Lefty finished his janitor gig at the high school and walked to find some more work. He rolled his janitorial cart for a mile under the setting sun until he reached the boardwalk. There were always messes near there.
Lefty rolled up with his cart in the front, holding the mop handle to steer it up the boardwalk ramp. He rolled the castor wheels up to the door below the stairs that lead to the upper deck and knocked on the door.
"Yeah?" came muffled through the old door.
"Any messes?" Lefty replied.
"Awh, nothing I can't handle, Left," the voice left it at that.
"C.mon, Red. There's gotta be something nasty or delicate you can't do. How're your hands doin'?"
The door rattled and clicked open. Red's hands were shaking against the door's edge and the threshold to his office. It was a storage closet, really, with a school desk-chair combo squeezed into the side so the swinging door wouldn't hit it.
"I'm just fine, alright Left? Now, git! I got important business." Red slammed the door. Lefty muttered an old curse into the door's wood. He'd learned the curse from his Mah when he was 7 years old and she was 27. He was 58 now and she was dead.
Lefty had to get paid a little more tonight or his Wanda wouldn't get fed. She was pregnant with three beautiful babies all four of them (including Wanda) would be hungry when he got home.
He rolled his cart to a good spot near the railing, hit the wheel-lock on the cart, and reached underneath the trash-can section of the cart to pull out a large sketchbook. He also got 2 large sharpies (one fine, one thick) from the pocket on his coveralls and began to hustle.
"Miss! Miss, wouldn't you like a sketch of your and your man?" She walked on by, though. An older man heard his call a minute later.
"Do you do solos?" the brittle old man asked.
"Ah, well, sure, sir," but Lefty wasn't so thrilled because he'd probably want to pay less. "How much we talking?"
"$5," the old man replied. That's enough for Wanda and the unborn ones, probably only slim pickings for Lefty though. That's ok. Karma for getting to finish hustling so quick. Lefty nodded and set to work.
Lefty leaned his sketchbook against his cart while he made strong, quick strokes to form the man's large nose, receding chin, protruding second chin, warm and lonely eyes, strong face bones, and large ear lobes. Really, it took about 7 minutes or so.
The man was nice about it, though he was clearly hoping for more out of the final product. He handed Lefty a soiled 5 and walked off calmly towards the bathroom.
Lefty leaned for a minute on the boardwalk railing just to soak something in that day. It was a nice enough sunset that was totally over at this point. He stood straight again and grabbed the mop handle to wheel himself on home.
Wanda was tired when Lefty got home to the shed. She was laying on her side and her nipples were showing through the sheet. She bristled when lefty creaked the corrugated siding away from the door.
"Sorry, Wand. Rest your head now," Lefty cooed at his lover. She smiled and licked her chapped mouth. She moaned and begged for his attention. Lefty was a softie - he obliged without hesitation.
"I got you some of your favorites," he said as he reached her side. He pulled out a can of tuna and about five packets of Hellman's mayonnaise. He reached for the can opener above their resting place, deftly circled it around the tuna can, and dumped the contents on the ground in front of Wanda. Wanda's eyes lit up and her breath quickened.
Lefty smirked to himself as he opened each successive packet of mayo and squeezed it out onto the pile of oily tuna. When the fifth packet came, he used his finger to really get it all out. Then he straightened and bent the packet in order to use it for mixing. He stuck the crude spoon in and out of the tuna to really mix it up. When he finished mixing he throw the last packet of mayo to the trash pile and licked the globs of whiteness off his fingers.
Wanda and Lefty looked at each other for a few moments. Soft, without expectation.
Lefty gave a nod and Wanda went to goddamn town on that pile of tuna and mayo. Lefty laughed a predictable laugh.
He rubbed Wanda's forehead just a bit and softly moved his hands down her neck and to her shoulders where he started to remove the sheet. He pulled the sheet down to Wanda's belly, showing her swelling nipples to the shed's rusty air. He left the sheet there and moved his palm to her belly.
