Vignette #6: Kyle

He looked around when he heard the little ping and saw the message “Morning.”

Leaning over quickly, he typed in “What time is it there?”

“Haven’t been to bed yet.”

“Getting the day started here.”

“Alone?”

He smiled. “Not yet.”

“Later?”

He heard steps coming toward him. He typed in “Half hour” as quickly as he could and hit send.

“Kyle?” His wife’s voice came from the hallway. The confirmation came quickly and he fumbled to turn it off. The screen had just gone dark when he felt her standing right behind him.

“What’cha doin’ honey?” She said so sweetly.

Kyle turned to her, almost knocking her down. “Aw, the boy left his computer on…again.”

He saw the sour look on her face. “No harm, Janie. Just wasted a little electricity that’s all.”

“I’m afraid it’ll catch on fire.” She turned and headed to the kitchen, him following.

“That’s just silly.” He said hungry and half ignoring her.

“I read on the cover of one of them magazines they have at the check out in Harris Teeter that a whole neighborhood somewhere burned to the ground ‘cause somebody left a computer on and it got too hot and caught fire.”

“Janie, you shouldn’t be a readin’ that trash.” He teased her.

“Well there ain’t nothing else to do when yer standin’ in line waitin’ while Emma Jean Castlewood bawls out the check out girl for her bread bein’ smashed again.” She opened the fridge and plucked up a carton of milk. “Can you get some bowls out the cabinet? ‘Sides I didn’t even pick 'em up I just look at the covers and read the headlines, nothin’ sinful in that.” Janie plunked the carton on the little table and smoothed out her clean scrubs.

Kyle rattled around three bowls and arranged them on table. “Is that ol’ woman still alive?”

“Emma Jean? Probably not, but she’s sa mean her body don’t know it yet.” She picked up one of the bowls from the table. “I’m running late. I’ll just hafta snatch something off one of the trays at work.” She whined and returned it to its spot in the cupboard as the screen door screeched.

A little boy with a tee shirt full of fresh eggs grabbed their attention. “Gotta a jackpot this mornin’.” He beamed.

“Ronnie! Just look at that shirt!” She chided as she helped the boy put the eggs in a wire basket from the counter. “I have told you and told you to take the little basket with you when you gather.”

“What’s wrong with m’shirt?” He wondered out loud.

“It’s got chicken poop all over it.” She put her hands on her spreading hips. “Run go change it real quick.”

“It’s fine.” The boy insisted.

Kyle held his temper in check. He hated it when the boy argued. “You do as your told son.” He managed he thought sternly but not angrily.

“But why?” The child whined.

“We ain’t sending you ta school with chicken shit on yer clothes. We’re poor, but we ain’t redneck. Now git!”

The boy bit his lip and turned quickly almost hiding the nasty look on his face.

“And you left the computer on again.” His mother added before he left the room.

“I did not!” Ronnie soared back before they heard his bedroom door slammed.

“Well, that’s just great.” Janie did little to hide the tension in her voice. “He’ll be in a mood all day now.” She handed her husband a Tupperware container of cereal.

“What the hell is this?” Kyle was no longer in a good mood either.

“It’s a cereal dispenser.” She frowned at him. “Just flip up the lid and pour it.”

“Janie, we barely make ends meet without you spendin’ money on fancy schamncy plastic crap.” He grabbed the fancy schmancy crap from her and struggled to get it open.

“It was either that or keep havin’ a helpin of anty bugs with yer two scoops.” She snatched the container from him and easily poured the bran flakes into his bowl.

“An I got it at the Dollar store. Ninty eight cents plus tax ain’t a steep price compared to havin’ to throw out half a box a cereal ever week.” She dumped milk on top of his flakes.

“I’m sorry, sugar.” Kyle dropped his head and picked up his spoon. “Got up on the wrong side of bed this morning.”

“It’s alright, Kyle.” She half smiled and ruffled the hair on the back of his head. “Times is hard, but we’ll make the most of it.” She sighed. “Ronnie, child, hurry up.” She tried to bellow sweetly down the hall.

“He ain’t gonna have time fer breakfast afore the bus comes.”

Janie opened a breadbox on the counter and split open a left over biscuit from last night’s dinner. “He’ll be pouty, but he’ll make it.”

Kyle ate his breakfast and watched intently as his wife wrapped the old bread in a paper towel, ran her hand under the tap and flicked water on the paper. “I hafta run to Bristol after work today so dinner will be late.” She put the wrapped biscuit in the microwave and punched a few buttons.

“Why for Bristol?” Kyle asked as he crunched.

“I’m gonna send that letter. Sparky said to bring it by the station.”

“Janie, I am telling you, do not send that letter. You’re just askin’ fer trouble if ya do”

“It’ll be fine, and Ronnie’s got his heart set on it.” She said firmly as she smeared jar jam on the now hot biscuit.

