Chapter Nine: Futon
Matty and Taylor left the house and got back into the van. They drove to a furniture store nearby and then got out of the vehicle and went inside. They looked around at the mattresses and couches and chairs. A young lady came over and asked if they needed help finding anything. Taylor kept his eyes off her as Matty turned to her.
"Ah, no, thanks, that's alright," he'd said, kindly. He and Taylor then continued walking throughout the store, looking for futons. They eventually found a section, though it was a small one, but Taylor wasn't concerned. He wasn't picky and was willing to take whatever it was they had.
"How's this?" Taylor asked, gesturing toward a black futon. One that resembled the couch that was currently in Matty's living room. Matty looked at it and nodded.
"S'alright," Matty replied. "I'll get some help," he added, knowing that both he and Taylor were quite injured and should lift as little as possible.
Matty went over to the front of the store and asked the woman for assistance. She called for a couple men, one named Jeremy and one named Ricky, to help them as Matty walked back over to Taylor. Jeremy and Ricky came over and asked which futon they wanted, and Matty bobbed his head and pointed to the black one they stood in front of. The men then showed them to the correct box, which held the futon. They lifted each side of the box and brought it over to the front of the store. Matty went off, Taylor following him. He found a picture frame; Taylor knew it was for the photo he'd given Matty and so didn't have to ask.
They returned to the front of the store where Taylor paid for the futon and offered to pay for the picture frame as well. Then Matty and Taylor lead Jeremy and Ricky to the van. Taylor opened the back doors and watched as Jeremy and Ricky both slid the box it into the truck. Once it was inside, Matty shook both men's hands and thanked them for the assistance. Even with all that Matty was going through, he was still a kind and thankful person and it warmed Taylor's heart.
Both got in and Taylor started the van and then they drove back home.
Once parked, Matty got out, the bag with the picture frame in his hand, which he handed to Taylor. Taylor took it and watched as Matty went to the back to get the futon. He tried to handle the box on his own and Taylor wouldn't have it. He knew he'd been shot, but Matty had been beaten and was in pain just the same so Taylor used his good arm to take a side of the box.
"You sure you're alright?" Matty asked, trying to ignore the ache in his ribs as he lifted the box.
"Yeah," Taylor responded. "You?"
"Yeah."
Both brought the futon into the house and then placed the box on the floor beside the door. Matty looked at the couch and then put his hands on his hips.
"I'll call someone to take the couch..." he said.
"Could always put it outside with a free sign," Taylor responded.
It was not something Matty would usually do, as his part of the neighborhood was different than Taylor's. He hesitated, slightly uneasy, before nodding. He knew it would be faster and that it would most likely be taken quickly. It was a not only a nice and comfortable couch, but it was also in good condition. So he went to take the couch and began pulling it across the floor. Taylor helped, using his good arm and seeming to have no trouble maneuvering it despite the fact that he was only using a single hand. Even using his right arm, Taylor felt pain in the bullet wounds as he tensed his body. And Matty felt a burning sensation along his side but neither of them complained. They placed the couch at the end of Matty's drive way and then they went back inside. Matty took a piece of paper and a black permanent marker and wrote down "free" on it then stuck a piece of tape to the top of the page. He then returned to the couch outside and stuck the note to it.
Once Matty stepped back inside, he prepared to take the futon from the box, but Taylor began to speak.
"You wanna get somethin' to eat? I'm fuckin' starvin'," he'd said, which caused Matty to laugh. Matty remembered they hadn't eaten since morning and that Taylor had always had a big appetite.
"Yeah, how's Manganaro's?" Matty asked. Manganaro's was an Italian market and deli; a place Teddy had introduced him to a long time ago. Remembering what Teddy had done, being reminded that his uncle was now dead, Matty's stomach twisted. He didn't have much of an appetite at all, especially with those thoughts in mind, but he shrugged it off and focused on Taylor. Manganaro's was a place he and Taylor had eaten at quite a few times together and both enjoyed the place and the food.
Taylor agreed and the two headed back out. They drove to Manganaro's, where Matty ordered an Italian sub while Taylor ordered a meatball sub. They ate inside, sitting across from each other at one of the small and rounded tables. Matty ate slowly and didn't finish the sub, while Taylor ate quickly and finished the entire thing, brushing his hands together once finished. Matty offered the rest of his sub to Taylor who took it and ate it. Once finished, they stood up from the table and both threw out the trash. Matty said good bye to the owner before they left and drove back home.
When they returned to the small, white house, the couch was already gone much to Matty's surprise.
"Anything free, you can bet it's gonna go fast. Whether they need it or not," Taylor said. Matty nodded.
Once inside, Matty moved the coffee table over to the left side of the room so that they could set up the futon. He took the futon from the box and then he and Taylor began to assemble it. Matty wasn't used to assembling furniture and had some difficulty, but Taylor had done this sort of thing more than a few times and made it easier for his black-haired friend. They both tightened all the screws for the stretchers, using a screwdriver, then tested the futon. It easily converted from a couch into a bed and so the two then put the mattress in place. They kept it as a bed and realized that it fit in the room well enough. Matty was pleased with it. He'd considered turning it back into a couch but decided against it; he thought maybe if he kept it as a bed that he'd fall asleep on it with Taylor. The idea of sleeping in his bed alone wasn't appealing to him, especially now. It was a futon that they could sit on even if the lower level was pulled out to make a bed, as the back of it was still in tact and they were able to rest their backs against it.
He and Taylor then sat down on it, their legs on the mattress out in front of them.
"Not bad," Taylor said. "Not bad at all."
To be continued...
