Chapter 12
Jack came downstairs half an hour later, fully dressed in another set of Bobby's old clothes.
He saw Evelyn sitting on the couch knitting.
"Good morning Jack, come and sit down." She gestured.
Jack sat on the couch opposite her.
Evelyn didn't say anything at first, Jack had expected another telling off for stealing.
Instead she continued to knit.
Jack became impatient, he also longed for food.
Eventually Evelyn rested the knitting needles on her lap, fiddled with the wool for a while and then looked up at Jack.
She was offering him the black and grey scarf.
"Here, think of this as an early Christmas present." She grinned at him.
Jack continued to stare at the piece of knitting. A present?
He didn't remember receiving a present from anybody before, nevermind one with so much effort and thought put into it.
Dare he accept it?
Evelyn was still holding it out to him, he glanced at her again and then reached towards it.
He took it from her hands slowly, it was clearly a scarf. He admired the intricate patterns within the wool. It looked extremely complicated.
Evelyn grinned at him, he looked up at her and for a second, they held each other's gaze.
A moment later, Jack was shocked as he felt a huge smile forming across his face. He was the happiest he had been in years.
Jack didn't notice Evelyn reach behind the couch and pull out a camera, she quickly snapped a picture of him and he blinked. Not sure what had just taken place.
"Sorry!" She said. "I just had to have proof that you actually smiled!" She seemed delighted, and then the pair of them began to laugh.
Suddenly, Bobby appeared at the doorway.
"What the…" He began, but he was cut short at the sight of Jack laughing. He saw the scarf in Jack's hands.
"I thought someone was being tortured in here with that awful noise! I should have warned you about his laugh Ma, it scared the shit out of me."
"Bobby Mercer, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Jack's laugh, stop teasing him." She wasn't laughing anymore, nor was Jack, he seemed hurt by the comment.
Evelyn stood up and pinched Bobby's ear. She dragged him into the kitchen away from Jack.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Let go Ma!"
She released him and stood facing him, with her hands on her hips.
Bobby knew he'd crossed the line.
"Bobby…Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you do that? Why did you insult and embarrass him?"
"Ma, I was only having a—"
"A what? A laugh at other people's expense? You think that's ok? Given his current state of mind?"
"I didn't mean to… I just…"
"You're upset because Jack is getting most of the attention now. I know because you did this with both Jerry and Angel. You've had your turn now Bobby, it's Jack who needs help. He needs your help. Don't forget what he is going through and what he has been through, you should know more than anybody."
Wow, Evelyn always did a great job of making Bobby feel like shit.
"You're right Ma, you're totally right… you always are. I'm sorry."
"It's not me you should be apologising to."
There was a pause.
"…Ok."
Bobby left the kitchen and sat on the couch beside Jack.
"Listen, Jackie, I know that I was kind of… mean, before, but you have to understand that as well as looking after you and shit, making fun of you is also in my job description. That doesn't mean that when I tease you what I'm saying is true, it's just supposed to hurt your feelings a little bit. You get me?"
Jack looked puzzled.
"Why would you do that Bobby?"
"Uh…Because of all the things I just said." With that, Bobby stood up. "We're gonna be doing a little "retail therapy" today Jack, so if you want breakfast, you'd better get it now."
"Angel? Angel where the hell are you hiding man?"
Bobby was upstairs searching for Angel, so far he wasn't in the bathroom, or his bedroom.
He decided to check Jerry's room. Lord knows why he would be in there.
"Angel? You in here? What the fuck? Angel what the hell are you doing?"
Bobby found Angel's legs sticking out from beneath Jerry's bed. There was a small yelp as Angel hit his head.
"Yeah. That's what you get for going through your brother's stuff." Bobby sat down on the bed roughly, stood up, and then sat down again. He repeated this a number of times.
Muffled screams were coming from under the bed.
"Aah, Bobby stop it, man! It's gonna break!"
"You should have thought about that before going under shouldn't you?"
Eventually Bobby stood up and took hold of Angel's ankles. He pulled him out from under the bed.
"There, I saved your life, you owe me." Smirked Bobby.
"I owe you fuck." Said Angel, he was extremely pissed off.
"What were you doing under there?" Bobby asked.
"What the fuck do you think? Dusting?"
"Listen, fuck you Angel. Where's Jerry?" Bobby lost his nerve.
"Outside."
Bobby left the room and went outside to find Jerry.
He found him carrying a plank of wood towards a tree in the garden, at the foot of the tree there were already many planks of wood.
"What are you doing Jerry?" Asked Bobby.
Jerry swung around to face him and dropped the plank of wood on the ground. He wiped sweat from his brow, he had obviously been working all morning.
"Tree house." Jerry panted.
"Oh, ok…I take it you don't want to come shopping today then?"
"Afraid not Bobby, I have work to do."
Bobby looked again towards the tree, he saw the feeble outline of a tree house in the boughs.
"Yeah, you're right. Oh by the way, I think you should know I just found Angel snooping under your bed."
"Son of a…"
Jerry had already begun racing towards the front door.
Nobody tells me anything anymore. Thought Bobby. Oh well. I'll just have to force it out of them.
Bobby went after Jerry, intending to find out what the hell was going on.
