Downfall

by Jay Crownover

  “Go get your shoes and we’ll go. We can stop somewhere along the way and get ice cream.” I hadn’t managed to scare up a cake for her last night, so even though it was a frivolous expense I couldn’t afford, I owed my kid a solid, and I was going to pay up.

  She came back with a mismatched pair of tiny Chucks. Instead of making her find two that matched, I let her wear a black one on one foot and a pink one on the other. It was cute and irreverent, just like her. After tossing my hair up into a messy ponytail and shoving my feet into my own battered Chucks, I clutched Noble’s hand and headed out the door.

  We had only put one foot in the hallway when a door down the hall swung open and an angry woman popped her head out. She had curlers in her hair and a cigarette dangling out of her mouth. She squinted in our direction and gave a nasty sneer.

  “You’re too loud. Keep it down.” Before I could open my mouth and apologize, she slammed the door closed, forcing it to rattle on the hinges and the bang to echo down the hall.

  Noble jumped and I shook my head in irritation. Her slamming the door was twice as loud as our dance party had been. I soothed Noble when she started to bounce around nervously and guided her down the steps. I helped her skip over every other one, and by the time we hit the entranceway, my arm was screaming and I’d worked up a sweat. I was going to be gross by the time we trekked to the car and hauled everything back with us. I was tempted to call a cab, but if I did, there definitely would not be enough money for ice cream. I wasn’t about to disappoint my kid if I could help it.

  We both hopped over Lester who appeared to be sleeping soundly on the front steps, as usual. At first, the homeless man freaked me out and I hated stepping over him like he was nothing more than a discarded piece of garbage on the street. It took a few weeks and several awkward conversations with him to realize that if he was passed out, it was because he got his hands on something nasty, and it was better to leave him be. When he was awake and sober, he was a perfectly lovely man. Unfortunately, those times seemed few and far between.

  Noble was making sure not to step on any cracks in the sidewalk. There were so many, it proved to be a daunting task which had her skipping around like a deranged bunny. I was so focused on her antics that I didn’t notice the huge figure coming around the corner at a rapid pace. Noble was directly in his path. His long legs ate up the distance at a steady jog, and he had to jump to the side to avoid plowing Noble over. She fell backward onto her butt as the tatted-up man leapt to avoid her.

  He had on the same hat he had been wearing the night before, and a pair of mirrored, aviator sunglasses covered his eyes. I could see my shocked reflection staring back at me as he paused, putting his hands on his knees so he could catch his breath. I wasn’t sure if he was winded from his run, or from the near-miss with the wide-eyed three-year-old at his feet. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, so I could see he was inked from his collarbone all the way down to the waistband of the black, nylon shorts he was wearing. Even his legs had random images and swirls of color decorating the strong lines. A light sheen of sweat covered every inch of his taut, artistic skin, highlighting his well-defined muscles and the lines of strength that made up his impressive build. He wasn’t my type. Not at all. In another life, I wouldn’t have thought to look twice at a guy who looked like him. Tattoos weren’t common in the circles where I used to travel. Now, caught unwillingly in this new life, I was having a hard time looking away.

  I helped Noble to her feet, and noticed my daughter was also stunned into a rare silence in the presence of this imposing, impressive man.

  He popped out one of his earbuds and pushed to his full height. I wished he weren’t wearing the mirrored glasses so I could see the color of his eyes. It was an odd reaction, so I cleared my throat and wiped my free hand nervously down the front of my jeans.

  “Uh… Sorry. She’s been inside all day and has excess energy to burn.” He lifted his chin in acknowledgment and I tried not to swallow my tongue as a single drop of moisture slid down the strong line of his throat. I cleared my throat and squeezed Noble’s hand so tightly she squealed and gave me a questioning look. “Umm… thank you for the rescue last night. I should have said something before taking off, but yesterday was quite possibly the second worst day of my life and I wasn’t thinking clearly. That guy was very scary; I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t intervened.”

  He took out the other earbud and wiped his forehead with his forearm. “Don’t worry about it. Skinner won’t be around anymore, and if he is, just let Lester know and he can pass the info on to me.”

