The place was jumping this morning and for some reason a fog lifted last night on me and Drew -- so we stopped in the place for a caffeine injection. The whole gang was there, all the regulars. And Hugo... whoa -- Hugo was glowing like a five-year-old.
Drew yelled out "Officer, Officer -- I'm in trouble -- call 911, my pants are on fire!"
Everyone in the place laughed, including Hugo -- who followed up Drew's teasing with flipping him the bird. But we all noticed Hugo was loving being teased. Hell, being teased about sleeping with a detective isn't half bad and we all knew it.
I don't think any of us could deny how much the vandalism had hurt Hugo, and how it made him feel as if he'd become a prey to the lunatics in this city. When Mocha Daze had been almost destroyed, it reminded us all that it can happen to anyone -- those things in your life which you hold closest to you can be gone in a heartbeat.
"Hey, Hugo -- has there been any movement in finding out about the break-in?" I asked. Hugo shook his head and steamed some milk. He was in such a great mood this morning that not even the recent destruction of his store was gonna bring him down.
Later, I went up to the register to pay the bill while Drew took a quick pee. Hugo leaned in and whispered,
"Y'all seem to have had a re-birth... has Cupid returned to the Lewis/McKinley household?"
I winked and gave him a big tip -- which he refused, as he always did. I think Cupid had come back with Valentine's Day. I knew my relationship with Andrew was like a giant ship at war with the sea sometimes-- that some days it was as if we were going to sink to the bottom -- and other days, we were sailing on a brilliant calm sheet of glass with a tropical island just ahead...
Today, I could see Tahiti.
I don't know why, exactly.
And then Andrew came out of the bathroom and he'd forgotten to zip up. His white jockeys were visible through his black jeans and Andrew right then, right in that moment, looked like a little boy-- a beautiful, innocent boy and I loved him. I loved him as I would love a child-- deeply, unconditionally...
Yes, Cupid had returned to the Lewis/McKinley household.
I snuck the ten dollar bill into the tip jar when Hugo wasn't looking and told Andrew I'd meet him in the car.
