Chapter Thirteen

Morgan pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex. The morning in Sangela City was relatively warmer than that of San Valentino, which lay close to the ocean. After unzipping his jacket, he proceeded to unload his belongings from the vehicle. Struggling under the weight of his luggage, he made his way through the front door towards the elevator. When he reached the corridor that lead to his apartment, he slowed down at the sight of a tall, shadowy figure lurking near his apartment door and slowly pulled out his phone. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Jackson, who was more than willing to help him carry his stuff into the apartment.

“Damn it Jackson, you nearly gave me a heart attack. I was just about to call security,” said Morgan through gritted teeth. Closing the door behind them, he said, “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“Yeah but I called in sick today,” said Jackson, “So I may actually need you to write a sick note for yours truly.”

“You’re unbelievable,” replied Morgan, shaking his head in disappointment.

“That doesn’t sound like a no.”

“It doesn’t sound like a yes either.”

Jackson plopped down on the couch, turned on the TV and began channel surfing while Morgan was fixing breakfast in the kitchen.

“Do you want in on this?” Morgan yelled from the kitchen.

“Nah bro, I stopped by Pop’s diner before I got here so I’m all good. I hope you brought me a souvenir from your trip though.”

“So you skipped work for a souvenir? You can be so puerile at times,” said Morgan, breaking into laughter. He set his freshly prepared coffee, two strips of bacon, scrambled eggs and slice of toast on the table. Morgan took his seat across from Jackson.

“How’d your date with Maddison go?” queried Jackson, turning off the TV after his mission proved futile.

“It went great. We had dinner. She hit me with a few interesting yet random questions which I answered honestly. Afterwards, we talked about sports, split the bill and I walked her to her room.”

Jackson rubbed his temples. “You’re telling me that, despite only paying for your meal, you succeeded in walking to her room?”

“First of all, the idea of splitting the bill was entirely hers and she wouldn’t be persuaded. I did manage to get her number though so all’s well that ends well. We’re going to the Moto National Race next month,” replied Morgan, biting into his toast and washing it down with a gulp of coffee.

“So did anything happen when you reached her room?”

“Nah bro, I was a perfect gentleman. I got her number, wished her a goodnight and went on my merry way.”

Jackson’s jaw dropped in astonishment. “Just when I thought you couldn’t surprise me, you go and prove me wrong.”

Morgan looked puzzled.

“Dude, the world we live in is quite different from the one our parents and grandparents lived in. If you don’t take your chances when they present themselves, you are almost guaranteed to come out on the losing end. Considering the kind of girl she is, I’m almost certain there are bigger and more dangerous sharks circling around her that won’t pass up the opportunity you just did.”

“I’m not ready for that level of physical intimacy. Besides, she’s not that kind of woman,” Morgan shot back.

“Even if that were true, you’ll need to go above and beyond to stand any chance with her now. What happened between you and Natalie anyway? If I remember correctly, you two were happy together.”

Morgan took a deep breath. He knew this question would come eventually but this was a little sooner than he’d hoped. Natalie was Morgan’s first and only girlfriend whom he had met through their mutual friend, Jackson. On paper and in Jackson’s mind, they were a perfect fit and Morgan was hard-pressed to disagree when Jackson pleaded his case.

“We were happy and I did love her. Maybe she loved me too but towards the end, we wanted different things. She wanted a higher level of intimacy, similar to what her friends had with their boyfriends and I wanted to take things slow. She wanted spontaneity and I desired order. Eventually she dumped me because she felt that I was being pushed, by her, to do things I was not comfortable doing.”

Jackson remained silent, only nodding affirmatively.

“I thought I’d be okay and I was okay, for three weeks at least. I tried talking to her after, telling her I was open to trying new things but she wouldn’t have it. A week later, after checking out her social media accounts, I found out she moved on. A part of me died that day and that’s when the alcohol and gambling started. I tried putting myself out there, going on a few dates after being matched on dating apps and they all ended badly. Dates with the wrong kind of girls tend to end only one way, you know,” said Morgan, his eyes beginning to water.

Jackson got up and walked over to his best friend, placing a hand on his shoulder for support. He had seen his friend in bad shape a few times but nothing compared to today. Aware of his friend’s idealistic view of the world, he had tried to slowly sensitize him to the true nature of the world over the years but it seemed he didn’t do enough and a part of him felt responsible.

Morgan got up from his seat, placed his dirty dishes to the sink, opened the refrigerator and retrieved two cold Ludweiser beers.

“I need a drink. You want one?”

“It’s only nine in the morning, bro.”

“I have the day off and you called in sick. One or two wouldn’t hurt and as a special bonus for joining me, I’ll write up your sick note.”

“Then count me in bro,” replied Jackson, clinking his bottle against Morgan’s. As Jackson drank his beer, one thought echoed through his mind. It is worse than I thought.