  I glanced at the homeless man in surprise. I wondered how the stranger knew his name. “I’ll do that.”

  The nearly naked man in front of me stretched his arms over his head and I couldn’t look away from the ripple and flex of his clearly defined abs. His body was ridiculous in all the right ways. I’d never seen a man in person who looked like he did. He was like one of those irrationally, unrealistically hot Instagram guys, but one who was standing in front of me in all his muscly, sweaty glory. I knew somewhere in the back of my head he was dangerous, and I shouldn’t be so nonchalant about chatting him up, but I figured I owed him the common courtesy I bypassed the night before. One thing I had left was flawless manners.

  He cocked his head to the side and asked, “If yesterday was the second worst day, how did you survive the first one?”

  That wasn’t a day I ever talked about. It was the day that changed everything. The only reason I survived the day was because I had to for the little girl clutching my hand and watching the stranger with wide, curious eyes. I blew out a breath and changed the subject as quickly as possible.

  “You ever have one of those days where it’s one thing after another and it feels like the universe is trying to tell you something? Trying to tell you to give up?” I shrugged before he could answer me. “My car broke down. My babysitter quit. My job cut my hours. The icing on the cake was getting attacked on the way home. Like I said, it was a bad day, but that doesn’t excuse me running off without thanking you properly. I owe you more than I can ever repay.” I couldn’t think about what might have happened if he hadn’t shown up. My mind wouldn’t allow it.

  He dipped his chin again. “No worries. I happened to be in the right place at the right time.” He moved to put the earbuds back in and I considered myself dismissed, but before he could block out the sound, the homeless man on the stoop roused himself into a sitting position and pointed a finger at the man looming in front of me.

  “Go help the girl with her car, Solo.” His finger wavered but his voice was surprisingly clear as he issued the order.

  Noble bounded up on her toes and tilted her head to the side. “Solo?” My kid was obsessed with Star Wars so there was no way she was going to miss the unusual name.

  The man looked down at my daughter, and finally, a grin cracked the stern expression chiseled on his ruggedly handsome face. “Solomon. Solo is my nickname.”

  Before I could stop her, she stuck out her hand for the big man to shake. I gulped when her tiny hand disappeared in his much larger one. “I’m Noble.”

  He nodded at her. “That’s a pretty name.”

  His head moved in my direction and I bit back a sigh. “Orley.” I tossed out my own name reluctantly. “And don’t worry about the car. We’ll figure it out. Seriously.” I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend any more time in his company. He made me feel weird and unsteady. There was a low vibration I could feel humming throughout my body standing this close to him, and I had no time for any kind of distraction.

  He didn’t bother to hide his sigh or his aggravation. He whipped off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “No, just let me run up and change and I’ll look at your car. I don’t have to work until this afternoon. I’m a mechanic. If I can’t get it running, I can get it towed to the garage where I can work for half of what you’d pay someone else.” He snorted. “If I don’t help you out, Lester will never let me hear
the end of it. It’s the neighborly thing to do, after all.”

  Before I could argue, he dashed up the stairs, stopping to say something to the homeless man that I couldn’t hear. I wanted to tell him I couldn’t afford a mechanic, half-price or not, but he never gave me the chance.

  So not only was he a hero, but he also lived in my building. I hated the way that knowledge sent an excited shiver up my spine.

  Lester shifted and leaned on the step he was using as a bed. His words didn’t sound slurred, and his eyes seemed incredibly focused as he watched me decide if I was going to wait around for the stranger’s help or not. “Solo’s a good kid. Let him help you out. He’s a wiz when it comes to anything with a motor. He’ll fix you right up.”

  Only an idiot would take the word of a homeless junkie at face value when it came to someone else’s character, but damn if I didn’t want to.

