Fingers (Part 2)

2.

 

 

The cat stood still and pleased as the boy’s fingers crawled up and down its back. Soft orange fur brushed against his hand as he moved it up and down, over and over again. The boy kept his gaze on his feline companion and smiled. If there was one thing he liked about Don, it was his cats.

 

Purring, it barely opened its eyes at the sound of Don’s front door opening. Dylan didn’t even glance the man’s way. The boy and cat were sitting on the edge of the porch - an uneven and poorly constructed build with rotting planks of wood. The man didn’t glance at the boy either, but he didn’t really care what the kid was doing anyway. He pulled out a cigarette from his shorts and a lighter. As he walked about the porch, his feet crushed the leaves that had fallen on the deck for that day. Don kicked a pile off the side which floated to the ground.

 

“Got to sweep this …” he muttered.

 

He hadn’t looked at the boy of twelve. Didn’t even notice the kid had gotten a new crew cut, but that he was still wearing the same white T-shirt from yesterday, which had green stains from the lake’s swampy areas on its sleeves. Don wasn’t sure how long the boy had been petting the cat on the porch either.

 

Nonchalantly, the man walked down the steps to his front yard. And that’s when Dylan looked over at him and watched with interest. On the last step, Don was careful not to knock over the jar of discarded cigarettes he had accumulated over the past few months, which had been placed to the side of the step. The man reached down and tossed the one from his mouth into the jar, adding to his collection. He had stepping stones laid out on the grass, the only real decoration to his ‘luxurious’ front yard, reaching from the dirt road to his porch. He didn’t use them as he walked over to Dylan’s trailer.

 

Dylan narrowed his eyes and kept his face in a frown. The cat moved slightly to brush up against the boy’s side, wanting the notice and affection which had been interrupted. He placed his hand back on cat’s head, scratching it behind the ears. But he didn’t keep his eyes off Don as he walked off to speak with his mother who had just pulled into her driveway.

 

***

 

“I picked them up from school. Morgan was very friendly as usual.”

 

Sue opened up the passenger door to her green colored car, bent down to pull out the groceries she had bought. Her brown hair was a mess of curls that barely touched shoulder length. She reached up and brushed aside her bangs. The plastic bags contained some canned ravioli and Lucky Charms, which were Morgan’s favorite. She looked over at Don and smiled wryly. She knew where he was going with this.

 

“But… Dylan?” she asked.

 

Don licked the top of his lips and looked down at his shoes briefly before continuing. He was gathering his thoughts before speaking.

 

“I’ve decided that I’m not going to take care of him anymore.” He looked up, a fixed expression on his face. But she knew the man. He could be reasoned with. Usually his “decisions” were actually requests, nothing he had set in stone to do.

 

Still, she blinked in surprise before speaking. He had never told her anything like this before.

 

Sue looked him over and decided something was different about the sixty something man’s appearance. His white hair, balding, was combed over barely covering the spot on his head. But still: combed. He had done it himself. He wore shorts, dark orange in color. His shirt was a short sleeve dress shirt, appropriate for the heat and free of wrinkles.

 

It was though he had dressed up for her, before telling her the bad news.

 

“I … um…” she stammered. “Is there a reason? Now I know he can be a handful at times but you tell him that his mom told him to behave and he does, doesn’t he?”

 

Don reached up and scratched the back of his head.

 

“Well he just doesn’t want to cooperate like Morgan does. He’s, moody…” he brought up a hand and started to count his complaints on his fingers. Sue shook her head. Don always over exaggerated things. “Like, he doesn’t say much most of the time. And he’s always hurting Morgan-”

 

“Hurting her?” Sue interrupted.

 

“Well, doing bad things… like she asked him to pour her some milk today - my milk- while he was getting a cup, and he didn’t pour her any. I had to go over and pour her one. I’m telling you, it’s tough with him-”

 

Sue laughed aloud. She started to pull away and carried the bags to her front door. “Come in,” she said lightly and gestured to the door as he opened it. The day was starting to cool down and was breezy, as it was the fall season. As they walked inside, she breathed in the humid and dry air of the trailer that came from their old air conditioner.

