2
Four hours later, he and Louie walked in Louie’s front door, smashed to the gills, their arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders as they laughed like loons. Sophia, Louie’s beautiful wife, was not amused and told them in no uncertain terms. Jake tried to focus.
“Where have the two of you been?” she asked, flipping her long curly brown hair over her shoulder as she approached Louie with a wooden spoon in her hand. “You stink! What have you been drinking? Why have you been drinking?”
“Does she always talk in riddles?” Jake tilted his head down to focus on Sophia. Her brown eyes hadn’t an ounce of tolerance in them.
“I never noticed. I can’t get past the beauty,” Louie slurred. “Isn’t she voluptuous?”
Jake pleaded the fifth.
“Louie, I’m counting to three—I want answers. This is disgraceful. The children can’t see you like this. And you, Jake, you should be ashamed of yourself, getting him drunk.” She hit him on the arm. “You know he can’t hold his liquor.”
“Ouch! It wasn’t me, he got me drunk. We went for a drink or two to celebrate with the other guys. We tried to leave an hour ago, but they wouldn’t let us. Well, one drink led to another, and now we’re here.”
“Lucky me, here you are. Give me your keys, Jake. Who drove you home?”
Concentrate your anger on Louie. This is why I’m not married.
“I love you. You’re sexy when you’re mad,” Louie said, losing his balance as he leaned in for a kiss.
Jake laughed and grabbed Louie, almost over balancing them both when Sophia rolled her eyes and pushed Louie away. At five-four Sophia’s temper could pack a punch. “Jake, who drove the both of you home?” she asked again, guiding them into the kitchen. The table was set for two.
“I need your pasta, Sophia, before I can answer. I’m sure it was one of the uniforms.” He scratched his head and swayed.
“Good. Sit down.”
She dished out penne topped with sauce and cheese onto a plate with the wooden spoon in her hand.
“Sophia, go easy on him, please.”
“Mind your own business and eat, Jake. You’re staying here tonight.”
“Won’t Louie get upset? When did I start turning you on?” He put his hands up to avoid her slap.
“You idiot! You’re on the couch, Louie’s in the bed. Or maybe I should make him sleep on the couch with you.”
Louie lifted his head from the table. “I’m home. When’s dinner?” he asked, dropping his head down and banging it on the table.
Tomorrow he’ll have quite the bump, Jake thought.
“Help me get him upstairs. He’s gone.”
“Sophia, we don’t do this often.”
“You’re missing the point, Jake. I’m not used to the two of you like this. Drinking on empty stomachs wasn’t smart. How could you be so stupid? And be quiet, the kids are doing their homework in their rooms. I don’t want them to see him, or you, in this condition.”
Louie wrapped his arm around Sophia’s waist as they headed upstairs. “I love you, more than anything.”
He’s getting sloppy, Jake thought.
“Yes, Louie, I know.”
“Want to make love?”
“You’re a piece of work. Yes, but not tonight. You’re going to bed, to sleep, walk.”
“You sure? I’m excellent in the sack and you’re—”
She cut him off with a hand over his mouth.
Jake couldn’t help himself. He started laughing and almost lost his balance again. His head spun as he tried to straighten up.
“What are you laughing at? Be quiet.” She punched his arm. “Idiots.”
Jake kept his mouth shut. After helping to put Louie to bed, he went to the study, pulled the drapes shut and lay down. Once on the couch, he passed out without another thought.
* * * *
At dawn, gray shadows swirled around the room from the one curtain Jake had forgotten to pull closed last night. Disoriented, he rolled over in search of his watch and found it on his wrist. He tried to sit up, but crashed back down, covering his eyes as millions of tiny lights exploded in his head. Damn, his whole body ached from sleeping on the lumpy couch. He tried one more time to sit up without his head exploding—then jumped when two sets of brown eyes greeted him. Where the hell was he?
“How come you’re here, Uncle Jake?” Marisa asked.
Muscles tightened then relaxed as his eyes searched the room and landed on the familiar. I’m at Louie’s. Christ, my head hurts. It was a blessing the drapes were drawn on most of the windows, otherwise he’d go blind. As it was, the little bit of light filtering through them could kill a man.
“I had a late night with your father. Instead of going home, I slept here.”
“It wouldn’t have anything to do with you and Daddy drinking, would it?” she asked, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
Why couldn’t they leave him alone? The kids had left the door to the den open when they’d intruded on his sleep. He heard Sophia banging dishes around in the kitchen. Jake wondered if she banged them on purpose. With each clash, his head felt as though a snare drum was vibrating through his skull.
“I heard you guys come in last night. You were funny. But Mom didn’t think so,” she continued. “She’s still kind of pissed off.”
“Come on, Marisa. Leave him alone. Uncle Jake looks sick,” Carmen said.
“Thanks, Carmen. I could use another hour. Why aren’t you guys in school?”
Marisa answered. “Because it’s six o’clock in the morning and school doesn’t start for another two hours. We always come down for breakfast at this time.” As with any thirteen-year-old, she changed the subject to herself. “Uncle Jake, you’re coming to my birthday party, right?”
“When have I ever missed one?” He realized there’d be no more sleep here today.
“You missed the year that guy cut up all those college girls, remember?” Marisa looked at him.
“Marisa, work comes first. I’ll be at your party, as long as work doesn’t interfere. You’re a cop’s kid, you should understand that.”
“Yeah, but I don’t have to like it. My friend Gigi has a crush on you.”
“She’s twelve, isn’t she?”
“Uh-uh,
