Junkyard Blues

Chapter Twenty-five

103 C Chapter Twenty-five hat night Jude lay in bed on his back staring up at the ceiling unable to go to sleep. He still could not believe the events of the day, that he had spent the evening with Eric, the poor humble fellow he had known back then who was now a totally new and altered Eric. It was still hard for him to place the image of the new and altered Eric over that of the old Eric and get a match. But if the man was not the Eric he had always known then who was he and why had he bothered to check on an old friend? The truth was that he had spent the evening with Eric, even if it was a new and altered Eric, but the man was still (if only in part) the Eric he had known back then. And what pleased him most was that even after attaining higher heights, that Eric had remembered him, remembered an old friend… “I don’t even have much on me right now,” Eric had said when they were parting; “You know trying to set up a new business branch here is not easy, it’s eating up everything.” He had taken out his wallet and started counting out some shiny banknotes, Jude felt his breath caught in his chest as he stared at them, “I’m sorry I didn’t anticipate this…” He handed Jude five shiny ten thousand francs banknotes, the type that looked like they were just from the money making machine. Jude’s hand reached for the money involuntarily even as his mind tried to play the silly game of reluctance. It was just one of those situations where the body became separated in several conflicting parts, parts that were just conflicting for show. “It’s not really necessary,” Jude tried, the words coming out in a whisper. He felt the familiar shame and guilt. This is too much, I can’t take it. Do you actually think so, padre? The banknotes were already lying in his hand even as he tried to protest. “Oh, forget that nonsense. This is nothing,” Eric said, “If I’m what I am today it’s because I had friends like you. You were always there by my side back then. If you were not a good friend I’d not have even spent a whole year in the university.” T 104 Jude shook his head. “That’s the truth, you helped me out always like a brother. This is nothing.” “But it’s too much,” Jude said looking at the money in his hand, his heart already pounding like a locomotive engine. When was the last time he had touched this amount of money? He could not remember. “It’s too much,” he said again. “Will you just shut up?” Eric laughed slapping him on the back easily, just like he had given him some money for candies, a coin. “Just take it, it’s nothing I’ve told you.” Jude was stilled trying to cope with the new shock when two more shiny banknotes appeared again. It was after Eric had asked him for his cell phone number. “I don’t have one yet,” Jude said, hating himself for saying that. He was sounding completely cheap, just as cheap as he felt. Eric whistled, “You don’t have a cell phone? How do you manage?” Jude shrugged with a sheepish smile taking over his face. He suddenly felt the full force of that hot shame blast at his face, and it was hot enough to peel off his skin. “Okay,” Eric nodded, “It’s not a problem.” When Eric handed him the two new banknotes, he said, “Buy one and give me a call when you do.” Jude wanted to protest again, but he was completely out of force. “This is my business card.” Seventy thousand francs just like that in one evening, without a thought or any reluctance, he still could not believe it. And the money was given to him by the Eric he had always known. Jude shook his head and picked up the business card again from the head of the bed and looked at it for a while. It had all happened like something from a fairy tale where everything was possible even waking up people from dead and he could not find himself coming to terms with it. He would’ve been ashamed to admit...