Plausibility (32 page)

“Quill, I will see you in a couple of days. I’m not pawning you off on anyone. I want you here. I love you so much, and I want things to be good between us,” Liz said, holding both her shoulders for her to look at her. Quill wouldn’t do it. She kept a clinched jaw with her eyes turned toward the fire mantel and all of Reese’s happy little growing up portraits.

Quill moved around her without a word and walked out to Seri’s car.

“I’ll call you,” Seri assured her.

Seri didn’t say a word for at least 20 minutes.

Quill texted Patch while she waited for the silence to be over.

Quill – Sorry…Rain check.

Patch – What? Why?

Quill – Had to go to New York for a few days.

Patch – You’re not going to watch me race tomorrow?

Quill – Not unless you’re going to be on TV. We’ll get together next week.

Patch – Can I call you later?

Quill – Probably, I will text you.

“Who are you texting?” Seri finally spoke.

“What? You’re talking to me now?”

“I shouldn’t be. What the hell, Quill?”

“I cussed a little, big fucking deal. You talk like that all the time.”

“Not around your mother, and you did more than just say a couple of bad words. Did you grab Reese and put her in a Kimura?”

“She fucking swung at me. Why are you taking their side? You weren’t even there. I put her in a Kimura to keep from hurting her.”

“And what did you say for her to want to swing at you.”

Well fuck….

“Nothing, just forget it.”

“You know that temper is going to get you into a whole heap of trouble, don’t you.”

Aquilla didn’t want to be with Seri anymore. She didn’t want to be with anyone. Why couldn’t she just be 18? She stared out the window and refused to answer any more of Seri’s stupid questions. Seri gave up after a bit and turned the radio up loud, blaring Molly Hatchett.

Seri bypassed the busy part of New York City and pulled into a parking garage of an older, tall building.

“You live here? I thought you live in the city?” Quill asked, surprised by the slum looking neighborhood.

“I never told you I live in the city. I told you that I lived in Coral. It’s still part of the city, just out a bit. What do you want to eat? I’m starving,” Seri asked, as they exited the car.

“I don’t care,” she replied, deciding that she too was starving.

“Let’s take your bags in and we’ll go across the street to Bangers,” Seri offered.

“Bangers?”

“Yeah, it’s a Japanese joint with a sushi bar.”

“Monica is picking you up tomorrow. You’re staying overnight with her,” Seri informed, drying her hair on a towel as she exited the only bathroom.

“Why? I don’t want to stay with her.”

“You know what, Quill? Despite the fact that Romano Chavez gave you everything you ever wanted, it doesn’t work that way. You don’t get everything you want. Try earning something for once in your life, like respect,” Seri snapped. She had enough of the spoiled little Quill too.

“You don’t know shit about what I had growing up. I never watched a movie until I was 14. I never went to a park my entire life. When I asked to go play at a park that we passed when I was six, my father had a swing set installed inside the house where I would be safe. I never stepped foot into a gymnasium, played with other kids, ate a fucking slice of pizza, don’t you fucking make assumptions that you have no clue about.”

“You can do anything you want to do now, Quill. I don’t understand why you have to be so disrespectful to your mother. She is trying, you’re not,” Seri accused, taking a joint from a small wooden box on a nearby bookshelf. She sat beside Quill on the sofa and lit it. “S
top trying to come off as a badass and accept your family,” Seri pleaded, handing her the lit joint.

Aquilla hit it and slumped back on the sofa.

They smoked almost the whole thing while Seri tried her best to get through to her.

“I still don’t want to stay at Monica’s. Why can’t I just go talk to her and come back here?”

“I don’t know. I’m not the doctor. Monica wants you to stay with her.”

“Whatever,” Aquilla pouted.

“No, Quill. It’s not whatever. The world doesn’t revolve around you.”

“Why do you keep saying shit like that? I don’t think it does. I just don’t want to be a fucking Rimmer.”

“That. That right there is why I keep saying shit like that. You are a Rimmer, Quill. That is your family, like it or not.”

“I choose not. I’m tired. Where am I sleeping?”

“I only have one bed. You’re either sleeping with me or you can have the sofa.”

“I’m not sleeping out here without you. You don’t live in the best neighborhood.”

“I can take care of myself,” Seri assured her.

“And so can I,” Aquilla retorted and left her for a shower.

<><><>

Seri had no groceries at all. The two of them ate a bagel at one of the local shops, and had a salad from McDonalds for lunch. Aquilla was still complaining when Monica picked her up at six.

