Insomnia: A Brooklyn Tale

CHAPTER 2 (PAUL)

It was only eight o’clock in the morning and the sun was already beating down on the Hausa village. I had a good vantage point from the roof I was standing on. Everything was quiet even though the whole community was bustling with activity already. Children were playing in the center of the village. Herders were taking the cattle out to graze. It was true that this country was suffering, people were starving and rain was scarce.

When I arrived here a few months ago, this village seemed almost worse off than so many others I had traveled through. It was probably one of the reasons I decided to stay a while. Since I arrived I had put my engineering degree to good use and we managed to sink a well, build a few enclosures for the goats, sheep and cattle and constructed a few buildings as well, like the one I was standing on now.

My brown eyes fell on a little boy heading to the village. He didn’t look more than nine years old, but then again, the hunger plaguing the Sahel region – and Niger as a whole – slowed growth so much that he could also be older. He was a stranger, not from this village. He stopped to speak a few words to one of the herders and was pointed to the village.

I smiled to myself before turning around and picking up the hammer again to continue with the task at hand. Not five minutes later Ibrahim called me from below. I glanced over the edge. The little boy was with him and he motioned for me to come down. Ibrahim, a middle-aged Hausa man, was one of the few people in this village who had received a little bit of schooling when he was a child. It wasn’t a lot but enough for him to speak a bit of French. Together, in our broken French, we managed to communicate.

When I reached them he pointed to the boy.

“Paul…Appeller…” I frowned. ‘Paul…call…’

“Uh…Garçon…appeller” He tried again. ‘Boy call…’ I nodded but was still confused.

He pointed to the boy, to the hills and then to me. I shook my head and he looked at me in desperation. I never said our communication was easy. He took a deep breath and tried again.

“Uh…aller…garçon…ville…appeller…” He said every word with hesitation. I nodded.

“You want me to go to the boy’s village with him?” I questioned and he looked at me blankly and I nodded again.

“Oui!” I replied simply before turning to put away the hammer. He grabbed my arm to stop me and I looked at him questioningly.

“Maintenaint!…Uh…téléphone...” He finally managed while indicating with his hand to his ear.

“Okay! Okay, I get it. ‘Now!’ I’m coming, I’m coming.” He took the hammer from me and shoved me in the direction the boy had come from. I followed the boy. We walked for miles in total silence. The boy kept glancing at me suspiciously and I smiled. His suspicion was normal. I was over six feet tall and over two hundred pounds of muscle due to years of wrestling in college. I had dark hair and dark eyes, but in the end I was American and I stood out like a sore thumb in this arid country.

We finally reached the boy’s village. It was larger than the one we had come from and there was even some electricity here. I followed him through the dusty walkways and we reached a flimsy, brick building. He stopped by the door and motioned for me to go in. I did so hesitantly. Inside, an older man pointed to a rundown phone on a ramshackle table in the corner.

I picked up the old, worn-down receiver. The line cracked slightly before I answered hesitantly.

“Hello?”

“Paul Mason? Is that you?” I recognized his voice immediately. Carter Warren.

“Yeah…uh…hi.”

“Do you know who this is?” He asked carefully.

“Yes.” Clearly my communication skills were a little rusty.

“Wow! It’s so good to hear your voice. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” He babbled excitedly. I remained quiet. What does one say to a friend that you abandoned?

“Mason? Are you there? b****y phone-lines!” He mumbled and I smiled.

“I’m here.” Another short reply. Way to go, Paul.

“Good! Thought I’d lost you. How are you, bud?” He asked.

“I’m good – Busy.”

“I heard that. You’re building homes?” He said quizzically.

“Yeah. In a village a couple of miles from here. How did you find me?” I asked hesitantly. He gave a short laugh.

“Oh! Trust me. It was not easy. I picked up your trail in Cambodia. You were all over the place, man. Thailand, India, Iran…and then you moved on to South America: Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia…For a moment we lost track of you in Colombia, but I mean? Who wouldn’t? And then you popped up in Algeria and eventually ended up in Niger. What on earth are you doing in Niger?” He asked confused. I was a little stunned by his detailed knowledge of where I had been over the last few years. But graduating from MIT with degrees in Social and Computer Sciences probably gave one a certain advantage to finding people.

