‘Bloody birds!’ The suitcase tangled between Arthur’s legs. It was large and heavy and the crows kept getting in the way, making movement awkward. He placed the case down in front of the entrance to his building and levered the door open, secured it with an elbow, lifted the case again, and kicked an aimless leg towards one of the birds as it hopped to the doorway to peer inside. ‘Honestly, get out of my way!’
The bird squawked and flapped aside enough to allow Arthur space to enter. He was relieved to be home. There’d been no Manny during his journey, only the occasional crow, with the only thing of note being the constant yapping of Florence on the cab radio. Her words had been welcome company. It had been an unbearably long trip, stuck in tailbacks on every street. Now, as the front door slid closed behind him, Arthur dropped the suitcase upon the lobby floor, and rested his back against the lobby wall. Reluctantly, he forced himself back to his feet and rang the bell to the Forrests’ apartment.
Moments later Andy was in the lobby saying, ‘Hey Artie! The kids are having a blast. It’s sure nice for Molly to have someone to show off to.’
‘The kids?’
‘Yeah. Taylor’s pair. She came down with them earlier and asked us to babysit for a while. Is everything alright between the two of you? She looked like hell.’
Arthur hid his concern. ‘We’re cool, Andy. Thanks for asking. She got some bad news today, is all.’ Arthur hated not telling the truth, but figured that if Andy was asking him questions, then Taylor hadn’t informed them about Manny, and it wasn’t Arthur’s place to divulge her secret. ‘I’m glad they’re having a good time. But Andy listen, I’m calling tonight’s poker game off.’
‘You’re kidding me, right? I was ready to take some serious money from youse guys!’ Andy’s smile dropped. ‘I mean, it’s such short notice. You can’t cancel on me!’ He closed his apartment door behind him and made sure it was shut. ‘Don’t cancel on me!’
‘Sorry, buddy. It’s not only what’s happened with Taylor. I witnessed a drive-by shooting today. I’m all on edge.’
‘Shit, man!’ The words whistled through Andy’s teeth as he ran fingers through his hair. ‘That must have scared the crap outa you.’ He took a second to consider this, then said, ‘But Artie, a game would settle you back to normal and stop you thinking about what happened.’
Arthur wasn’t sure what normal was anymore. ‘No, I’m sorry, Andy. Next month we’ll have a game, okay? Besides, you never win anything from us.’
Andy flinched as though someone had punched him in the face. ‘Yeah, but this time I have a plan. It’s a plan that’s gonna work. You’ll see. I’ll wipe the floor with all of youse.’
That made Arthur laugh. ‘It’s not happening tonight, though. Can you let the other guys know?’
‘Shit!’ His eyes were wide, almost crazed. ‘Jeezus, I need to whip your asses tonight, Arthur. I need some winnings. I need your money so bad.’
Arthur blinked and blinked again, the words refusing to register in his brain.
‘So,’ Andy said. ‘What do ya say? How about putting the game back on? Give me a chance to win something from youse, hey?’
Arthur shook his head. ‘I can’t do that Andy. What do you need extra money for anyway?’
Andy puffed his cheeks, his eyes suddenly brimming with tears. ‘To pay my rent, Arthur. To pay my fucking rent. We’re up to our eyes in it. Listen,’ he licked his upper lip with the tip of his tongue, ‘the shop’s not doing so well. I’ve hardly sold anything for months. Money’s tight. I need a bit of cash to pay my bills. Things ought to pick up again after that. But I need cash now…’
‘Jeezus, Andy, I didn’t realise you were having it so tough, but playing poker ain’t gonna help.’ Sometimes you assumed you knew someone with their perfect life where everything they had was figured out: a nice wife and kid, a business of their own, a happy, comfortable existence. There was such anxiety in Andy’s demeanour, his eyes pleading, his words begging, yet Arthur struggled to empathise. Today had been crappy enough without Andy going off on one.
‘I know, Artie, I know… but… but where else am I gonna find the money? I’d be a failure to Iris if I lost us the shop and the house. Arthur, where would we go? Where would we live?’
Arthur paced the lobby. He hated that Andy was in this predicament but playing poker wasn’t the answer. ‘How much money do you need?’
‘A few thousand.’
‘Say that again? How much?’
The man shuffled his feet and mumbled, ‘Seven thousand bucks!’
‘Jeezus!’ It was easily three month’s rent. ‘We don’t gamble for anything like that kinda money. How’d you reckon tonight’s session was gonna help?’
Andy shrugged. ‘My plan. I was gonna raise the stakes. Make youse guys put out a little more. Win big style.’
Arthur shook his head. ‘We wouldn’t have gone for it, pal. That’s an awful lot of money.’
‘I really need the cash.’ There was an awkward silence between them: a moment when a plea was being asked without words, an unspoken request that soon became explicit. ‘How about you give me a loan? I’d be grateful forever. And, and I’d pay you back, I swear. You know I would. In full. No, not in full, but with interest! As soon as my store starts selling again, I promise!’
‘I’ve not got that sort of money lying around. Besides, even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to lay hands on it quickly.’ He held up a finger, indicating that Andy should stay quiet. ‘What if I asked you to do a huge favour for me in return? Something you’d charge me seven thousand dollars for? What if I gave you cash to take Taylor’s girls upstate for a few days? You, Iris, Molly, and Taylor’s two kids. Hire a holiday home. Have a break and have some fun. What would you say to that?’
Andy’s eyes widening in disbelief. ‘You’d give me the cash?’
‘Some of it. I can’t give you it all. Would you do this thing for me?’
Andy lent over and hugged Arthur fiercely. ‘You are a star, Artie, a star. You’ve saved my life.’
Arthur harrumphed. ‘Don’t go spending it all on the holiday though. You need to pay your rent. Remember?’
Andy smiled broadly as relief washed over him, changing his demeanour. ‘No way will I forget. And I can’t thank you enough. Anything you can spare, it’ll help me get through. I know it will.’
‘Here,’ Arthur said. He fumbled for his wallet, pulled out his bank card. ‘We can transfer you the money on your computer. But I need you to get the kids away tonight, got it?’
His neighbour’s eyebrows arched. ‘Really? Are you sure you and Taylor are okay?’
Arthur waggled the bank card in front of him. ‘Tonight, Andy. And for the record, Taylor and I are fine. There’s just some other shit going on and it would be better the girls didn’t get stressed by it.’
‘But you can’t tell me what it is?’
‘No. No, I can’t. Let’s do this thing before I change my mind.’
Andy nodded, the prospect of receiving the handout overriding his curiosity. ‘Sure, Artie,’ he said. ‘And thanks again.’
‘But remember to tell the guys that the game is off.’
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