Bella:
"Danny! I'm headed off to Sue's to pick up something for dinner, what do you want?" Since Danny started school again I have been the only one left to work on the farm. Because of this I was sore and could barely walk, it had been a long time since I've had to do this much work without help. I knew it wasn't really in our budget to get food from the diner, but at the moment it was that or heating up a can of beans and franks. I had little energy to do anything else.
"Cheeseburger, onion rings not fries!" I didn't bother trying to yell back at him, as soon as he got home and finished his homework I set him to work fixing up the back porch. There had been an old washer there when we moved in. The kind that you had to fill with water yourself and had a ringer attached to the top. He was in the middle of cleaning that thing up and I could hear as he started the old motor. It would not surprise me if he was deaf by time I got back.
The sound of the bell on the door of Sue's place was beginning to become very familiar. It was strange how quickly I was starting to think of this place as home. I slid off my jacket and hung it on the coat and hat rack by the door. My eyes setting on a worn black Stetson with a silver wolf pin on the side of the hatband. Billy Black's hat.
I saw Billy sitting at the counter as I turned around. He gave me that sideways smile of his as I came over and sat down. Before either of us could even say 'hello,' Sue came out from the kitchen with a fresh pot of coffee which she used to refill Billy's cup.
"So, have you thought about it?" Billy's face immediately dropped, the annoyance now in the set of his jaw almost made me laugh.
"Yes, I have. And I assure you my answer is the same as always." Sue huffed and set the coffee pot on the counter a little harder than she should have as a small about sloshed out. She was about to respond when she noticed me and her face immediately cleared. She pulled her notebook from her pocket and grabbed her pencil.
"Bella! It is good to see you, since you fixed your fridge you haven't been around much. How is everything going?" As normal Sue placed her hip on the counter, and though she still held her pencil I knew she wouldn't take my order without an update. I wondered if she did that with everyone, or just me.
"Going good, we've got a good deal of the house itself fixed up. Working on the barn and the old washer right now." I leaned on the counter myself and ran a tired hand through my hair.
"Sorry for not coming by sooner, but you will probably see me more for awhile at least. Danny has started school again, so I'm doing everything myself. I'm not sure right now if I have the energy to even open a can of pop." She clicked her tongue, but thankfully held it. She had already offered out the help of most of the rez guys, but I refused. It wasn't that I was too proud, more that I had nothing to offer them for their help. I certainly didn't have the money to pay them.
"So what will you have then?" She placed the pencil to the pad and gave me a small smile.
"Just two cheeseburgers with onion rings, to go, thank you." She jotted it down and gave Billy a look that clearly said that whatever they had been talking about wasn't finished, and went to hand the order to the cook in the back.
"You know, my son and a few of his friends are pretty handy when it comes to fixing things. If you need help I'm sure they wouldn't mind coming out." I turned to look at Billy, he wore his long hair today pulled back with a thin leather thong. It allowed me to really see his face. It really isn't surprising that so many of the women on the rez were hoping to turn his head.
"Thank you, but I'm sure Danny and I can manage." He just nodded and let it go. We sat in silence a moment before Sue came back out to tell me it would be a few moments and settle my bill. As soon as she finished she glared at Billy and I swore I saw him stiffen a little.
"You know Leah told me that her and Jake are thinking about getting rid of their truck. It is only five years old and in pretty good shape." Billy sighed and picked at the food on his plate before looking up at Sue.
"I'm not getting rid of my truck, and that is final. Would you stop pestering me about it?" Sue placed her fists on her hips and glared at the man beside me.
"Your truck is a worthless piece of garbage! Come on Billy, that thing is so outdated. That thing was old when you got it in high school! I think it is high time that you put that poor thing out of its misery." Well she did have a point, I've seen his truck. One more than one occasion I have wondered how it was still running.
"It is a piece of history Sue, our history. She may not look like much, but she still runs just fine. I plan on driving her until she falls apart on the road. And even then I'm keeping her, so just get that notion of me getting a new truck out of your head right now. You are the only one that complains anyway." She just rolled her eyes and turned to grab the bag of food the cook held out from the kitchen. She set it before me and gave a quiet goodbye before going to help a couple of other customers.
