P
PoetLore
Guest
"Hey kid," Jock called to his assistant, "Bring me that last side of beef would ya?"
"Yes Sir." Zane came out of the meat locker a few minutes later with the requested meat and flopped it down on the butcher's table. "There ya go, anything else you need before I finish cleaning up the back?"
Jock smiled at the young lad, "Naw...you finish up and you can be done for the night. No worries about the paycheck. You earned the full pay."
Zane lowered his head a bit and grinned self consciously, "Thank you Sir. I appreciate it." He left the older man and went back to clean up the cold room and the other butcher's table where they had been working earlier on turkeys for the holiday season. he'd been surprised that this store brought the game in live and butchered it on the premises, but it was a good kind of surprise. He finished that work about the same time Jock was finished butchering the side of beef. He cleaned up that table, disinfecting all the surfaces and then scrubbed the floor. "See you after the holidays Sir!" he called out to his boss.
"Give your Maw my best, Zane and you all have a good time." Jock handed him a large turkey and some trimmings, "Happy Thanksgiving."
"Oh Sir..that's not nec..."
"I know it," he admitted, "but I like to reward hard work, and weeeeelll...Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful and give a little back. You be careful driving home now."
"I will Sir. You too when you leave." He waved again carrying the large package out to his car. He unlocked the door and put the bird and the bag on the passenger seat and then began checking everything to be sure the car would get him home. It was an overcast night, so there were no stars visible in the sky and he felt a sense of gloom shiver over him. He really hated that the stars hardly ever peeked out here. It was one of his favorite things, to sit on the porch rail and watch the stars in the sky. It gave him a sense of peace and security. Something about feeling small and insignificant was soothing to his soul. The universe would continue no matter what, and he liked knowing that was true. Here though his friends were gone and he just plodded along day after day in an odd kind of hazy daze. Sure, school was interesting and challenging, but it was starting to weigh on his soul a bit, this city life. His mother had made him promise to come home at least once every other week to be sure he got healthy food instead of city processed garbage. But he bought meat here all the time and he was happy with it. He even took some home for his mother, so she could see for herself that he was eating well. It didn't take much prodding from her to get him to come home though. By the end of two weeks he was eager for the clean air and the night sky.
It was about 3AM and he knew nothing was open between here and home so it paid to be cautious. Everything looked good, but he needed a few snacks and something to drink. He fired up the old Chevy truck and backed out of his spot and made a beeline for the local 7-11, the only place open at this hour. Pulling up to a pump, he switched off the truck and filled his tank. He had a lazy way about him in almost everything he did, moving slowly but deliberately and almost seemed to shuffle along as he moved. Oddly enough, though he appeared to be moving slowly, his long strides ate up distance faster than it seemed. Those long legs carried him inside the store to purchase his Pepsi and some long pretzel rods. Normally that was all he bought, but for some reason the beef jerky was calling out to him, so he impulsively grabbed two and made his way to the counter. "Evenin..." he said in a deep low drawl to the cashier on duty. "I have the gas in the truck too..." he grinned that sideways curl on the left side of his mouth, "Guess that pretty obvious...me bein the only one in here..."
@Greenie
"Yes Sir." Zane came out of the meat locker a few minutes later with the requested meat and flopped it down on the butcher's table. "There ya go, anything else you need before I finish cleaning up the back?"
Jock smiled at the young lad, "Naw...you finish up and you can be done for the night. No worries about the paycheck. You earned the full pay."
Zane lowered his head a bit and grinned self consciously, "Thank you Sir. I appreciate it." He left the older man and went back to clean up the cold room and the other butcher's table where they had been working earlier on turkeys for the holiday season. he'd been surprised that this store brought the game in live and butchered it on the premises, but it was a good kind of surprise. He finished that work about the same time Jock was finished butchering the side of beef. He cleaned up that table, disinfecting all the surfaces and then scrubbed the floor. "See you after the holidays Sir!" he called out to his boss.
"Give your Maw my best, Zane and you all have a good time." Jock handed him a large turkey and some trimmings, "Happy Thanksgiving."
"Oh Sir..that's not nec..."
"I know it," he admitted, "but I like to reward hard work, and weeeeelll...Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful and give a little back. You be careful driving home now."
"I will Sir. You too when you leave." He waved again carrying the large package out to his car. He unlocked the door and put the bird and the bag on the passenger seat and then began checking everything to be sure the car would get him home. It was an overcast night, so there were no stars visible in the sky and he felt a sense of gloom shiver over him. He really hated that the stars hardly ever peeked out here. It was one of his favorite things, to sit on the porch rail and watch the stars in the sky. It gave him a sense of peace and security. Something about feeling small and insignificant was soothing to his soul. The universe would continue no matter what, and he liked knowing that was true. Here though his friends were gone and he just plodded along day after day in an odd kind of hazy daze. Sure, school was interesting and challenging, but it was starting to weigh on his soul a bit, this city life. His mother had made him promise to come home at least once every other week to be sure he got healthy food instead of city processed garbage. But he bought meat here all the time and he was happy with it. He even took some home for his mother, so she could see for herself that he was eating well. It didn't take much prodding from her to get him to come home though. By the end of two weeks he was eager for the clean air and the night sky.
It was about 3AM and he knew nothing was open between here and home so it paid to be cautious. Everything looked good, but he needed a few snacks and something to drink. He fired up the old Chevy truck and backed out of his spot and made a beeline for the local 7-11, the only place open at this hour. Pulling up to a pump, he switched off the truck and filled his tank. He had a lazy way about him in almost everything he did, moving slowly but deliberately and almost seemed to shuffle along as he moved. Oddly enough, though he appeared to be moving slowly, his long strides ate up distance faster than it seemed. Those long legs carried him inside the store to purchase his Pepsi and some long pretzel rods. Normally that was all he bought, but for some reason the beef jerky was calling out to him, so he impulsively grabbed two and made his way to the counter. "Evenin..." he said in a deep low drawl to the cashier on duty. "I have the gas in the truck too..." he grinned that sideways curl on the left side of his mouth, "Guess that pretty obvious...me bein the only one in here..."
@Greenie
