Room for One More

Part 1: Shakespearean Support

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Creeps in this petty pace from day to day to the last syllable of recorded time. And all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle. Life's but a walking shadow. A poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing. DO IT AGAIN!

Samuel gasps awake and sits up in his bed to stop a dream that he was having. It was early in the morning. He gets out of bed and walks over to his window. Samuel pulls his rug back to reveal a hole in the floor, where he hides a big book.

He gets back in bed and opens the big book at the very middle. There, was his favorite comic book, the Phantom Halo is hidden. Samuel grabs his flashlight and starts reading it. After a little while, he goes back to sleep and wakes up when the sun comes up.

Samuel let out a big yawn as he laid in bed. Then, his older brother, Beckett comes into his room with some cash in his hand.

"Put this where it can't be found." he told his younger brother.

"Well, that'll be nowhere then." Samuel said as he took the cash.

"Quickly." Beckett said, then sat on the end of the bed.

"The neighbors are cooking bacon again." Samuel said, then stuffed the cash in his pillow case.

Just in time too because their father, Warren, just woke up.

"Beckett, Samuel. It's Daddy." he called out as he came out of his room and leaned against Samuel's doorframe.

The boys notice that he has already started drinking a bottle of beer, which is typical in the mornings.

"Well, good morning boys. Do you smell that? Nothing like the smell of bacon in the morning. What is for breakfast?" their father asked.

"Donut holes." Beckett answered.

"Where's the money?" Warren asked.

"What money?" Beckett questioned.

"Don't play games with me." Warren said.

"I gave you everything I had." Beckett said.

"Oh, then we're screwed." Warren said.

"No, you mean you're screwed." Beckett said as a comeback.

"I'm screwed, you're screwed, we're all screwed. It's not about the pronoun." Warren said.

"Where were you last night, Dad? You promised." Samuel spoke up.

"I was doing the best I can to support you two boys. That's where I was last night, all right." Warren said, leaving it at that.

Just then, he notices Samuel's comic book on the floor.

"What's this? Huh? What's this?" Warren questioned with a frustrated tone of voice.

"No. Wait, that's mine. You can't have it." Samuel said as he got out of bed.

"No, nothing is yours. Nothing, you got that? Do you think reading this stuff is any good for you and your brother, huh? Do you?" Warren declared.

Samuel was lost words and stood there in silence. He's never been good at standing up for himself.

"Get dressed, you're gonna be late. Go on." Warren said to break the silence.

Samuel went into the bathroom. He stood in front of the mirror and practiced his daily Shakespeare monologue.

"I know you all and will a while uphold the unyoked honor of your idleness. Yet herein will I imitate the sun with doth permit base contagious clouds to smother up his beauty from the world." he said to his reflection.

Samuel was interrupted when Warren came in.

"What? Go on." he said to his son, then proceeded to do his business.

"That when he pleased again to be himself by breaking through the foul and-" Samuel said, picking up where he left off.

"Being wanted he may be more wondered at." Warren corrected him.

"You think those idiots are gonna to notice?" Samuel questioned.

"That when he pleased again to be himself being wanted he may be more wondered at by breaking through the foul and ugly mists." Warren recited.

"They're not gonna tell if I miss a beat." Samuel simply said.

Just then, Warren slaps his son across the face.

"But, you will know. Then, you'll lose focus and trip up. Do it again!" his dad demanded.

Samuel exhaled and looked his father dead in the eye to finish the reciting.

"Being wanted he may be more wondered at by breaking through the foul and ugly mists of vapors that did seem to strangle him." he finished.

"You're good. But, at your age, I was better." Warren said, cupping his son's face, then left the bathroom.

~~~~~~~~~~

Samuel and Beckett left their house and took a bus to go into town. They set up at their usual spot. Their tactic is simple: Samuel draws in a crowd with his Shakespeare performances, while Beckett picks their pockets for wallets, phones, and any other valuables.

After each performance, the crowd gives Samuel any spare change they have. Then, Beckett heads to a local gym to teach a self-defense class. With his brother gone, Samuel uses some of the money he earned to buy a new issue of the Phantom Halo at the comic book store.

As Beckett is walking out of the gym, his friend, Little Larry comes up to him.

"I wish I had a bunch of them trying to beat the crap out of me." he said to start a conversation.

"You saw that? Pretty cool, huh?" Beckett said.

"Yeah. I thought that was you in there." Little Larry said.

"A lot of them have been through a lot. It's the least I can do to teach them those skills." Beckett said.

"You wanna hang out sometime?" Little Larry asked.

"You know I'd love to, but I'm really busy." Beckett answered.

"Oh yeah, I gotta be somewhere too. My next bus leaves in five minutes." Little Larry explained.

"You're still taking the bus? I thought you would have a job doing computer science or something by now." Beckett assumed.

"Yeah. Well, I do have the perfect job." Little Larry said, then pulled out a wad of cash.

"Holy crap! How did you make that much?" Beckett asked in shock.

"I'll have to tell you another time." Little Larry said, then started to leave.

"All right, come on. Listen, I wanna know what you do for a living." Beckett said, trying to get his friend to stay.

"You said that you were in a hurry, remember?" Little Larry reminded, then left.

Beckett just stood there, pondering how his friend makes so much money. But, it'll have to wait.