JKLM Chapter 5
The standard disclaimers once again apply. Do not read any further if it is illegal due to place of residence or age to do so. Do not read any further if offended by material found on this website. Do not-
Hey, wait a minute. Exactly why are you here?
Beats me, but if you do NOT fall in any of the above categories, if you really must, then go right ahead.
Because it should go without saying that everybody who isn't supposed to be here has already stopped reading anyway. Or at least I hope so.
So okay then. At least I got the disclaimer out of the way. No problem, I just recycled another.
But as for the actual story ... well, we'll see. Hopefully it'll work out all right. Or at least better than it's looking at the moment.
JKLM
Chapter Five
When Lucas' alarm went off Monday morning (June 21th), he almost decided to go back to sleep. When the opportunity presents itself, Mondays are always good days to sleep in, and in fact it was pouring down rain outside. So obviously he couldn't work outside, because even though the weather guy on TV had said the rain would probably end by mid-morning, it would still be way too wet to do much of anything.
He really didn't have a bad deal. His Uncle Leland worked nights, Monday through Friday, 8 till 8. He was a warehouse foreman. But because he slept during the day, he thought it would be better if Lucas stayed in his small trailer, parked in the backyard. Well, it sure beat sleeping in his car, and when his uncle mentioned that he'd run a line from the satellite dish out there... well, shit! Lights, water, a small stove, microwave, small bath, a bed... what more could he ask for? Not a bad TV either. An old console model, but it had a good picture and his uncle said he'd even let him borrow his VCR from time to time. Just as long as he didn't start renting porno movies. He said that jokingly, because even if Lucas had been inclined to watch porno, no place in town rented them, and of course if there had been such a place, he still never would have gotten past the front door.
So he had a place to stay rent free, he was being paid $150 a week and all he had to do in return was work hard at fixing up his uncle's old home place.
After calling him first from Nashville, he showed up at his uncle's Friday evening, June 11th at around six. So after commiserating about his mom (she was Leland's youngest sister) talk got around to the question of where he could find a job. From the way his uncle talked, at first it didn't look too promising. There wasn't much work to be had around there for teenagers. McDonald's sure wasn't hiring. But... was he any good at yard work? Maybe he could get on at the golf course. “No wait, I heard they just hired Robert Walsh's boy. `Course, from what I know about that boy, he probably ain't going to last long, but I guess right now that's out, too.”
Then Lucas asked hopefully, “Well, do you think I could mow lawns or something like that? ... I'd have to borrow your lawnmower, I guess, so maybe that wouldn't work, but I've done a lot of that. Last summer... well, you met him. Harold. But he was a good handyman. I mean, if there was something that needed to be done around a house, he could do it. Just about anything. And I worked with him. We did a lot of painting, some re-roofing, I can do yard work, a little bit of plumbing – nothing major, but I can do some – um, I can drive nails and-”
“Huh,” interrupted his uncle. “Well, maybe there IS something you can do, then. If you're interested, we can give it a try.”
Of course when his uncle first showed him “the old home place” Lucas looked a little doubtful, and that was only because he was trying not to betray his true feelings. Which were, “There is no way.”