“Working.” He gave a bitter laugh.

“No, you’re not.”

“I am. I’m making a difference here.” I told him and I could almost see him shake his head.

“I’m sorry, Mason, but you’re putting off the inevitable. You’re running. It’s what you do.” He told me simply and it hit a nerve.

Those exact words had been said to me before. I swallowed hard when memories flooded my mind. It wasn’t the happy memories – those I had on secure lock-down somewhere in the recesses of my mind. No, these memories were the dark and painful ones that followed the happy ones.

It was a time when I was at the lowest point in my life. I mean, it was rock bottom, there was nothing lower, but hell. And they kept me out of it. Carter, Tristan and Danielle – all three of them. And what did I do? I jumped on a plane and left without so much as a goodbye.

My mind drifted back even further, finding a few ‘happier’ moments that I hadn’t thought about in many years…

MIT buddies – that is what we were. We all met that first day, or night, actually. There was a party in Tristan’s room. He was always the party boy, never needing a reason to throw one. Somewhere through the party we all ended up together and we were inseparable from there on. Danielle, the only girl in our strange little group was always just considered one of the guys. Probably because we knew she was off limits. Her dad was some hot shot lawyer in Washington and everyone knew if they touched her their lives would be over. In the end, one of us did take that chance. Carter decided that she was worth losing his life over and they ended up getting married.

Even though I was cocooned here on the other side of the world, I still checked on them all every now and again.

“Mason, are you still there?”

“Yeah!”

“Listen, bud, you need to come home.” He told me and I sighed.

“I can’t. I’m happy here.”

“No, you’re not happy…you haven’t been happy since that night. You need to come home and start living again. Paul, you don’t talk to anyone anymore.” He told me.

“I check in with Jake every now and again.”

“Calling your brother every few months is not enough. Please!” He was pleading with me now and I felt guilty, but I couldn’t just go back.

“I can’t…I can’t.”

“Paul, you need to listen to me. It wasn’t your fault.” He was still pleading. My insides hurt and I was fighting hard to control emotions I thought I had gotten a handle on long ago.

“I was driving the car-“

“It was an accident! When are you going to realize that?” He sounded almost angry.

“Listen, Carter, I have to go-“

“No! No, you don’t! Stop running! Besides, I didn’t call you to talk sense into you, Paul. We tried that years ago and it didn’t work. I called you because I need your help.”

“Help? What’s wrong?” He had my attention immediately. For seven years he had left me alone with only short messages through Jake every now and then. If he took the time to track me down it meant something was very wrong. I realized it the moment I heard his voice.

“It’s Tristan…he’s missing.” He said. He sounded tired all of a sudden.

“He’s probably just off on one of his benders.” I suggested.

“No, it’s been months and I checked everywhere.”

“That old motel in Reno?” I asked.

“Yes, Paul. Obviously I checked everywhere. I found you halfway around the world, didn’t I? Don’t you think I would have covered all my bases before disturbing you with this?” He sounded annoyed.

“Okay…okay. What do you want me to do?” I asked carefully.

“I need you to get on a plane and come home. Dani is freaking out and I can’t calm her down. You need to do that.”

“You want me to calm down your wife?” I sounded slightly confused.

“Yes, Paul. You always had the ability to do that. Listen, we never asked you for anything. We left you alone all this time, hoping you’d come back on your own. But, truth is, I need you. I need you to help me find our friend and I need you to calm down my wife-” He was almost hysterical now.

“Okay! Okay. I understand.” I replied bringing him to an abrupt halt.

“You’ll help me find Tristan?” He asked hopefully.

“I’ll be on a plane in the morning.” I replied simply and I heard him sigh in relief.

“Thank you! Thank you so much.”

“You’re my best friend, Carter.” I said simply. I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t believe me, considering how I had left them years ago, but I needed to say it.

“I’ll call Jake when I land in the States. Does he have your contact details?” I asked. He was quiet for a moment.

“Yes. He does.”

“Okay, I’ll see you soon.” We said goodbye and hung up. I took a deep breath before turning to leave. It was time to go home. I had known it for a while, felt the longing stirring in me but I tried to ignore it. Because, even though I missed home, it held too many memories. I thanked the boy best I could and strode off.

