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Then he actually got into her car.
That was when he first started to think this was a bad idea.
She owned a restaurant called Jimmy's on 2nd, and she drove him there, talking the whole time about his music and how excited she was that he had decided to do something great with his life.
Logan had been coming off of a two-day high followed by a long sleep, and now he was feeling woozy and telling himself he was too out-of-it and unable to make gigantic decisions in life. He remembered their conversation. He had clearly agreed to be locked in a room while his body detoxed.
The woman had taken him to the building on 2ndAvenue where her restaurant was situated. It took up the whole first level and there were apartments above that. Rita explained that her family owned the building and that the room he would be staying in had a private entrance and was not an official apartment. Logan followed her into the alley and through a hidden door.
They walked upstairs to this twelve-by-twelve room with a bed, a sink, a shower, a stackable laundry unit, and a tiny fridge. There was a counter with a microwave. As apartments go, it wasn't much more than a jail cell. It would have been too small for most people, but it was the nicest place Logan had lived in over a year.
He used to have a magnetic personality, and he met a lot of friends when he first moved to Seattle, but now there was no longer anyone he could call on. He stared straight ahead, realizing how bad his life had gotten when this tiny, cramped one-room apartment felt like the Ritz Carlton.
When it was happening day by day, it never seemed like his life was bad. Even when he tried heroin for the first time, he told himself that it was just for fun and a one-time thing. Now, he had used it almost every day for what must've been a couple of weeks.
He told Rita everything. Her son had used drugs previously, and she assured Logan that he was capable of detoxing since he hadn't been using very long. In the moment, he had been willing to try, but now he wasn't so sure.
Logan's new room had several locks—one of which Rita deadbolted from the outside. It was something they discussed and something he knew needed to happen if he wanted to get clean.
But did he really want to get clean?
She had just left.
He could still catch her.
He stood up and crossed to the door and was just about to bang on it when he heard voices.
"What are you doing here?" a woman said.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," the second woman replied. The second woman was Rita. The first one was younger.
"I worked the night shift downstairs, and I was about to use this shower really quick so I don't stink like food when I go out."
"Why are you going out so late? What are you doing?"
"I’m meeting Max. He's meeting me here at ten-thirty."
"Where could you possibly go so late?"
"We're just going out with some friends, Birdy. We're not getting into any trouble. Max has to be on call all day tomorrow, so we won't be out late, I promise."
"I need to talk to Max," Rita said. "I need to ask him about this young man who just started staying upstairs."
"Somebody's up there?" the young woman asked, sounding disappointed.
Rita didn't know Logan was standing at the door listening to them. She had no clue that he had his hand in the air and was about to knock on it. She certainly didn't know he was listening to their every word.
"Who's staying up there?" the young woman asked. "Is someone in there right now?"
"Yes. And you need to give your dad his key back. Just stay out of there. I'll let your uncle and Isaac know. He'll be in there for a while. That's why I need to talk to Max. He's going to need a doctor to look in on him tomorrow morning and maybe a few times after that. He might need a professional to monitor him—I'm not sure how long he's been using."
"Using what, Birdy? You brought a drug addict up here to this apartment? Does Papa even know?"
"No, Claire, he doesn't. I've been busy since I met the young man. I haven't talked to a soul."
"Why would you do that?"
"Things just worked out where I feel like it's God telling me to try to help him. He's special, Claire. He's having a hard time right now, and he's irritable with some physical stuff, but I connected with him, and he's a special person. I think about your uncle Jim, and I know I would want someone to try to help if it was my son out there on the street."
