Heroin Love (6 page)

Chapter Thirteen

In the furniture store it was pretty obvious to me what kind of upbringing Rachael had. She was looking at all the run of the mill furniture, basic rod iron bed frames, formica tables and particle wood tables. I watched semi amused for a few minutes, and then suggested to go pick out some furniture together.

"This table would fill in the dining room nice. We should get this." I suggested while pointing out a natural wood table.

The table top was made out of the stump of an oak tree. The legs made from the same natural looking wood, almost looked like drift wood. And the chairs matched with the appearance of picnic benches. "The rough unfinished natural edges would fit very nicely with the beach theme. And the chairs are perfect as well. What do you think?"

Rachael looked rather distant or unfocused on the task but mustered up the energy to speak "Yeah, looks nice."

"What's wrong with you?" I was concerned, she just kind of lost it.

"I am getting sick." She explained with fear in her eyes.

"Well let's go get some medicine then. No problem." I placed my hand on her back and started to usher her back towards the exit. 

"Not that kind of sick. I'm getting dope sick." She hung her head in disappointment.

I stared at her with her head down, not really sure what that meant. "Okay, so what do we do?" I inquired.

"Kev, I am a heroin addict. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but I didn't want you to run scared. If you can't deal with it just take me back to my house."

She was giving me a way out, but I really had no judgement on how bad it really could be I agreed to deal with her vice. I mean after all who doesn't have some sort of addiction. "What do you need Rachael?"

"Just call Pete, tell him it's for me, he'll know what I need. His number is in my phone." She babbled.

I reached into her purse and did what I was instructed to do. When Pete picked up the phone I told him Rachael told me he would know what to do and where we were.

A simple "Okay" was said through the phone and he hung up.

"I don't know, what do we do now? He just said 'Okay'." I was getting flustered, I didn't like confusion and not knowing how to proceed.

"He will come, I just need to lay down, it's going to get worse." She forecasted.

"Okay hold on." I rushed towards a sales associate at the store. "Hey, you see that table over there." Motioning towards the wood table I liked. "I need that table, and a whole house to match. Here's my card." I handed my company credit card over to him. "Whatever it is just charge my account I will be back tomorrow to get my card."

"Sir, that is against company policy." He protested.

"Look it's an emergency and I don't have the time to come back. You get commission what the fuck do you care? Just pick it out, make sure it's nice, and matches the table. Thanks. Here's my card with my name and number. And I'll write the mailing address on the back. I'll expect it tomorrow afternoon. Have a great day."

I ran back to Rachael who was lying in the fetal position on a showroom couch. I picked her up and walked back into the truck. I opened the back of the truck and laid her down on the back seat. I hear incessant coughing and gagging as if she was going to throw up.

"Everything okay back there?" Asking with concern.

"I am fine, is he here yet?" She grumbled.

"No not yet." I responded while looking around the parking lot anxiously.

It gave me a little time to reflect into what I got myself into. Now I am a glorified babysitter waiting for a drug dealer to show up. She's curled up in the back of my truck, sick as shit -- this was not fun. A mysterious looking fellow appeared in my rearview, this has got to be him. He approached my truck and tapped on the window. 

Cracking my window just a hair I asked him "Pete?"

He nodded and I rolled the window all the way down. He handed me a rolled up mat that was tied together with velcro straps. 

"And here give her this now, it should pep her right back up." He explained while handing me a needle that was filled with a murky substance. "That's twenty-five hundred,bro." He demanded payment from me. Not knowing what drugs cost or how much he gave me I just handed him what he wanted.

"Here Rachael, Pete said to take this now." I reached my hand out to give her the syringe.

"You have to do it for me, I can't. I am too sick. Just shoot it in my veins." She instructed as if I knew how to find the veins.

I took my black leather belt off, tied it around her arm, and started to smack the fold in her arms. I felt like a nurse trying to get blood out of a patient, only it was drugs. After a few seconds of smacking a vein revealed itself in her arm. I leaned in and stuck the needle into the vein and squeezed whatever was in that syringe into Rachael's arm.

"How is that?" I asked in a concerning manner.

A couple of seconds went by and she muttered "Much better." I see her eyes roll into the back of her head and she falls into a coma like state.

A rush of regret came over me.

‘What have I done? What did I get myself into?’

I sat in the driver seat staring into the parking lot and began weighing my options. I could bring her back home to her uncle and just disappear but she she knows where I live. I could try to fix her, put her in a rehab. We shared such a connection, she brings me back to life. I don't want this to end. I looked over to the passenger seat where I laid the bag I bought from Pete.

Hesitantly I decided to unroll the contents, it rolled out like a surgeon's kit. It contained several needles, a bag of a grayish colored substance which I assumed was heroin, and 3 unmarked pill bottles. These where not normal pill bottles, they where the size of a soda can. I investigated a little further and looked inside the pill bottles, a yellow elliptical pill said 'Percocet', the other was a white bar with cuts through it and said 'Xanax' on one side. The third was not so straight forward it was a circular blood red pill, it just looked dangerous. It simply listed 'OC' on one side and '60' on the other. I opened the bag that contained the grayish colored substance, and when I did, an overwhelming smell of vinegar filled the air around me. Choking from the potent smell I closed it all back up and stuffed it under my seat and rolled my windows down to air the truck out. I looked in the backseat of the truck to still find Rachael knocked out. 