***

In my many years of self-imposed exile I had gotten used to fires and candle light. I was not used to ‘this’ anymore. The magnificence of LAX overwhelmed me. Everything was loud and bright and…well, overwhelming. I was suddenly in a hurry to get outside. The crowds of people were smothering me. But it took me almost an hour to check in and retrieve my old duffel bag from baggage claim. When I finally got outside I gulped in the smog-filled Los Angeles air as if my life depended on it. The sun was just fading away as I started to make my way down the street. After the long flight, I preferred to walk for a while to stretch my legs.

A lot had changed since the last time I was here. In the last seven years I had only returned to America once, and that was for Jake and Natalie’s wedding. That trip didn’t even register as a visit, since I only stayed an hour or so before ducking out again and flying off to some other back world country.

Since I hadn’t called Jake yet and he had no idea I was coming, I was in no hurry. I strolled along the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, heading in the general direction I hoped Jake and Natalie’s house was. People were walking wide circles around me. A large man in an oversized coat, that had seen better days, and a beanie on his head spelt danger after all. I smirked inwardly. People were so easily fooled.

There was a time when I would’ve darted in the other direction, had I seen someone like me coming down the street. Back then I would’ve also traveled home for Christmas, excited to be with family, but that time was long past.

After a few more blocks I hailed a cab and gave the driver Jake’s address. He went on and on about their new house in more than one of our telephone conversations and I somehow had the address memorized.

The cab pulled up in front of a beautiful house in Brentwood. I stood staring at the house for a few moments after the cab drove off. It wasn’t a mansion, Jake had never been a big spender, but it was homey. Lights were on inside and I took it as a good sign. I made my way up the porch steps, rung the doorbell and dropped my heavy bag on the floor.

A few moments later the door swung open and Natalie was there speaking over her shoulder to someone.

“I told you not to press that-“ Her eyes met mine, her words caught in her throat and a mug – half filled with something – dropped to the wooden floor at her feet.

We stared at each other in silence. I could see a thousand questions flash through her eyes, but to her credit, she didn’t ask one.

“Oh my…”She breathed before throwing her arms around my neck. I hugged her back.

“I didn’t press it. Honey?” Jake’s concerned voice asked as he rounded the corner and he came to an abrupt halt. His gaze met mine and tears shot to his eyes. Guilt pressed down on me again. Natalie let go of me and without a word Jake embraced me in a tight hug that threatened to choke the life out of me.

“Welcome home, brother!” He exclaimed emotionally. I nodded because I didn’t think that I would be able to speak with the lump in my throat.

“When did you get in?” Jake asked and I cleared my throat.

“About two hours ago.” I glanced at the clock on the wall.

“It’s so good to see you! Man!” He was still buzzed.

“Well, Jake, take him inside…I…uh…need to clean up this mess.” Natalie glanced at the soaked floor with her hands on her hips and Jake and I followed her gaze before his eyes found me again.

“I just have that affect on women, I don’t know.” I held up my hands in surrender and they laughed.

“C’mon, bro. You want a drink?” Jake asked as he led the way into the kitchen.

“Sure, thanks.”

This was my family, the only one I had left since that fateful night so many years ago. It felt good to be among them again. At that moment I could not believe I had waited so long to come home.

We settled ourselves in the living room and Natalie soon joined us. Our conversation was easy and comfortable. I told them about all the different countries I had visited and they brought me up to speed with everything that I had missed since I left.

When my parents died Jake stepped in to take over the business and I? Well, I upped and left. He never blamed me for it, though. I always applauded him for his sense of responsibility and forgivingness. We both had a trust fund that none of us ever felt comfortable with using.

For the first time in years I felt relaxed and at home and I tried to hang on to the moment for as long as I could.

“You’re staying with us, right? I’m flying to London in the morning, but I’ll be back in two days.” Jake asked and I shook my head.

“Sorry, but I have to be in New York tomorrow. I just wanted to say hi.” I told them and both their faces fell.

“You’re leaving again?” Natalie asked despondently.

“Just to New York for a few days, then I’ll be back.” I assured them and they relaxed visibly.

