HARMONY

Part 48 "Life was simple when..."

Darcy opened the door. "Chad, he's here." She left the door open, but walked into the living room without inviting him in. "I'll take Tommy to the park."

"Hi Darcy," Steve said. "It's good to see you."

She strapped Tommy into the stroller, slapped on her floppy hat and pushed past him onto the walkway.

The house was quiet. Steve walked in. Still quiet. Sad quiet. Bright toys gathered in a corner basket. In mismatched frames over the denim couch, the family photos featured happy faces, but to Steve they seemed to be from people he barely knew. He headed into the kitchen and picked at the mac-n-cheese left on the stove.

Chad walked in wearing his Old Men Rule T-shirt and jeans. "Hey," he said. He leaned against the wall and folded his arms.

Steve licked orange drips from his finger. "Hey."

"Darcy went to the park?"

"Ya, she a took Tommy in the stroller, and...hey man, you look good." He took an awkward step forward, looking for maybe a hug or handshake. Chad's arm stayed folded.

"I know I fucked up," Steve said. "But I'm here to make this right and I—"

"You can't even begin to imagine the mess, the upside down fucking global mess, and no, you're not going to make it right." Chad brushed a few goldfish off the kitchenette chair and sat. "How's Drew?"

Steve shook his head. "I can't believe how twisted the justice system is. He's so innocent. We're talking Drew for god's sake." Steve picked at a few more orange noodles. "He's holding up remarkably well and we're all just waiting for his day in court. We're not taking any plea deals. He's gotta be set free."

"We pray for him every night. Let us know if there's anything we can do."

"I think you've done too much already. And again, real sorry for being such a selfish asshole and taking off like that." He took the pot and sat across from Chad. "I'm staying at the Y now." He looked for a sign of pity from Chad, but Chad looked away. "But like I said, I'm here now, fully focused and ready to make things right again."

"Uh huh."

"Really, we've been in jams before. We put our heads together and we can get this right. I mean, you've filed Chap 11 to buy us some time. I've been researching TARP—"

With his elbows planted on the table, Chad jutted his chin and looked directly at Steve. "Get out of fantasy land right fucking now. Let me break this down for you. There is no money."

"The government bought up the toxic---"

"No, Uncle Sam didn't pass out bags of money," Chad said. "They brought in the nine CEOs, the Masters-of-the-Universe, and said you're taking this money whether you want it or not."

"So the weak and strong banks looked the same." Steve scrapped the cheese stuck to the side with his two fingers. "Guess that makes sense from the government's point of view."

"Ya, I guess."

"You and Darcy making it okay?"

"She's pregnant."

"Wow!" Steve gave a huge smile, but it quickly faded. "I mean, I hope that's good news."

"Our insurance runs out end of next month." Chad stood up, grabbed the pot from Steve and dropped it in the sink. The clang echoed. "You've no idea how fucked up the job market is out there."

"I could make some calls—"

"No!" Chad yelled. "You can't!" He turned on the water and started washing the pot. "I mean, your name means nothing now and there just aren't any jobs for the thousands of guys with our resumes."

"Man, I'm so sorry," Steve said. "I just don't know what to say."

Chad leaned his back against the counter. "You gotta focus on Drew, and I gotta a few things in the works, waiting on some calls next week."

"Hey, if there's anything I can do." Steve stood, but he didn't take a step toward Chad. He just awkwardly hovered near the table. "Really, just let me know."

Chad closed his eyes and nodded. "You better go."

Steve extended his hand and Chad took it. And they embraced. 

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