Love in the Present Tense by Catherine Ryan Hyde

you.”
    â€œWhat’s she doing to me? She makes me happy.”
    Cahill let out a snorting sound, spun around, walked to the other end of the kitchen, banged his head on the wall, and walked back. Like he had all this energy and could not contain it in the face of what I’d said. “Happy?” he said. “Happy? How many minutes out of every week is she making you happy? Look at yourself, Doc. Look what’s happened to you.”
    â€œI have no idea what you’re talking about. You want a beer?”
    â€œWhen we started this business—”
    â€œWe?” I said.
    â€œOkay, when you started this business and I got in on the ground floor with you, we did all kinds of shit. We went dancing. Hung out with girls. Got laid. You were a fun guy. You cared about all kinds of things. You cared about this business.”
    â€œI still care about this business.”
    â€œDo you, Mitch? Do you really? He’s the biggest account we’ve got. The biggest account we’ve ever had. What do you suppose he’s gonna do when he finds out—”
    I heard a little noise from behind him. “Mitch?” Leonard was standing there pulling the elastic strap of his glasses into place behind his head.
    â€œShit,” I said. “Now you woke up Leonard.”
    Leonard said, “I was sleeping but then you guys yelled. Why are you yelling?”
    Actually, I hadn’t known we were. I’d thought we were exercising a certain restraint. “Sorry, buddy. Just working some stuff out. Come on. I’ll put you to bed.” I carried him back to the couch, trying to limp as little as possible, and tucked him in.
    â€œWhatcha watching?” he said. I had no idea. I looked up and a mummy lumbered across the screen in black and white. “Monster movie,” he said. “Cool.”
    â€œYou going to get scared if I let you watch?”
    â€œProb’ly, yuh.”
    â€œJust a few minutes.”
    Cahill was standing in the corner near the birdcage. Looking out at the street. He looked lonely. He looked as if he’d lost his best friend.
    â€œIf you felt this way, Cahill,” I said, “you should have come to me and spelled it out like you’re doing now. Not sniped it out in front of our co-workers.”
    â€œI realize that,” he said. “I know that now. I’m sorry.”
    We all just stood our ground quietly for a minute. Zonker had found his own way back to the cage. Pebbles reached out and picked at a seam on Cahill’s shirt, but he didn’t seem to notice. The mummy came back on-screen and Leonard cupped his hands over his glasses.
    Cahill said, “So. Do I still work here?”
    For some strange reason, for just an instant, I felt something hard at the back of my throat like maybe I wanted to cry. “Nine a.m.,” I said. “Be here or you’re fired.”
    He walked over to the couch and stuck his hand out to me and I shook it. Then Leonard stuck his hand out to Cahill and Cahill shook that, too. Then he let himself out.
    Leonard said, “Are you guys friends?”
    I said, “Yeah. We are.”
    â€œEven when you yell at each other?”
    â€œThat’s the best way,” I said. “If you can yell at each other and still be friends then you know that’s a real friend.”
    â€œOh,” Leonard said. “I didn’t know that. I don’t have friends. Except my mom.”
    â€œHow can you say that, Leonard? You’ve got me. And Cahill, and Hannah and Graff. And Barb. And Zonker.”
    â€œOh,” he said. “Yuh. That’s right. I got a lot of friends now. Don’t I, Mitch?”
    â€œYou got ’em coming out of your ears,” I said.

    The following morning I knocked on Mrs. Morales’s door.
    â€œWho is that?” she said through the peephole.
    â€œMitch Devereaux. Your next-door neighbor? I wanted to ask you about Pearl.”

    â€œI