The Wrong Brother

Chapter 13

MONTY

The night shift sucks. How do people work overnight all the time? I guess they probably get used to the odd hours and the sun never being up when they are most productive. As a supervisor, I’m responsible for what happens 24/7 at the factory. That means every so often, I take a week working nights to make sure everything runs the way it should. The job itself isn’t taxing. I’d argue it is pretty boring. Only a skeleton cleaning crew is here and then the security staff. Most of my week has been spent looking over paperwork and getting to know the men who work this shift.

The security crew comes well vetted, but only a handful transferred from the Idaho location. Brandon is one of those guys. We’re not friends, per se, but we worked days together before the transfer. It was nice to have a familiar face this week.

“So, what are your plans after today’s shift?” Brandon asked, setting a new cup of coffee in front of me.

I lift up the cup to thank him before taking a drink. “Sleeping. I’m definitely sleeping. You’re telling me that you like this?” I motion to the rows of monitors that are quiet.

“It isn’t that bad. The only downside so far is my neighbors not realizing I’m trying to sleep in the middle of the day. It isn’t their fault, but I’m going to need to get some earplugs or something if I don’t want to be up at noon every day.”

“Yeah, I get that. It’s been hard enough to sleep during the day this week, but the neighborhood landscapers have been there twice. Just mowing and leaf-blowing when I’m trying to sleep. I thank my military training for being able to function with broken sleep.”

“So you don’t have plans to make this a permanent thing?”

“Fuck no,” I laughed. “I might even make an excuse to get out of the next time I’m supposed to work this shift. Maybe I can just promote you and take care of it that way.”

Brandon shrugs, “I don’t want a pity promotion, but if it comes with a raise, I’ll take it.”

“That’s the spirit. So what do you do on your days off?”

“Oh, I don’t want you taking away the promotion you just gave me.” I shake my head and he continues, “Usually, I’ll get all my errands done when I get off in the morning. Then I can get a good sleep in and be up in the evening to go out with my girl.”

“Shit, you manage to go out with her?” Brandon told me earlier this week that he’d started dating somebody since he moved here. I told him about Iris, leaving out the part about her being my brother’s high school girlfriend, and admitted it sucked not to see her that much. The distance was a killer more than anything. I moved to this side of the valley to keep my distance from my parents, but now I’m too far from her. It was really just texting and phone calls while I was getting ready for work that held us over. I couldn’t want to get my hands on her. And my lips.

“It’s hard, for sure, but her friends from college do this thing where they get dinner every Friday night. She’d understand if I couldn’t be there, but I like to try. You’re probably dying to see your girl, huh?”

“You have no idea, Brandon. I’m tempted to tell her to take the day off so we could spend it together, but she’s too much of a hard worker to play hooky.”

“You sound whipped, Monty.”

I smile in his direction, “That’s because I am.”

Two hours later, I’m in my car, ready to leave this place. I’ve never called her in the morning, on account of her getting ready for work with Nia, but I dial her number anyway, taking a chance I can hear her voice.