It's My Life • Shawn Hunter

78| Easy Street

Zoey shivered as she walked into the Matthews' household from the back. Cory was eating cereal at the kitchen table.

"Hey, Zo." Cory greeted with a smile.

"Hi, Cor." Zoey greeted back, rubbing her hands together. "Is it possible to have some coco?"

"Sure." Cory simply answered, getting up from the kitchen table. Then a second later, Shawn walked through the back door, practically shivering and shaking to death from the weather outside. "Shawn. A little breakfast?"

"Lunch." Shawn corrected. "I'm on lunch."

Zoey furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "It's 8:30 in the morning."

"I've been working in the docks since 3 A.M." Shawn grumbled, still holding himself for warmth. "Do you know how cold it is at 3 in the morning?"

"Nippy?" Cory guessed.

"Yeah. Nippy." Shawn sarcastically repeated. "Do you wanna watch me break my ear off?!"

Zoey wrapped an arm around Shawn, gesturing him to sit down at the table. "Sit, darling. Cory will make you some chocolate."

"I thought you said it was easy on the docks." Cory said as he walked over to the cabinet.

"That's what it said in the brochure." Shawn replied, removing his beanie and gloves. "So I shove up this morning, and the wind-chill factor is, like... Jupiter, so I go up to the boss and say....." He then mimicked himself shivering, mumbling as if he was speaking. "And he goes, 'Yeah, but you took the job'. And I go...." He repeated his shivering and mumbling. "And he goes, 'That's nice. Christmas presents for your friends'. And I said..." He mimics the mumbling and shivering once more. "And he goes, 'Oh, look. Turkish freighter.' And all of a sudden, in comes in Turkish freighter."

"Unexpectedly?" Zoey wondered as she sat down at the table.

"Out of the mist it came." Shawn replied. "That's my wonderful job, guys - 3 in the morning, 50 below, unloading the same Turkish freighter that brought in the Outbreak Monkey. Do you know something? If I go, you go!"

Shawn marched over to Cory and shoved his freezing cold hands across Cory's face, making him jump at the change in temperature.

"Ahh! Ahhh!" Cory cried out, pushing Shawn away. "Now you get no coco!"

"So, how's your jobs?" Shawn wondered, looking between his best friend and girlfriend

Zoey shrugged. "It's fine. I mean, being a cashier in a café is easier than it looks."

Cory nearly grinned but held it back. "It's tough. It's very tough. It's brutal."

"You got a cushy job!" Shawn exclaimed.

Cory's face broke out into a grin. "Yes!

••••

Later in the day, Zoey and Shawn had managed to have time to spare and was down at Little Pauley's restaurant to see Cory in action, working at his cushy job.

"Yo, coffee boy, if I might." Mr. Fontaine called.

"Watch me make 20 bucks." Cory whispered to his friends before he rushed over to their table. "Yes, sir, Mr. Fontaine."

Mr. Fontaine gave him a $20 bill as he usually did and Cory grinned, immediately turned to go show off to his friends.

"Buh-buh-buh." Mr. Fontaine muttered, stopping Cory.

"Oh, yes of course there's the other part. Where I do something." Cory said with a sheepish smile.

Mr. Fontaine slid an envelope to him. "You take this envelope, you go the mailbox on 14th and Pine."