Findingmyself a bench near the library, I sat down, outstretched my legs and pulled outmy phone. After dialing Devin’s number, I pressed the phone to my ear andwaited for my friend to answer.
“Yoman, missing me already?” Dev chuckled.
“Youknow it, baby,” I replied with a grunted laugh of my own. The friendly banterwas short-lived though as I thrust a hand into my hair and tipped my head backto stare at the cloudless mid-May sky. “You got a minute?”
“Yeah,sure. I’m just watching TV while Livy takes a nap.”
“NoKy today?” I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face.
“Nah,she’s shopping with her friend Brooke,” he explained. “So, what’s up?”
Iwas moments away from admitting my current state of affairs to another person.There was a surreal element to the whole ordeal, like it was happening tosomeone else and I was just an innocent bystander, looking in from the outside.
“So,uh … I kinda found out that I have a kid,” I announced unceremoniously.
Devin’slaugh burst through the phone. “What the fuck, dude! Are you serious?”
Ifelt every muscle and bone in my throat shift as I swallowed. “Yeah, I’mserious, man.”
Composinghimself and coughing, Dev replied, “Get the hell out of here. What happened?”
“Uh,well, about sixteen years ago, I got a chick pregnant. She told me she washaving an abortion, but apparently, she didn’t.” I shook my head, still indisbelief that this was my reality. “She died two months ago, and her sisterfound me.”
“Holyfuck,” Devin muttered after enough moments of silence to leave me feeling sick.“Where are you?”
“Thegreatest place on Earth,” I joked. “Hog Hill, New York.”
“Wherethe hell is that?” he grunted around a chuckle.
“Exactly,”I muttered, shaking my head. “This chick, the sister, Tabby, is apparentlyhaving one hell of a time with the kid. I guess she thought I might be able tohelp, and I’m really hoping I can. I just kinda don’t know what the fuck I’mdoing.”
“Ah,bro, you’ll be fine,” Dev assured me. “Just be yourself. Any kid would loveyou. I mean, Livy does.”
Igrunted. “Yeah, well, Tabby doesn’t seem to agree. She chewed me out for being animmature, washed-up, arrogant asshole just a little while ago,” I laughed, thrustingmy hand into my hair.
Devinjoined me in laughing. “Wow. She’s a bitch?”
“Kinda,but you know, it also turned me on,” I admitted, still laughing. “Doesn’t helpthat she’s smokin’ hot, man. She’s got this sexy professional thing going on.”
“JesusChrist,” he chuckled, his laughter quelling. “Keep it in your pants.”
“Yeah,”I agreed reluctantly, nodding. “You’re probably right.”
Atinny baby’s cry came through the phone and my mouth curled into a smile.Livy.Devin sighed. “Gotta go, Seb. Keep me posted, okay?”
Inodded into the bright sunshine. “You got it.”
“Andhey, good luck,” he concluded, hanging up.
Igrunted with a bob of my head.
Goodluck.Yeah. I was gonna need it.
7
tabby
“Do you need booze?”Jess asked, standing in theopen doorway of my office. “’Cause you really look like you need booze.”
