loudly.
Jared sat his shovel down on the ground. “Come on, dude, Pops is hollering.” Johnny sat his shovel next to Jared’s and began to follow him up to the house.
As Johnny trailed Jared, he felt overwhelmingly uncomfortable. Jared and Jackson appeared so close. Jackson’s love for his family was evident in everything he did. Johnny felt like he was intruding as he lingered behind Jared. The urge to draw back finally anchored him as he instinctively placed his hands in his pockets and stopped trudging in the direction of the house. He rocked back and forth on his feet and looked up at the sky looking for birds, clouds, or anything else to focus on.
“Johnny! Come on up, bud,” Jackson said loudly from beside the house. He had on green scrubs that were covered in turpentine and excrement. Slowly, Johnny began walking toward the house, with his hands still in his pockets. His gaze remained toward the grass as he approached. He was anticipating that Jackson would tell him he had talked to the salvation place, and that he had found a place for him to stay for the night.
This place was great, but Johnny knew this arrangement was not a permanent thing. He wasn’t a necessity here, and the family had gone out of their way to be kind to him. He had eaten more in the last twelve hours than he had eaten the two days before that. They had done right by him, and Johnny was okay with moving on.
Jared and Jackson were already talking lowly before Johnny approached them. He walked up with his head down, and his hands still in his pockets. He couldn’t help but wonder what the salvation place was like. He wondered if he would be staying there, or if they found him a place to stay at like a shelter.
“Johnny, you like pizza?” Jared turned from his father and asked. Johnny was caught a little off guard by the question, considering he was expecting a different conversation entirely.
“Well, yea. Who don’t like pizza?” Johnny replied, as he felt his mouth curl into a smile.
“It’s settled then,” Jackson announced. “We’re having pizza and a duty calls tournament tonight,” the man said confidently.
Jared stared at his father in a disapproving manner. “Duty calls, Pops? If you don’t even know the name of the greatest game ever known to man, then you don’t stand a chance. And it’s not a tournament, just me teaching two guys the baby steps of playing a masterpiece,” Jared said as he playfully socked his dad in the arm.
“Okay. Okay, I see how it is. You hear this, Johnny?” Jackson asked, giving Johnny a friendly smile.
“Yes, sir, I do. Sounds like he might be scared of a challenge.” Johnny removed his hands from his pockets and began to feel a little less tense.
“Sounds like it!” Jackson replied as Jared flashed a cocky smile, and shook his head.
“Pops, did you know Johnny is the best damn shit shovelin’ fool in Louisiana?” Jared asked laughing as the words came out of his mouth. Both Johnny and Jackson began laughing as well.
“Watch your mouth! What if your mom heard that nonsense?” the older man shook his head again as he put his son in a headlock.
Chapter Eleven
Mr. Hops
Graye
Graye hadn’t shown Johnny the things she had gotten him that day in town yet. There was never a good time to bring it up as Jared was always around. It was a delicate situation. As she thought about the circumstances in a practical manner, it didn’t make sense to give him the things now. That might give the message that they would like him to stay longer. Of course, this didn’t make sense. They didn’t know him, they didn’t know what he came from, and twenty-four hours ago they had never even heard of the name Johnny Tregalis. Now, this young man was playing basketball with her son out by the barn.
As she watched them play and goof around, showing off their rather sad moves, the impractical maternal sense kicked in. Where would he sleep?
Jared sat his shovel down on the ground. “Come on, dude, Pops is hollering.” Johnny sat his shovel next to Jared’s and began to follow him up to the house.
As Johnny trailed Jared, he felt overwhelmingly uncomfortable. Jared and Jackson appeared so close. Jackson’s love for his family was evident in everything he did. Johnny felt like he was intruding as he lingered behind Jared. The urge to draw back finally anchored him as he instinctively placed his hands in his pockets and stopped trudging in the direction of the house. He rocked back and forth on his feet and looked up at the sky looking for birds, clouds, or anything else to focus on.
“Johnny! Come on up, bud,” Jackson said loudly from beside the house. He had on green scrubs that were covered in turpentine and excrement. Slowly, Johnny began walking toward the house, with his hands still in his pockets. His gaze remained toward the grass as he approached. He was anticipating that Jackson would tell him he had talked to the salvation place, and that he had found a place for him to stay for the night.
This place was great, but Johnny knew this arrangement was not a permanent thing. He wasn’t a necessity here, and the family had gone out of their way to be kind to him. He had eaten more in the last twelve hours than he had eaten the two days before that. They had done right by him, and Johnny was okay with moving on.
Jared and Jackson were already talking lowly before Johnny approached them. He walked up with his head down, and his hands still in his pockets. He couldn’t help but wonder what the salvation place was like. He wondered if he would be staying there, or if they found him a place to stay at like a shelter.
“Johnny, you like pizza?” Jared turned from his father and asked. Johnny was caught a little off guard by the question, considering he was expecting a different conversation entirely.
“Well, yea. Who don’t like pizza?” Johnny replied, as he felt his mouth curl into a smile.
“It’s settled then,” Jackson announced. “We’re having pizza and a duty calls tournament tonight,” the man said confidently.
Jared stared at his father in a disapproving manner. “Duty calls, Pops? If you don’t even know the name of the greatest game ever known to man, then you don’t stand a chance. And it’s not a tournament, just me teaching two guys the baby steps of playing a masterpiece,” Jared said as he playfully socked his dad in the arm.
“Okay. Okay, I see how it is. You hear this, Johnny?” Jackson asked, giving Johnny a friendly smile.
“Yes, sir, I do. Sounds like he might be scared of a challenge.” Johnny removed his hands from his pockets and began to feel a little less tense.
“Sounds like it!” Jackson replied as Jared flashed a cocky smile, and shook his head.
“Pops, did you know Johnny is the best damn shit shovelin’ fool in Louisiana?” Jared asked laughing as the words came out of his mouth. Both Johnny and Jackson began laughing as well.
“Watch your mouth! What if your mom heard that nonsense?” the older man shook his head again as he put his son in a headlock.
Chapter Eleven
Mr. Hops
Graye
Graye hadn’t shown Johnny the things she had gotten him that day in town yet. There was never a good time to bring it up as Jared was always around. It was a delicate situation. As she thought about the circumstances in a practical manner, it didn’t make sense to give him the things now. That might give the message that they would like him to stay longer. Of course, this didn’t make sense. They didn’t know him, they didn’t know what he came from, and twenty-four hours ago they had never even heard of the name Johnny Tregalis. Now, this young man was playing basketball with her son out by the barn.
As she watched them play and goof around, showing off their rather sad moves, the impractical maternal sense kicked in. Where would he sleep?
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