CHAPTER TWO

Passing his fingers lazily on the rim of the small glass Sean, understood why Fautina sometimes acted this way. Take him for instance, most of these people saw him as a proud, tough man, bordering on mean, but he did not give a damn.

Being soft had never gotten him anywhere. Look at what happened to his little brother. Sometimes a man just had to be man regardless of the repercussions. This meant taking the bull by the horns.

Sean tensed as he felt a presence behind him. He wriggled his nose against the strong whiff of bay rum which accosted him. This particular odor he knew, as well as its owner. He did not bother facing him but kept his head down and waited.

‘You are wasting my time,’ his companion snarled. ‘You have one more month to deliver. That’s it. Do we understand each other?’

Sean slowly raised his head and looked up at the rugged, hard contour of the lined face. Small beady, chilly, brown eyes collided with his. Inwardly Sean shivered; those eyes reminded him of a snake ready to strike.  A tight sly grin was split across a wide upturned lip. Inhaling deeply, Sean tried to suppress the anger which threatened to erupt. ‘Yea it is, very clear.’ Sean sneered at him with unmitigated contempt. Nonchalantly, he turned his back, dismissing his unwanted companion.

‘It better be,’ the man growled and sauntered away. Slowly, Sean released the death grip on the counter and gulped down the last nip of whiskey. Staggering to his feet, he knocked down the worthless piece of crap of a stool. Looking grumpily at Richard he sourly mumbled. ‘Have one of the boys make a few stools for you Richie. This piece of garbage could barely hold the weight of a woman far less a grown man.’

‘You know how I hate asking Sean. If I do so these boys would think that I owe them and rightfully so. I am not taking any handouts. I will try to do it when I can. This place is not my home you know; it is just a means to an end,’ he responded, a bit frustrated.

Waving his comments aside Sean muttered, ‘Yeah, yeah I know, and then it is up to me big boy, isn’t it? I would hate to visit again and find my butt flat down on these dirty floors. I am calling it a night. See you tomorrow Richard.’

Saluting a few of his drinking buddies, Sean exited the run-down building, shutting out the boisterous camaraderie within.

The night was black as charcoal and it swallowed him up. Hardly any stars or the moon was visible. Tonight the heavenly bodies did not see it necessary to grace a man with their presence.

‘Well, tough shit.’ Sean garbled as he wobbled down the street. He could live with that. His footing was uneven due to the many holes and stones in his way. He kicked maliciously at the unseen debris in his path and stumbled on something hard, likely a rock, but he righted himself immediately. With no electricity or street lamps to guide his path, he pulled the information from the recesses of his memory, and smartly crisscrossed his way on the path before him, trying to avoid some of the obstacles he knew were close by. He knew this road like the back of his hand and tonight was no different from any other. Reaching the crossroads, he lingered uncertainly for a few seconds. Scratching his head, he wrestled with his thoughts. Which road should he venture tonight? Glancing at the one on the right, he paused. Then abruptly he turned away. With a sigh, he let his feet guide him to his destination. His heart was not included in his decision.

***

Abigale lay down gingerly on the foam bed in the tiny bedroom she shared with her spouse. As soon as she heard the front door squeak open, she knew that Sean was home. Another night spent out. She had waited for hours last night and he did not come home. She did not feel like facing him this morning. Like a coward, she stayed in the room and hovered under the covers, feigning sleep. She sensed when he entered the room; he stood looking at her for a few seconds then walked towards the head of the bed and plopped down roughly on it, jolting her small frame. Sliding closer towards her side of the bed, he gently shook her shoulders and whispered, ‘Come on Abby it is time to get up. The sun is almost out and I have to be out in the fields early.’

She blithely ignored him, and delved further into the quilt. His sigh was audible and Abigale felt the bed dip as he got up from his position and started shuffling around the room.

‘Abigale I know that you are awake, but if you want to pretend otherwise, this is fine with me. We will talk about this later. I am off to work.’

Abigale listened to his receding footsteps then the clanging of dishes as he thumped around in the kitchen. At this rate, he would wake up the whole household. Turning on her side, Abigale placed both pillows over her ears trying to drown out the banging. Let him simmer and find his way around the kitchen. The gall of the man. Did he really expect her to get up and serve him breakfast this morning? Well he had something else coming.

Swat! Sean struck the cockroach, which was scurrying across the kitchen floor. He stared at the remnants of the dead insect lodged between three of his fingers. Calmly he turned and walked to the trash can to dispose. He felt sick to his stomach. He felt trapped, like the muck in his hands, squashed and immobile with no way out.