at the dead man and returned to Alex, dead man out of her mind. "What's going on?" she asked, suddenly aware of his dire state.
He sucked in a breath of air.
Jess glanced down the hallway and pulled him into her apartment, closing the door behind him. Dragging him into the kitchen, she deposited him at the table, turning around and picking up the phone.
"No!" he shouted, lunging at her. "Don't call the police... not the police."
Jess stumbled backwards. "Sit down," she demanded, pointing at the chair.
"Not the police and not 911," he pleaded.
Jess frowned. "I'm calling into work, Alex. Jeez, calm down," she said, the phone on the other end of the line ringing.
Sitting back down, he hugged himself and shivered as she called in sick. Hanging up the phone, she set about making two cups of tea.
"You like tea?"
He shrugged.
"Alright," she said, making him tea anyways. "So, what's going on?" she asked, sitting down at the table with another cup of tea. She set a cup down in front of him.
Alex shrugged.
"Don't do that," she said.
He looked up at her.
"Don't shrug at me. Something's obviously wrong."
"There's nothing wrong, Jess. I just didn't want to sleep with Javier last night," he said.
"So you sleep in the hallway outside my door? You could have knocked, you know," she said.
Pressing his hands into his face, his palms pressing against his eyes, he moaned. "We had a fight," he said.
"Ok," she said, sitting back. "A fight about what?"
"Nothing."
"Alex!"
"Fine," he bit out. "We were fighting about money. I needed... and he wouldn't..." The sleeves on his shirt, too big for him, slid down and bruised tracks were revealed running from the pit of his arm downwards.
Jess reached forward and grabbed his arm. "What are these, Alex?" she asked.
"Don't touch me," he snarled, yanking his arms back.
"No, give me your arms."
"No," he said. "It's none of your business."
"If you show up at my doorstep, sleeping, then yes it is my business," she said. "GIVE ME YOUR ARMS," she screamed at him.
If possible, he shrank into the chair.
"Alex Munez. If I have to come over there..."
"What do you care? I'm fucked up, is all."
"Of course I care."
"No you don't."
"Yes, I do. I care about you Alex."
"Then why..." he broke off, his words chocking in his throat.
"Why what?"
"You left," he said. "I was only thirteen and you left me."
"We moved Alex. I tried to keep in contact with you. I called you. I wrote you," she said. "You never answered and you never wrote back."
"I was fucking living with Marge! What do you think happened," he said. "It was pure hell living with her and in that house. I couldn't look at my room the same after Eric died. He was everywhere in that house and it haunted the living shit out of me. How do you think I coped?"
"I was thirteen, Alex, and so were you," she said. "We drifted apart afterwards. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but I was thirteen. What do you want me to do about it now? It's been ten years."
He slumped in his chair.
"Alex, what happened to you?" Jess asked.
"Shit happened," he answered.
"What happened to your arms?"
"Nothing."
Jess paused for a moment. "What are you on?"
His eyes met hers. "Nothing," he said, crossing his arms.
"What is it? Cocaine? Heroin?"
Alex scowled for a moment before standing up and walking away.
"I'll call Javier," she said. "Does he know about this?" she asked. When he didn't answer, she nodded. "That's why he kicked you out, isn't it?"
"It's none of your business, Jess. It's my life, I'll do whatever I fucking want to do."
"Fine," she said, crossing her arms and watching him. "Fine, I don't care then. Go and shoot up... overdose for all I care."
Alex paused and frowned.
"You made me a part of this, Alex. What are you on?" she reiterated sternly.
"You're not a part of this."
"You wake up on my front step, obviously in withdrawl," she said, gesturing to his trembling hands and sweaty skin. "Then you just made it my problem."
Closing his eyes, he let his head drop backwards, his eyes staring at the ceiling. "I just want to forget," he said.
"Forget what."
He dropped his head, looking at her. "What the fuck do you think?"
Jess nodded. "Ok, but there's better ways to forget than shooting up."
He shook his head and sighed. Jess watched him for a moment before standing up. "I'm calling Javier," he said.
