Mirror Mirror

Chapter 10

Old man Jacobs had gladly given him some time off.  “Too much time in here might make you ancient.”  He’d said.  “Go out and have yourself a good time, my boy.  I’ll handle this shop-have been for forty years.  Go do what kids your age do.”  He liked Stephen.  Good boys with clean habits were rare these days, besides, Stephen had been more of a son to him than his own boy was, and when he came asking for the job, well, he didn’t need any help - but, how do you say no to somebody like him. 

Stephen’s mother had just died.  He thought the lad might need a distraction.  The old man had seen her often as she walked to work.  Hard working tired old dame - eleven years she walked that same route - eleven years till the day she died.  A hit and run accident right across from the post office.  A boy didn’t need that much pain in his life, and still he didn’t complain.  Yes.  He was entitled to some time off.

They had gotten off to a slow start.  Neither of them knew that much about the other.  They were very different people, Stephen soon discovered.  Jarrod had started the conversation rather hesitantly.  He was pretty much a hermit-no social life at all, and beside Stephen, no one else that he spoke to in person-except cops, and now and then, his family.

He had two brothers.  One older than him, and one younger-and one hell of a mother.  Still, he had all his groceries delivered to the house-he even shopped on line-he ran a small business from home too, also on the net.  That was what usually landed him in trouble-that, because of the occasional hacking into school computer systems changing results for a fee, or breaking bank codes for big time crooks in the small town they lived in and around.

He wasn’t close to his brothers, nor did he get along with his mother-that was why Stephen was usually the one to bail him out - Stephen never asking why, and Jarrod never telling him - until now.

Stephen listened in silent admiration to the things Jarrod claimed he was capable off.  He would have never thought of such things in his whole life.  Stephen was what you’d call a straight arrow.  He never did anything illegal in his whole life except for smoking a joint when he was thirteen.  He’d choked so badly, he swore never to touch it again, unlike Jarrod, who claimed to have a few jerks, of it now and then.

They fell into an easy pattern after that, both discovering little bits of information and comparing it.

A couple of hours later, Stephen pulled over to refuel the car, and Jarrod offered to drive for a while.

Stephen agreed reluctantly - he’d never allowed anyone, not even Sarah to drive his car.  The sudden memory of Sarah turned his thoughts back to her.  He wondered if she was all right.

Jarrod didn’t miss it.

“She’ll be okay Stephen.” He said. Then trying to lighten the mood, and see where he stood, “She has you, doesn’t she - lover boy.”

Stephen suddenly smiled.  “I know everyone thinks there’s something going on between us.  No one ever believes me when I tell ‘em that we’re just friends.  We’ve known each other a long time Jarrod . . . too long.  It’s platonic - our relationship that is.  We’re too close.  More like a brother/sister thing.  You know?”

As they got back into the car, Stephen gave him the rundown on both their lives.

“Sarah and I ... we have a lot in common.  We both had it rough growing up.  I guess we sort of fell into a pattern - becoming friends, consoling each other when the goings got tough.  We’ve always been there for each other.  I know her so well that...” His tone changed as he suddenly became angry, “That this whole change she’s going through - whatever the hell it is, I can see it tearing us apart and I feel helpless about it.”