Eddie Munson: 2023

Episode 6: The Life

Was Eddie just that classic of a person? He grabbed the local newspaper as it sat in the mailbox. Walking back into the trailer with a stack of envelopes and the newspaper cupped in his armpit. "Lilly, do they still have a help wanted section in the newspaper?" I yelled into the trailer air. Lilly wasn't in the living room, or in the kitchen so he assumed she was in the back. A place he didn't venture to often. Unwilling to venture so far, almost like going back into the past. "Wouldn't know Eds, I don't read the newspaper!"

With a shuffle and a shut of the front door, I gathered myself at the kitchen table. "Hey, where are the pens and highlighters?" I yelled back to Lilly. If you could hear the roll of her eyes you'd laugh just like I did, "Right draw, underneath the tv stand." I dug through the drawer, looking for that bright yellow highlighter, and pen that I used to despise during school. I sit my ass back down at the kitchen table, the newspaper is opened down the center. I look, waiting for something that connects, but I doubt it easy as that.

An hour passes and Lilly has come back out from the back of the trailer, I hear her footsteps and when she stops it's only because she's peering over my shoulder. Almost glaring at the paper that sits in front of me. There are pen and highlight marks. Some highlight marks are drawn through with pens. I had called the numbers most being disconnected. "Are you looking for a job?" Lilly asks me from over my shoulder, I shrug my shoulders, "You know you don't have to Eddie?" As if I could sit, and do nothing while she did everything.

Another hour passes. The black and white paper now looks like a very bad version of a crossword puzzle. Little boxes, filled with little descriptions of the job for which you are calling. It has me rolling my eyes more than I think I ever did when I was a teenager. Lilly had already made a batch of cookies and cleaned up the kitchen once before returning to make lunch. She had set the plate down on the side of the newspaper. "Have you found anything?" She asked her voice hopeful. I shook my head, looking down at the sandwich.

It was the only time I had stopped in nearly three hours of working through the newspaper. The help wanted section was larger than I thought it would be considering it was the twenty-first century like Lilly said. Done by sections of jobs it wasn't confusing to figure out that it was filled with lots of Service jobs. Pet care, lawn services, and other things that I had no interest in doing. But really I had no interest in getting a job, but here I was looking through the help wanted section. "They might have postings in town?" Lilly muttered.

I turned my head over my shoulder. Looking towards Lilly as she sat in front of the TV, and a book in her hand. "How's the multi-tasking going for ya?" Throwing sarcasm to the wind. She rolled her eyes but smiled at me. "What do you mean they might have a job posting in town?" I asked, seriously wondering what she was talking about. "Do you remember the diner?" I shake my head, "They've had one for a while now." I tried to think, I had seen a little sign that hung on the door. I thought for a moment.

"Can we go into town and check them out?" I asked. She shrugged her shoulders and got up. "Let's go it's early enough in the afternoon." I grabbed my shoes and tumbled out of the door with Lilly in front of me. I slide into the passenger side seat and waited for Lilly to lock the front door, and get in beside me. The drive to town is shorter than I remember it being. Music playing softly in the background. Lilly drives to a few places. The library, Melvalds, finally the mechanics. The posting is sitting in the window, waiting.

I smile at the window, and smile back at Lilly. "I think I'll check this one out, okay?" She nods her head, grabbed her pocketbook, and waved her book at me as I slammed the passenger door. I walked with confidence into the main part of the auto shop. An older gentleman looked at me through his glasses. "What are you here for son?" I swallowed, "A job hopefully." I countered, he shook his head, looking me up and down. "Do you know anything about cars, son?" I shook my head. "How old are ya son?" "twenty-two Sir." "Good enough."