“Stop whining. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon,” Seri chastised.

“When am I going back to my mom’s?”

“I thought you didn’t want to go there.”

“I don’t, but I have a guy and an agenda there.”

“You’re ridiculous. Stay the fuck away from that guy.”

“Why? Because Liz thinks he’s a loser?”

Seri shook her head defeated. “Go, go talk to Monica. I have no idea what to even say to you anymore. She just texted. She’s waiting for you downstairs.

<>

Monica’s apartment was a lot nicer than Seri’s. She had nice things, two bedrooms with their own baths, sleek designs in every room, and her living area was spacious with nice furnishings, unlike Seri’s furniture that looked to be used.

Monica made her get comfortable and drilled her for two straight hours on what had gotten into her, why she reacted the way she had, what she expected to come from her episode, and what she would try to do when she felt the urge to go off like that again.

They were just getting ready to go out to a nice restaurant when Monica got a call. She had an emergency hostage situation and had to go to work. Aquilla begged her to take her with her. She wanted to see if it was like Law and Order, but Monica refused.

She gave Quill her key to Seri’s apartment and promised that she would take her out on the town the following night.

Aquilla got out and she sped away. She looked down the sidewalks and thought about going for a walk, but decided against it. She didn’t know if Monica had called or not, maybe Seri would want to go for a walk.

<>

Seri moaned as he devoured her mouth with his tongue. She had no idea why she loved kissing this guy. She didn’t do the kissing. She did with him. She did everything with him.

He moved his mouth to her perfect breast and sucked gently on her nipple as she sensually rocked back and forth on his waist. For whatever reason, the new fascination with this guy did a lot of things to her that she wasn’t used to. She didn’t know why she felt some sort of emotional attraction to him. She never did before, but she loved it. She loved everything about him, and loved the baffling after-sex
lying in his arms thing.

Aquilla unlocked the door to the empty apartment. Seri wasn’t home. Well, maybe she was. She heard her in her room. Was that a moan? She wondered and opened the door. She stood frozen, unable to get her feet to move. What the fuck. Was this real?

“Close the door, Quill!!” Seri had to yell after jumping from the guy’s waist. She didn’t bother covering herself, but her friend certainly did.

Aquilla walked back to the living room and sat dumbfounded on the sofa.

“Quill, this isn’t what it looks like,” her father tried.

Aquilla put her hands in the air to stop him. She didn’t want to hear about it. Her dad?! She was in shock and wasn’t sure how to process what she had just walked into.

“Just go, Manny. I’ll call you later,” Seri ordered.

Emmanuel didn’t know what to do, let alone what to say to her. He took Seri’s advice and got the hell out of there.

“What are you doing here? Where’s Mo?”

“She had an emergency. What is he doing here?” she retaliated.

Seri tightened the string on her robe and sat down across from her. “I don’t know, Quill,” she replied. She didn’t know what to say to her either, and she was sure that Monica would be dead once she got her hands on her. She could have at least called and warned her.

“You don’t know? You were on top of my father. You don’t know? I don’t get it, Seri. You don’t do men. You use men to fuck you and that’s it. You told me that, Seri. How did my father end up here tonight? Has he been here before?”

“Yes, Quill. He’s been here practically every night for the past couple of weeks,” Seri told her honestly. It may not have always been the best idea, but she hadn’t lied to her yet. She wasn’t going to start now.

“Why?”

Seri ran her fingers through her long hair. “I don’t know, Quill. I like him. A lot,” she added.

“You like him? I don’t get it. When did this happen?”

“I guess when we were together at your mothers.”

“You fucked him in my mom’s house?”

Shit. Now would be a good time to lie.

“Yes, Quill. Well, sort of. It was in the garage.”

Aquilla stood up and spun in a couple of circles. The one person that she was supposed to be able to count on had betrayed her. She wasn’t sure how to feel about the whole situation. Did she care? She wasn’t sure, but was sure that it bothered her for whatever reason. Maybe it was because she was ruining her image of her. She was going to be just like her. Fuck ‘
em and leave ‘em. She was messing everything up.

“But you don’t do this,” Quill repeated again.

“Believe me. I know this. I had no intentions of it ever happening after that night on the freezer. But, it did. I don’t know how to explain it, Quill. Your dad is not like anyone I’ve ever been with. He’s nice. He makes me feel, I don’t know, special, pretty, sexy; he makes me feel good, Quill.”

