Little Moments

Slow Down

"Curtis, go home." Each word was enunciated so clearly it left no room for argument. Possibly because this was the third time Gene had told Darry to leave, and each time was met with reasons he should stay. Still, Darry tried to speak up insisting that wasn't necessary. Before the words could cross his lips, he was met with a heavy sigh, "Look, I get it, you're a hard-working kid taking care of your family. But I can't have you stay. It's a liability." Gene shuffled some papers around on his desk before getting frustrated and fishing the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.

"Sir, I'm fine. Really, I can keep working," Darry insisted again as his boss lit his smoke.

"Darrel, you fell off a roof. You're lucky I ain't makin' you get checked out at the hospital," Gene wagged a finger at him.

"I fell off a ladder," He mumbled in response, not that it made much difference, "And only halfway." With two bundles of roofing. It wasn't even his fault, the new guy wasn't paying attention. The ladder wasn't set up too sturdy, and the new guy bumped into it while Darry was climbing, causing him to topple over. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but far from the worst injury he'd ever had. He landed funny on his shoulder, but it'd be fine in a day or two. Darry had gotten beat up worse playing ball in school.

Gene wasn't thrilled to be corrected, "Don't matter, you're off for a week. Get some rest, heal up. You ain't doin' anyone any favors tryin' to push through. Besides, last thing I want is to risk one of my best employees gettin' even more hurt."

As nice as it felt to be called one of the best employees, his worry was overpowering. Skepticism is painted clearly on his face. It finally clicked to Gene why Darry was so hesitant, "You got hurt on the job, you'll still get your weeks' pay." His voice was a little less harsh, and Darry relaxed slightly. Still none too happy to be sent home, "Now go, I ain't gonna tell you again." He pointed to the door with his cigarette, not wanting to hear another word.

"Yes sir," Was all Darry said before he got up to leave, not without wincing. This only proves Gene's point more. Darry straightened himself up and tried to play it off, but now that the shock and adrenaline had worn off, he was really starting to feel the impact of the fall.

Seeing the truck in the driveway at 3 o'clock on a Monday was unusual. Pony's heart beat a little faster, now picking up the pace to get inside. He was certain something was wrong, "Darry?" He called out, somehow managing not to sound frantic. Nothing looked out of place, other than the eldest Curtis milling around the house in the middle of the afternoon. Pony heard a faint response from the hallway, where he found Darry standing in front of the linen closet. Its contents are strewn about the floor, "You're off work early," Confusion overtook the teen. Why the hell was Darry home? And Why the hell was he deep-cleaning the house? The state wasn't due for a visit, they'd just come out a couple weeks ago.

"Job got canceled. Boss didn't have another lined up. Sent everyone home." Darry lied. There was no need to worry his brothers. He was going to go back to work tomorrow anyhow. He'd only left today to make Gene happy. Everything was fine; he'd be right as rain in the morning.

"Oh," Pony wasn't convinced but had no reason to believe otherwise, "Whatta ya doin'?"

Truth be told, Darry tried to relax when he first got home this morning. He took a shower and changed into fresh clothes before making a pot of coffee. For once he read the paper in peace and even finished the crossword. Then he made himself some lunch, and couldn't help but straighten up in the kitchen. Soda and Pony had done the dishes after breakfast but hadn't put them away. He attempted to sit and watch some TV, but he couldn't sit still, so he did some laundry instead. At one point, he even tried to nap, but that didn't work out so well. There was just so much he could get done. That's how he ended up here.