PS24
As Roy drove home, he wondered how Johnny was bringing home dinner for his family. Pulling into the liquor store he first grabbed a six pack and then decided on a 12 pack. His best friend had been crushed and hurt by his peers. Plus he felt this was the only way he was going to get any information.
Well Gage, you've done it again. Johnny smiled as the car followed him, ordering pizza for delivery and then going to the DeSoto's. He pushed down his feelings of loathing at the seminar. They weren't going to throw a damn parade for you!
Roy had barely enough time to put the beer in the fridge when Johnny came roaring up. His two children barely contained themselves as their favorite uncle came in.
"Hey guys," the children rushed at him. Both children almost knocked him over and their laughter was contagious
"Hey now you guys are acting like I haven't seen you for years," Johnny was grinning ear to ear and started to laugh louder. He went into his saddle bags and pulled out the drinks even with his hands full, he fully engulfed the DeSoto children with no complaints.
"But it was years and years," Jessica smiled. "It always is Uncle Johnny." Her innocent smile made him forget the traumatized children he saw on a regular basis.
"Joanne," Johnny handed her a cold six pack of soda. "For the kids. Oh and for you," he pulled out a bottle of wine.
"Well Roy said you were bringing home dinner I don't believe it," Joanne crossed her arms as she held tightly onto the drinks.
"Oh," Johnny checked his watch, "it should be here any minute." As if on cue the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," Johnny sauntered to the front door. "Thanks." He took the pizzas and set them on the dining room table.
Roy went to the fridge and pulled out three beers for the adults and Johnny placed soda for the kids. He watched as Johnny was especially quiet and then cheered up.
"Thank you Uncle Johnny," Chris smiled. "We don't get pizza except for special occasions."
"Well you're welcome Chris," Johnny smiled. Thankful he made someone happy.
Johnny had powered down his first beer while Roy and Joanne had barely gotten thru one. "Allow me," Johnny got up and got some more beers out of the fridge and offered both his hosts one.
"I'm good," Joanne waved John away.
"Me too, partner," Roy waved as Johnny sat all three beers in front of him.
Roy and Joanne exchanged looks, thankful it was a school night. Once the kids were done, Joanne cheerfully took them for their nightly routine.
"But Mom," Chris protested, "Uncle Johnny is here!"
"Yeah Uncle Johnny is here," Jessica followed suit as both whines could be heard going up the stairs.
"Um, sorry Roy, maybe I should…" Johnny had taken a swig from his third beer.
"Nope no such deal, let's go out on the deck and take a load off," Roy helped Johnny up and grabbed his other beers.
"But I should help Joanne and…" Roy gently took his elbow and guided him to the deck and plopped him in a chair. The sun was just going down, the soft hues and warm glow made Johnny's heart ache.
Roy joined him a few minutes later.
Johnny lay down on the lounger back and stared at the stars. He heard the crickets chirping, some rock and roll music, a cool breeze and a three quarter moon.
"Man this is the life," Johnny sighed contently. "The wife, kids the whole nine yards," he said wistfully.
"Well it is nice," Roy reflected, "but first Junior you need to get married and then have kids, and then we can talk."
Roy looked at his quiet friend as he nursed his beer.
"So when is Veronica due back?" Roy knew Johnny had liked and missed Veronica more than he let on.
"Oh , she'll be back tomorrow," Johnny finished his beer and grabbed another one.
"You know in New Mexico I could see the night sky," Johnny took another swallow of his beer, "but nothing beats being a paramedic."
"Um, Johnny," Roy asked tentatively. "I overheard you looking for some OT."
Johnny looked into Roy's eyes, his brown eyes showing shame.
"Uh Roy, hey man, you….I'm fine…I'm fine," John told himself, finishing off his fifth beer he looked at his friend. "Now let me tell you some of the jobs I worked when I was suspended. There was this one…no can't tell you that and then there was…no way can I tell you that," Johnny chuckled, grinned and blushed.
"But Roy man I had this job practically the whole time. I mean it was golden I had it wired," Johnny said proudly, "If I do say so myself."
"Oh and what was that?" Roy relaxed himself back into the lounger. "Wait one minute."
"Sure pally," Johnny sighed contently.
Roy slipped back into the kitchen, Joanne was waiting for him.
"Hello baby," Joanne kissed him and then handed him the Styrofoam cooler filled with the rest of the beers.
"Well, Mrs. DeSoto you think of everything," Roy reached in and kissed his wife.
"I'm exhausted. We'll talk later after you've talked to Johnny," Joanne kissed him hard again. "I love you Mr. Desoto." She waved goodbye.
The little cooler rattled with the beer, he carried it outside and put it between the loungers.
"Our bar," Roy pointed to the cooler.
"Ah we better make sure we tip him good, otherwise we won't get good service," Johnny grinned.
"I'll have to remember that the next time we play pool together," Roy grinned.
"Hey there pally are you implying something?" Johnny looked miffed.
"Nope just stating facts," Roy eased himself back into the lounger. "You were going to tell me about the awesome job you lined up after your…trouble."
"Oh yeah that, I had a paper route," Johnny said proudly.
"A paper route? Hey I had one as a kid, it was sure damn hard work," Roy shook his head. For little money.
