The sound of water came from the bathroom. Then, the door opened.
Amber walked out. “Can I have some water? It was a long journey over here.”
“No. You didn’t walk the Mohave desert.” Rage rose in me. “You simply took an Uber to get here, and for no reason. We’re over. Goodnight.”
Amber scowled at me. Next, tears came as if she’d practiced it. “I-I just. . .need—”
“Don’t make me call the cops, Amber.” I held my hands out to my sides. “You’re better than this.”
Amber turned to Jade. “You see how he treats me? He wouldn’t answer his phone. I had to take an Uber to get here. The guy was flirting with me. I felt so uncomfortable.”
“Enough of this.” I pulled out my phone.
“Wait.” Amber held her hands up. “Gary was the one who hit me.”
I paused from the phone. “Who is Gary?”
“He’s the guy from yesterday.”
“So, the guy that you were cheating on me with, punched you in the eye?”
“Yes.” Sniveling, she wiped her nose. “He said I was lying and—”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because he knows where I live, and I’m scared he’ll come back and hurt me again.”
“All the more reason why you should work on getting out of my condo fast.”
I considered the beat down I’d already given Gary. “Hold on. When did he hit you?”
“Today.”
“When?”
“This morning.”
“So you waited to come now?”
“Well, it could have been more the afternoon because I wake up late—”
“Did he really hit you?”
She scowled. “I didn’t hit myself!”
Wait. I didn’t say that.
Stunned, I stared at her. “Did you hit yourself?”
“How dare you ask me something like that?”
Jade backed up. “Sorry, but I’m going to give you two space to talk.”
My annoyance with Amber now mixed with embarrassment. I’d just kissed Jade and then brought a full-out play to her doorstep—complete with a psychotic, crying ex-girlfriend.
Jade will never let me kiss her again. I look like an idiot to her.
Jade left. Ganesha trotted after her. When both were in the bedroom, the door closed.
Amber mumbled, “I-I didn’t hit myself. Why. . .why would I do that?”
Because it’s clear that you’re crazy and would do anything to get me back.
I studied her eye. While it was bruised, I wasn’t so sure she’d been punched in it after all. In fact. . .I stepped closer and squinted my eyes. “Is that makeup?”
She covered it. “How dare you?”
Horrified, I shook my head. “That’s makeup. You used to do black eyes in that play. I remember that.”
“It’s not.”
“Then why are you covering it?”
“Okay.” She dropped her hands. “I needed you to give me time to talk and I knew that if—”
“That was low, Amber, even for you.” I put my back to her and dialed the one person that would get her in line.
I should have done this yesterday.
Amber widened her eyes. “What are you doing?”
The phone rang.
Mr. Cruise picked up. A jolly expression laced his voice which told me he hadn’t been updated on his daughter’s present situation. “Hello, Kamal. How are you?”
“Hello, Mr. Cruise. I hope I’m not bothering you this evening.”
Amber rushed to me. “No. Wait. I’ll leave.”
“It’s always a pleasure to hear from you, Kamal. How can I help?”
“Have you talked to your daughter about recent events?”
“No.” Concern covered the word. “Is she sick?”
Amber tried to get the phone, but I was too tall.
I headed out of the apartment. “No. At least not with the coronavirus.”
“Is this about her pill. . .situation?”
“That and other things.” I cleared my throat.
“I can’t believe you right now!” Amber hit my back.
“Is that her?” Mr. Cruise asked on the other line.
“Yes. I caught her in a. . .compromising situation with another man in my condo yesterday.”
“No.” Amber cried. “Why would you tell him?”
Mr. Cruise muttered, “Dear God.”
I entered the hallway. “I’ve given her seven days to leave my condo. I don’t know if she will be able to leave New York or—”
“Get off the phone with him now!” Amber jumped in front of me.
“Please, put her on the phone, Kamal.”
I held the phone out to her.
Her bottom lip quivered. “You told on me?”
I kept my voice low. “Better than giving you a black eye or calling the cops.”
She stepped back. “I’m not talking to him.”
“This is your only help. As you can see, I’m not playing around with you. We’re done.”
She took my phone, hung it up, and handed it back to me. “I’ll never forgive you for telling my father.”
“I’ll be writing that in my journal of feelings this evening and I’ll add that I don’t give a fuck.”
She stormed off.
“You have three days now.”
She whipped around and shook her head. “Wait. No. I had five days.”
“Until you came over here, then you lost two days. Personally, I feel like a jack ass for giving you three days, but I won’t let you give me any bad karma.”