Surviving the Apocalypse: Pandemic

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

How the heck could Wednesday have rolled around again so fast? He’d go have dinner with the family, and he really hoped he wouldn’t have to hear again how disappointed Bill Cavey was in Laurie’s work. It was bad enough he wouldn’t hear the end of how disappointed Louise was he hadn’t asked her for another date.

They’d had a good time—Lync had taught him how to dance, and Louise reaped the benefits of that. She’d gushed on and on about how none of the other boys she’d dated could hold a candle to his footwork, and he’d been a little annoyed at being referred to as a boy. He was twenty-five, after all. He did think she’d been laying on the praise with a trowel, though.

Afterward, when he’d walked her to her door and she’d raised her mouth for a good night kiss, he’d pecked her on the cheek, babbled about what a nice evening he’d had, and bolted without saying he wanted to see her again.

He’d probably have to promise Mom he’d ask Louise out again. Geez, if he didn’t watch his step, he’d wind up married to her. And while she was nice enough—there was that damned word again—he preferred Lync to Louise. They were both fun, but Lync had a big d**k, although Laurie would never say as much to anyone.

He was done for the day now, and he’d have to hustle if he didn’t want to be late. He was about to enter the work shanty to store his tools and hardhat in the gang box when Bill Cavey came up to him. “Hold on a minute, Parkinson.”

“Boss?” Oh, geez. What was he going to yell at Laurie about this time?

He handed Laurie an envelope. “Here’s your paycheck.”

“Uh…this isn’t payday.”

“No, this is your last day. I’m sorry, but times are slow, and I’ve got orders to cut back.”

“But a lot of the guys are out sick.” Everyone seemed to be coming down with this spring cold or whatever it was. If Laurie could just hold onto his job for a few more days, just until he could get another job—

“Like I said, we just don’t have the work.”

And of course Laurie would be the first to go. Pop was going to kill him when he found out his only son had lost this job. Pop’s parents had grown up during the Depression, and they’d pounded it into him never to leave a job no matter how much you didn’t like it, but most of all not to get fired. Pop had done the same with all his kids, and Laurie felt sick at the thought of how he would react.

“I’m sorry,” Cavey said again. He actually looked as if he regretted having to let Laurie go.

“Yeah.” Laurie took the envelope, stuffed it in his pocket without bothering to check if they’d taken out for his union dues; he’d do that later. Just then all he wanted was to get out of there. He grabbed up his tool belt, shoved the company-issued hardhat at Cavey, and didn’t wait for him to say anything more—really, what else was there for him to say?

He headed out to the almost empty lot where his piece of s**t car was parked. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said a lot of the guys were out. At least half the crew had called in sick.

The crappy piece of s**t finally started after a bunch of tries, and it rattled down the road away from the jobsite. He couldn’t face his parents today.

“Screw it,” he told himself, and he deliberately turned off his phone. “What you need, my friend, is a drink or six.” Instead of heading for his apartment, he made a left and drove into town. It was early, but that meant the white-collar guys wouldn’t be at Joe’s for another couple of hours.

A quick stop at his bank, and he cashed his last paycheck. The company must have been feeling generous. They’d paid him an additional two weeks, although it was probably to make up for the vacation he wouldn’t be able to take because he needed to look for another job. Once he put the money in his wallet, he got back into his car and headed for Joe’s.

As Laurie suspected, the parking lot behind the bar only had a handful of cars in it. He brought his piece of s**t to a stop, turned off the ignition, and got out. He didn’t bother locking it. Only an i***t would want to steal this rattletrap. And if they wanted his tool belt that badly then they were welcome to it.