Free Seeing Black by Sidney Halston Page B

lot of
uncomfortable silence. Before they left, Rocco shook Alexander’s
hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you. Even if you don’t care for
me, I still want to thank you for taking care of my daughter so
well.” Alexander’s face was impenetrable. He did not look happy at
all. Rocco then turned to Jill and embraced her with a hug and a
kiss on the cheek. “I hope to see you later this week or weekend,
my dear.”
    “I don’t want you seeing him anymore,” Alexander
said outside the restaurant as he helped Jill with her helmet.
    “Excuse me?”
    “You heard me. No more.”
    “Have you lost your damn mind, Alexander? Whatever I
decide to do, it is my decision to make, not yours. You can’t
forbid me to see him.”
    “Like hell I can’t.”
    “You’re not listening to me. Do you know how
difficult life is for me? Not knowing when I’m going to go blank
and stare off into space for what could be thirty seconds or an
hour. I shouldn’t even fucking drive. I’d be mortified if it
happened in the middle of class or in a supermarket or anywhere
strangers were around.” She sucked in a breath and continued,
louder this time. “It. Can. Happen. Anywhere. Can you understand
that? Forget the embarrassing part of it. It’s not safe. I lose
most of my faculties. The thought of being able to eliminate the
fear from my life is huge.” Huge! How could he not see
that?
    “I get it. I do. But I don’t think being around him
is worth whatever silly training he wants to give you. You asked me
to meet him. I met him, and I don’t like him. The guy’s bad
news.”
    “Silly?” Jill stomped her foot and groaned. “You
don’t know what you’re talking about!”
    “I can tell. I don’t know how, but I just can. He’s
up to something. I feel it. You’re blinded by him.”
    “No, I’m not. My eyes are wide open. I didn’t just
ask you to meet him. I asked you to give him the benefit of the
doubt. You didn’t do that, Alexander. You came in there already
judging him. Why can’t you just be supportive?” She hopped on the
motorcycle. Alexander followed. The motorcycle roared into life,
and Jill grabbed on to Alexander’s waist tightly. No more words
were spoken until they arrived back to Jill’s apartment.
    As if the conversation had been going on the entire
ride over, as soon as he turned the bike off, he spoke. “I do trust
you. It’s Rocco I don’t trust. You don’t need him, Jill. He’s a
possible psychopath. Your mother was terrified of him. You’re being
naïve.”
    “Stop saying that! Stop treating me like a child.”
Jill slammed the door of her apartment. Alexander opened it and
slammed it shut again.
    “Here we go.” Heather laughed as soon as she saw
them stomp into the apartment, arguing. “You guys fight way too
much. What happened now?”
    “We do not fight,” Jill snapped.
    “She,” Alexander pointed at Jill, “doesn’t see
anything wrong with seeing Rocco. She,” he pointed at Jill again,
“wants to have some sort of father-daughter relationship with that
guy.”
    “Oh.” Heather drawled, her teeth biting her bottom
lips.
    Jill’s head jutted towards Heather. “What do you
mean ‘Oh’?”
    “Hon’, I don’t want to get into y’all’s little spat,
but I’m not too sure about Rocco. I mean, after the Paul thing and
the journals and the note, do you really think he just wants to get
to know you? It seems weird.”
    Knowing she wasn’t going to win the fight nor did
she even want to be in a fight, she gave up. “Fine. I’ll think
about it.”
    “Good,” Heather said.
    Alexander smiled triumphantly. “Good girl.” He
reached up and carried Jill over his shoulders to her bedroom.
Heather giggled and yelled, “Chocolate cake.”
    Alexander dropped her on the bed, and she held her
hands out and placed them against his chest to stop any further
advancement. “I’m still mad at you.”
    “I know. But it’s for your own good. Think about it,
babe. The guy’s no