Jenny and April remained at the brownstone apartment enjoying another round of sex with Max. Raymond had showered and gotten back into his clothes and he and Dave, who already had cleaned himself up, had returned back to work. Raymond took down Jenny's number and promised giving her a call later.
What April never would have known until later—much, much later—was the unexpected package her husband Howard received in his office while she was at that moment enjoying another tryst with Max across the city, this time Jenny had gotten out her camcorder and recorded them together in bed.
The package arrived in the hands of a UPS delivery man who sought directions once in the building where Howard worked and then marched towards his office. Howard looked up, startled, when someone knocked on his glass door and his initial thought was that the UPS man was lost or something. He went to his door and realised the man was not mistaken—he bore a package in his hand that was meant for him that bore his name. Howard signed the receipt and watched the man walk away then shut his door, baffled by his visit.
He returned to his desk and tore open the package and what fell out was a black disc box similar to the one he had fetched in his mailbox the other day that had been for April. He wondered if by some chance some neighbour of theirs was playing a prank on them. Sure, he might laugh at it as long as he got a sense of what the joke was about.
He opened the box and as he expected there was a disc inside which someone had written his name on its surface with a red marker pen. He looked at his watch as if thinking that would give a clue as to whom the sender was. He picked up the package and looked at the address but had no idea whoever it was from.
Howard cleared a path on his desk and slid the DVD disc inside his computer slot. The video player came on instantly. At first it was blank, but then the picture came on seconds later.
Howard's feature underwent sudden change from speculative frown to shocking surprise when he saw what was on the disc and who was on it. He was breathing through his mouth but barely realised that until he uttered a gasp and then had to clamp shut. He turned to his door as if he had just sighted a person's shadow about to knock on his door. He reduced the movie's volume and fast-forwarded through the action. The movie lasted some twenty-something minutes, its content graphic enough to let him know it was real. As if to be sure, he played it again and took his time.
Closing hour arrived and he went through his usual office ritual of first putting away everything he had worked on back into whichever cabinet he had unearthed it from. He extracted the disc out of his computer before switching it off and then returned the disc back into its case. The case went with him along with every other item he had to take with which included his cell phone and car keys. He wore his jacket and switched off the light and locked his door before leaving.
Howard exchanged after-work banter with several of his colleagues—a few were heading across the street to a bar and enquired if he'd like to tag along. Some other time he would have. For this evening, yes, he needed a drink, but wanted to have it alone. He seriously needed to run through the movie he'd watched back in his office. Howard did find himself a bar not far from his home and did have himself a beer. He thought one would do, but after consideration had himself another.
The movie replayed itself over and over before his eyes. Howard asked himself whether to present it to April when he returned home. How would she take it? How would she start to view her friend Jenny, knowing that he had watched a movie clip of her getting fucked by some black man in what appeared to be a hotel room. Another thought that flirted before his mind was Jenny's husband, Dave. Was he aware of such recording of his wife or not? It returned him to the question of whoever it was that had sent the DVD to him in the first place.
Howard finished his beer and settled his tab then returned to his car. He looked inside his glove box and unearthed a mouth cleanser and sprayed some in his mouth to get rid of the alcohol smell. He started his car and drove straight for home.
Lights were burning inside homes when Howard drove into his neighbourhood and minutes later pulled into his driveway and turned off his engine. He sat there for a moment staring at his home, almost expecting it to open and for April to come and welcome him. He cupped his hands before his face and blew his air into it to check his breath. Everything felt good to him. He came out of his car, took off his jacket and hid the DVD case under it as he then walked towards his home.