The Aftermath

-Old Joe-

Chapter Eight

‘Old Joe’

 

I didn’t quite know what I expected; being up so early in the morning mixed with a bush digging into my spine was not how I typically liked to spend my mornings. The week had been kind with Ms. Castleberry giving everyone time during class to edit the videos they’d done and every other teacher lessening up on the work we were doing; it being towards the end of the year and all. It was different to be out and about in Stone view at least this early in the morning. The sun had barely cracked into the horizon and here we were deep in a bush outside an old man’s house hoping to get an interview. Maybe this was how weirdo paparazzi felt getting into gear to snap pictures of celebrities.

Bree sat beside me her normally wild red hair pulled back in a low bun. Boy did she decide to dress the part, she was decked out in an all-black outfit with a pencil in her ear and her same notepad glued to her side; my friend, ladies and gentlemen the brilliant chameleon Bree Walker. As much as I’d wanted to laugh I had to keep focused on the task at hand. Old Joe had been up for a while according to Bree who decided to camp out in her mom’s car for the night to see if Joe would leave. I held the camera bag on my shoulder and nodded my head for Bree to follow my lead. If he wasn’t going to do this in public then he’d have to listen to us in private Mrs. Walker and Nanny laughed their heads off when we’d told them our plan saying we’d give the man a heart attack or something. Hence the tweak of the plan to what were now doing.

Ringing the doorbell twice we waited for the old man to answer the door, a warm welcome of course I mean he couldn’t possibly be rude all the time. The door swung open to him fully dressed in a sweater and slacks with a bat in his hand ready to swing. “Come and get it!” he yelled right before he meant our gaze and the fierceness in his eyes died out and was replaced with an annoyed look on his face.

“Joe it’s just us,” Bree’s eyes screamed fear and her arms reaching to barely cover her head was sad in comparison to the weak voice that escaped her lips.

He immediately put the bat down but kept it in his right hand. “What do you two want?” he asked the annoyance clear in his words.

“We want to interview you, Joe and we aren’t taking no for an answer we have only one more week to interview you and one other person.” Bree answered finally able to find her composer through the previous ordeal.

“I told you, I’m not interested.” He answered his voice wavering for a change instead of the strong we’d heard previously.

“Please, surely you have something with someone that you want to say or just something that wants to apologize for you could say it to the camera. No one is going to see it other than our class and maybe you and a few others whom we’ve already interviewed.” Bree tried reasoning.

“That’s all who is going to see it, I’m not going to see it in the town square or anything.” He inquired.

“No sir not at all.” Bree assured him with a triumphant smile prematurely placed. I rocked back and forth on the balls of my feet praying this interview didn’t fall through.

He looked between the both of us then placed a hand through his snow white hair as he exhaled. “Fine but no more playing stalker, you.” He nodded towards Bree. “Come on in, you have thirty minutes cause I need to be getting to ruby’s.” he reminded us as we entered his little abode.

The little house was surprisingly clean and filled with what looked like little knock-knacks here and there. It smelt really typical old people smell like someone had permanently put tea bags throughout the place and the smell just made its way through the whole house. It wasn’t extravagant by any means but it was a small and quaint little place with pictures covering every space on the wall that didn’t have a knick-knack or trinket. There was something unique about the pictures though, they were extremely old mostly all in black and white as if someone had pulled them right out of the thirty’s or something. Some were worn with time whilst others looked to be in mint condition. I picked up a picture of what I assumed to be Joe and some guy they were in almost every picture that Joe and some woman I assumed to be maybe his late wife or something. Others were filled with pictures of two little kids I thought immediately were his kids.