He knew there was no arguing with her, but he tried anyway. “You don’t know that.”

“He don’t know no better, Kyle.” She put the biscuit in a paper bag with a napkin followed by three quarters she pulled out of her pocket.

“But ya didn’t have ta put no pitchers in it. No sense in wastin’ time and gas to drive to Bristol. I’ll put it in the box m’self.”

She looked up at him from writing her son’s name across the paper bag with a Sharpie. “Sparky says she kin prob’ly find a address where it’ll get right to him. It may bring some nice memories fer him. After what that man did fer us, God knows if we can give him some good memories after all he’s been through…”

“I’d say paying a hell of a lot more than this dump was worth is all the good memories he needs from us.” Kyle sniped almost swallowing a mouthful without chewing.

Janie squinted her eyes. “Ronald Maxwell Osbourne, you know good and well this prop’ty is worth ten times mor’n than what we paid fer it. If it weren’t for him and Daddy…”

Kyle threw up his hands in defeat. “Enough, woman, enough.” He watched his wife cross her arms and lean back on the counter in defiance. “Fine. Do whatever ya want. I just think he’ll throw it away, if you ever even get it to ‘im. An’ I don’t want to see the boy’s feelin’s hurt. Or yourn.”

“Sparky’s brother and Mr. Justyn is good friends. She promised she’d make sure he got it.” She turned her back on him to fold down the end of her son’s lunch so Kyle couldn’t see the smile on her face.

“Don’t call him that.”

“What?” Janie said as she turned around and placed the bag on the table where the boy’s empty cereal bowl sat.

“Mister Justyn…he don’t shit strawberry ice cream, Janie. He’s just some hillbilly like the rest of us…”

“Some hillbilly that’s made somethin’ of hisself. Some hillbilly who deserves a li’l respect.”

“Shoot.” Kyle dumped the rest of his cereal in the sink and opened the tap. “If I was pretty I could read the news, too.”

“Well, yer pretty enough…” Janie patted her husband’s rump. “But’cha cain’t read for squat.” She turned her attention elsewhere, argument over. “Ronnie are ya changin’ shirts or knittin’ a pair of socks?” She shook her head and went after him.

Kyle watched after her and reached for the brown sack with his son’s name on it. He opened it as quietly as he could, taking out the three quarters and carefully folding the sack closed again. He slipped the change in his pocket and on second thought reached above the microwave and fished out a Twinkie.

“That bus’ll be here any minute, Ronnie.” He said loudly as he placed the snack with the now hardening day old jelly biscuit back as close to its original position as possible.

He tried to look nonchalantly as his wife and son reappeared in the kitchen. He picked up the poke and held it toward his boy. “Don’t forget this.”

Not looking him in the face, the child took the brown sack. “Thanks, Daddy.”

“Have a good day at school.”

The boy nodded as Janie grabbed her purse from the counter and slung it over her shoulder. She ushered him toward the back door. “Com’mon baby boy. I’ll drive ya to the end of the lane.” She bussed her husband’s cheek. “Have a good day. Maybe we’ll grill some hamburger helper for dinner.”

He smiled. “I think maybe I’ll go down to the creek and see if I can catch us some horny heads instead. I heard they was already bitin'. Would you like that, son?”

Ronnie just slammed the door behind him without answering. Janie watched after her son a moment then looked back at her husband. “It was just a little thing Kyle, ya shouldn’t have lost yer temper.”

“I said I was sorry.”

She smiled weakly. “But ya didn’t say I’m sorry ta him.” She walked out the door.

Kyle waited until he heard her footsteps off the back porch before he picked up the wet breakfast bowl from the sink and threw it against the wall. The splattering of Corelle across the floor made him feel better. He liked the sound of the crunch it made on the bottom of his boots as he sauntered into the living room.

He opened the front screen door and watched his wife’s car raising dust clouds down the driveway. He waved in case either she or the boy looked back and noticed him, and then let the door slam as he re-entered the house.

It was going to be a hot one, too early for it to be this hot he thought. He pulled his shirt over his head, balled it up and wiped his armpits. He pressed the power button on the computer and headed for a beer while it whirred itself back on. The first sip tasted so good he sighed loudly at the refreshment.

He got down on his knees and opened the bottom drawer of the desk the computer was on. He pulled it most of the way out and reached back into the opening feeling around until he could grasp his fingers around what he was looking for. It was just a little doo dad he’d bought at the Walmart once when Janie wasn’t with him.

Kyle hooked everything up just right and then shut that bottom drawer with his foot. He checked his watch and smiled. He moved the rolling chair back to just the right spot and then put his password into the computer. He heard the familiar ding as he took a second drag of the beer.

He adjusted the eye of the little camera thingy just a little when the box popped up that said invitation. “Right on time.” Kyle said out loud, stood up and took off his pants before moving the mouse to click ‘accept’.