I left my house and veered to the left and further up the block, along towards where my local shopping centre was. While I'd had no need to go shopping, I'd recently discovered running in my area was a great way to get to know the neighbourhood.
It was also keeping me away from temptation.
Jogging past my neighbours was interesting, it let me compare us all and our various tastes. There were homes where you could definitely tell the origins or ethnicity of the inhabitants within, by simple things like, Buddha's and wooden windchimes, or that weird gold cat with the ever-moving paw you sometimes see in Asian shops or in someone's window. Sometimes it was the curtains and their shape or colours, and other times it was the house itself.
Vivek works from home on Fridays, as I always did, and he lived about three blocks from my house in a slightly elevated part of the suburb. After detouring the shopping centre, and beyond that neighbourhood, I took a wide berth and angled back via Jackson's neighbourhood and past his house. I wasn't being creepy or stalking him, I just liked to feel the running distance between places sometimes as it allows me to feel closer and more connected to them.
About forty minutes into my run, I'd been thinking about him solid and realised that I absolutely needed to clear the air. Before I knew it, I was jogging back past Vivek's house.
He had a combination of Indian and Western theme which you could see from the outside, but having been inside his house, I knew the extent of the combined themes continued. My wife liked it, and I thought it was interesting, though I was never creative with those things and never commented on them, contentedly appreciating their company and not their decor.
He answered after about a minute, and it was clear he'd deliberated from inside after having seen my approach through the curtains.
"Hey," I said, with a big cheery grin, pretending nothing had changed between us.
"Oh hey," he said, looking kinda perplexed as to why I was standing at his door while scratching the back of his head. It did look like he was thinking of excuses to get rid of me.
"Can we have a quick chat mate?" I said, stepping towards the door.
Too quickly, he said, leaning into the door to block me. "I'm so sorry mate, I'm really busy..."
Fuck it
.
I pushed the door wider with a firm hand, and stepped in so I was centimetres from his face.
He looked terrified and startled. I took that as my opportunity. "We've been friends for years. I think you and I need to have a chat."
I have never forced myself onto Vivek, and I've never tried to intimidate him or coerce him or push my way into his house. So when I barrelled past him, and made my way inside his house, I surprised even myself.
"Fine," he said with resignation, scrambling for the wide open door, as though concerned about his neighbours, and finally closing it quietly.
I saw his laptop was open through the home office door, and took a seat on the lounge. "Are you home alone?"
He nodded but didn't sit. Vivek stood by the entry to his lounge area with arms folded and wide eyes. I've never seem him look so cold, distant and also quite visibly terrified.
"I've missed you." It's all I could think to say to try and soften his demeanour. Vivek was treating me like an enemy. Like I'd done something wrong.
This did have somewhat of a softening effect, though not as much as I'd like. He unfolded his arms and watched me briefly, but said nothing and returned his attention to the floor like a scolded child.
"Well, if I can speak openly?" I asked, once more looking around as if expecting his wife to appear.
He nodded, but didn't refold his arms.
I took a breath, swallowed, realised how much more difficult this was in reality than it had been in my head.
"It's weird. We know each other's secret. We've seen each other in a situation that...
He refolded his arms. "Listen, I don't want to talk about it. It was an accident, not really my thing..." he looked to the door, then back at me, as if hoping.
I stood up, realising this wasn't going to go well and I needed to get his attention.
"That same guy and I got arrested a couple of weeks ago," I blurted out.
