He slumped up against a nearby brick wall, sliding down it, hitting the concrete and mindlessly running his fingers through his hair; he found his long hair annoying but couldn’t bring himself to cut it, he didn’t really know why, and he didn’t really know if it was a fear, he just couldn’t do it.


    “I should just call Lucy…” Ezekiel began to question his previous statement on just walking home, his house was about twenty minutes downtown and that''s in a vehicle, he’d already walked about fifteen minutes from the station which would make his house about a twenty five minute drive away, and a forty minute walk, that is assuming his poor bones and physique could take him forty minutes downtown.


    He rummaged through every pocket on his attire, from his vest to his pants, etc. attempting to find his phone. He was easily able to tell it had been located when he felt a sharp pain shoot through the nerves in his hand after a shard of glass from his more than shattered screen had nested itself in his ring finger. Instead of being repelled by the encounter with his device he was clearly used to it, and entirely gripped the phone of which the screen appeared to be on the brink of fulminating the moment pressure was applied to it.


    He began ever so poorly searching for his keypad to dial Lucy’s phone number; he specifically used his pinky to dial it, ‘xxx-827-0173’ was the number he meticulously typed out, struggling with every digit and then placing the phone on speaker and allowing it to ring; he wouldn’t dare press the shattered screen to his face, not unless he was paid to do so, Ezekiel would do nearly anything if he was paid to do so.


    To Ezekiel’s surprise it wasn’t Lucy who picked up her phone, instead it was her wife, Miriam, who’d answered the phone; her voice was fuzzy and soft, she’d clearly been asleep or at least on the brink of napping when Ezekiel had called. “I’m really sorry to be buggin’ ya’ but you think Lucy could rip the truck over and get me…?” He sounded far sorrier for bothering Miriam than he would have been for bothering Lucy, he already felt bad for asking Lucy to pick him up but waking up Miriam in the process just made him feel like a bit of a nuisance.


    Miriam yawned, softly whispering her words before clearing her throat so Ezekiel could actually hear her. “She’s in her office right now I''m sure she won''t mind getting you, and, Ezekiel… you’re really not bugging me, you’re not bugging either of us.” Miriam smiled, though it wasn’t visible to Ezekiel over the phone her gentle grin could nearly be heard.


    Miriam reassuring Ezekiel was soon interrupted by the sound of a creaking door; it was Lucy entering the bedroom, it seems she’d heard Miriam was awake and came to check on her. “Ria what are you doing… you should be resting.” Lucy’s voice was far more loving and benign than when she spoke to Ezekiel, of course it would have been it was her wife after all.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    After a moment of silence caused by Lucy pressing her lips to Miriam’s forehead, Ezekiel could almost feel the atmosphere change before Lucy’s next words. “Is Ezekiel on the phone…?” Lucy questioned in a hushed tone, it was difficult for him to tell if she didn’t want him to hear her or if she was whispering because Miriam was sick.


    The stranded detective couldn’t make out what the women were discussing with each other at this point, their voices were too quiet and Ezekiel’s hearing was too bad, though he assumed it was something along the lines of Miriam convincing Lucy to not leave him left wherever he had been.


    The phone went static, Lucy had been taking it into her own hands, sighing and beginning to ask Ezekiel for information so she knew where to go when she went to get him. “So you’re in an alley, again, how lovely…” Lucy inhaled before Miriam chuckled to herself in the background, her voice could just barely be heard stating: “Leave the poor man alone, Lu it’s fine… we should all get iced cream after we pick him up.” Lucy couldn’t help but give in when the woman she loved so dearly asked her like this, besides, Lucy knew Ezekiel had problems and wanted to help him with them, perhaps she was just growing a tad annoyed with the fact Ezekiel himself didn’t want help with his problems.


    The phone beeped, asking for Ezekiel to rate the call; he assumed Lucy was on her way from Miriam asking if they could fetch iced cream after getting Ezekiel from the alleyway. He staggered to his feet, rubbing his hand across both his eyes, the violently loud cacophony of music began again, he had never been fond of punk as an overall music genre, he was more into folk or classic rock.


    After about twelve minutes and sixteen seconds Lucy could be heard taking a sharp corner, it was easy to tell it was her by the blaring music; Ezekiel’s hands were gripped over his ears at the sound of two different music styles, trying his best to stop the music from rupturing his ears.


    Miriam rolled her window down, it was surprising she’d come along, though it was obvious Lucy wasn’t too happy that she’d come with, she’d clearly rathered Miriam be at home sleeping or at least just resting.


    “Ezekiel!” She called, realising the detective could barely hear her and gesturing for Lucy to turn the music down with a friendly grin. Miriam’s door clicked, the woman stepping down from the truck in purple slippers and fluffy cobweb print pyjama pants. Her hair was wavy like that of her wife, though it wasn’t like that naturally, her hair was clearly freshly brushed and trying its best to revert back to its natural curly state. She wore a refreshing smile , her hands held together, entwined in one another; she stood with her heels together, from Ezekiel’s observations alone it was easy to tell she’d been raised by a very proper family, But with prior knowledge he knew she was simply like this.