"No."
"No," she said. "I'm calling him."
"Then I'm leaving."
Jess picked up the phone and pointed it at Alex before dialing. "Don't you dare leave," she said. Surprisingly, he stayed, standing in the middle of the floor, shoulders slumped and arms hanging limply. He appeared worn out and tired. "You leave and I will call the police." Putting the phone to her ear, she waited as the dial tone rung, Javier picking up on the other end.
"Hello?" he asked, and Jess could tell her was upset, his voice wobbly and high pitched.
"Javier, it's Jess," she said.
"Oh, Jess, it was just awful. I've been crying all morning about it," he cried over the phone. "I kicked Alex out of the house last night. Oh, Jess, how could I have done something so awful?"
"Ok, calm down," she said, eyeing Alex.
"I love him, I love him to death. Why do I do things like this to myself? But I had no choice. He gave me no choice." Javier took a long breath, letting it out slowly. "He stole from me, Jess. How can I have him live in this apartment if he's stealing from me?"
"Ok, we'll get this worked out," she said, shifting into her social worker voice. "Hold on a second." Placing the phone on her shoulder, she looked at Alex, who was leaning against the wall joining the kitchen and the living room. His head was bowed, the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up over his eyes. "Javier says you stole from him."
He shrugged. "I needed money."
"Good god, Alex. I'm not surprised he threw you out. Was it for drugs?"
He looked up at her, his eyes showing from beneath his hood. "Doesn't matter."
"Of course it matters. You don't steal from people, Alex. What the hell is the matter with you?"
"Jess? Jess?" Javier's voice called from the phone pressed against her shoulder.
"Yes?"
"Is here there? Is Alex at your apartment?" he asked, sounding almost panicked.
"Yes, Javier, he's here. I found him sleeping outside my door this morning," she said.
He sighed in relief. "So, he's ok," he said. "Alejandro's ok?"
"Yeah, he's alright for the moment," Jess said, looking at Alex again.
Alex fiddled with his fingers.
"Javier?"
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you something?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Is Alex on drugs?" she asked, forcing the question out there in one breath.
Javier sighed.
"I like how you two are talking about me while I'm standing right here," Alex said bitterly.
"Quiet," she said, pointing at him.
Alex snarled at her nastily.
Again, Javier sighed. "It's a long story," he said.
"I have time," she said. "You want to come over? I can make tea."
"No, no I don't," he said. "Not while he's there. I don't want to see him right now."
"Ok," she said. "But just so you know, he's staying here at least for a while."
"That's a good idea. Thank you, Jess," he said.
Alex grumbled under his breath, taking his phone out of his pocket and fiddling with it.
"So, what happened?" she asked, leaning back in her chair, tea in one hand and one eye on Alex a few feet away.
He sighed longly. "I first met Alex when he was seventeen," he began. "I was in college, a freshman, and he was living on the streets. I guess he was thrown out of his house, but I didn't know at that time that he was, or rather, had been in foster care. I didn't know any of that. But he caught my eye. I don't know if it was the way he used to smile at me when I'd pass the street corner where he'd hand out that did me in, but I knew he was bad news. Only druggies would occupy that street corner, and I knew, no matter how god damn cute he was, that he was bad news."
"Mmm hmm."
"It was probably a year or two before we really spoke, but gradually, he began talking to me and I'd occasionally... blah blah blah...
"I had known he had a drug problem, Jess. I went into the relationship knowing what I was getting my hands on," he said. "But I loved him, damn, I loved the boy. I'm all he has, Jess. He has no family. I am his family."
"He did clean himself up, about a year ago or so," he said. "He was in school, trying to get his CDL liscence," he said.
-Week after Thanksgiving... First week of December
-Jess is getting ready to leave the house for work (attend a case meeting - discuss a family's eligibility to be a foster family- and make a few home visits that day) and finds Alex on ground outside her apartment. She calls in sick and drags him inside and tries to get through to him.
