Zac flopped down on the dusty sofa that sat in the back storage room.
So far he'd spent three hours back here, breathing in the dust. Tammy had assured him it would be at least a few more before his task was completed. Figuring there was no point in rushing it, he decided to take a quick break.
Looking around the room at the metal shelving that had been empty when he had started, a quiet grin crept up on his face. The shelves were now, for the most part stacked half full of heavy boxes.
Looking at his wristwatch he sighed.
He stank worse now then he did when he came in, causing him to frequently remind himself not to make any sudden movements…his armpits could stay sealed that way.
Standing up, he walked into the front room and stopped in front of Tammy's office.
"Hey Tammy?"
"Yeah?"
She answered not looking up from her desk.
"I was wondering if I could run home for lunch or something…I'm real hungry, and I could kinda use a shower.
She didn't respond immediately. Zac watched as she shoved the end of her pen in her mouth and chewed a little.
"Tammy?"
"Um….yeah. I'm going home for lunch in about 45 minutes. Can you wait that long? I can give you a ride then if you want."
Zac watched her expression change, questioning him but still not looking up.
"I guess."
"I promise it won't take long okay?"
"Sure."
Zac's shoulders slumped and he turned, heading back to the big truck sitting by the garage door in back.
He hadn't picked up breakfast for fear of being late, so he was running pretty much on an empty stomach, that is of course not including all the beers he'd had the night before, but he figured they really weren't of nutritional value anyway.
The room that he was unloading into was actually very dirty, it had a musty smell that Zac didn't exactly find the most pleasant. There were no windows, that in itself wasn't really a problem, enough fresh air came from the big garage door, it just looked dim and dark. The concrete floor was splotched in places with oil and stains. The shelving, metal and gray, the kind you can get at True Value but takes 20 people to put together and turns out like it was recycled after being thrown in the middle of a highway and hit by a semi, was pushed all along the walls, with two rows in the middle of the room.
Zac chuckled thinking he had been suckered into stocking the almost empty room to brimming full.
Not a problem though, it brought money, and Zac needed money.
Walking up the ramp into the back of the truck, he stopped, placing his hands on his hips and shrugging.
"Only a few more."
Walking to the back, he picked up a few boxes and shoved them toward the front.
Tossing the bag carelessly into his cart he continued on, his feet scuffing and squeaking on the floor.
Surprisingly the market was fairly empty. Although, he did now remember that it was only 1:30, people were either at work, or watching Jerry Springer or, as the world turns. Certainly not shopping for what would be the rest of the months rations.
Taylor sighed. The day had gone by sluggishly. Brent had picked him up, they'd talked for while, then Brent, insisting he had other things to do had dropped his friend back off at his apartment, yeah, the one with no cable. The supermarket was quite a few blocks away, it was times like these that Taylor really wanted a car. It would help to get a job first wouldn't it? Yes…he thought as he stopped again, this time grabbing a tube of toothpaste. Yes he needed a job then he might actually be able to buy lunch meat, and bread and eggs. Like NORMAL people. Or maybe he should have just stayed quiet a while back and he could be at home. A little more security over his head…a little more food in the fridge perhaps.
Grabbing a loaf of bread, then looking up and wondering how he'd made it that far so quickly, he tossed it in the cart along with his other collections. What really sucked he thought, was that in the back of his head he knew that he really was starting to regret the fights, and the yelling, all the screaming and crying. He was starting to wonder if it was all really worth being alone all the time, and not being able to talk to family, mom for instance, when he really needed their support.
Actually, he thought, that his mother really hadn't been fair had she? She'd sided with Isaac almost instantly in the matter of the girl. Taylor's face twisted in disapproval. Yes she had hadn't she. She'd only seen that it was he, Taylor that had ended up with the girl, and not Isaac, who had started out loving her. But what she REALLY didn't see, was that Zac was more of a sleaze then he was, he had his own hand in all the corruption but Taylor and Isaac were the only two to really see it.
