Josh walked straight up to them, on the other side of the road.
“Hey … Josh,” said Bianca, visibly shocked. She stood with the man beside his convertible, looking stunned and scared.
“Hi. What’s going on here?” Josh asked, ignoring the other guy’s presence.
“Hi Josh. I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Clearly! What’s the deal here, Bianca?” Josh stood right in her face, trembling in anger.
“My guy, I’m Adrian,” the man greeted, extending his hand. He was a tall, handsome chap, seemingly in his mid-thirties. “I came to say hi to Bianca. That’s all.”
Josh focused solely on his girlfriend, neglecting the hand and explanation. “Bianca, what’s going on here?”
“He just told you, Josh,” she responded, annoyed now. “Adrian just came to say hi.”
“It’s true, bro,” Adrian confirmed, with a fleeting smile.
Josh turned to Adrian now. “Dude, you’ve said hi to her now, OK. I’d appreciate it if you left her alone, and for good. Please don’t come back here. She’s got a boyfriend. I’m being nice right now. Do not return, please.”
“What’s your problem Josh? I can have guy friends if I want, OK!” Bianca spat.
“Maybe I should leave the two of you alone,” said Adrian, jumping into his car without opening the door.
“I mean it, dude. Don’t come back!” Josh shouted.
“Adrian, you’re my friend. You can visit me if you want.”
“Hey, you shut up!” Josh yelled, turning to Bianca. He quickly turned back to Adrian. “I’ve been nice dude. I hope you understood me.”
Adrian let out a slight giggle as he revved his engine up, and drove off.
“What the hell was that, Josh?” Bianca asked, walking towards her front door, disgusted.
“You’re asking me that? What a nerve. Are you high? I should be asking you,” he responded, following her. “Who the hell was that, Bianca? And where did you find him?”
“He told you. He’s Adrian, just a friend, OK.”
“Stop walking. I’m trying to talk to you.” He grabbed her by the hand. “Does Adrian know that you’re pregnant? Does he know that we’re going through a terrible ordeal right now? He is not welcome here, OK?”
“Are you finished?”
Josh took a step back. A thought hit him, suddenly. His jaw dropped to the floor.
“What?”
“Where did you get the six grand, Bianca? Was it from him?”
She looked away.
“Did you get it from him? Answer me.”
“Yah … sort of … we need it don’t we? I was just trying to sort this problem out. That’s all.”
Josh had his hand on his mouth, in utter disbelief.
“We need the money, so I went out and got it. What’s your problem?”
“And what are you giving in return, huh? There’s no free lunch. You know that. He gives you six grand; what are you giving him?”
“Nothing, man. You pervert! What do you take me for?”
“You don’t wanna know, right now.”
“You know what, I’m tired of your insults. Good night,” she said.
“You’re gonna give that money back, Bianca. Do you hear me? And stop calling our child, ‘the problem’.”
Bianca opened the front door and slammed it behind her.
Josh just stood there, on her lawn, still highly annoyed. He needed to cool down – let the dust settle a bit.
He covered his face with his hands, trying to make sense of it all.
Bianca had her own special way of getting under his skin. She’d succeeded, once again.
***
Tell us what you think: Do boyfriends have a right to control who their girlfriends see, especially regarding male friends?