-Jess calls Javier, who refuses to talk to Alex or come over (Alex ransacked the apartment - looking for money for heroin - and stole money from Javier).
-Alex reveals that he got fired from his job (makes hubcaps).
-Jess ends up calling Elizabeth, who comes over and tries her hand at Alex.
-Alex's phone rings, Jess (or Elizabeth) takes it and answers it... it's Alex's drug dealer - threats are made.
-Alex gets angry and Jess and Elizabeth threaten to call the police.
-Alex leaves and Jess and Elizabeth go to The Bean, share what happened and remark over coincidence with Olivia knowing Elizabeth.
Chapter Nine
Present
It snowed the first week of December, the first snow of the year. It fell from the sky in feathered clumps, wetting the street, soaking the sidewalk, and melting upon contact. It hovered in the air, blown around by the wind channeled through the streets. The sky was overcast, large puffy clouds of a gray color hanging low in the sky. The snow drifted downwards, collecting on car wind shields and windows, melting, and running down in rivulets. Jess loved snow. She loved the cool, clean feel of the air during a snowfall, the silence, the muffled silence that absorbed all echos, making the world quiet and calm, a solitude. As a child, she loved snow as well, racing outside still in the process of yanking on her snow suit to play in the snow, even if it was just a dusting. It brought up childhood memories, a childish zeal to the adult world that she lived in.
Gazing out the window, cup of African Harvest tea from the Henry and David company in hand, several squirts of honey sweetening it, she watched as the snow fell, a rain of white polka dots, frozen lumps of water. Jess sighed and brought her tea to her lips and drank. Behind her, her kitchen light was on, the toaster cooking her toast. She turned around as her toast sprung out of the toaster. Setting her tea cup down, she buttered her toast, returning to the window to watch the snow fall as she nibbled her toast.
Jess loved morning where she woke up to a snow fall, especially if it were the first snowfall of the year. Down on the street, people rushed past, but at a slower pace, their coats buttoned up to their chins, their hats pulled down over their ears, and scarves wound around their necks. Cars whizzed past, taxies pausing at curbs to pick up and drop off passengers. Still nursing her tea and toast, Jess filed through several cases that she would work on that day. She smoothed down her skirt and buttoned blouse as she did so. In her line up, she had a court case to attend that afternoon, four visitations to make that morning, and what she knew was a desk filled with paper work. It would be a full day, but with the snow, it would give her a certain child like whimsy to the day. Setting her dishes in the sink, she puttered around the apartment for ten minutes, brushing her teeth, making her bed, fixing her hair, straightening this, arranging that, before the clock read seven ten, and she grabbed her brief case, files stuffed inside, and donned her coat.
Opening the door, she nearly tripped over somebody laying in front of her door, stumbling over him and catching herself on the far wall.
"What the?" she uttered, catching her balance, her hand splayed out on the wall. She glanced behind herself. "Alex?"
Alex, who had been laying outside her door, sat up. He'd been obviously been sleeping.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked, fixing her high heeled shoe that had come partially off in her stumble.
He looked up at her, his eyes blood shot and a certain degree of personality shift in his eyes. He looked wild, untamed, and almost dangerous. So, naturally, she stooped down, grabbed his arm, and hauled him to his feet. His skin was clammy and cold. He shook and trembled getting to his feet. Suddenly, down the hall, Cliff Brooks stumbled down the hallway, clutching his chest. He was diaphoretic and groaning in pain. With a dramatic flare of hand waving, he keeled over, hitting the floor with a thunk.
Jess stared at the dead man and returned to Alex, dead man out of her mind. "What's going on?" she asked, suddenly aware of his dire state.
He sucked in a breath of air.
Jess glanced down the hallway and pulled him into her apartment, closing the door behind him. Dragging him into the kitchen, she deposited him at the table, turning around and picking up the phone.
"No!" he shouted, lunging at her. "Don't call the police... not the police."
Jess stumbled backwards. "Sit down," she demanded, pointing at the chair.
"Not the police and not 911," he pleaded.