“That is fantastic news!” Jake exclaimed and I smiled.

We were up till late in the night before we finally retired to bed and the next morning I was out of the house before seven o’clock. Natalie had booked me a plane ticket from LAX to LaGuardia Airport in Queens. I had called Carter and he promised to pick me up. We arrived at their Manhattan apartment before noon.

Danielle lost her head when she saw me and the irony of the situation made me smile. I mean, here I was to ‘calm her down’ and my being here was accomplishing the opposite. It took Carter and me almost half an hour to finally get her to sit down.

The entertaining tales of my travels started again but this time it was received with mixed reactions. I had forgotten that Danielle had always been very caught up in the current state of affairs in the world. Somehow, going to dangerous countries when nobody knew about it didn’t seem dangerous at all. But now that I saw the shock on her face I realized how lucky I was to be home safe.

Before long we engulfed ourselves in the information Carter had gathered on Tristan. He really did check every nook and corner, even the house of the girl he dated when he was twelve. I scanned over the pages and pondered for a while.

One known fact about Tristan was that he didn’t get along with his egotistical father. Stephen Kent was a real estate tycoon. Everything in his life was seen as property, including his son. He always had his fingers in every part of Tristan’s life, wanting to control it.

“Did you check the NU Hotel?” I asked and Carter looked at me dumbfounded.

“In Brooklyn?”

“Yeah.”

“Why would he go there?” Dani asked confused.

“It’s where he met Cindy.” I told them and they looked at each other.

“Didn’t he meet her at the Four Seasons?” Dani asked and Carter nodded. I shook my head slowly.

“No, it’s just what he told everyone, including his dad.”

“Wait! What?” Carter looked at me quizzically.

“Do you remember he used to disappear every now and then for a few days?” I asked and they nodded.

“His ‘moments of independence’, he called it.” Dani mentioned with a nostalgic smile.

“Yeah, well, he would book himself into some run down motel or inn or something, somewhere his dad wouldn’t find him.” I explained.

“Okay…and obviously he booked himself in there. His dad would never consider Brooklyn.” Carter stated and I nodded.

“Yeah! And then he met Cindy, she was working there at the time. They fell in love. He knew his dad wouldn’t approve if he knew where she had come from so they made up a story…anyway. I’m positive it’s where he is.”

“Well then! Let’s get going!” Carter announced enthusiastically. He was reaching for his keys.

“No! I think I should go.” I suggested.

“Are you sure? I mean…with the…” He trailed off.

“They’ll be fine, hon. I think they need a moment. You’ll let us know what’s going on, right?” Danielle asked and I smiled.

“Yep! I’ll call you tomorrow. It’s late. You should probably get some sleep.”

“Wanna borrow my car?” Cater asked, holding up the keys but he already knew I would decline.

“Nah! I’ll take the bus.”

We said goodbye and I left.

***

The NU Hotel changed substantially since the last time I had seen it. It actually looked like a hotel now and I doubted that Tristan’s dad would have protested against him meeting a girl here now, unless of course, she worked here. That little tidbit would always have counted against Cindy. But it was information Mr. Kent never got his hands on. There was no use in investigating a dead person after all.

I entered the lobby and made my way over to the check-in counter. The girl behind the counter smiled up at me.

“Hi! Uhm…I’m looking for a friend of mine, Tristan Kent.” She typed away on her computer.

“No sir, no one by that name has checked in.”

“Are you sure?” I asked and she shook her head. I glanced around the room, thinking.

“Uh…what about last name Ivy?” I asked and she checked again.

In college he had a thing about the movie Paulie, in which one of the characters was named Ivy. I always knew he just liked the movie to infuriate me.

“Yes, we have a Mr. Stan Ivy?” She asked and I nodded. Stan Ivy? TriSTAN Ivy? Oh yeah.

“Yes! That’s him. What room is he in?” I asked and she looked at me with suspicion. At this point that look didn’t even bother me anymore.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t give out that information.”

“Of course not…can you call the room?” I asked and I winced at the sarcasm in my own voice.

She picked up the phone and dialed a number. And then she actually turned her back to me before speaking in hushed tones. I glanced around, half expecting security to come bursting through the door, but that didn’t happen.

