Friday, March 16, 2012

old habits on the shelf



Jules made some copies of the photo of Tristan that Jonah sent him. He even had one framed. It felt as if the little one was family, somehow. Although, he didn't know exactly how.

"This is really splendid." Jules called Gilly to let him know he thought Jonah was a wonderful photographer. "I dunno, why you hadn't sent me a picture of him, before." He supposed Tristan was a sensitive subject. Maybe that was why Gilly didn't talk much of him, since after all, Jules thought he was Tristan's father once upon a time.

"He's the photographer, you know." Gilly made it sound he wasn't much good being creative.

 "So, things are working out. You know, paperwork, that kind of thing. That could be tricky I guess, adopting?" Jules quizzed.

"Um, suppose." Gilly let slip.

"What? I thought you were bending over backwards over this. Weren't you?" Jules kept looking at Tristan's picture. Imaging what it would have been like if he'd actually been Tristan's father.

"About that." Gilly cleared his throat.

"About what?" Jules thought Gilly was sounding a bit serious over the phone. When was he ever serious, like that? He didn't sound depressed. That was the only time Gilly was really serious.

"It didn't take as much, as..as you might think." Still Gilly was talking in circles.

"Really?" Jules winced. He put down Tristan's photo along with the other pictures Willow had by the window of them, and her brother. Jules plopped himself on his bed. "What on earth are you getting at?"

"Well..he's mine. Tristan's mine," Gilly said.

"I get that. And I'm really happy for the both of you." Jules smiled.

"No, I mean, like..in the blood. We are truly related." Gilly told him.

Jules kept smiling, thinking Gilly was talking about an episode of TRUE BLOOD or something. Were they coming out with a UK version of the show? He could imagine it might be brilliant. Jules looked over at the photo once more. Then he saw it. The eyes. The little bugger hadn't turned Japanese like Collette's little story about him. Jules looked harder.

"You!" He stood up then. Disgusted. "You and Collette?" He was really sick to his stomach now. His best mate. With her?

"See..yeah..I knew you couldn't handle it." Gilly spat right back. "Don't go thinking, I was screwing around with her, behind your back. All right. I didn't even know it happened. Seriously. I should have. But I blacked out. I really did. I'm beginning to think she would have had a good time with a corpse."

"Where is she?" Jules had a good mind to give her a call.

"Never mind. All right. She's left. She's long gone. And I've got the baby." Gilly told him.

Still it made Jules sick. He was so glad he wasn't like he used to be. He was glad Gilly wasn't like that, either. Sometimes, the world still shocked him long after he was far from his old ways.

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