Copper

Chapter 1 

"Joe Joe, why do they make beer with bubbles?" Danny asked with innate curiosity, looking deep into the white foam of his Budweiser. 

Joseph peered up at the baseball game, which was playing on a TV in the upper left corner of the bar. Joe lifted up his beer, "I don't know," taking a big drink down. "Just drink it. I bought it for you." 

"Joe Joe, Yanks are doing good so far, huh?" 

Joe looked down peering into his mug, "Yep, Dan." 

Danny furrowed his brow a bit, picking at the wood and stone bar top with his dirty fingernails. "Hey, Joe, is Mama going to be okay?" 

Joe looked over at the bartender. Michael was a gruff old man, but good strong counsel when you needed him to be such. "Yeah, I suppose Dan. It's spring so I suppose." Joe finished his beer and rubbed his black head of hair. He then gave a stern look at Dan. "You know I get tired of this shit." 

Dan sipped his beer a bit gingerly, winching at his brother's remark. "Joe Joe, I'm sorry you get tired and all." 

Joseph shook his head forlornly, looking down at the base of his empty mug. "Naw, Dan, nope." 

Dan smiled happily at Joe, content that he had done no wrong to his brother. "Good Joe, Joe. Hey, you gonna get another beer?" 

Joe glanced once more at Mike, "Yea, Mike one more?" 

Michael was over at the far side of the bar washing mugs and glasses. "Yep, Joe another Bud!" wiping his hands on a rag as he spoke.  

Joe took a deep breath. He was so tired these days. A few moments of peace passed. He noticed someone out of the corner of his eye, remembering the beer he had wanted. "Yeah, Mike another one." 

Mike nodded, pulled a frosty cold mug from a lower bar refrigerator, pulling the tap, the amber ale filling the mug. "How is the family doing Joe? You don't talk much about them anymore." 

"Yeah, I know Mike." Joe turned a bit in his bar stool to view the raven-haired woman at the other end of the bar who was sitting at a small table. She seemed to be watching them and at the same time watching the light traffic on the road. 

Michael brought the freshly poured beer over to Joseph flipping a cardboard coaster, setting the beer on it. He rubbed his beard. "You really should loosen up a bit, relax Joe...families are families, they all have issues." 

Joe turned to the woman a bit further. "Yeah, Mike." 

The woman gave Joe a crooked smile and took a sip of her scotch on the rocks. 

Danny abruptly and quite loud remarking to them both, "Yep Mikee, families do have families!" at what Michael had said to Joseph. 

Michael hearing Danny, cheerfully walked away nodding to himself. "That's true Danny boy, very true." 

Danny smiled very satisfied to have pleased Michael's sense of humor and irony. "What are we going to do when we get home, Joe?" 

Joe shrugged, "Don't know Dan, don't know." 

Hearing Joe's answer, Danny began to settle down again. It grew quiet in the bar. Joe sipped his beer and went back to watching the baseball game. Danny suddenly looked far out into space, which he did from time to time. Joe never could figure out why. He had some ideas and brought them up to his mom, but Mama Cruse never looked into it. Danny seemed always to be a bit slower than most people were; to the family he just was born that way. Danny was born slow and big and as he grew up, he grew even bigger. Joe's brother was always a bit of an oddity to most people especially when he and Danny paired up together to go out in public. Joe didn't mind so much. However, sometimes and for some unknown reason to Joe it bothered other people. If Danny's oddities did not bother him so much Joe figured why should it bother anyone else? After all, Joe had to live with him, besides everyone had his or her peculiarities. Joe was only five-eight at best while Danny stood six-foot-five 230 pounds, mostly muscle. Danny seemed to wake from his trance and drank a bit more of his beer. "Joe, you're going to school soon?"