I grabbed my bag and stood in order to head back home. I was so tired I was actually thinking about eating in bed so I could just pass out as soon as I finished. As soon as I pulled on my jacket the door opened and I looked over to see Billy holding it open for me. When I stepped up into my truck I swore I saw him wink at me as he tipped his hat, but I couldn't be sure.
Billy:
I stapled the bag of pills shut and handed them off to Mary Ann. She just smiled and left with a reminder that I still needed to make up that game of Bridge. I shook my head and moved off to unpack a box of candy bars. As I passed by the window I could see as Sue's small blue car pulled up. I couldn't help the smirk I knew was spreading across my face as she slid out of the driver's side and slowly shut the door.
I may have gone a little far, but I was tired of her constantly getting on me about my truck. I bought that thing when I was a senior in high school. Dad refused to buy me one, said it would do me good to earn the money and buy one. I saved up for two years, working odd jobs here and there. I was as proud as a peacock when I handed over the money for that truck.
When I told Sue that it was a part of our history I wasn't lying. Before any of us had gotten married we used to park that truck down at the beach, sitting in the bed or on the hood and watch the bonfire a few feet away. I had won a race against Harry with it. The first time I made love to Sarah had been in the bed of that truck. She had even given birth to Jake in the cab, that boy had always been impatient.
I opened the door and stepped out as I watched Sue stare at my truck with her mouth hanging wide open. I had set up poles around my truck when I had gotten here this morning, tied ropes to them until I had barricaded my truck in. On a sign nailed to the overhang of the store I had painted in large bright letters; 'Save La Push's Oldest Truck!' And on one of the poles I had nailed a box labeled; 'Donations.' The funny thing was when I had come out to go get some lunch there was actually twenty dollars in there.
"Oh my God! Billy!" I cringed at the sound of her voice. Sue had this way of screeching that could actually make dogs whine. She marched up the rest of the way and I was expecting her to slap me. It looked like she was about to but her hand stopped part way and fell to her side.
"Fine, I get it. I'll stop bothering you about that truck. Now would you take that ridiculous thing down?" I should have thought of this awhile ago, would have saved us both a lot of headaches.
"It will be gone by the morning. Now what was it you needed?" The annoyed look melted from her face as she took on that impish look she always got when I knew she was going to do or say something stupid.
"I just wanted to talk to you about Mrs. Swan-Hunter. I saw you open the door for her yesterday, and Mary Ann told me you were flirting with her at the bonfire last week." Great, this was all I needed. It had been years since I was the subject of the local grapevine.
"I was not flirting with her, she was introducing me to her son." She eyed me a moment before leaned back against one of the pillars of the porch.
"Danny wasn't with you at that time." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. She really was hoping to find something gossip worthy out of this.
"That was because Danny had gone down to be with his friends. I was just assuring Mrs. Swan-Hunter that she had no need of worry when it came to her boy's friends. Since Sam had taken them under his wing and all. In fact I am sure Sam will do the same to Danny soon, now that he is hanging out with the twins." She was silent a moment and then let out a soft huff.
"You are so boring some times Billy. Would it hurt you to actually try to find you a woman? Bella is a wonderful girl and she…" I cut her off with a raised hand.
"And she doesn't need the likes of an old man running after her. There are plenty of young men here that she has caught the eye of, and I dare say some of them are worthy of her. I know Paul was hoping to ask her out." She shook her head and reached out to take a hold of a bit of my hair. She tugged a little on it before flipping it away. That had been a habit of hers since we were young. It had never been anything sexual, we had never seen each other that way. She was simply my sister, albeit an annoying sister.
"She doesn't need some young buck to come blazing into her life. She is a single mother trying to make a life for her and her son. She needs someone steady, someone that will care and love her the way she needs to be. Just think about that Billy.
"I've got to go, see you later." She smiled and waved as she got into her car and drove off. Her words echoed in my head as I went back inside. The problem wasn't me seeing Bella that way, it was her seeing me as more than an old man.
Author's Note: Ok, as I have said while I am going along mostly with the movie, there are some things that I am changing for this story. This chapter is one of those. In the movie Bella's part, Emma is actually getting a business licence while Billy's part, Murphy is paying his parking tickets.
As I am not having Billy have the same nice car, but his old beat up truck I thought to change it. Also the second half isn't anywhere in the movie, but I thought it was funny.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
No comments:
Post a Comment