The Move

Adeola Iyiola

May 2006

He hesitated and answered, "Perry."

"Liar!" David said stamping his leg loudly on the floor. "You don’t look like a Perry to me. Get up!" he pointed towards his pants, "over there, throw me your pants. Now!"

The man stood, got his pants and threw it over to David, who searched through it with one hand while holding the gun with the other. He found his wallet and opened it.

"Well," he said, "what do we have here? Gary Tailor, thirty six years old. You lied to me. What you really look like is a Gary. Are you married?"

"No."

"Liar!" he said and removed a photograph of a young girl about six years from one of the wallet’s pockets. "What do we have here," he said and turned the picture around to face the two, "I bet this is the daughter you had out of wedlock."

"You told me you weren’t married," Cindy said facing Gary with an angry frown.

"I was. I’m separated," he answered.

"You have a child too! You told me you were thirty. You are thirty six. You lied to me."

"Hey! Hey! Save your adulterous accusations," David said with a smile. "You got what you deserve. Will I get what I deserve? Now, that’s the question. Maybe we should all get what we deserve." David said.

They were silent for a while.

"Shouldn’t we all get what we deserve? Answer me!" said David, waving the gun.

"Yes," they echoed, "We should."

"Get up!" he commanded, "Hold each other’s hands like the lovebirds you are."

They stood up slowly and held each other’s hands.

"Raise your other hands so I can see them. Now walk in front of me, towards our bedroom. I want to show you something. Take your clothes with you. Don’t worry Gary. She will guide you. She knows where it is. If either of you make one silly step, you’re both dead. I can’t kill one and leave the other. Soul mates deserve to die together. Besides, I won’t want any witness, and I will clean up really good."

He ushered them into the bedroom gun held behind them heads. He opened one of the drawers and removed a digital camera.

"No David, you don’t have to do this."

"Shut up! I will do what I damn well please. You’ve done yours for six months. Now, the two of you, get into bed and do what you do."

Like a photographer he commanded they change positions, make poses and he snapped. When he was finished, he said, "If it were not that my reputation in this building will be compromised. I’ll have you two get out of here naked. Get dressed!"

They hurriedly got into their clothes. He then ushered them at gunpoint towards the living room. They sat quietly.

"Now Cindy what I want from this is pretty simple. We must end this relationship, which for you already ended a long time ago with little problems. I want you to leave this apartment today and come back within thirty days to get your things. I can not stand the sight of you."

"I don’t wanna do that. Why don’t you leave? I’m the woman."

"Hold on," he said.

David stood, holding the gun, went over to the computer desk in the right hand corner of the room, sat down with the gun on one hand. "I wouldn’t try anything stupid if I were you?" he warned. He worked on the computer for a few seconds, walked back to where they were seated to stand in front of them and said, "I now have a copy of this sent to my computer at work. I wanted to make sure I have enough copies."

"Is it worth it David?"

"Yes, just pack your things and go as soon as you can. That’s all I ask. Tell your lover to help you. He knows these photos could hurt his marriage or divorce or whatever it is he claims he’s in. And personally, I don’t think your parents will like those pictures floating around somewhere where their church-mates can find them and when they find out he was married…hmm," he said holding his palm to his chest, "That will surely stop the beat of their Christian hearts. We don’t want that do–"

"Alright I’ll move."

"If you would need time to think about this–"

"No, oh no, she doesn’t. I will finance the move," Gary answered quickly.

His anger, David was sure, was now transforming into pleasure. He enjoyed ridiculing the adulterous couple.

Cindy stared at him and back at David," All right. What happens to the photos?"

"I promise I'll give them back the day you move and I change the locks."

"That will only take a week," Gary answered.

"Good, now get out and Cindy, you can come back tomorrow to pack some of your things. Pack enough for a week, and I trust as you said, by the end of seven days you will be done. I don’t want to have to remind you."

"You wouldn’t have to. But we would have the photos back." Gary answered.

"Yes, I promise," David answered.

When they were gone, he sat in the living room, caressing the gun his friend Marvin gave him. He remembered what he told him.

"This toy gun, as good as the real ones, definitely looking good, if not better than the real deal. It is a rare commodity. The government ordered them not to make it anymore. Trust me, it’s amazing. When you pull it, it makes a sound like its firing but it has no bullet. It is that good and will never be stupid enough to get you a felony charge. It might get you places and out of compromising positions. What would be most powerful is having the real thing. What would be most stupid is not having one of them," Marvin had told him.

Marvin was right, he thought, smiled and relaxed comfortably into his chair in apartment 12C.

Adeola Iyiola lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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