I gave her a few taps on her chest, "Hey," no response. A few more taps, "Rachael," still no response, she was out cold. Lost, I had no idea what to do with her. I decided to drive her home, I was sure David would know what to do with her.

I knocked on her door while holding her sleeping in my arms.

David opens the door "What did you do to her?!" He screams at me while ripping her out of my hands, placing her down on the couch next to the door.

"I didn't do anything. She said she was getting sick and needed heroin. She gave me Pete's number and I did what he said." I responded with a matter of fact tone. "Here take this shit too. I don't even know what to do with this." I handed David the roll of drugs I bought from Pete.

David opens the roll and I see his eye's light up like he just won the lottery. He throws it onto the couch and directs me out of the door and steps outside with me.

"Listen buddy." He continued to explain, "She has had a rough childhood and just hasn't found a way out of this life. She found her dad dead with a needle sticking out of his arm, and it has been downhill ever since. You are probably the best thing to happen to her yet, and will be the best thing ever for her."

I looked at him in a perplex manner, not sure what his game was. "And what's your story?" I curiously asked.

His smart ass remark was simply "I'm just a drugger."

Not even entertaining his statement, "Just have her call me when she wakes up." And I walked back into my truck.

Sitting at home, by myself, this is not how I envisioned my week to be going. I kept checking my phone anxiously waiting for Rachael to call. It was nearly two in the morning and I have yet to hear from her. As I prepped myself to go to sleep I hear my phone start to ring 'Blocked Number' read across the screen, and I picked it up without further hesitation.

"Rachael, how are you?"

A raspy voice came across the speaker "Hey Kev. I just wanted to say sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with that."

"It's fine, don't worry about it. As long as your okay, everything fine." I reassured her.

What I heard next really struck my heart chords, she responded with a simple "Love you." and hung up the phone.

The biggest smile I have ever made covered my face in joy. I look at the disconnected phone and said out loud "Love you too." Giving the phone a peck on the screen.

The next morning, I rushed out of the house in excitement. It was our big day we were going to start our life together. I knocked continuously on her front door until I got her to answer.

"Jeez, Kev. You need a hobby." She joked.

"Come on, get David and lets go home." I answered in a rush.

"Just hold on. I have to get our stuff."

"We will just get new stuff. Come on, come on." I started pulling her out of her unit.

Laughing at me she said "Okay, okay." "Come on Dave," she screamed as I continued to pull her towards the truck. We all piled into the truck and I began racing over to Sand Dollar Shores.

As we were entering the neighborhood I noticed a semi in the road and rushed down to the house in excitement. The furniture company was there to deliver all of the furniture. I opened the door to the house to let everyone in, the furniture guys started to move in all of our furniture. I looked at Rachael and she was glowing in joy, David on the other hand seemed rather emotionless about the whole situation. It didn't phase me, he was just there as collateral damage so I could have Rachael. I will worry about that later.

"Come on, let's just go wait on the back porch." I suggested while opening the door to lead the way.

Rachael and I were sitting on the railing of the porch snuggling and whispering cute complements to each other when I noticed David staring at us and he seemed aggravated at the sight of us together.

"Everything okay David?" I asked with concern and it seemed to of broken a trance that overcame him

“Yeah, yeah. I just don't want to...I am going to go for a walk." He responded with a bit of regret.

David walks off the back porch and onto the sandy white beach that stretched for miles.

I see Rachael put her arm around her stomach and bend over. "Rachael, are you getting sick again?" A look of concern covered my face.

"Mmmhmm." She responded while nodding her head.

"Where's the stuff from yesterday? I'll go get it." I asked while heading towards the inside of the house.

"It's all gone." she said hesitantly hanging her head in shame.

"You used all that?" I asked in utter disbelief.

"Yeah Kevin, I AM an addict." She reiterated that point. "I told you if you don't want to deal with me, I'll just go back home."

"No no no no, I was just asking babe. Relax, I will call Pete." I did what I did the day before called Pete told him it was for Rachael and he was on the way.

"How in the world did you afford this habit?" I inquired genuinely.

"Oh you just thought I liked fucking every guy that comes at me?" She stated sarcastically. "Between Toni's and David stealing and conning we made it happen. It's just a sad vicious cycle." She started to break down into tears. "I just don't know what to do anymore, I can't even look proudly at myself in the mirror." 

I coddled her,putting her head on my shoulder. "Shhhh, it will all be okay." Then I hear an ominous unfamiliar ringtone coming from her purse. "Who could that be?"

No response as she wipes away the tears trickling down her face. 

She reluctantly answered the phone, "Yeah?"

I waited patiently for her to get off the phone, it was a quick one sided conversation, she didn't say anything else to who ever was on the phone.

Hanging up the phone she looks at me with regret, "Where is Pete? I have to go to work."

"Work?! Your not going to work!" My eyes filled with fury.

"Kev, I can't just stop my life because you showed up. Jessica will come looking for me and it won’t be a good day for me or you," she stated with a matter of fact tone.

I feel my blood start to boil, I could feel my heart beating in my chest, my face is getting hot "Listen, I will take care of you. I will provide for you. I DON'T need you going to work. Just stay here. Hang out here and relax. I will handle Jessica don’t worry." Not sure what she meant by that, what the hell could Jess do to me?

"So you just expect me to sit around all day waiting for you to come home and fuck me?" She ranted.

"Yeah, basically," I said in a condescending tone.

Rachael stood in silence for a moment then a smile came across her face as if she forced the argument. "Okay, Kev."