 

Don continued to ramble.

 

“Listen,” she interrupted him. They had moved into the kitchen where she had begun to put some of the food away. Though the shelf she opened was bare, she was reminded once more of the nonessential appliances and dirty dishes on the counter that didn’t seem to have any place to go. She made a mental note to pick some of this up and arrange it. She needed to take out the garbage too, it was beginning to smell.

 

“I know he can be a pain sometimes, but you know how little boys are. Don, I really appreciate you taking care of my kids while I’m at work. It really helps me out. Besides, the kids like it! Please be patient while he and I work this out? Pleeeease?” She gave him a big smile with teeth showing, clapping her hands together as though she was praying.

 

Sometimes a good pout worked to get what she wanted. Thankfully, she was a good looking woman.

 

But Don was probably too old for that, too solid in his thinking, because he looked indifferent.

 

“You know, it’s not good if that man’s not around. They need a real father figure…”

 

Her complexion dimmed.

 

“We’re working it out. My boyfriend’s just not ready to commit to the kids yet…” she started to mutter while Don continued on.

 

“And plus with Dylan’s ADD, he’s starting to get older… it’s a hassle sometimes-” he kept on.

 

“Alright, alright!” she spoke up, making him quiet down.

 

The small kitchen was silent for a moment, except for the television in the small living room, where Morgan was watching TV. The sun was setting, as it usually was when she got home. The light was a deep orange and streaked through the glass sliding door, tinting everything in that color. Dust floated around them, unimportant but very noticeable. The TV’s volume was high enough to be heard, but Sue didn’t know if Morgan could hear the conversation.

 

“Are you ready kids?”

 

“Aye aye Captain!”

 

“I can’t hear you!”

 

“If you want me to start paying you…” she started.

 

“I " I just don’t want him in my house anymore. That’s all.” Don said. “Morgan’s fine, she’s a nice good girl. But Dylan … he gives me bad looks. I don’t appreciate what he does to Morgan either. He’s gotten too old for this.”

 

“Old? He’s twelve.”

 

“With his ADD, it’s changing him. That’s just my opinion but…”

 

Sue sighed. There he went again and he’d continue if she didn’t stop him.

 

“If you can " okay… Okay. I’m home around this time so that’s only a few hours between when school lets out and now.” She brought up a hand to rub her temples, easing her headache. Why had she been getting more of them recently? “I’ll give him keys to the trailer. He’s a big boy now. But I’m gonna tell him to play outside while I’m away. Would you just still watch him, check on him? He doesn’t have to come in your house, but he can’t stay out of sight, he’s only twelve.”

 

Don shook his head, as though the decision was a big one and he was giving away his whole saving in a gamble. She needed to find a better baby sitter. But who else would watch her kids for free?

 

“I don’t know if I like him outside in my property. I think he’s killing my cats.”

 

And that did catch her off guard. That was too out there, even for the old man.

 

“What? Why would you say that?”

 

Immediately she noted that the TV could no longer be heard.

 

“Morgan! Keep watching cartoons, grownups talking!” she shouted.

 

“Some of them have gone missing. I can’t figure out why.”

 

“I don’t know, Don.” Because you have a million of them and they run off sometimes to get some air, she thought. “But look, we’re not talking about that right now. She’s still a little scared by what happened yesterday. Really though, I don’t think he’s the problem.”

 

“Well… still. It’s suspicious. Talk to him for me.”

 

“Okay,” she nodded and returned to putting away groceries. “I promise,” though she had no intention of doing anything of the sort.

 

Don seemed satisfied and after a little small talk about his painting business, she led him to the door. The woman in her early thirties kept smiling and nodding to the older man’s nonsense, but kind hearted nonsense she knew, before saying her goodbyes. As he walked back to his trailer and she waved him off, Dylan appeared from the other side of the yard, and walked in. Having her children home, and sending one childlike adult away, she sighed, ready to take the rest of the night off.

 

 

***

 

If there was one thing Sue understood, it was that she wasn’t worth much.

