Page 8 of A Little Christmas! Johnny
J I'm worried
Talk to me man
They all are the same thing. But I had a lot of time to think about it. Steve didn’t stand up for me to Paul. Not really. Am I really like a brother to him or was that just all talk? Was I wrong about him? What about the other guys in the shop?
I’m starting to spiral again, so I toss the phone onto the passenger seat and start up my truck. I don’t want to deal with him right now, but if he’s still at the shop it will be easier to justtalk in person. I haven’t found a place yet, so I’ve got to at least get a change of clothes and things to stay in a motel for a while.
Another text dings through on my phone as I pull up to the stop sign at the entrance to the subdivision where the duplexes are located. There’s no one behind me, so I pick up my phone to check it out. Instead of my business partner, I see a text from my sister that completely shatters any hope I might have had of a decent holiday with my family.
Erica:
Mom and Dad won Santa’s cruise from the Chinese raffle at church
Me:
and that has what to do with me?
Erica:
i need u to watch the dogs
Me:
Mom’s allergic to dogs
Erica:
did u drink the crick water or something? i need u to watch our dogs while we’re gone
That’s when it hits me. I pull onto the shoulder of the road just in case someone comes up to the intersection while I process this. My parents won a cruise and are taking my sister’s family with them. I mean, the kids will love it, so I’m not really all that mad about that part of it. But my sister only has one dog. Twice now, she’s mentioned plural. Had they picked up a second dog, either Jess or Jamie would have blown up my phone with pics.
Me:
who all is going on this cruise?
Erica:
obv Mom & Dad
me, Jared, the girls
Shelly, Rose, Pete, and their kids
So, it’s not that there weren’t enough tickets, just that my family doesn’t want me around. Got it. That sounds about right. Despite the fact that watching the kids’ faces light up on Christmas morning is the highlight of my fucking year, I’m glad they will at least have this experience to look back on. I just hate that no one even thought to ask me.
Me:
I’ll watch Peanut but your husband’s brother and his baby mamas can handle their own pet care
My phone rings immediately, but I throw it back onto the seat. I look up at the lego creations I have secured along the top of my windshield and don’t even attempt to hold back the tears. I’m not sure how long I sit here, but headlights illuminate the cab of my truck when a car makes the turn in front of me to enter the subdivision. I roughly swipe at my face with my sleeve before I flip on my lights and head back to the shop. Since there’s no light left to continue at my house, I can at least start some demolition and stripping on the Aveo before finding a motel to crash for the night.
8
DEXTER
It took Russel about thirty seconds to decide to scrap his car when I told him the price to fix it. Money might not be a problem for him, but he still lives like it is. Russ grew up with his mother and grandmother, relying on food stamps and welfare benefits to eat. He still shops at the thrift store for most of his clothing, outside of the suits he needs to wear for clients.
When he was in high school, his cousin on his dad’s side found him through an organ donation database or something. Her daughter had leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant and Russ was a match through the blood drive that was held at his high school. When the cousin saw the resemblance between Russ and his father, Dave became a regular fixture in his son’s life, trying to buy affection and obedience.