“You’re all those things without my dad. You could have anyone you wanted, and you know that.”

“I could, but right now, for whatever reason, I don’t want to be with anyone else.”

“Oh my God, Seri
, are you in love with him?”

Seri groaned and ran her hand over her face, rubbing vigorously. “I don’t fucking know, Quill.”

“Wow,” Quill exclaimed in a puff of air as she sank back to the sofa.

“Quill, I am so sorry. I knew this was a bad idea. I tried to tell Manny it was a bad idea.”

“Isn’t he a little old for you?”

“I don’t really care about that. He’s 37, I just turned 27.”

“My mom will freak and then die from an asthma attack.”

“She knows, Quill.”

“Okay, maybe I will be the one to die from an asthma attack. What do you mean she knows?”

“I talked to her. I wanted to make sure she was okay with it before it went any further.”

“Fuck, Seri. You told my mom before me?”

“I’m sorry, Quill. I was going to tell you.”

“Yeah, as soon as you got caught with your pants down. I want to go back to my mom’s.”

“No, Quill. You don’t have to do that. I won’t see him while you’re here. I promise.”

Quill stood to go to the bathroom. She needed to step away from Seri. That problem that she and Monica had been talking about all day was starting to surface. “You won’t see him while I am here? What about if I don’t want you to see him, period? You were supposed to be detached from that, Seri. I don’t want to relate you to any part of my family,” Aquilla explained as she left her stunned and mute.

Seri never thought about that. She never thought about anything. What the fuck was she doing? She didn’t do this shit.

Aquilla closed the bathroom door and splashed cool water on her face. She sat on the toilet and did something she never thought she would do.

“Hey, baby,” Liz answered.

“Come and get me,” Aquilla requested in a sob. Shit. She didn’t want to cry. Why the fuck was she crying?

“What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“I just want to come home,” Aquilla said, trying to pull herself together.

“Okay. I’m on my way. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Liz promised.

Aquilla hung out in the bathroom for as long as Seri would leave her alone, knowing it would take her mother an hour and a half to get there.

“Quill, please come out and talk to me.”

Quill opened the door and went to Seri’s room and started throwing clothes in her bag.

“Quill, please don’t leave like this.”

“It smells like sex in here,” Quill stated, ignoring her.

“It does not. Let’s go burn one and talk.”

“Does my dad know that you do that with me?”

“Fuck, no. Are you crazy?”

“Does he know that you do it?”

“Yes, he does know that.”

“Does he do it with you?”

“Quill.”

Quill snorted and shook her head. Nothing in her entire existence seemed plausible anymore. Not one goddamned thing. Nobody was who she thought they were. The one person that she knew would always be there for her wasn’t. Hell, she wasn’t even who she presumed her to be. Whatever, it didn’t matter. She didn’t need any of them, not even Seri.

“I’m going to wait outside.”

“Quill, wait.”

“I’ll see ya around, Sarah,” Aquilla said, putting her in her rightful existence.

Aquilla sat outside on the stoop, waiting for her mother. She couldn’t get there quick enough.

<><><>

“Quill, I’m sorry about what happened yesterday. I know you’re fighting a difficult battle, and I want to help you,” Liz finally spoke after fifteen minutes.

Aquilla only smiled over at her with a sad weak smile.

“What do you want, Quill? How can I help?” Liz asked, sincerely.

“Find Julius for me,” Aquilla answered in a
monotonous voice, staring back to the guardrail along the highway.

Liz didn’t speak. She didn’t know what to say. She drove in silence until Aquilla finally spoke an hour later.

“How can you be okay with her doing your husband?” she asked, turning to her mother with constricted eyes.

“Quill, he’s not my husband. We’ve been divorced for over 12 years. I’m fine with him seeing Seri.”

“Her name’s Sarah,” Aquilla proclaimed.

“I’m actually glad that he is dating someone. He hasn’t really been in a relationship since we divorced,” Liz stated, ignoring her remark about Seri. She knew she was just angry with her. “And I kind of like Seri. I think she is capable of pulling the need to work out of him. She’s a lot more exciting, I’m sure, than I ever was.”

“She’s not who you think she is. She’s done things,” Aquilla assured her.

“Like what?”

Aquilla was so close to telling her about their little sexual encounter, her smoking weed with her, and revealing her secret about fucking men for her own pleasure. She didn’t. She was still a Chavez even if she was furious with her. She would be loyal because she said she would.

“Never mind,” Aquilla deflated. “Can I see Patch tonight?”