A/N: I know I've been slow, but work and school and rehearsals and stuff
don't leave much time for ficcing. Thanks to those who are keeping up with
the story! Send your friends to it! =D Anyway, onto some ficcage. Chapters
should be relatively short from here on out.
VII
"So. . . we should be awl set, right?" Race asked Specs, casually flipping a card between his fingers.
"Yeah, we should be," Specs answered. "Dave's in Connecticut wit 'is aunt. He told 'is family he was gonna woik deah fer a little while while 'is faddah gets goin' again. Good ol' Dave."
"Beautiful job, if I do say so meself," Race said with a laugh. He leaned back in his chair and scanned the room. Most people sat quietly, in anticipation of what was to come.
Skittery sat in silence in the corner with an almost sour look on his face. Rebecca glanced up at him and furrowed her eyebrows. "What's a mattah with you?" she asked innocently, concerned.
"Jist shut up, will ya?" Skittery muttered so nobody else would hear him.
Rebecca glanced at the floor before standing up to leave. "I'se. . . kinda tired. I'se awf ta my lodgin' house," she said relatively softly. She glanced at Skittery once more. He didn't look at her, let alone respond, so she left the building.
Race looked at Skittery expectantly. When he didn't move, Race stood and followed Rebecca out. "Asshole," he muttered. Specs simply sighed and leaned his head back against the wall.
* * * * *
"Aunt Mildred?" Dave asked as he approached a woman at the train station. She turned her attention to him and smiled. "I thought it was you."
"Hey, David," she went over to him and kissed his cheek. "Welcome to Hartford! I'll show you home. You're probably really tired from traveling."
"Yeah, I am pretty tired," Dave admitted politely.
"It's not much of a walk, so I think you can handle it."
"I'm sure I'll be fine," Dave said with a smile. His aunt picked up one of his bags for him and started to walk off.
"So, you're here to do some mill work for some extra money? That was a pretty sudden decision," she tried to strike up a conversation.
"Well, I wasn't making much selling newspapers. I figured my family could use the help. You know how my father's having trouble getting back on his feet."
"You're father's not even fully healed yet. I wouldn't expect him to have an easy time."
"I know. That's exactly why I came," Dave answered, glancing back at the ground.
"Well, I half-expected your father to send you back to school. He's stubborn like that. He'd insist he was fine."
Dave chuckled a little. "Yeah, I know. So did I. I started selling papers, though. That kind of stuck with me. Dad hasn't healed too fast, so I've been at it since the summer. I figured I could make more money up here in a mill than back home selling newspapers."
"They have mills in New York," Mildred said with a laugh.
"Well, none of them had any room," Dave explained. He looked over the streets. They were considerably less busy than those of Manhattan. Most people walking on the streets seemed to have a purpose to what they were doing.
"Well, stay as long as you like," Mildred offered with a warm smile. "My house is your house. Besides, I'm the only one here. There's plenty of room."
"Well, I may just stay for a little while. We'll have to see how this mill thing goes," Dave answered. He seemed unsure of how long he'd need here. He was to stay until he received word from the guys back home. He looked around at his current surroundings and decided they were secure.
"Well, here we are," Mildred announced as they walked up the steps. She opened the door and started up the stairs. "Room 103 here. I'll give you the spare key. Nobody else is here to take it, after all."
"Excellent," Dave said simply.
"I spoke to the managers at the mill for you. You can start Monday. Just go and visit with them to find some more stuff out about your job."
"I'll walk down there in a little bit."
"Good. Well, now for the grand tour!" Mildred said cheerfully, clapping her hands together once. She paused and looked around. "Well, this is. . . pretty much it."
David chuckled and looked around. "You have a lot more room than my family back in New York," he chuckled.
Mildred chuckled and pointed to a small hallway with three doors. "Down at the end is my bedroom. The door on the left is the bathroom. The right is the spare room. Let me show you that now," she brought him over to the bedroom. She opened the door to reveal a twin bed with a home-made patchwork quilt, a small nightstand with a lamp, and a small wardrobe. "I know it's small and it's not much, but I figured it would do."
