Genesis: Part 3

Jason's outburst at AJ ran him ragged for days and nagged his mind. He spent most of his time looking for Keesha. When he called it a night, he rarely got any rest. AJ went to great lengths to avoid him, but that wasn't enough. Just being under the same roof as his brother made Jason sick to his stomach. He had to leave or he would explode and take AJ along with him.

After waking from a short nap filled with weird dreams of Keesha, he rose, showered, dressed and started packing. He shoved only the bare essentials into a duffel bag. He'd pick up the rest later once he was settled. His eyes drifted over the room, making sure that he had everything and then he saw it. A photograph of him and Keesha from their trip to Paris. He grabbed it and stared long and hard. A soft tap sounded at his door and even that didn't cause his attention to drift from the photo of happier times.

"Jason?"

In the back of his mind, he acknowledged Robin's voice and nodded a greeting.

"Reginald told me it was okay for me to come up," she said, closing the door behind her. "How are you? You look awful."

"I feel awful," he replied. He tore his gaze from the photo to look at his young friend. "Nobody knows where Keesha is."

"I know," she said. "I spoke to Mary Mae. She said you've been looking for Keesha non-stop. If she doesn't want to be found, you won't find her."

Jason's eyes narrowed and his voice hardened. "Did Mary Mae ask you to tell me that?"

Robin shook her head. "No. I think that you should-"

"Robin, I haven't asked you what you thought," he interrupted as gently as he could.

"Keesha is not the same woman that we remember, Jason."

He gave her a hard look. "So, does that mean I should give up on her? I shouldn't care about her anymore? I'm sorry, Robin, but it doesn't work that way. I can't give up on her. I love her too much. I thought you of all people would understand that."

Her face flushed and became the color of hot pink. "I do. It's just that... I hate to see what it's doing to you. You haven't slept and you look like you haven't been eating either."

"The rest can wait until I find her," he bit out.

"And what happens when you find her?" Robin asked. "She's already told you she doesn't want you in her life. You can't force yourself-"

"I don't intend to," he cut in. He slipped the frame photo inside the duffel bag and pulled the zipper. Pulling the strap onto his shoulder, he looked down at Robin. "I'm sure you mean well, but I don't agree with you. When you love someone, you don't give up on her. The world is a new place for her and it can be cruel and cold. I can't leave her alone out there. She's vulnerable whether she realizes it or not. She also needs me whether she realizes it or not and I need her, too."

He brushed past her and she grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?"

"To find her once and for all."

Robin asked, "What will you do when you find her?"

"Whatever it takes," he said. He shrugged his arm free of her grasp. "Bye, Robin."

~**~

The night crowd at Jake's roared with laughter and mock outrage as they watched the boxing match on the projection television set in the back. Keesha passed out beers and accepted payment without batting an eye. She moved through the crowd and returned to the bar. Jake stood on the far end and talked to one of the regulars. A girl with short blonde hair sat on a stool and nursed a beer. Keesha glanced at her as she set the dirty mugs into the sink.

"Want anything else with that?" she asked.

The blonde shook her head. "No. What's all the noise?"

"The boxing match is on in the back," Keesha informed her while washing out the mugs.

"I don't like boxing. I wanted to play pool, but there's no one to play with."

"You can play by yourself," Keesha told her. She started drying the dishes and looked at the girl.

The girl turned up her nose. "There's no fun in that. I wanted some action tonight. I had a long day at work."

Keesha shrugged.

"I've seen you around. I come in sometimes. My name is Carly," the girl told her. "You're Keesha, right?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"The guys like you. The waitresses don't like that so much," Carly said.

"That's their problem," Keesha replied. "I do my job. I mind my business."

Keesha turned away to set the clean mugs on the shelf over the counter of booze. She could feel Carly's eyes on her back, but neither woman continued the conversation. Then the smell of spicy cologne drifted towards her and Keesha knew without turning around that Johnny had entered the bar. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a vivid gleam in Carly's brown eyes as her eyes drifted over Johnny's tight backside. He ignored Carly and leaned against the bar. "Hey, Keesha. Are you ready?"

Keesha turned around. "Ready for what?" He had already taught her how to ride his motorcycle and once she'd saved enough money, she planned to buy one.

"To meet my boss," Johnny said with a smile.

"Why would I wanna do that?" Keesha asked, aware of Carly's interest in their conversation. She gave Carly a pointed glance, but it was ignored.

"Because I've been telling him about you," he answered, "and he thinks he could use you."

"Use me how?"

"He has a club down on the waterfront and he needs a new hostess," Johnny said. "I told him how you rake in the tips here and how beautiful you are. He wants to meet you."

"I already have a job."

"Honey, go check it out," Jake said, leaving her conversation to join theirs. "Corinthos has a good gig going on the docks. The pay is much better than what I can give you. Check it out and if you don't like it, you can always come back."

"Wow," Carly muttered after swallowing a mouthful of beer. "Talk about getting some breaks."

Keesha ignored her and looked back and forth between Johnny and Jake. "What does a hostess do? Serve drinks and stuff?"

Jake laughed and Johnny shook his head. "Nah, you'd have it easier than that. You'd welcome the guests and show them to their table. That's it."

"And you get to dress up, too," Jake added.

Keesha shook her head. "I don't have nice clothes."

"Don't worry about it," Johnny said. "If the boss likes you, he'll buy the clothes for you."

"I buy my own stuff," Keesha told him in a hard voice.

Johnny raised his hands in mock defense. "I know. I told him that you don't take handouts. Mr. Corinthos would consider it a loan. You could pay him back once you're on your feet. What do you say? Wanna come with me?"

"I can't leave right now-"

"Yes, you can." Jake untied the apron and pulled it from around Keesha's waist. "Go with him. I can take it from here. You can tell me all about it when you come back to your room."

"Okay," Keesha said. Her curiosity was piqued. Everything was so new, and she felt like she was making up for lost time. "Should I change clothes?"

"Nah," Johnny said, taking her hand. "You're fine just the way you are. Thanks, Jake! See ya around."

"Later, Johnny," Jake called out as the pair left her bar. She tied the apron around her waist and looked at Carly and her empty mug. "Want some more?"

"Sure," Carly said, sliding the mug towards Jake. "What's up with them? Is he her boyfriend?"

Jake shook her head. "Not exactly." She grabbed the mug and set it underneath the tap. While the beer poured into the mug, she added, "He wants to be."

"Why won't she let him?" Carly asked, sipping the beer that Jake just handed to her. "He's cute, and he works for an important man, right?"

"I think she's holding out for something else."

"Like what?" Carly asked.

"I don't know, but I think she'll know when she finds it."