BLACK VOSS: ACT 1

4

It was officially Saturday, and the boys were ecstatic, pulling along their tired father. The park on central street was called Lockwood Park, known for its many oak wood trees and large playground.

It was quite far from where Andre lived, the family had to take two buses to get there, but Andre thought it was worth it to see Remus smile.

The father rarely saw his son so hyper before, skipping along the crosswalk. The boy was usually laid back and flowy, so it was strange to see him this way.

They made it to the park's entrance just in time to see Celia and Lucio walking towards them. The kids ran up to each other all hugging and giggling while the adults conversed as they walked to the park.

"You look terrible." Lucio blurted out, laughing dryly. He himself looked better than Andre despite staying up late. He wore a white button up without his vest, slacks, and dress shoes that were not made for walking in.

"I feel terrible." Andre had on a wrinkled black shirt, and blue jeans that had stains on them. "I had a bad shift."

"I can see that." Now that Lucio knew where Andre worked, and how late, he grew a bit worried for the other man.

They walked inside the park and found a bench just in view of the playground. They sat down, watching their kids run off to play with the others. The two said nothing for a while, Lucio just watched Celia intently while Andre closed his eyes listening to the sounds of the park.

"Have you ever thought about getting a different job?" asked Lucio, trying to spark conversation.

"I did, but I can't." Andre leaned back, crossing his arms against his chest tiredly.

"Why not?"

It was clear Lucio didn't have a clear concept of the working world, and Andre didn't blame him. They lived in two separate lives so there was bound to be misunderstandings.

"It's the only job I can afford to have."

The other was curious, "What do you mean?"

"If I get a different job I would have to move," Andre stated, "And I can't afford that. Temple Bliss is close to my apartment, and the boy's school. It's stable, and I'll sacrifice sleep for it."

"I see."

Lucio didn't have that problem, his life was always stable, although not fun. He didn't have to worry about money, food, or a home like Andre did and it humbled him a bit. Of Course the man wasn't stuck up like other rich people were, but he never experienced what poor people went through so what could he really say.

"It's worth it though." Andre sighed, scratching at his arm.

Lucio turned to him, "What do you mean?"

The taller one looked towards the park, seeing his son playing in the jungle gym, "I get to spend time with my boys every day, and that's enough for me."

Every weekend, even if he was tired, Andre would spend the entire day with Remus and Morgan. He would cook, play games with them, go places; anything the boys wanted to do was done. It was tiring, but he understood they would only be that small for a short amount of time. He wanted to be with them as much as possible.

Lucio turned towards his daughter, letting out a sigh, "You're better than me Andre."

Andre let out a sheepish chuckle, "I'm really not."

"You are," the other sighed.

Andre sat up, "I'm sure you're a great father Lucio."

Lucio let out a dry laugh, "You say that but it's not true, I'm quite bad."