He felt three in there, alright. Might be even more.
Lefty rolled up with his cart in the front, holding the mop handle to steer it up the boardwalk ramp. He rolled the castor wheels up to the door below the stairs that lead to the upper deck and knocked on the door.
"Yeah?" came muffled through the old door.
"Any messes?" Lefty replied.
"Awh, nothing I can't handle, Left," the voice left it at that.
"C.mon, Red. There's gotta be something nasty or delicate you can't do. How're your hands doin'?"
The door rattled and clicked open. Red's hands were shaking against the door's edge and the threshold to his office. It was a storage closet, really, with a school desk-chair combo squeezed into the side so the swinging door wouldn't hit it.
"I'm just fine, alright Left? Now, git! I got important business." Red slammed the door. Lefty muttered an old curse into the door's wood. He'd learned the curse from his Mah when he was 7 years old and she was 27. He was 58 now and she was dead.
Lefty had to get paid a little more tonight or his Wanda wouldn't get fed. She was pregnant with three beautiful babies all four of them (including Wanda) would be hungry when he got home.
He rolled his cart to a good spot near the railing, hit the wheel-lock on the cart, and reached underneath the trash-can section of the cart to pull out a large sketchbook. He also got 2 large sharpies (one fine, one thick) from the pocket on his coveralls and began to hustle.
"Miss! Miss, wouldn't you like a sketch of your and your man?" She walked on by, though. An older man heard his call a minute later.
"Do you do solos?" the brittle old man asked.
"Ah, well, sure, sir," but Lefty wasn't so thrilled because he'd probably want to pay less. "How much we talking?"
"$5," the old man replied. That's enough for Wanda and the unborn ones, probably only slim pickings for Lefty though. That's ok. Karma for getting to finish hustling so quick. Lefty nodded and set to work.
Lefty leaned his sketchbook against his cart while he made strong, quick strokes to form the man's large nose, receding chin, protruding second chin, warm and lonely eyes, strong face bones, and large ear lobes. Really, it took about 7 minutes or so.
The man was nice about it, though he was clearly hoping for more out of the final product. He handed Lefty a soiled 5 and walked off calmly towards the bathroom.
Lefty leaned for a minute on the boardwalk railing just to soak something in that day. It was a nice enough sunset that was totally over at this point. He stood straight again and grabbed the mop handle to wheel himself on home.
Wanda was tired when Lefty got home to the shed. She was laying on her side and her nipples were showing through the sheet. She bristled when lefty creaked the corrugated siding away from the door.
"Sorry, Wand. Rest your head now," Lefty cooed at his lover. She smiled and licked her chapped mouth. She moaned and begged for his attention. Lefty was a softie - he obliged without hesitation.
"I got you some of your favorites," he said as he reached her side. He pulled out a can of tuna and about five packets of Hellman's mayonnaise. He reached for the can opener above their resting place, deftly circled it around the tuna can, and dumped the contents on the ground in front of Wanda. Wanda's eyes lit up and her breath quickened.
Lefty smirked to himself as he opened each successive packet of mayo and squeezed it out onto the pile of oily tuna. When the fifth packet came, he used his finger to really get it all out. Then he straightened and bent the packet in order to use it for mixing. He stuck the crude spoon in and out of the tuna to really mix it up. When he finished mixing he throw the last packet of mayo to the trash pile and licked the globs of whiteness off his fingers.
Wanda and Lefty looked at each other for a few moments. Soft, without expectation.
Lefty gave a nod and Wanda went to goddamn town on that pile of tuna and mayo. Lefty laughed a predictable laugh.
He rubbed Wanda's forehead just a bit and softly moved his hands down her neck and to her shoulders where he started to remove the sheet. He pulled the sheet down to Wanda's belly, showing her swelling nipples to the shed's rusty air. He left the sheet there and moved his palm to her belly.
He felt three in there, alright. Might be even more.
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