When the woman answers the door, my suspicions are confirmed. My knock woke up the dog who woke up the baby. The woman looks tired and out of sorts and mumbles something about them not being interested in buying anything.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am,” I say. “But I’m not selling anything.”

“We’re not interested in being converted either,” she snaps and tries to close the door.

She’s in a somewhat precarious position, trying to both calm the screaming baby and keep the dog from escaping using just her foot, so I don’t want to press on the door and force it open.

“I’m actually here to talk to Ricky. Is he home?”

Her expression changes immediately.

She no longer looks annoyed but pissed off.

Her eyes get small and laser-like and she gives her dog a stern kick to push her away from the door. Even the baby seems to stop crying for a moment.

“Are you kidding me?” the woman snaps. “Are you seriously coming here to my house in the middle of the night?”

“Um…” I mumble, not sure what she is referring to.

“What the hell do you want?” she asks, pushing her stringy unwashed hair out of her face.

Dressed in sweats and with bags under her eyes, she looks the epitome of a new mother.

“I’m not sure who you think I am—” I start to say but she cuts me off.

“I know who you are. You’re the slut he knocked up. Is that why you’re here? You want money?”

Dumbfounded, I shake my head.

“No, no,” I say. “You have me confused with someone else. I’m not his…anything. I just have a few questions to —”

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear it!” she yells and throws something at me.

It hits me straight on the forehead, but it’s light and small and does little but stun me.

When the door closes, I figure that that’s it. She won’t let me see Ricky and I can’t really get past her to get to him. But then it opens up again.

The light from the living room wraps around his face, obscuring most of it. All I can make out is a little bit of the mustache and the thick dark curls.

“Why did you follow me here?” Ricky asks.

“I need to talk to you, please.”

He raises one eyebrow as if he’s considering it but then shuts me down. His wife says something in the background while the baby cries and the dog barks.

“Please, it won’t take long,” I try again.

“You need to leave.” Ricky shuts the door in my face.

I walk back down the stairs in a state of shock. Normally, I’d cry either from anger or frustration or both but on this occasion for some reason I can’t.

I just feel lost and confused.