Todd picked up Jerry at about eleven thirty. They hadn’t seen each other in about a month, not since Jerry had started working. He lucked out and was hired by two places at the same time: a large corporate hardware retailer and an independently owned fitness center. He made the best and managed both jobs. Today was his first day off in a couple of weeks.
Jerry locked the door and tucked the keys in his pocket and they walked. The sun was beaming overhead.
“How’s everything, been?” asked Todd.
Jerry shook his head. “I know I’ve bitched a lot about not having a job for a long time; all those nights at your place, or over here, but now that I have one, I’ll tell you, I want out.”
They laughed as they walked.
“Yeah, I tell myself every time I walk into Bedding, Inc. that today is my last day,” said Todd. “I always say, ‘Today, I am walking out of this motherfucker.’”
“I don’t blame you,” said Jerry. “I couldn’t last a month in that place. You’re a better man for sticking around there for so long.”
“Yeah,” said Todd. “I’m gonna be gone soon enough, I might as well make the best out of it.”
They stopped at the curb.
“Where’s your truck?” Jerry asked.
“Oh, Melissa borrowed it,” said Todd. “She’s helping a roommate move out, and she’s moving in a whole lot of new furniture. I’m using her car in the meantime.” He shrugged and said, “Cuts back on gas.”
“Everyone’s moving, it seems,” Jerry said.
They drive a while. Outside the car Jerry watched people ride bicycles and walk their dogs. Some have made a break for the beach. It was a decent day and with no agenda. The California weather everywhere else was jealous of.
“So, I gave notice yesterday,” said Todd. “Two weeks and I’m gone for good.” They both laughed as Todd said, “Fuck that place.”
“Really?” Jerry asked.
“I got the green light on the new place,” Todd said. “The house up in the city.”
Jerry chewed a hang-nail from his thumb, spit it out, and asked, “What are you going to do when you get up north?”
“Travis is going to be moving out there next month. He’s gonna have me working for him, some new software designing company. He’s going to train me on all the coding and everything.”
Jerry nodded and said, “Good shit.” The sun beat down on the windshield and they both had an arm leaning out a window.
They parked and got out. It was about noon when they met Chris and Ben at the Sunken Steam. They took a few seats around one of the tables. Tom Petty was on the juke box. Each of the men drank quickly. The waitress brought the second round and asked if anyone would like to order food. “No, thank you” was the general consensus.
She walked away as Chris picked up his conversation with Todd. “Okay,” he said, “So this guy I knew, this friend of mine I used to hang out with in high school,” he sipped his beer and said, “He used to finger his cat.”
There was an abrupt pause. The other three men sat staring at Chris with their glasses half-way to their mouths.
“What?” said Ben.
Todd and Jerry didn’t have to ask. Their faces said the word just fine.
Chris giggled and brought his glass to his jaw, “No, no, I’m serious,” he said, “I’d be over there, and we’d be watching TV or something, and his cat would come over and just stick it’s ass up in the air.” He sipped, said, “The fucking thing wouldn’t go away until he did it.” He set his glass down, leaned in and continued, “This cat, it was real quiet, it wouldn’t ever bother you if you came over . . . But I tell you, it sure as shit enjoyed his ass being played with.”
The others began laughing and booing, pointing their fingers and accusing Chris of being the “friend.” Chris kept shaking his head and saying, “No, no, it wasn’t me.”
“Sure, it wasn’t,” Todd winked and Jerry lit a cigarette. Ben said, “Shit, I got a wife that does that. Same thing, too: You don’t hear a word, not a peep—you’d think she was up to something. . . Suddenly she’s there at your side, and she wants a finger in her ass!!”
The table erupted with laughter. Jerry coughed and said, “Maybe she is up to something.” The laughter sustained. Someone asked, “How did we get on this topic anyway?” and the waitress came back with another round. Ben patted Todd on the back and offered to buy this round, saying, “It’s not going to be the same without you.” He signaled toward Chris with his thumb, looked at Todd and said, “Who’s gonna keep me from killing this guy after you leave?” Someone entered the bar and the sunlight pierced Jerry’s eyes.
When the clock read four in the afternoon Todd and Jerry were back at Todd’s place, a bottle of red wine between them. They sat cushy on large soft couches. “When are you going to start the move?” Jerry asked.
“I was thinking during the last few days of work at Bedding, Inc.” He drank a mouthful of wine, said, “Melissa’s got a storage space she barely uses and I agreed to pay the fees for a few months until I can find a place to keep everything.”
“Well,” said Jerry, “If you need any help just let me know.” He said, “I’ll have a few days off between now and then.” Todd tipped his glass and thanked Jerry.
“Congratulations on everything,” said Jerry. They toasted and emptied their glasses and Todd reached for the bottle. “Yeah,” he said, looking out the window, across the sand and into the water, “Sure will miss living in paradise, though.”
Author: Lawrence Goodwin
