“I was supposed to call her. But then this thing happened, and this shit got written on my back, and I lost the last two days, so I didn’t call her.”

“I’m sure she’ll understand.’

“Yeah, well . . .”

“What?”

“I wanted to explain to her why I didn’t call. They . . . they stole my cell phone and my wallet and everything, so I decided to walk to her house. I knew where she lived. But she didn’t know that.”

Albert had questions, but decided to let Brian tell the story his own way.

“A little girl answered the door. And I thought, whoa, has she got a little sister or something? And then Jessica came to the door, looking all scared shitless, you know. Telling me to go. And then this guy appears.”

“Oh oh,” Albert said.

“It was her husband.” His eyes searched his father’s. “I didn’t know. Honest. I wouldn’t go out with someone who was married.”

“I believe you.”

“You raised me better than that.”

“Sure.”

“I wanted to explain. But then Ron—”

“Ron?”

“That’s her husband. He wouldn’t let me, and then he pushed me off the front step. And then he kicked the shit out of me.”

Albert felt a hot wave of rage wash over him. “No,” he said.

“He said something like I deserved everything that happened to me. I think he knew that Jessica was seeing me. He called her a whore. I think . . . I think maybe she was seeing other guys, too.”

Albert was replaying in his head what the man had said to his son.

“He said you deserved everything that had happened to you?”

“Something sort of like that. I got what was coming to me, I think it was. Maybe, if he knew Jessica was foolin’ around on him, he’d been following her around. Maybe he saw us when we went to the BestBet.”

“The hotel?” Albert said. “On the highway to Albany?”

Brian looked sheepishly at his father. “Don’t be mad. I wouldn’t want Mom to know I did that. Going to a hotel with a girl without, you know, being married.”

“It’s okay,” Albert said softly, putting a hand on his son’s arm.

Brian sniffed. “I liked her. I thought maybe there was something there.” He bit his lip. “I’m such a dumbass. I should have known better. Maybe she thought I was good enough to cheat with, but really, why would anyone want to be with me for the long term?”

Albert squeezed his arm. “Don’t say that. Don’t ever say that.”

Brian sniffed again. He popped open the glove box with his free hand, found a tissue, and dabbed his cheek. “I’m a nothing.”

“Stop it. Stop it, Brian.” Albert paused, then said, “Tell me again about Ron, what he said and what he did. Everything you can remember.”

Brian went over all of it again.