Dave looked over at her and smiled. "It will do just fine. Thanks, Aunt Mildred."
VII
"So. . . we should be awl set, right?" Race asked Specs, casually flipping a card between his fingers.
"Yeah, we should be," Specs answered. "Dave's in Connecticut wit 'is aunt. He told 'is family he was gonna woik deah fer a little while while 'is faddah gets goin' again. Good ol' Dave."
"Beautiful job, if I do say so meself," Race said with a laugh. He leaned back in his chair and scanned the room. Most people sat quietly, in anticipation of what was to come.
Skittery sat in silence in the corner with an almost sour look on his face. Rebecca glanced up at him and furrowed her eyebrows. "What's a mattah with you?" she asked innocently, concerned.
"Jist shut up, will ya?" Skittery muttered so nobody else would hear him.
Rebecca glanced at the floor before standing up to leave. "I'se. . . kinda tired. I'se awf ta my lodgin' house," she said relatively softly. She glanced at Skittery once more. He didn't look at her, let alone respond, so she left the building.
Race looked at Skittery expectantly. When he didn't move, Race stood and followed Rebecca out. "Asshole," he muttered. Specs simply sighed and leaned his head back against the wall.
* * * * *
"Aunt Mildred?" Dave asked as he approached a woman at the train station. She turned her attention to him and smiled. "I thought it was you."
"Hey, David," she went over to him and kissed his cheek. "Welcome to Hartford! I'll show you home. You're probably really tired from traveling."
"Yeah, I am pretty tired," Dave admitted politely.
"It's not much of a walk, so I think you can handle it."
"I'm sure I'll be fine," Dave said with a smile. His aunt picked up one of his bags for him and started to walk off.
"So, you're here to do some mill work for some extra money? That was a pretty sudden decision," she tried to strike up a conversation.
"Well, I wasn't making much selling newspapers. I figured my family could use the help. You know how my father's having trouble getting back on his feet."
"You're father's not even fully healed yet. I wouldn't expect him to have an easy time."
"I know. That's exactly why I came," Dave answered, glancing back at the ground.
"Well, I half-expected your father to send you back to school. He's stubborn like that. He'd insist he was fine."
Dave chuckled a little. "Yeah, I know. So did I. I started selling papers, though. That kind of stuck with me. Dad hasn't healed too fast, so I've been at it since the summer. I figured I could make more money up here in a mill than back home selling newspapers."
"They have mills in New York," Mildred said with a laugh.
"Well, none of them had any room," Dave explained. He looked over the streets. They were considerably less busy than those of Manhattan. Most people walking on the streets seemed to have a purpose to what they were doing.
"Well, stay as long as you like," Mildred offered with a warm smile. "My house is your house. Besides, I'm the only one here. There's plenty of room."
"Well, I may just stay for a little while. We'll have to see how this mill thing goes," Dave answered. He seemed unsure of how long he'd need here. He was to stay until he received word from the guys back home. He looked around at his current surroundings and decided they were secure.
"Well, here we are," Mildred announced as they walked up the steps. She opened the door and started up the stairs. "Room 103 here. I'll give you the spare key. Nobody else is here to take it, after all."
"Excellent," Dave said simply.
"I spoke to the managers at the mill for you. You can start Monday. Just go and visit with them to find some more stuff out about your job."
"I'll walk down there in a little bit."
"Good. Well, now for the grand tour!" Mildred said cheerfully, clapping her hands together once. She paused and looked around. "Well, this is. . . pretty much it."
David chuckled and looked around. "You have a lot more room than my family back in New York," he chuckled.
Mildred chuckled and pointed to a small hallway with three doors. "Down at the end is my bedroom. The door on the left is the bathroom. The right is the spare room. Let me show you that now," she brought him over to the bedroom. She opened the door to reveal a twin bed with a home-made patchwork quilt, a small nightstand with a lamp, and a small wardrobe. "I know it's small and it's not much, but I figured it would do."
Dave looked over at her and smiled. "It will do just fine. Thanks, Aunt Mildred."