Free Pieces of Him by Alice Tribue

something to say congrats.”
    “I don’t have a wife.”
    God! This guy doesn’t make having a conversation easy. “Oh. Okay, then your girlfriend.”
    “I don’t have a girlfriend.” This piques my interest a little too much. He seems like a bit of an asshole, but Jesus Christ, he’s beautiful. I find myself needing to know what the deal is, even though it’s absolutely none of my business. I know I should just leave it alone, but instead, I press on.
    “Ah, I saw her last week. I just assumed, and then I saw you with the baby. I guess I thought …”
    “She wasn’t my girlfriend, and she’s gone now, so ...” he says reaching over to a small table by the entryway and grabbing a set of keys.
    “She left you? With a baby?”
    “Wasn’t her choice seeing as though she died.” He responds brusquely, and I gasp feeling horrible and astonished by the news he’s just delivered. I can’t explain why it makes me so sad that she’s passed away since I didn’t know her. I didn’t know anything about her, yet she was so young and she left behind a precious baby. How could it not make me sad?
    “Oh, my god. Oh, my god. I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry.”
    “It’s fine.” He cuts me off. I watch his face searching for a reaction, looking for any hint of emotion at all, but he doesn’t give me one. Instead, he turns and walks inside letting the door open up, allowing me a better view inside. Whatever mess he made when he had his outburst yesterday has been cleared away and in its place is a nice apartment complete with all the necessary baby items. He picks up the baby carrier with the cutest little boy I’ve ever seen sleeping in it and comes back to me. “Listen, I’m just on my way out,” he says, placing the carrier down next to him.
    “Of course,” I say quickly handing him the gift bag and moving back. He takes it and puts it down on the floor off to the side of the doorway. “Listen, I know you don’t know me, but if there’s anything you need, if there’s anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to knock on my door.”
    He looks me up and down, probably trying to figure me out. Probably wondering why this strange girl is taking a sudden interest in his life and offering her help. “Thanks, but this is temporary,” he finally says.
    I tilt my head and narrow my eyes in confusion. “What’s temporary?”
    “This,” he says jutting his chin in the direction of the baby. “He won’t be with me much longer.”
    I feel like I’ve just walked into the middle of a private discussion, and I’ve missed all of the pertinent information. “What do you mean? Why won’t he be with you?”
    “I'm looking into adoption for him.”
    Okay. This is my cue to leave. To step away from the jerk of a man standing in front of me and forget what I’ve heard, but I can’t. It’s like driving by a car wreck. I NEED to know. “Why?”
    He shrugs his shoulders at me. Shrugs, like this is some simple decision about a minor inconvenience, and I swear I want to punch him in the face right now. Knock some fucking sense into his super hot head. What is the matter with him?
    “Because I didn’t sign up to be a single dad.”
    “I see.” Nodding my head trying, but most likely failing, to hide the disgust I’m feeling right now.
    “You think I’m a terrible person.”
    “Yes.” I answer honestly because … well, because he’s been brutally and inappropriately honest with me thus far. I figure he won’t even flinch at my candor.
    His jaw clenches and he juts out his chin. “Thanks for not sugarcoating it,” he spits out. Is he angry with me? He’s a frickin apartment destroyer, deadbeat dad psycho, and he has the nerve to get angry with me ?
    “He’s your son.” I remind him of a fact he’s already aware of, placing my hand on my hips and glaring at him.
    “I know that.”
    “That girl I saw, she wanted him, right?” I don’t know why I’m asking; I just feel like I need to reason with