  Solo

  I had a mile-long list of things I was planning on getting done before I had to go to the garage. I’d already been to the gym, put in a few hours sparring, went for a run, and threw in a load of laundry. I still needed to go to the grocery store so there was more than water and old pizza in my fridge, and I wanted to stop by and check on my mom. It had been a few days since I’d had anything resembling free time, and I didn’t like to go too long between visits. I was going to take her flowers and see if she wanted to go out for a walk. She didn’t get out nearly enough when I wasn’t around. But now I was committed to helping the pretty redhead and her adorable kid. I wasn’t exaggerating. If I walked away, ignored the fact she was having car trouble, Lester would never let it drop. When he was sober, the man was part pit bull and part guardian angel. I stepped over him at least twice a day and really didn’t have the time or patience to deal with the hassle he would give me every opportunity he could.

  Plus, it was the right thing to do. The poor girl looked even more lost up close and personal. Those huge baby-blue eyes of hers were completely guileless and entirely too innocent. She didn’t belong here; this city would eat her alive. While she was slumming it, it wouldn’t kill me to give up a few of my precious free minutes to make sure she could get herself and her kid from point A to B. It was better to keep her off the streets. There was less of a chance she would run across another loser and user like Skinner if she had a working vehicle. I didn’t want to give a shit, didn’t want to give her a second thought… but I did. And may have even risked a third and fourth thought.

  That little girl was adorable and sweet as could be. She was too young to realize how hard and ugly the world could be. She still smiled at strangers, still laughed and played like she didn’t have a single care in the world. Her mom was obviously doing everything she could to protect the little girl from this place. It was impressive, and I admired her dedication to her kid. I didn’t want the little girl’s unchecked delight to be stripped away from her, the way it was so mercilessly stolen from most of the kids who called this city home. I told myself it was an appreciation for the redhead’s selflessness and determination that had me rushing to switch over my laundry and hurry through a quick shower so I could once again play her hero. I refused to think about the fact I also appreciated the way she filled out her skin-tight black leggings and the way her hair turned into flames when the sun hit it just so.

  Swearing under my breath, I grabbed a handful of tools and jogged back down the stairs. There was a part of me hoping the woman, Orley, had tired of waiting for me and gone on about her day. She didn’t seem the type to accept help easily. If she was, I doubted she would be living in the Skylark, one of the city’s most rundown apartment complexes, and dodging guys like Skinner once the sun went down. Anyone who had help at hand didn’t end up here. And if she had someone to lean on, she wouldn’t be so out of sorts over the minor bumps in the road which comprised her ‘second worst day ever.’ Things like broken-down cars, lost jobs, and unreliable people were par for the course in this part of town. But it sounded like this was the first time the redhead had ever had to deal with the fairly common occurrences that were in no way the end-of-days she made them out to be. I shouldn’t judge her. I didn’t know her story, but I knew it was a hard one to tell. She was going to get eaten alive by this city if she was ready to throw in the towel every single time these streets showed their teeth.

  Lester roused himself into a sitting position and was watching the girls race each other up and down the sidewalk. The little girl was quick, but her mom had long-ass legs. I’d noticed she was on the tall side when she thanked me for the night before. She barely had to tilt her head back at all to look me in the eye, which was a nice change of pace. I was used to contorting into all kinds of uncomfortable positions to make sure all the good stuff lined up whenever I got my hands on a willing woman.

  I frowned as I stomped down the steps. I was not looking to screw one of my neighbors. I didn’t do clingy and needy. I didn’t do time-consuming and permanent. I only had time for one woman in my life, and she gave birth to me.

  At the last second, Orley pretended to trip over something on the sidewalk, letting the little girl sail by her in a flurry of dark curls and infectious giggles. The tiny human paused by the stairs and slapped Lester’s hand in a loud high-five. I was waiting for the redhead to scold her for touching a homeless person, but all she did was grin and throw her hands up in mock defeat. The little girl turned to me and I obediently tapped her palm with mine as she celebrated her victory with a whoop.

  “I’m fast.” She twirled around, and I watched as Orley slyly produced a wet wipe from somewhere and swiped it over the little girl’s hands. “Do you wanna race, Solo?”

  When she said my name, it sounded like two words, So-Low. It was pretty cute, and I couldn’t help but grin at her.

