June 2003
If anyone noticed anything wrong with Schemer, they didn't say anything. This suited him just fine. Once upon a time he may have milked his problems for all they were worth, but now he just wanted normalcy.
Treatments were routine and uncomfortable, yet manageable. He made no mention to anyone regarding where he was going on at regular intervals or that he even had appointments. He was preparing to go to his most recent one, which was scheduled in about an hour, when he heard a knock at his door. To his surprise, Billy had come for a visit to his penthouse apartment.
"You busy?" He asked.
"No, not at all." Schemer replied, leading Billy to the living room. He'd much rather talk to a friend than go to the latest treatment.
"So I'm leaving Shining Time." Billy said simply.
"What? Why?" Schemer was surprised. A sudden moment of deja-vu struck him as he remembered Schemee's reaction to when Schemer told him that he wanted to leave.
"Because I don't have a job there anymore." Billy said with a small smile.
Schemer was surprised. Once again, he was struck with the reverse polarity of the situation. Billy explained what had been going on. It had all started when Shining Time Station had essentially been taken over by a new co-owner, Paul Miller. Stacy and Billy didn't particularly like him, but managed to get on without too much incident. However, recently Paul had made the move to make Shining Time Station more automated and had Billy and Stacy laid off. That's all there really was to it. J.B. King didn't or couldn't do much to help the situation
"So do you need a job?" Schemer had concern in his voice. "I can get you one no problem."
Billy smiled again. "No, I'm fine. But thank you for the offer, Schemer. I'm actually heading back to the reservation where my family is from. They've been having a lot of problems so I'm going to go see what I can do to help. I just stopped in to let you know. It's a little ways away, so I probably won't see you as often."
Schemer nodded. "Thanks Billy, I hope it goes well. Let me know if you ever need anything."
When Billy was at the door to leave he turned around and faced Schemer carefully.
"I hope you feel better Schemer. Let me know if you ever need any help." He said softly.
It wasn't until after Billy had left and Schemer was on his way to his appointment that he realized that he hadn't ever told Billy he was sick.
Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men
