Loving Time

seventy-one

April drove her own car up to Ninety-ninth Street. Mike sat in the passenger seat, unusually quiet until they hit the block. She had a feeling he was upset because she hadn’t said she loved him, too. But who knew, maybe he had other things on his mind.

“I’ll go up and get her,” he said.

“It’s my call,” she protested. “I’ll go up. You wait in the car.”

“I’m not waiting in the car.”

Good sign, they were fighting again.

“Fine. How do you want to do it?” April asked.

“I go up. You sit in the car.”

“She’ll respond better if it’s me,” April argued.

“You want to both go up?”

“If I have no choice.” April parked the car at a hydrant. She switched the lights off and killed the motor. The night sky was overcast. Not many people out on the street. She got out of the car and spotted Andy running toward them from the alley by the building. He had the hood of his parka up and a scarf wrapped around his neck.

“He got away—” he panted. “Daveys went after him.”

“Fine, let Daveys deal,” Mike said.

Then they went up to Gunn’s apartment. Another old lady was standing in the hall, banging on Gunn’s door. “I heard him screaming at her. I called the police,” the old woman cried. “Gunn, it’s all right now. Open the door.”