Free The Heart of Revenge by Richie Drenz Page B

think you are obligated to them and if you say no, they hold
it against you, like they gave you anything to put down or
....?”
    “Hold on, hold on ... slow down.” I shuffled
over closer to him and rested my other hand on his knee. “Now, who
you say is it?”
    “Is Beanie. Mi and him friendship cut off for
good!”
    "Why?... But he is the only friend you
have.”
    “Him is not a true friend.”
    “He called you gay like the others?” He
looked around at me and looked back at the floor. I felt bad and
wished I hadn’t mentioned that.
    “No. Is something else.”
    “What?” He didn’t responded immediately,
fisted both hands and sunk his knuckles in the mustard color
cushions of the sofa to ease himself out and stand. I covered both
his knee caps with my palms and applied some force to them,
suggesting ‘don't get up as yet, I am talking to you.’ He took his
hands off the cushions, remained seated and plaited his fingers
between each other. Bobbed his head from side to side in deep
consideration while talking,
    “The man borrowing mi things to go beach and
mi tell him no.” He stopped talking. Stared blankly. I asked,
    “So?”
    “And him vex with mi over mi own things.” He
began pulling the buckle of his black leather band watch from his
wrist. I hadn’t seen that watch in almost a year. Seemed like the
friendship cut off for real, and Vance got back his belongings. But
who else would Vance have as a hortical friend? - no one. I guessed
he would be even more lonely now.
    “So why you didn’t just lend him and done?
That wouldn’t be better than to end the friendship?”
    “You mad! Mi not lending no man mi brief to
wear go no beach. No man can’t wear mi brief. Mi not into them
things with no man. You must be mad. If him want vex and thing,
make him vex. But mi not lending him mi brief to go sporting on
beach.”
    I wanted to keel over with laughter. I tried
holding it back. But the laughter was too much. It just burst right
out of me. I couldn’t believe I was laughing so brawling. Vance got
angry and braced himself up out of the sofa. He turned to me and
said in frustration,
    “You taking serious things make joke!” I was
breathing and taking deep gasps in between, trying to catch my
breath as I answered
    “No Vance,” I gasped for air, “No.” Gasped
again, “But that’s funny still ... Mi can’t believe that hype boy
like Beanie want borrow your brief to wear go beach. Is which one
of your brief him want borrow?”
    Vance hissed his teeth and walked off to his
room. I was dying with laughter. What a dirty friend! Oh my
godmother, Pinky would say ‘a dutty friend behaviour that.’ Oh
boy.
    The next day, Monday, Dr. Reid told Vance
that the age of his death had moved from the age of thirty-six to
thirty-two. Vance needed to be on medication. Dr. Reid had
prescribed lanoxin, metoprolol and catopril. He told us that if he
took these drugs it may help him to live longer and avoid his heart
getting any worse. The cost of the medication for the year totalled
roughly two thousand U.S. Mom wanted to help Vance and soon after
she put her pride aside and got a job with her friend Micheal
Douglas, a job that she’d normally frown on and rather stay home
than doing. It wasn’t much but Mom had saved some money towards
Vance’s medical bill. With all her efforts, it still wasn’t even
close enough but ‘at least it was a start,’ she would say. She
began working some overtime, coming in late just to get that extra
dollar towards the bill but time was against her, as Vance was
getting worse faster than she was saving her little dollar,
dollars.
    Pinky’s asthma took her again. Mommy had to
spend all her savings to take care of it. Mom was left dead broke
and back at square one while Vance wasn’t getting any better. She
nor Dad could afford the medicine and Vance had no choice but to do
without. Vance had some horrible chest pain that year but he still
managed to smile a lot with