Taylor shook his head, no, he thought, they hadn't really seen it, they'd suspected it, but couldn't really express those feelings because of the gap that was starting between them already. He now understood that maybe it wasn't just the three Hanson brothers that really dug into each other, but maybe it had something to do with her, maybe she wanted it that way. Maybe after all this time they'd blamed each other, when really they should have blamed her.
Taylor jumped, startled at a hand on his shoulder.
"Excuse me? Sir? Are you alright…you seem…a little pale are you all right?"
Taylor shook his head and then looked at the young supermarket clerk.
"Uh…yeah sorry, I'm fine, just thinking that's all."
The clerk wandered away, looking back over his shoulder as if he really wasn't so sure, and had to make sure this person really was all right.
Shaking his head to clear the weird thoughts passing through his brain. Wondering why he'd actually stopped just to think. Wondering why he was thinking those thoughts, and admitting that he must have looked real strange for someone to actually come over and see if everything was cool…
Taylor looked at the aisle he had stopped in. Lunch meats. No wonder why he was a little chilly.
Starting his slow but thorough scan of the aisles again, he decided his thought would be saved for later. Maybe some popcorn was the right thinking food.
He shrugged.
Why not.
He hadn't really decided in which definitive turn he wanted to take with his college career, that was too hard to pick. He knew he wanted to work with children, or maybe he wanted to. Right then he hadn't even quite decided that. It didn't really mater which age, what grade, or what kind of child. But it had something to do with them he was almost sure, and in order to work at all with children, he figured he needed to know how they thought…or at least somewhat. No one could ever really understand what any person was about, but you could have a heads up for reactions and responses if you knew a little about their brains.
There fore Isaac had concluded, child psychology was in need. Not a simple class by far, but it certainly wasn't his hardest.
Without really knowing he was doing it, he continued to tap away, causing his neighboring peers to glance at him.
"Mr. Hanson."
Isaac's eyes popped from the back of the chair in front of him to the professor.
"Yes?"
"Do you feel that tapping your pencil helps you absorb information more easily? Or is it just a vice?"
Isaac blushed and shrugged.
"Good. I imagine you will no longer disturb us?"
His face still pink, Isaac nodded, setting his pencil down on the arm of his chair.
"Poor kid must be starved."
Locking the door she quickly made her way to the back and into the storage room, and stopped in the doorway, glancing around for Zac until her eyes rested on the sofa.
A smile broke the corners of her mouth and she quietly walked over to him.
She had to admit, he looked perfectly innocent and quiet just laying there like that, no snappy remarks he couldn't keep to himself, no nasty looks. He looked almost like he looked before the parties and the girls, and before all the problems at home. She could only see him, sweet, cute, pudgy, a wonderful happy bubbly child.
"What happened."
Sighing she reached down and touched his shoulder.
"Zac….Zac Honey."
He stirred rolling over onto his side to face her.
"Mmm….wha?"
"You wanna go home, eat a little? Take a shower."
Zac yawned and nodded at the same time.
"Okay get up then."
She turned, looking at the shelves stacked full of boxes. She then looked into the back of the truck.
"You're finished?"
"Yup."
"You got all that out before 2?"
"Yeah."
"Wow."
"Why."
"Well because, I just expected you to be here until….well until I left is all. You did it all by yourself?"
"Ayup. My friends aren't really the type who come on over to bust their asses."
"That's really cool, well I mean that you got all that work done alone. I guess then that I can just leave you home when we get there?"
"Yup. I guess."
"Wow you sure are talkative when you get up. Anyone ever tell you that?"
"Nope."
Tammy laughed and wrapped one arm around him.
"You're a good kid, no matter what anyone tells me."
He smiled at her.
"Who's anyone."
Smiling she ruffled his hair.
"Did I mention you smell really bad?"
The two smiled and laughed.
