“Hey, but you, too, are divorced, just like we got divorced right after Ralph was born. So what’s the deal?”
I rolled my eyes. John sometimes didn’t get it. I sat on the chair by the television table, looking at the pretty pictures of flowers hung around the white walls of the room.
“John, please sit down.”
He sat down facing me on the edge of the bed.
“Yes?”
“Listen, I need to have Cole believe that Ralph is his son, and I can’t be distracted with you here.”
“So now I’m a—”
The door opened. It was Ralph. He was still holding his nose with the napkin to stop the bleeding. Apparently, he took a nasty hit.
“Ralph, go to the bathroom sink and wash off the blood, please. Just hold your head back; that should stop the bleeding.”
Ralph went inside the bathroom.
My attention went back to John.
“I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
“So now I’m a distraction?” John asked with resentment.
I sighed.
“Look, let’s do this. I’ll give you some money to tide you over until I get back to New Jersey in a couple of weeks. By then, this should be all sorted out.”
John gave me the side-eye. I felt uneasy. I got up from my chair and went to the small fridge under the television table.
“Do you have a beer in there?” John asked.
“No. Do you want a bottle of water instead?”
“I guess that’ll do,” John said in disappointment.
I took two bottles of water. I handed one to him and took one for myself. I sat down again.
“How about this? I’ll give you five hundred dollars and money to take a bus back to New Jersey.”
“Make it a thousand, and I’ll be out of your hair,” John replied.
“Hey, that’s a lot of money!” Ralph yelled from inside the bathroom.
Ralph walked out of the bathroom and sat next to his dad. He put his arm around him and held him tight.
“I love you, old man,” Ralph said sweetly.
“I love you, too, bud.”
“Pops, we need that money just in case this doesn’t go right.”
I felt uncomfortable and impatient. Ralph was just talking too much. I just wanted John out of the picture. I needed time to think clearly, and I couldn’t do that with John around.
“Listen, everything is going to be just fine. Here’s the money. Don’t worry about us. We’ll be just fine.”
John took the money and started counting out the ten hundred-dollar bills I gave him.
