Chapter 3
"Conner, can you believe we'll be eighteen tomorrow? We'll finally be on our own." Murph stuffed the rest of his clothes into his suite case. Murph had been really excited, because he and Conner were moving to their own apartment. Seeing as both of them didn't have very good GPA's, they decided to drop out of school and make it on their own. Murph found a job at a Mc. Donald's, where the pay was seven dollars an hour. Conner was going to work at this meat packing plant, for ten dollars an hour. Murph had thought about it, and maybe someday he would work there, but for now he was going to take it slow.
"Yeah man. What about Rocco, what have you heard from him?" Rocco had recently gotten a job too and was moving out. He didn't say much about it, but he did mention being some sort of package boy.
"Not a whole lot, just that he'll be by us."
"Cool." He and Conner hadn't really been as close since around their fifteenth birthday, even though the past three years has been of peace. Well, sort of. Murph was still haunted by the memories of that night. He wished that he could have stopped her. Thank God Gertrude and her family were out that night, because the crazy kid went psycho, but still. She took her own life and destroyed their house.
Conner woke early the next morning. "Let freedom ring," he said under his breath. He quickly got dressed and walked out into the hallway and into the kitchen. Ma was at the kitchen counter making breakfast.
Conner breathed in the delightful scents; pork sausages, nice juicy bacon rashers, and probably some white or black pudding. Conner poured himself a glass of orange juice.
"How do you want your egg?" Ma asked. Conner stared at her. how could she not know? The woman had been cooking for him for eighteen years now.
"Fried." He answered grimly. He made a face at her. even from turned around she could see him.
"don't be makin' faces at me boy! Or I'll-"
"But ma, I-"
"Hold your tongue, or I'll friggin butcher knife it out!"
"Yes ma'am," he grumbled. He started his breakfast as Murph walked in. He was only in his boxers and had obviously just woken up, because he still reeked of armpits and morning breath.
"Ma, we have to leave in ten minutes." He mumbled. "what?" she replied.
"I said-" he yawned. "We have to leave in twenty minutes." "Murph speak up I can't hear a word your saying." He droned off on his last sentence.
"MURPHY MCMANNUS SPEAK UP NOW!"
"WE HAVE TO LEAVE IN A HALF HOUR!"
"OK, THEN JUST SAY IT!"
"JEEZ, WOMAN!" he grabbed Conner's plate and orange juice and went to his room and slammed the door shut. Conner and his mother sat in silence.
"Not a morning person, I guess." Conner got up and grabbed another plate from the cupboard.
"Well, here we are you stupid boys. Home sweet home." Ma said as she hauled two of their suit cases in the apartment.
"This is more of a shit hole then Ma's house," Murph whispered to Conner, looking up into his face.
"Murphy!" Ma exclaimed. Murph's eyes instantly dropped to the floor.
"Sorry, Ma." she passed him and slpped her hand across his head.
"ow."
After about two hours of stalled labor, the boys apartment was set up. Two shower heads on the wall, a small second hand couch, a little mini-refrigerator, a small round coffee table, and two beds.
"Well well," Murph said as he looked around after Ma had left. "looks like we got our own little shit hole to ourselves!"