Jess frowned. "I'm calling into work, Alex. Jeez, calm down," she said, the phone on the other end of the line ringing.
Sitting back down, he hugged himself and shivered as she called in sick. Hanging up the phone, she set about making two cups of tea.
"You like tea?"
He shrugged.
"Alright," she said, making him tea anyways. "So, what's going on?" she asked, sitting down at the table with another cup of tea. She set a cup down in front of him.
Alex shrugged.
"Don't do that," she said.
He looked up at her.
"Don't shrug at me. Something's obviously wrong."
"There's nothing wrong, Jess. I just didn't want to sleep with Javier last night," he said.
"So you sleep in the hallway outside my door? You could have knocked, you know," she said.
Pressing his hands into his face, his palms pressing against his eyes, he moaned. "We had a fight," he said.
"Ok," she said, sitting back. "A fight about what?"
"Nothing."
"Alex!"
"Fine," he bit out. "We were fighting about money. I needed... and he wouldn't..." The sleeves on his shirt, too big for him, slid down and bruised tracks were revealed running from the pit of his arm downwards.
Jess reached forward and grabbed his arm. "What are these, Alex?" she asked.
"Don't touch me," he snarled, yanking his arms back.
"No, give me your arms."
"No," he said. "It's none of your business."
"If you show up at my doorstep, sleeping, then yes it is my business," she said. "GIVE ME YOUR ARMS," she screamed at him.
If possible, he shrank into the chair.
"Alex Munez. If I have to come over there..."
"What do you care? I'm fucked up, is all."
"Of course I care."
"No you don't."
"Yes, I do. I care about you Alex."
"Then why..." he broke off, his words chocking in his throat.
"Why what?"
"You left," he said. "I was only thirteen and you left me."
"We moved Alex. I tried to keep in contact with you. I called you. I wrote you," she said. "You never answered and you never wrote back."
"I was fucking living with Marge! What do you think happened," he said. "It was pure hell living with her and in that house. I couldn't look at my room the same after Eric died. He was everywhere in that house and it haunted the living shit out of me. How do you think I coped?"
"I was thirteen, Alex, and so were you," she said. "We drifted apart afterwards. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but I was thirteen. What do you want me to do about it now? It's been ten years."
He slumped in his chair.
"Alex, what happened to you?" Jess asked.
"Shit happened," he answered.
"What happened to your arms?"
"Nothing."
Jess paused for a moment. "What are you on?"
His eyes met hers. "Nothing," he said, crossing his arms.
"What is it? Cocaine? Heroin?"
Alex scowled for a moment before standing up and walking away.
"I'll call Javier," she said. "Does he know about this?" she asked. When he didn't answer, she nodded. "That's why he kicked you out, isn't it?"
"It's none of your business, Jess. It's my life, I'll do whatever I fucking want to do."
"Fine," she said, crossing her arms and watching him. "Fine, I don't care then. Go and shoot up... overdose for all I care."
Alex paused and frowned.
"You made me a part of this, Alex. What are you on?" she reiterated sternly.
"You're not a part of this."
"You wake up on my front step, obviously in withdrawl," she said, gesturing to his trembling hands and sweaty skin. "Then you just made it my problem."
Closing his eyes, he let his head drop backwards, his eyes staring at the ceiling. "I just want to forget," he said.
"Forget what."
He dropped his head, looking at her. "What the fuck do you think?"
Jess nodded. "Ok, but there's better ways to forget than shooting up."
He shook his head and sighed. Jess watched him for a moment before standing up. "I'm calling Javier," he said.
"No."
"No," she said. "I'm calling him."
"Then I'm leaving."
Jess picked up the phone and pointed it at Alex before dialing. "Don't you dare leave," she said. Surprisingly, he stayed, standing in the middle of the floor, shoulders slumped and arms hanging limply. He appeared worn out and tired. "You leave and I will call the police." Putting the phone to her ear, she waited as the dial tone rung, Javier picking up on the other end.
"Hello?" he asked, and Jess could tell her was upset, his voice wobbly and high pitched.
