When Jamie woke up, the sun was shining through his bedroom window.He could smell coffee, which meant that Joesph had already gotten up.He yawned and stretched before standing up.
“Morning,” Jamie croaked, his voice still seeming to be asleep.
Joesph looked up at Jamie, his eyes having diverted from his computer.“Good morning, sunshine.”He went back to working on his computer.“I made coffee.”
“Thank you.”Jamie poured himself a cup and sat down opposite Joesph.“Whatcha working on?”
“Just stuff,” Joesph’s hand fluttered.“Nothing for you to worry about.”
“I have a question for you.”Jamie waited until Joesph looked up.“Do you always cover your car up?”
Joesph blinked a few times as if he were trying to understand the question.“Of course I do.Belinda is atreasure, and I don’t want all this dust and dirt to get on her.”His hand went to his chest.“Belinda is...part of my family, and it ismyduty to protect her.”
“Even in the garage at your apartment?”
“Of course!”Joesph looked at Jamie like he’d lost his mind.
“What about your other car?”
Joesph rolled his eyes and went back to his computer.“That...thingis not a real car,notan automobile.It is a pregnant roller skate that gets me from point A to point B.It is a utilitarian necessity.”
“You know, you roll your eyes so much I’m surprised that they don’t just roll out of your head.”
“If you didn’t say such ridiculous things, then I wouldn’thaveto roll my eyes.”
Jamie laughed and took a long sip of his coffee.“Thanks again for setting up the coffee maker and making actual coffee.”
“You’re welcome.”Joesph never looked up from his computer, while he moved and clicked.He had a cordless mouse next to him that he was moving about.
“What’s on for today?”Jamie asked, still watching Joesph, who seemed very intent on what he was doing.
Joesph was concentrating on whatever he was working on, then took a deep breath.“There.”He looked up at Jamie as he closed his computer.“The flooring people are coming.I will put Salzy in charge of them.You are going to do something with allthis...mess,” He said, waving towards all the clothes and boxes that were taking up most of the living area of the apartment.“And I am going shopping.There.That is the day planned.”
“Oookay,” Jamie said.
“First, I am going to have a nice long shower.”Joesph stood up and washed out his coffee cup, setting it on the drain board.
“I’m going out to dinner with Mike tonight.”
That stopped Joesph in his tracks.“To where?”
“The same place he took you.He wants to show me...the competition, he said.”
Joesph stood there a moment looking at Jamie.“I hope you give that man a chance, Jamie.He really is into you.”
Jamie nodded slowly.
“And you are very,verymuch into him.”
When Jamie didn’t say anything, Joesph went into the bedroom.
“Hello, anyone alive up there?”Salzy hollered from the bottom of the stairs.
“Yeah.Come on up.”Jamie poured himself another cup of coffee.“Joesph made coffee.”
The screen door squeaked as Salzy opened it.“Thank the lord.I was afraid I was going to have to go down to that convenience store for coffee,” he said, his face pinched.
“That bad?”Jamie laughed as he sat down at the small round table.
