Joy was overwhelmed. “How did you know?”
“You mentioned it at Maylene’s. In a couple weeks you would be twenty-five. That’s what you told me. And I realized before I left for Europe that you had spent your birthday in jail. Which had to be horrible.”
Tears began to appear in her big, clear eyes just thinking about it. William quickly swiped a couple Kleenex tissues from the tissue box off of his nightstand. He handed them to her. Shewiped her eyes. It was as if she was reliving the memory. “It was awful,” she said. “Not because it was my birthday. Nobody remembered most of my birthdays anyway.”
William could hardly believe how alone, in many ways, she truly was in this world.
“It was awful,” Joy continued, “because it made me feel like I was never going to get up out of there. It made me feel like I felt at Maylene’s: Like I was going to be stuck there for life, through my thirties and forties and fifties until I became so institutionalized that I was too afraid to leave. Some of those girls in that jail were saying they knew of people who had to wait nearly a year just for their trial to begin. And then they went to prison for more years. I felt so hopeless. I felt so forgotten.”
William’s heart dropped. Why didn’t he look back when he heard that commotion in his lobby? Why didn’t his arrogant ass look back! He could have saved her from all of that pain. He could have helped her as easily as tossing a quarter to a street musician and walking on by. Why didn’t he just look back?
At the same time William was reaching for her she was coming to him, and he pulled her into his arms. Then on top of him. She was sobbing and he was fighting back tears. He could feel her anguish. Because it was his anguish too.
But then Joy leaned up and smiled through her tears. But William was puzzled. “What?”
She showed him the present he had given to her. They had forgotten his gift! And they both laughed.
Joy sat up and straddled him as she unwrapped her gift and opened the box. When she saw that it was first this beautiful diamond watch, and then she saw the name and realized it was a Cartier watch, her eyes could hardly believe it. She looked at William. “It’s stunning,” she said. “When did you buy this?”
“I ordered it last night while you were asleep. See,” he said as he turned it onto the back and she was able to see the embedded insignia:To Joy. Love W.
“Spelling out William would have been a bit much,” he said, and she laughed.
Then she looked at him with so much love in her eyes that it warmed his heart. And her tears returned. “It’s the absolute best gift I’ve ever been given.”
“Good. That’s what I was going for.” Then he thought of what she said earlier. “Is it the only birthday gift you’ve ever been given?”
“Yes,” she said and they both laughed. And she leaned down into his arms again. Something about the way he held her made her way to stay in his arms.
But it would be a short-lived wish. His intercom buzzed. Gate security announced the arrival of another woman. A Miss Adele Humphrey.
“Send her through,” William said without hesitation this time and Joy looked at him.
“Up,” he said as he moved her off of him.
But Joy was disappointed. How could he go into the arms of another woman after this? And after he officially made her his girlfriend? “Who’s Miss Humphrey? Another one of your ladies?”
“I don’t have ladies,” he said as he began getting out of bed. “I have you. Now get dressed.”
“What for?”
“Miss Humphrey is a friend of mine. She owns a high-end boutique in town. She’s graciously agreed to bring a collection of her finest clothing, from which you are to select whatever and how many you wish to have.”
“To wear to the country club?”
“The country club.Work.Play.Whatever you like.Yes.”
Joy stared at him.
Which made him feel odd. “What?”
“Are you real?”
He laughed. “Not usually, no. So enjoy this side of me while you have me,” he said, and began heading for the bathroom.
But by the time he got to the toilet to pee, Joy had run up behind him and jumped onto his back. He laughed as she hugged his neck. “You are a wild child,” he said happily.
“And you’re my sugar--”