"Javier, it's Jess," she said.
"Oh, Jess, it was just awful. I've been crying all morning about it," he cried over the phone. "I kicked Alex out of the house last night. Oh, Jess, how could I have done something so awful?"
"Ok, calm down," she said, eyeing Alex.
"I love him, I love him to death. Why do I do things like this to myself? But I had no choice. He gave me no choice." Javier took a long breath, letting it out slowly. "He stole from me, Jess. How can I have him live in this apartment if he's stealing from me?"
"Ok, we'll get this worked out," she said, shifting into her social worker voice. "Hold on a second." Placing the phone on her shoulder, she looked at Alex, who was leaning against the wall joining the kitchen and the living room. His head was bowed, the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up over his eyes. "Javier says you stole from him."
He shrugged. "I needed money."
"Good god, Alex. I'm not surprised he threw you out. Was it for drugs?"
He looked up at her, his eyes showing from beneath his hood. "Doesn't matter."
"Of course it matters. You don't steal from people, Alex. What the hell is the matter with you?"
"Jess? Jess?" Javier's voice called from the phone pressed against her shoulder.
"Yes?"
"Is here there? Is Alex at your apartment?" he asked, sounding almost panicked.
"Yes, Javier, he's here. I found him sleeping outside my door this morning," she said.
He sighed in relief. "So, he's ok," he said. "Alejandro's ok?"
"Yeah, he's alright for the moment," Jess said, looking at Alex again.
Alex fiddled with his fingers.
"Javier?"
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you something?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Is Alex on drugs?" she asked, forcing the question out there in one breath.
Javier sighed.
"I like how you two are talking about me while I'm standing right here," Alex said bitterly.
"Quiet," she said, pointing at him.
Alex snarled at her nastily.
Again, Javier sighed. "It's a long story," he said.
"I have time," she said. "You want to come over? I can make tea."
"No, no I don't," he said. "Not while he's there. I don't want to see him right now."
"Ok," she said. "But just so you know, he's staying here at least for a while."
"That's a good idea. Thank you, Jess," he said.
Alex grumbled under his breath, taking his phone out of his pocket and fiddling with it.
"So, what happened?" she asked, leaning back in her chair, tea in one hand and one eye on Alex a few feet away.
He sighed longly. "I first met Alex when he was seventeen," he began. "I was in college, a freshman, and he was living on the streets. I guess he was thrown out of his house, but I didn't know at that time that he was, or rather, had been in foster care. I didn't know any of that. But he caught my eye. I don't know if it was the way he used to smile at me when I'd pass the street corner where he'd hand out that did me in, but I knew he was bad news. Only druggies would occupy that street corner, and I knew, no matter how god damn cute he was, that he was bad news."
"Mmm hmm."
"It was probably a year or two before we really spoke, but gradually, he began talking to me and I'd occasionally... blah blah blah...
"I had known he had a drug problem, Jess. I went into the relationship knowing what I was getting my hands on," he said. "But I loved him, damn, I loved the boy. I'm all he has, Jess. He has no family. I am his family."
"He did clean himself up, about a year ago or so," he said. "He was in school, trying to get his CDL liscence," he said.
-Week after Thanksgiving... First week of December
-Jess is getting ready to leave the house for work (attend a case meeting - discuss a family's eligibility to be a foster family- and make a few home visits that day) and finds Alex on ground outside her apartment. She calls in sick and drags him inside and tries to get through to him.
-Jess calls Javier, who refuses to talk to Alex or come over (Alex ransacked the apartment - looking for money for heroin - and stole money from Javier).
-Alex reveals that he got fired from his job (makes hubcaps).
-Jess ends up calling Elizabeth, who comes over and tries her hand at Alex.
-Alex's phone rings, Jess (or Elizabeth) takes it and answers it... it's Alex's drug dealer - threats are made.
-Alex gets angry and Jess and Elizabeth threaten to call the police.
-Alex leaves and Jess and Elizabeth go to The Bean, share what happened and remark over coincidence with Olivia knowing Elizabeth.