(no subject)
Chapter ten
Nate moved out of his mother’s house when he was 24. Even then, he was only moved out for 6 months before moving back in. She was diabetic and had a rare heart condition that made it difficult for her to live on her own. She was 200 pounds overweight and could only do so much before getting winded. He moved out for the second time when he was 26.
On the day he moved, he threw nearly everything that he owned away. All that he took with him was a weeks worth of clothes, a pillow and a blanket, and a Dokken tape. He piled it all into the trunk of his Nova and left one morning without saying anything to anyone. He didn’t even have a place set up to move into.
The first few months, he didn’t talk to anyone and lived in his car. At first, he’d pull into the city park at night and sleep there, but the cops eventually forced him out. After that, he would pull into the parking lots of factories and park near the end of the lot. No one ever noticed him, except for the occasional passing homeless person. Once, his car was broken into and his tape player stolen, but other than that, no one ever disturbed him.
During a particular summer day, the sun woke up Nate at 9 ‘o clock like usual. The heat bleeting through the dirty windshield proved to be too much and he aroused with a naseous feeling. He looked into the rear-view mirror to see a red bruise across his forehead where he’d fallen asleep against the steering wheel. His right hand clutched an empty tall can of beer still wrapped in a paper bag.
A sudden rapping disturbed Nate and he turned quickly to the left to see a hunched over figure knocking at the window. It was his brother.
“Nate, c’mon Nate, what’s going on?” Jerry Jr.’s voice came through muffled. Nate rolled the window down. Jerry Jr. was wearing a black shirt with all-around print lightning bolts and in the center was a wolf howling at the moon and the profile of a grave Indian man underneath. His shorts were ragged and he had mud stained white socks with his fake leather sandals. His hair was long and he had a scuzzy beard.
“What do you want? I thought I told you to leave me alone.”
“I talked to mom last night. She wants you to come live with me. Now, I’m not gonna force-“
“You just keep to yourself. If I wanted your help, I’d ask for it.”
“I knew you’d say that, Nate, but you’re homeless.”
“I ain’t goddamn homeless, you see this here? This is my home! Don’t even put me with them bums, you sonuva bitch!”
“I can share my welfare check with you until you get a job or something.”
Nate looked into his lap and returned his head to Jerry. The sun behind him made Nate have to squint his eyes and hold his hand to his forehead like a salute.
“Let me come over to eat and I’ll think about it.”