Part 14 (1/2)
Another hesitation at the other end, and then, ”Okay, what time would you like to meet?”
Joshua, even more shaken by Alfred's willingness, answered, ”How about three o'clock, after school?”
”That sounds okay. I'll come to your apartment at three.”
”One more thing.”
”Yes?”
”This is just between you and me, okay?”
”Yes, that's fine.”
When he hung up, Joshua couldn't make heads nor tails of what had just happened. He was glad this part was over, but knew the worst was yet to come. He wasn't sure what to expect of Alfred Sims, the man he now believed to be his father. But he was convinced that if there was any hope of finding Celeste, Alfred was it.
The doorbell rang a few minutes after three. Joshua opened the door, and Alfred entered the apartment, acting as if it were his first time there.
Joshua showed Alfred to the living room, and they sat down.
Alfred looked at his watch, then at Joshua. ”Well, what can I do for you?”
”You want a drink or something?” Awkward.
”That's okay,” Alfred answered, glancing at his watch again, ”I don't have too much time.”
”So I guess I'll just get to the point.”
Alfred waited.
”I don't know if Mama told you yet, but I have a job.”
”Yes, she mentioned it just this morning. Congratulations.”
Joshua wanted to just come out with it, and ask for the money, but he couldn't. ”Yeah, guess it's a good thing, keeps me out of trouble.”
”I think it's a great thing.”
Gee, thanks, Pop, you can't imagine how much your approval means to me.
”The reason I wanted to talk to you is because I need some money, and I didn't know where else to go.”
Alfred appeared curious.
”I'll pay you back, every cent plus interest, with the money from my job.” Please, say something!
”How much do you need?”
”A lot.”
”And exactly how much is that?”
Joshua hesitated. ”Maybe this isn't a good idea.” He rose from the couch and began pacing.
”Look Joshua, I can't give you an answer until I know how much money you're talking about.”
Joshua stopped pacing, looked at Alfred, and asked, ”Why are you here, anyway?”
”What do you mean?”
”I mean, why did you come here today? Why did you help me with the police? Why did you get me that lawyer? Why do you do these things?”
”Because your mother works for me and my wife, and I like her very much.” Defensive. ”We think of her as family, you too.”
There were many things running through Joshua's mind, but he needed to stay focused on Celeste. ”I need twenty-five hundred dollars,” he said, matter-of-factly, figuring he could still save his own five hundred for a ”rainy day.”
”Yes, that is a lot of money.” Pensive. ”What do you need it for?”
Having antic.i.p.ated the question, Joshua had also decided to answer truthfully, hoping to appeal to Alfred's sense of decency. He told the story about Celeste and Big Bob, as Alfred stared in disbelief. Joshua thought he even saw concern in Alfred's eyes.
Alfred thought for a moment, then said, ”It seems this young lady has been the source of all the trouble you've been getting yourself into.”
”I guess you could put it that way.”
”And what do you think your mother would do if she ever found out that I helped you to continue your relations.h.i.+p with this girl?”
”This ain't about me and Celeste; it's about Celeste only, and helping her. We aren't together anymore.”
”Are you sure of that?”
Joshua waited a beat. ”Yeah.”
”How can you be sure this Big Bob character will keep his word and tell you where she is? And even if he does, how do you know she'll come home with you once you find her? It doesn't sound like she's exactly been kidnapped.”
Alfred was a businessman to the end, covering all bases, making sure his investment would be prudent. Joshua a.s.sured him that Big Bob, also a businessman, always delivered for the right price. ”That's what Big Bob wants folks to think. If he went back on his word, people would hear and n.o.body would trust him no more.”
Joshua spoke in the language Alfred understood. As for the question about Celeste's cooperation, he had no response, for he too wasn't convinced.
”Okay, Joshua, I'll give you the money. But on two conditions.” He looked at Joshua closely, scrutinizing the boy's reaction.
Joshua was impa.s.sive, waiting to hear the conditions.
”First,” Alfred continued, ”you have to promise me that after you find this girl, whether you get her home or not, you'll forget about her. She's brought you nothing but trouble, and you can't spend the rest of your life making good for what happened to her father. Second, this money will be regarded by you as a gift, not a loan. I want you to save the money you earn. One day you'll use it for school or something. I don't need it.”
Joshua smiled, he didn't have a problem with either condition. He knew there could never be a future with Celeste anyway, and the idea of not having to pay back the money suited him just fine. He also knew that the only reason Alfred was helping was guilt, a motive with which he himself was well acquainted.
Like father, like son.
To Joshua's surprise, it was one of the better apartment buildings in Bed-Stuy; red-brick, five stories, graffiti-free, windows intact, front door-lock and buzzer system operational. As he stood in the entrance, about to press the buzzer for apartment 5-K, it occurred to him that he should have expected no less. Big Bob lured his girls with promises of comfort and riches. It made sense that he would treat them well, at least at the start. Then, once they became dependent upon him and his ”free” drugs, he would put them on the streets to earn their keep.
Joshua's only hope was that Celeste had not yet fallen too deeply into the trap. Big Bob was a fast mover, and Celeste was vulnerable. He didn't know what to expect.