Townies

Chapter 1Johnny squinted. He didn’t want to wake up, but it seemed everything was conspiring against him. The crooked Venetian blind blasted sunlight in Johnny’s eyes. The smell of bacon and eggs wafted. He raised his head from his pillow toward the sound. Colton, his twin, had walked in, shirtless, barefoot, and then sat on his bed, two feet away from Johnny’s own in the small room they shared. “Bro, you awake?” Johnny grunted. “It’s too early.” His voice still dry and raspy. “Mom left for a double shift at Waffle House. She left you a card on the table. I got mine.” “Yeah?” “We got gift cards for Olive Garden.” Their older brother walked up to their door and knocked. “Happy Birthday, Johnny! Happy birthday to you both!” Brendan then sat on Johnny’s bed. “Get up, sleeping beauty!” “I worked late last night, okay?” Johnny whined, not meaning to. “Ah, poor baby.” Brendan laughed as he messed up Johnny’s hair. “Stop!” Johnny protested, trying to bat his brother’s hand away. “I made breakfast. And I made birthday pancakes. Come on. I won’t see you guys for a couple of weeks.” Brendan stood and pulled off the bed cover off Johnny. “All right, all right.” Johnny swung his feet, placing them on the linoleum floor, then stood up, pulling his loose boxers up. He yawned, then grabbed a pair of shorts from the dresser. “Let me take a piss first.” Johnny soon walked over to join his brothers after using the bathroom. Brendan and Colton set plates on the small dining room table. Johnny grabbed the orange juice and poured. “I wanted to tell you both that I think we can find a way to get dad out of prison.” Brendan paused, waiting for a response. “Oh?” Colton finally asked. “How?” Johnny grabbed the envelope left on the small brown Formica countertop, written out to Connor Johnathan Cunningham, opened it, then smiled when he read his birthday card from their mom. He didn’t want to hear anything about their dad getting paroled, or his prison sentence being reduced. He hoped Brendan would see his lack of interest and drop the subject. Johnny took out the twenty-five-dollar Olive Garden gift card and waved it at his twin. “I think they sentenced Dad incorrectly,” Brendan interrupted. Johnny rolled his eyes. “Shouldn’t that be something his lawyer should be doing?” “It would’ve been, but he didn’t file an appeal on sentencing.” Brendan eyed his brothers. “The judge used those enhanced sentencing guidelines that doubled Dad’s time. He should be doing fifteen years, not thirty years.” “You found this out from your classes?” Colton asked. “Yeah, that and some research on Westlaw. I looked up the public record on dad. And the sentencing order.” Brendan paused for a moment. “His last crime was going into a construction site and trespassing. They charged him with burglary. But no one was there, just some security guards that caught him trying to steal copper coil from the air conditioners to pawn later for drugs.” “What are you going to do?” Johnny asked, hoping this was just idle talk from their older brother. “I don’t know yet.” Brendan sighed. “Lea’s helping me.” “Shouldn’t you guys be focused on passing the bar first?” Colton asked. “Yeah, we are,” Brendan said. “This is just a little side project.” Johnny took a bite of the pancakes Brendan made and smiled. He pushed the blueberries that were on the side to Colton who had been staring at Johnny’s plate. Colton’s dirty plate was already in the sink, a victim of Colton’s ravenous appetite. If Brendan didn’t pass the bar, Johnny knew his brother could always fall back on being a cook at IHOP. He knew the restaurant in nearby Gulfside would rehire him in a heartbeat. He made the fluffiest pancakes. Johnny wiped the excess syrup from the dispenser using his finger. “I can’t f*****g believe my brother is going to be a lawyer! I don’t think anyone from Baytowne’s finest mobile home park has ever produced a lawyer.” Johnny took another bite of the pancakes. “Thanks for making breakfast.” Colton smiled. “I’m glad you haven’t forgotten the tradition of making us these blueberry pancakes for our birthday.” “When he passes the bar, he’s going to be a big shot lawyer, and forget about us,” Johnny said, so matter of fact. Brendan grimaced. Nothing was said for a second, then Brendan awkwardly reached out to Colton on his left, and Johnny on his right, and squeezed his brothers’ shoulders. “Never. My success is your success.” “Does Mom know you plan on helping out Dad?” Colton asked, reaching behind his hair, and raising it up, twisting it and putting a black hair band from his shorts pocket to fix his man bun. “No, and don’t tell her!” Brendan shook his head. “They’ve been divorced eight years and time hasn’t made her less angry towards Dad.” “Well, he cheated on her, and he’s hit her, why would she?” Johnny said, his anger barely contained. “Why do you think we’ve been living in this double wide with her instead for like the last nine years? Dad’s an asshole.” “He’s an asshole, but he’s still doing time longer than he should.” Brendan sighed. “You’re closer to him than us.” Johnny shrugged. “I don’t want him coming back here. I don’t care to see him.” Johnny raised his voice. “Ever.” Brendan relaxed his shoulders, as if he had expected Johnny to say this. “If he gets out, he won’t come back here. There won’t be a repeat of what happened nine years ago.” “Well, at least you’re not buying into that he’s innocent bullshit.” Colton eyed the last piece of bacon off Johnny’s plate, and without hesitation just grabbed it and plopped it in his mouth. “You guys going to be okay for two weeks? While we’re studying and taking the bar I mean?” “Dude, we’re nineteen now.” Colton drank his coffee. “We both work jobs. We help with the lot rent. I think we can handle ourselves.” “Yeah, I’m pretty sure we can handle it,” Johnny added. “You mean, Colton will handle it.” Colton pointed to himself. “You’ll overanalyze any problem to indecision, Johnny.” “No fights.” Brendan paused and pointed to Colton. “You’re still on county probation, so try not to get in trouble until the judge officially ends it.” “They’ll term it at the next court hearing.” Colton’s face reddened for a second. Johnny shrugged, signaling his twin to not let Brendan’s comment get to him. “Well,” Brendan said, shaking his head, “at least there won’t be any mistaken identity since Johnny’s cut all his hair off, the police will know which twin to arrest if you act up.” “Ouch, that one hurt.” Colton mockingly replied, as he crossed his arms then relaxed. Colton leaned forward scraping the last bit of eggs on to his plate, after Johnny shook his head when gestured if he wanted some. “Just stay out of trouble,” Brendan pointed at Colton. “And keep him in line,” Brendan said, squeezing Johnny’s shoulder. “That’s a full-time, non-paying thankless job.” Johnny said, shaking his head in judgment as he glanced at Colton. “Wow. Happy birthday to you too,” Colton said. “I’m at least not too scared of my own shadow.” Johnny narrowed his eyes and would have kicked his twin but for Brendan’s sake, he didn’t. He promised their mom—and Brendan—that things would be all right. Johnny didn’t want to add to the stress of Brendan studying for the bar. He’d seen Brendan stress out because of high school, college, and now law school the last three years. Johnny knew that Brendan felt guilty about leaving them behind. Brendan had stepped in when their dad left, and basically took care of them since their mom worked a lot of hours. Johnny wasn’t sure what the future was going to be for Colton and him, but in the quiet town of Baytowne, many things didn’t change. That was the most comforting thought for Johnny.