Sorry this is so late, and not too long

Wonderful chapter 29

Try

The next day, Tobias did as he had promised. He went to look for a job. From some of his drinking buddies he got wind that someone else they knew had a few openings down at one of the docks. He did his best to convince the foreman, Chester Wiggins that he was the man for one of them. "Toby, I don't know," Chester said from behind his desk. "You're a good man - - when your sober." Chester eyed Toby; Toby eyed Chester. "You been sober lately?"

Snape looked away from Wiggins' eye, he lied, "Yes."

Chet wasn't sure he believed him. Toby was sober at the moment, that didn't mean he'd been sober the day before, or he'd be sober the day after. "If I give you a job driving one of the trucks on my crew, you have to be sober."

"You know I need this job. I got a wife and kid to feed now don't I?"

"In all honesty, I'm not so sure if I give you a job, you'll use the money to feed your wife and kid. From what I hear you're more likely to gamble it, drink it, or smoke it away."

Toby's face went flush. Chester had every right to think that. He knew Stone as well. "I promised Eileen I'd stay sober." Before the other man could say anything disparaging Toby added, "And I mean to try. I only do that stuff when there's no work." This was a lie even to himself; Toby did that stuff when there was easy money as well.

The man behind the desk rolled his eyes. He knew that Tobias Snape liked to live the high life, the emphasis being on 'high.' During the years that Wiggins had known Snape, Toby had his ups and downs. Like himself and many in the area he had just worked at one of the cotton mills, it was not a high paying job, but Toby always had luck at the track. One time after the last of the mills shut down, Toby won big. He disappeared for a while. Rumor had it he was living in London. Then he came back married to Eileen. At the time they seemed to have a lot of money. Before the year was out they had a kid. For five years they seemed happy until the money dried up and Toby went on the bender of all benders, not seeming to be sober a day after. Now the man was standing in front of him asking for help.

"I'll give you a chance Snape, for old time sakes, but if you screw up - - " Chester stood and made sure Toby was listening. "I'll toss your arse out of here so fast."

"You won't regret it."

Chester picked up a form, marking on it. "We'll see. Take this to the personnel office; they'll get you set up. Show up at dock thirteen tomorrow."

Toby took the work form. "Thanks Chet." As Tobias went to get the wheels in motion to start work the next day, his old work mate wondered if he had done the right thing. Only time would tell. In the main personnel office Toby gave the paper that Chester had given him to a young woman behind a pay window. The young woman looked at the paper and went to get her boss. A gruff looking man introducing himself as the manager of the shipping company, Mr. Leech came to the window and eyeballed Toby.

"Mr. Snape," Leech addressed. "Mr. Wiggins seems to think you will do well in one of our driving positions."

"Yes Sir," Toby politely rejoined. "I worked with Chester in mill didn't I, and I've driven for him before."

"Please address the dock foreman as Mr. Wiggins in future please."

"Yeah sure."

A number of other forms were passed through the window to Toby. Mr. Leech told him to fill out the forms. There was a small little desk with a chair in the corner of the outer office. Toby's lank form sat at it and he looked at the forms. He didn't understand half the words on them. Tobias Snape may have been a clever man, but he was not book or letter smart. It was then he realized he had nothing to fill the forms out with. Toby went back to the window and cleared his throat to get the woman's attention. When she looked up he asked, "You got a pencil back there?"

"This is an office isn't it?" The woman said as she handed him a pencil. Toby was halfway back to the desk when the woman said. "You ain't going to fill those work forms out with a pencil are you?"

"What'd you think I was going to do with it?"

"Don't get cheeky with me," the woman protested. "You have to use a pen."

"You got one?"

"I guess."

Toby exchanged the pencil for a pen and went back to filling out the forms. 'What the hell is all this?' he wondered. He didn't remember having to fill out all this crap when he worked before. He hadn't had a proper job in almost a decade. Back then someone would say, 'hey any of you blokes want to drive today?' Whoever got there first was handed a set of keys. Things had changed. An hour later with only half of the papers filled out, Toby was passed by Leech and the office girl on their way to lunch break.

Leech questioned Snape, "You still here?"

"Uh, yeah," Toby muttered. He looked a bit pathetic with the papers strewn across the small table. Leech looked at them and said, "I see. Carry on then. Push them through the window when you're done." Leech and the office girl disappeared leaving a dumb feeling Toby behind. The thought that the little boy playing back at home could have done this faster, and more accurately, bothered him. 'Didn't get those smarts from me.' He finished the rest of the paperwork faster than the first. He wanted to be sure to be done before Leech returned. When he shoved the messy papers through the bottom of the window Toby had wanted a drink in the worst way. Steadying his hands he told himself to think of his family and the thought of getting a drink passed. He would try this one time. Still a young man of twenty-nine, he felt old. He also felt like this might be his last chance to get things right, if that was what he really wanted. Maybe what he really wanted was one more chance to find a big score.

Back at Spinners end Severus was pleading with Eileen, "Mum, you haven't taught me any magic all week."

"I haven't had time to teach you any magic this week," Eileen explained to her son.

This was followed by the obvious question, "Do you have time now?"

Not wanting to disappoint her son, but also feeling a bit lazy she thought of making something that would keep Severus entertained for a few hours. For some time the little boy had been pestering her for a pet. She had always refused on the basis that they couldn't feed a pet so it would be mean to keep one. She thought of a way he could temporarily have a pet that wouldn't need to be fed. "Hang on a bit," Ele said as she looked around the house for something to cast the charm on. Her eyes lit on something in the kitchen window, a row of herbs growing in pots along the window. Seeing one that might be on its last leg Eileen uprooted a sticklewort plant. The limp plant was carried back into the living room and placed on the floor in front of Severus.

"What are we going to do with that?"

"Watch." Eileen instinctively went for her wand, then remembered it wasn't there. "I hope this works without a wand." Ele held her hand over the pitiful looking plant and called out, "Animatio!"

Severus watched as the little plant came to life. It lifted its pointed yellow flowered top as if it were now a head. It looked around. Then its five leafy branches began to lift and stretch like arms. Finally it stood up on root legs. Its full height being around a foot and a half, it looked around the room gaining its bearings. When Severus said, "Whoa Mum," the little plant that had come to life fled behind the couch. "Oh shoot, it ran away."

"Well go catch it."

tbc