She turned around again and quietly returned the receiver to its cradle before looking up at me apologetically.

“Mr. Ivy is expecting you in room 401. It is on the fourth floor to the right.” She said simply and I nodded.

“Thank you.” I turned on my heel and stomped off.

When I reached the room, I knocked hesitantly. Two seconds later the door swung open wide and there he was. He stood staring at me wide-eyed for a moment before pulling me into a quick hug. I was getting a lot of those the last few days.

“Finally! It took you long enough! I’ve been waiting for months.” Tristan exclaimed as he pulled me into the room and closed the door. I frowned at him.

“What is going on here, Tristan?” I asked carefully.

“It was the only way to bring you home…” He said as if it explained everything.

“What are you talking about?”

“You were gone for so long, Paul. I just wanted you to come home.” He explained and realization dawned on me.

“You set me up? You knew I was the only one who knew about this place.” I stated, a mixture of annoyance, anger and confusion lacing my voice.

He smiled and my frown deepened.

“Was Carter and Dani in on it?” I asked and he shook his head vehemently.

“No! b****y idiots! It took them two months before they even considered contacting you and then Carter took his b****y time finding you. At one point I considered slipping an anonymous note under his door with your location on it.” He told me and I stared at him, astonished.

“You knew where I was?”

“Of course…I kept track of you since you left.” He said it in a matter-of-fact tone. He never ceased to amaze me. I glanced around the over-turned room.

“I see you found the mini-bar.” I stated with an amused gaze on the now-clearly-empty bar.

“Yep…they don’t know how to stock a bar, man…”

I laughed.

“It’s good to see you, Paulie.” Tristan babbled merrily. He was the only one to call me that, knowing it made me sound like a bird. In college he used to annoy me by calling out ‘here birdie, here birdie, birdie’ in the hallways.

“It’s good to see you, too.” I said simply and his smile faded. There was a moment of silence.

“I couldn’t come back…I couldn’t face you anymore.” I told him and he nodded.

“Paul –” He looked straight at me “- I never blamed you for Cindy…and I’m sorry if you felt that I did.” His gaze fell to the floor.

“I know.” I replied simply because it was pointless to try and explain to him that I blamed myself for that night and everything that was lost on that dark road. He knew - they all knew.

“Maybe someday you will see beyond what was lost that night and learn to live again. I really hope I get to see my friend Paulie again. I really do miss him.” I looked at him with a bitter smile.

“I miss him too.” I replied.

“You’re not gonna skip town again, are you?” He asked carefully and I smiled reassuringly.

“No, I’m home.”

“Okay! Good! Well, I should probably get home, then. Need to feed the cat and all.” Tristan announced and I looked at him with a smirk.

“Aren’t you allergic to cats?”

“Figure of speech, buddy, of course I don’t have a cat, filthy, hairy buggers.” He mumbled and I stared at him amused.

“I mean, I haven’t been home in a while…and I miss my bed.” He grinned at me before throwing open the closet door and pulling out a large, leather bag.

“Do you need a place to crash tonight? I really wanna catch up, but I’m afraid I’m falling asleep as I’m saying this.” He babbled as he started to throw clothes and belongings carelessly into the bag. I laughed.

“Nah! I got a room at Madison Towers, just over the bridge.” I motioned in that general direction. “We can catch up tomorrow, though?” I suggested.

“Awesome, yeah! Uh…Need a lift?” He asked and I smiled amused.

“You have your car here?”

“Well, yeah!” He exclaimed and I laughed again.

“No, I’ll just catch a bus.” I replied and he looked at me dumbfounded.

“A bus?! Paul, you do realize that it’s after one in the morning?” He asked and I glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. 1h34.

“I’ll be fine.”

“Okay then…but I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” He asked anxiously and I smirked.

“Yeah…of course. Go home. Get some sleep.” I gave him a hug.

“Right! Welcome home, bro!”

“You sneaky devil.”

“Hey, someone had to take action.”

Ten minutes later I watched him drive off. I stared at the disappearing tail lights until they were completely out of sight before I turned and strolled off in the opposite direction. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but it did not bother me. I was home and it felt good.