In The Beginning
It was a warm, lazy day in the little town of Spreckels, California. There was not a cloud to be seen in the pale blue sky and only a gentle breeze was creating movement to the Monterey Pines lining the dirty brown roads. The houses here were as simple as the lifestyle, wooden and small but sturdy as a rock. The only noise to be heard was the distant laughter of children at the local school being carried on through, on the gentle breeze.
George was almost eleven, although he could have been as young as nine due to his small stature. He had messy brown hair and a tanned complexion due to the blazing Californian sun.
George didn't attend school like most kids of his age. He lived with his mother in a small shack surrounded by woods north of Spreckels, about seven miles from the main city of Salinas. The land was dry and as there was no father around to make a stake, George had taken up a job at the local sugar plantations while his mother attempted to grow whatever vegetables she could to feed herself and her son. George really should have been at work but because it was a warm lazy day he decided to lie on the gallery and daydream about an easier life.
"GEORGE MILTON! Where the hell are you?" George's mother suddenly emerged from the house screaming for all to hear. She was a small woman with quite a pretty face and long dark curly hair that rested on her floral dress; she was also wearing an apron that was as dirty as the carrots she had clutching in her right hand. "What are you doing sitting on the gallery just dawdling, honestly boy I wish your father ad' tol' me he was gonna' leave me with a lazy frog for a son, why aren't you at work then?" Arguing with his mother was something George had grown accustomed to but today he was feeling so lazy he gave in. "Alright ma' I'm goin". He stumbled up, brushed himself off then started towards the plantation up the road.
Although George was walking in the right direction he knew he didn't have a job to go to anymore, the boss said if he was late one more time then he could easily be replaced by a grown man who'd work eight times better. "Stupid mother, stupid work!" George grumbled to himself while dragging his feet along the ground. He looked up and realized he'd walked into the bushes so he decided to go down to the river and maybe relax there throughout the day, then come home and tell his mother he had gone to work .
Just as he was walking down the slope towards the water George heard a scream coming from back up on the road from where he came. George ran as fast as he could to see what all the commotion was about. As George came up the slope he saw two boys about his age punching and kicking one larger boy who didn't appear to be doing anything about it but hollering his head off while clutching what looked like a strip of velvet.
"What are you doing?" George yelled, "why don't ya' fight back?''.The larger boy looked up at George with curiosity "You're twice the size of em!'' George yelled. "Go on, fight back." The larger boy turned around to the two boys kicking him and grabbed the back of their necks like they were scrawny ,wild rabbits. He bumped their heads together and both of them got knocked out simultaneously. "Wow! that was great" George said impressed ."Th...thank you" the large boy replied.
"What's ya' name then? I'm George, George Milton". "My...my names Lennie". George stood back and observed Lennie for awhile. Something wasn't quite right with him. He was very tall and heavy built, wearing some large overalls with a dirty white t-shirt underneath. He had a big, round head and a very confused expression on his face.
"How old are you Lennie?" Lennie looked up at George and showed him ten fingers. "I see". Said George. George was going to ask about the velvet cloth still clutched in Lennie's right hand but he felt a hungry pain in his belly and realised it was about noon...lunch time.."Well you want to get lunch with me Lennie? You can tell me why two guys like them were beating up a big guy like you." George added laughing. Lennie nodded hesitantly.
George started to walk back up the path and turned around "You coming or what?" Lennie brushed the dirt off his hands and followed slowly behind him.
As the two walked off towards town both of them didn't realize that this would be a friendship to last a lifetime.