Settling in
Chloe woke up. She still felt tired. She mustn't have slept for more than four hours. Thankfully it was Sunday, that meant the shop was closed but she still had a lot of work to do around the house and go downtown to get house supplies. She went downstairs. Her mother was sitting in a rocking chair in her room, her empty gaze looking outside her window
"Good morning mom."
No response,as always. It has been like that for months, but still Chloe talked to her mother, finding comfort even if she didn't listen or understand.She went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. _Almost empty _she thought. She took a carton of milk and made breakfast. She was still thinking about the incident the night before. Maybe she should try to thank him again, try a different approach? She went back to her room and got her clothes on.
Parker woke on the sofa he laid last night, an empty beer can still in his hand. He rubbed his face in discomfort as he tried to get himself standing.He felt lightheaded. Once he got a feeling for his bearings he wore his clothes. A white t-shirt with an unbuttoned lumberjack jacket over it. He checked his pockets to still find his own bandana tucked in his pants. He went outside. There was a table on the porch. He sat on one the chairs he had salvaged from the basement. Already he had a fresh beer in his hand. He was annoyed to see Chloe approach his front yard.
"You again?" asked Parker in an irritated but low voice."Look.I just really wanted to thank you for what you did last night." said Chloe shyly ."What did I do?" he questioned her,without taking a puzzled stance."You got rid of that rascal Jack."
"I don't care what you kids do, just stay away from my house."
"I just want to return the favor."
"I didn't do any favors, now go away, you are ruining my morning!".He took a sip from the beer car.Chloe didn't move.Parker rolled his eyes. This was becoming an annoyance.He finished the rest of his beer."Fine...if I give you something to do will you leave me alone?"
"I guess." said Chloe.Parker reached in his pocket and pulled out a small parchment of paper."Can you go and get me these?" he said as he stretched his hand over the railing of the porch to hand out the parchment together with some dollars. Chloe took hold of it. She read what was written on the paper.
"These are painkillers." she indicated. "So?" the dog asked in indifference."Don't you need a prescription?" the fox asked back." Those ones don't need prescriptions."She was about to protest."Now go , and don't come back for a few hours." making a dismissive wave with his hand.Chloe walked away. She still wasn't sure if the painkillers needed prescription or not, or what he would do with them. But it didn't matter. For her the pharmacy was an every day stop.
Will stepped out of the house, holding a cigarette in his mouth and stand next to Parker."So what happens now?".He asked taking off the cigarette from his mouth ."I might as well start working at the house but I need some tools." Parker answered."Harold could lend you some." Will pointed out raising his eyebrows.
Parker stepped up to Harold's front door and rang the bell. Harold's son opened the door. His name was Kobel. He had the same yellow fur with his father and blonde hair.But he was different. He was a hybrid between cat and otter. Although he had most of the characteristics of his dad, his hands were webbed and his whiskers were those of an otter. His short hair was a light shade of pink.
"Uh eh .... hello Mr. Parker.My father told me you might come" greeted Kobel with a shy tone in his voice."Is your father here?" Parker asked right away."No um.... he is working." Answered the cat straight away with nervousness. Parker's presence and expressionless style did in fact look intimidating."I need some tools. Where can I find some?"."You can take some from the garage if you need Mr Parker."."Stop calling me mister." Parker said with a straight face. He didn't like the sound of it, it didn't sit right with him."Yes,sir" answered Kobel lowering his head,swallowing anxiously.
Parker turned around and headed for the garage.After searching around he got everything he needed he went back to his house. He managed to find an old portable staircase and with that got on the roof and started working on the tiles. It wasn't soon before he was interrupted.
"I never really got your name sir." said Chloe standing in the front yard looking at Parker on the roof while covering her eyes from the sun.She was holding a bag with the meds Parker told her."It's Parker." said Parker without turning to face her."Parker what?" she asked."Parker McStones." That was his last name."Why did you decide to move here Mr.Parker?"
"Don't call me mister." said Parker trying to fit a tile in place."Ok but still."she asked again."None of your business."Chloe didn't know if she should have felt insulted. "Is he that rude all the time?" she wondered."Did you bring what I asked?"Parker turned his head around, his fur already started to feel heavy from sweat."Yeah.It's all in here" said Chloe raising the bag so he could see it. "Just leave it on the table."And so Chloe did. "What are you going to do with them anyways?"
"None of your business."
"Anything else you want?"
" Yeah,to leave me do my work."
Some manners don't hurt old man thought Chloe angrily to herself.She moved on and went to her home. Parker removed his jacket for it was getting really warm.
Two hours had passed.He continued working. He threw away broken tiles, placing new ones and refitting the ones that still seemed able to do the job.He could not help but notice that he got another visitor. It was Kobel. "What the hell would he want?" said Parker to himself quietly. Another distraction and another pain in the ass."What do you want?" he shouted from the rooftop so the kid could hear him.
Kobel removed his hands from the pocket of his purple hoodie and waved."I just thought you might need some help." "Well I don't." Parker told him."Are you sure?" asked Kobel again."Don't you have anything better to do?" Parker grunted. "Actually, I don't.I just hoped.." admitted the cat looking a away in a depressive manner. Parker interrupted him" Look kid, I told your friend just now, that I don't your help. Now get lost, I am busy." Parker carried on. When he looked back again the kid had left.
He kept working and fixing tiles for the rest of the day. It was about to get dark soon so he decided to stop. As he went to climb down the stairs one of the steps broke under his sheer weight.That staircase hadn't been used for a long while.Parker found himself on the grass, back first, before he even realized it. "Motherfucker" he uttered to himself.
"Are you alright sir?" he heard someone say. He looked up. It was Kobel."Why are you back here?" said Parker angered from the pain."I saw you falling."
"I am fine, just..." Parker tried to stand up but he felt pain on his back.
"Let me help you up.".Kobel reached down to grab him."HEY! Get your hands off me!" said Parker shaking off Kobel's hands while trying to stand up. "Just... just go home,boy " he muttered. That fall hurt more than it should have, especially for someone like Parker.He grabbed his right shoulder in pain."Are you sure you are alright?" the cat questioned him again."I said go home!" A temper rising in Parker's voice.
The cat left in a hurry. Parker picked up the bag with the painkillers that the vixen left earlier."Time to put them in good use." said the doberman under his breath and went inside .He crashed on the sofa.
"That must have hurt." Will said jokingly from the upper floor."You tell me." Parker already had a drink in his hand and was about to gulp down a handful of pills."You know that ain't good for your health." Will criticized him."You don't tell me what to do." Parker answered back.He gulped down the pills. It didn't take long before the pills started to get on him.It eased the pain.He lied on the sofa and closed his eyes.