"Well actually I had five of them," Johnny thrust up his hand with all five fingers showing, "five beautiful paper routes. Up at three done by six," John grinned, so I had plenty of time to look for other jobs.
"Wow, I'm impressed," Roy tried to keep his voice calm, his anger barely below the surface his friend had to rely on paper routes to put food on the table.
"Yeah I had a system, three papers and five routes, they were in the same neighborhoods, just had to remember who got what paper. Man I got it down to a science and I didn't throw into bushes or sprinklers. Damn maybe I should have been the pitcher instead of Chet," he chuckled as he reminisced about the ill fated softball game.
"Yeah would have saved us all nine bucks," Roy laughed and noted the more Johnny drank the more he was willing to talk about his last year in California.
"Well anyway what I was saying, I mean it was golden man. I had these five routes and then it got all blown to hell," Johnny finished off his beer and took another one out of the cooler. "Had this one customer, who just wouldn't pay. Man, I don't know how many times I called her so I finally had to confront her." Johnny finished half his beer while Roy was still nursing beer number two.
"So what happened?" Roy couldn't see Johnny demanding money from anyone.
"Well Roy she recognized me. Man I was so mad, oh she paid me the money but by the time I got home that night all three papers fired me. But it was all right by that time it was all pretty much over," Johnny got melancholy finished his beer and got another beer.
Roy looked at him weird and didn't even stop him from getting another brew.
"You okay Roy? I mean this is all water under the bridge. I'm good, real good," Johnny reassured him as he placed his free hand on his chest. "Seriously Roy, I'm over it."
"Okay I guess," Roy uplifted his hands and looked at Johnny who was now on his sixth beer if his count was correct.
"Hey Johnny, I'm real sorry for what happened at the seminar. I know for a fact those guys don't speak for all the paramedics." Roy felt guilty; he knew a lot of the paramedics were behind his friend coming back.
"Hey Roy no problemo," Johnny's words started to slur, "sides I'm used to it because you wouldn't believe some of the jobs I held before I left. And let me tell you pally they were some whoppers!"
"Hey Roy," Johnny giggled, "man you're not going to believe the other jobs I worked,"
Johnny sat up in the lounger, put his feet on the deck and looked Roy straight in the eye.
"Man I worked at a strip club as a dishwasher and they canned me for having a bad reputation. An iffn strip club man." Johnny giggled, the beer now having his effect.
Roy sat up and turned to his friend, nursing his beer and watched as John giggled again.
"Man, I worked as a night clerk in a no tell motel, but it got busted the second night I worked," Johnny grinned, "good thing Vince was there or my ass would have been grass."
"I mean , I wish I had an effen camera Roy. If you could have seen Vince's face man I got him good. How is he doing, good? With my new station we got these grizzled old geezers that don't give a damn about anyone but themselves." Johnny complained.
"But it was good, Vince just hustled me out of that hotel and told me to get the hell out and he'd handle things. I really do owe him a lot, you know," Johnny took another long drag of his beer. Then he leaned back into the lounger.
"Oh Roy you're going to love this, man. I was a septic tank technician. Man, I thought that was so poetic, here I was all ready in the shit and now I was cleaning it up," Johnny was laughing hysterically, while Roy grew quieter.
"Hey man Roy, lighten up, this is good stuff!" Johnny turned his head to his reticent friend.
"Johnny it's just…I don't understand," Roy shook his head.
"Roy, Roy I had a roof over my head, I could feed myself and put gas in my bike," Johnny grinned, "everything else was just icing man. Although the septic tank job only lasted a few weeks, just like all the other jobs. I kinda lost track how many I lost. But the best one was I was a freaking dumpster diver. Can't tell you how many times, recycled cans and bottles saved my ass. Like they said some else's trash is someone's treasure." Johnny chuckled. "Your not laughing man?"
"Sorry Johnny it's just…" Roy couldn't believe his best friend was laughing at all the lousy jobs he had to work just to … damn the department he was going to get Johnny's back pay if it killed him.
Johnny squinted and looked at his watch.
"Damn I got to get going," Johnny stood up and then promptly fell down. "MY legs aren't working, Roy. "
"Give me a minute," Roy ran his hand through his hair and then got up, the ground swayed a bit under him. "Stay here."
"I'm not your dog, Roy," Johnny giggled.
Roy walked to the slider, opened the screen door and the glass slider. He then went back and helped Johnny up.
"Okay partner time to get you to bed." Roy grabbed Johnny's arms.
"Hey now I'm not into that," Johnny giggled again.
To Roy's dismay he had forgotten on how his friend became all arms and legs when drunk. He half carried, half pushed Johnny into the house as he huffed and puffed. Tired he placed his friend on the couch to wipe the sweat off his brow.
Johnny promptly slid down conveniently on the couch, out for the count. He coughed and sneezed once. His soft snoring told Roy he wasn't going anywhere soon.
"Aw the hell with it, "Roy mumbled going to the hall closet he pulled out a blanket and pillow. Going back to the couch, he cupped his arms under John's arms and put him in a comfortable position. Taking off his friends shoes he saw the man's threadbare socks.
"Okay Johnny we're going to have to talk about saving money, again," Roy propped the pillow under John's head and put the blanket over him. He closed the slider, turned off the porch light and then headed towards his bedroom, but not before turning on the night light in the guest bath.
"Sweet dreams Junior, sweet dreams."