 

Her feet were bare as she walked across the carpet, her toes and soles could feel the filth of it. It was a shag carpet, the kind that looked like it was made up of little twined braids of hair, tan in color. The crumbs and old hair that had accumulated over the years just wouldn’t get picked up by the vacuum and stuck against her feet. The distinct smell of mold was so normal to her now, the dampness. She had just gotten out of the shower and had moved into her bedroom, wearing a long pale night shirt. Her hair was messy and dry after using a towel. She brought a hand up and gave it a good shake, letting it fall and expand like a lion’s mane.

 

Her room didn’t have much in it. A dresser held a small TV on top with little ornaments around it and across from the drawers was a full size bed. The room had one window with flimsy white curtains and a white door with a golden knob. She walked over and locked it.

 

Exhaling deeply, she plopped down on the bed. On top of the comforter, she reached for the remote and turned on the TV before lying back. It was the only time of the day " or night - that she got to think.

 

Flipping channels, she moved from comedies, to TV movies, to reality shows, to game shows. Nothing was good on, but more importantly there was nothing to distract her. Cable didn’t leave her too many options, and she wouldn’t pay " or couldn’t pay " for more. Thankfully, the checks her ex-husband left her every month kept a few things running at home, and they could afford a few luxuries: cable.

 

But she wasn’t going to live here forever. She wouldn’t be worthless for long.

 

Soon, soon, her boyfriend would decide to take them in and then he’d take care of them.

 

Sue sat up and turned around to flip her pillow over. She reached back to pull her hair up, letting her skin breathe. Then she fell back again, pushing her neck against the cool side of her pillow. Reaching up behind her back, she slipped her hands under her shirt and unclipped her bra, pulled it out and threw it casually across the room.

 

She turned the TV off.

 

Don wasn’t going to take care of Dylan for much longer, and she wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because he had watched another show about that psychology crap and how children with ADD can be affected by it way into adulthood. Maybe he thought that because Dylan didn’t like to do his homework with Don that the kid wasn’t acting normal.

 

Yeah, Dylan had ADD. But so what? She probably had it too when she was a kid, bouncing off the walls like crazy and not paying attention. Don assumed he was an expert pediatrician because he had a few books, but really he was just an old guy with a hobby and a lot of cats. Who really knew?  What did he know about parenting anyway?

 

The only thing she did know was that he was the only one willing to take care of her kids while she was at work… or when she took days off with-

 

A loud clashing sound interrupted her thoughts.

 

Groaning, she rolled herself off the bed and got up in the dark room. Moving her way to the door, she tried to open it before recalling the door was locked. Anything could have made that noise, and during the first few years of living here the thought of “anything” would frighten her.

 

Now, more mature, and wise to where the source was coming from, it was merely annoying.

 

Her boyfriend wasn’t crazy about the kids yet. And that meant if she wasn’t home, he wasn’t coming over.

 

He liked her more.

 

As he should, she thought to herself somewhat proudly as she moved from her bedroom into the living room. After all, what wouldn’t he like? She was still a good looking woman, early thirties and knew how to be charming. To be begging.

 

She was lucky to find the men in her life. One was for her relationships. Another was for her kids.

 

She just couldn’t have both at the same time, which was fine with her for now.

 

Opening up her front door, she turned to look over at the trashcans that had been toppled over. Two cats swiftly moved from out of the tin containers and froze when they saw her. Four seconds later they charged off in a random direction and disappeared. Sue stared after them before glancing over at the garbage left exposed on the ground.

 

She thought about it for a second, but the chill in the air made her bare legs shake and she too retreated back into her trailer. Locking the door, she made her way back to her bedroom.

 

Someday, Sue wouldn’t be worthless. She’d get her children and herself, situated in a nice home and they’d be wealthy and cared for. They would leave this place and never look back. All the mistakes she had ever made?

 

Gone.

 

To one day reach that goal however, she’d have to work on a few things; that meant putting other things on the shelf. Sue would take care of her future man, day in and day out until the final day came when he made a priority out of her children too.

 

She grinned at that thought.

 

Don, you’ll just have to be patient.

 

 

Author's Note

Again, darker than usual.

For Morgan.