  “Maybe later. We gotta look at your car before I have to head to work.” I lifted my eyebrows at the redhead and noticed she was chewing on her lower lip and shifting her weight from one sneakered foot to the other. “Can we walk or do we need to drive to where you left it?”

  “Ummm,” she cocked her head to the side and seemed to waffle. “It’s more than a few blocks away.”

  “So, we should drive.” I was working with a clock ticking down in the back of my head.

  She practically vibrated in front of me. I could see the way tension coiled around her. The chick was strung so tightly she was going to snap. “Noble’s car seat is still in my car. She needs it if she’s going to ride in a car.” I could tell she didn’t want to burden me any further, but she wasn’t going to budge when it came to the safety of her child.

  “It’s fine. We can walk. Hopefully, it’s an easy fix and you can just drop me off at my car once I get you up and running.” I was in a hurry, but I wasn’t unreasonable. For some reason, one I didn’t want to examine too closely, I wanted the twitchy, nervous woman to realize she could trust me. That there were good men and women in this rough part of the city. In fact, I was convinced we outnumbered the people who gave it such a bad reputation in the first place.

  Orley nodded gratefully and reached for her daughter’s hand. They both told Lester goodbye and I overheard the redhead offer to bring him something to eat when they came back home. It was obvious she was struggling, but she still took the time to think of the lonely man so many people overlooked. Lester declined the offer; he always did. I’d stopped asking him if he wanted something years ago. Now I simply ordered two of whatever I was having or made sure I made enough for both of us when I was home to eat. He never refused when I handed him something to eat, but I knew he would never ask for anything outright.

  We walked the first few blocks in awkward silence. Even the little girl was quiet, minus the song she was humming under her breath as she swung her mother’s hand, skipping over every crack in the sidewalk.

  “So, what do you do?” My tools clinked together with every step I took. I’d always been the kind of guy who was better with his hands than sitting at a desk struggling to find interest in a boring te
xtbook. I had a busy mind and an even shorter attention span. The only thing about school I liked was playing different sports and the endless number of cute girls who couldn’t get enough of my dick. I barely made it through high school, and by the time graduation rolled around, I was already more interested in figuring out how to make money and survive than I was on getting a degree or pursuing higher education. I was lucky I never fell in with the wrong crowd, because most guys my age with the same prospects ended up in jail, or slinging illegal shit on the streets. My mom made sure I kept my nose clean, even though it was a nearly impossible task. I owed her everything, and I never forgot it.

  “Oh, nothing too exciting. I’m a part-time receptionist at a salon. I answer the phone and make appointments.” She flashed a wry grin and nervously looked away. “The only reason they hired me was because my mom used to go there forever ago and the owner felt sorry for me when I called and begged her for a job. But now, she has a family member who needs a job so she cut my hours down to nothing.” She huffed out a breath and lifted her chin. “I’m not exactly qualified to do much of anything, and it’s really hard to find a job that still allows me to spend time with Noble. I want to be there for her as much as possible before she starts school.” She waved a hand in front of her and let it fall in defeat. “It’s also hard to look for something because I can’t leave her alone and now I don’t have anyone to watch her, so even if I did get an interview, I’m not sure what I’d do. I guess I’ll just show up with my kid and hope they’re cool with it.” She barked out a laugh which had zero humor in it.

  I remembered my mom working two and three jobs when I was little. My dad was never around, so it was always just me and her. Fortunately for her, we’d had a neighbor, an older woman who lived down the hall from us. She watched me after school and on weekends when Mom had to work. She was actually the one who taught me everything I knew about cars. Her husband was a collector before he passed away, and the woman was living comfortably off selling and restoring his collection. She had a mechanic, an older guy named Gus, who was no longer around. But when he was alive, Gus never minded me kicking it in the garage and asking questions while he worked. There was no telling what would have happened to us if Mom hadn’t befriended that neighbor back in the day. She had to work, and just like Orley mentioned, it wasn’t like you could show up for your shift with your kid in tow.