Just home from work, Jake cleans his lunch, er, dinner bag in the kitchen. He hears the toilet flush and thirty seconds later after some handwashing, his dad comes out of the bathroom. "Hi, Dad!" Jake says, "What are you doing up this late?"
"Ach, pissing, what do you think? Don't get old, Jake. Everything starts to leak," Dad says, yawning in his blue pajamas, "So, did you see another county commissioner got arrested for bribery?"
"Another one?" Jake says, checking the mail on the kitchen counter.
"Yes, you'd think they would have learned a lesson when the last one went to jail for taking bribes, but apparently not. Say, I wonder if they have standard rates for bribery or if they just make it up as they go along?"
"I don't know, Dad."
"Johnny the barber does that, you know? He doesn't have prices listed in the barbershop. He just charges the customer based on how much he likes him. If he doesn't like you, then it's an expensive haircut and he hopes you don't come back. If he likes you, then he charges you the normal rate. If he really likes you, then he gives you a discount."
"I guess he does do that, doesn't he? How much does he charge you?"
"Ten dollars."
"Ten dollars! He charges me fifteen."
"Well, whatever he charges you, you should see him soon. Your hair's getting long."
Jake goes into the bathroom and looks into the mirror. "I suppose you're right. I hadn't noticed. At work, we wear hairnets so I haven't paid much attention."
"You haven't paid much attention to anything except that girl since you started dating her. I never see you anymore. You're either at work or with her. Your mother misses you."
"Yeah, well, you know how it is."
"Just don't get her pregnant until you get a better job than that hairnet place."
"Dad! Jesus! The economy's terrible. I'm lucky to have a job at all."
"Well, I know of a place that's hiring."
"Where's that?"
"The county needs a new commissioner. And maybe then Johnny would give you free haircuts if you hire a relative of his for a county position."
"Go to bed, Dad."
"That's where I'm headed. Say, bring home some of those hairnets. If we put them on the cats, maybe they wouldn't shed so much."
Blog Love Omega Glee is a novel by Wred Fright about two bloggers who fall in love while the world falls apart, which is being serialized on his blog. To start reading from the beginning or read another installment, please visit Blog Love Omega Glee Central on WredFright.Com. If you like what you've read, or you've read all of Blog Love Omega Glee and want more Fright, then please read his first novel, which is available in print and as an ebook.
Posts
15 hours ago
0 comments:
Post a Comment