The Misadventures of Tim-boy and Dayton

The chickens watched me, their eyes small and bright. I knew stealing eggs would be hard, but I didn't realize it was the darn birds that I had to worry about and not the farmer. For a few seconds I thought they would just go back to sleeping, until one clucked. Another clucked, and another, in a matter of seconds they were in a mad fury. Those chickens jumped and flapped around, pecking and clawing at me while clucking en mass. I had swung my small arms over by head, trying to get them off me, but that just left my belly exposed to be pecked up.

It felt as if the madness of the flock would suffocate me, until I heard the yelling of the old farmer. I'll tell you, I didn't know a fat kid like me could run so fast in my whole life till that moment. Dayton was waiting for me at the old oak tree, by the time I had gotten to our meet up spot I was sweating and panting like an old pig.

"Hey Tim boy, you got 'em two we needed?" He yelled from the big branch that jutted straight out.

I held out both my hands. In my left hand was an untouched and fresh chickens egg. In my right was the crushed shell and yolk of what was once an egg. It would have been unharmed if I didn't grab the frame of the chicken coop door when the old farmer came after me.

"Aw heck why are you always such a klutz tim boy, it's a good thing I found a nickel or we'd be in major trouble." Dayton told me.

I felt bad at first, but then I realized what he had said "Jee wiz! You found a nickel Dayton, like a real circular nickel? With the buffalo and everything?"

He pulled the coin from his pocket and flicked into the air "Yep, found it on the street in front of the shop, I reckon it will be enough to get that missing egg, maybe even more. Now come on partner, we ain't got time to waist let's get to it!"

You see dayton really liked this girl named Rose, but he always told me "only way to get close to a woman was to impress her" and boy did he try. Dayton would always show off infront of her. He bragged about how many rock he could collect, or how he had learned to add and multiply though sometimes he would try to subtract but then he got all confused and. Yeah didn't subtract much. Despite his efforts, Rose never fell for dayton, so he just kept on trying. He figured that girls must like pastries and sweets, and so even though it's a girly thing to do he decided to bake something for her. Dayton didn't know what to bake, so he just ripped the first page of the dessert section out of his ma's cookbook. Together we spent the day collection the various ingredients. The last thing was eggs, and that's how we ended up here.

"Where's this going." the old man grumbles from his hospital cot, irritation making his voice horse.

"Oh it gets better, this was when me and you baked up the cake for Rose, remember?" poor old Timothy said eagerly to his friend for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Me and You? What the devil are you talking about?" the old man says, shifting up to pay more attention.

Tim grinned with a chuckle "Why this was one our best adventure Dayton."

"I don't know what you're talking about, I don't remember any Tim boy or Rose!" the old man barked out.

"Oh sure you do just try." Tim says.

"I don't have, nor have I ever had, a friend named Tim." Dayton says, initiating every word.

Timothy looked down somberly "Well Dayton, what do you remember then?"

Dayton's grey brow sunk on his wrinkled face before yelling "You get out this room you bastard, I've had enough of your lies! Now go, get out of my sight!"

Timothy got up without a word and walked to the hospital room door, before leaving he stops and turns to say "You know the cake worked, Rose liked it very much."

"Lies! Lies and stories is all you have." says Dayton, and he turns his head away dismissively.

Tim boy give a half felt smile, his aged lips still scared from the cut from the incident in the chicken coop "At least you remember how annoying I was."

Timothy glumly walks past reception once again, the lady at the desk waves him goodbye without a glance.

Before he's even ten feet from the door, Timothy feels a cold grip on his shoulder, pressing and quivering. He turns to see to person grabbing, slightly startled. It was Rose, a scarf around her neck and a few strands of red hair still visible under the grey.

Tim smiles "Rose! It's so good to see you here, I have so much to tell you about Dayton and-"

Rose cuts him off, dire in her tone "Tim, I'm very sorry but I have to ask something of you that you may not like very much."

"Well I don't see what I could possibly be against, please ask away." He says jolly as ever, oblivious to Rose's stark demeanor.

Rose takes Timothy to the side of the room as to not make a scene "Tim, I know your very close with Dayton and that you've been really making an effort to see him every week-"

Tim begins rambling in his full voice, as he were a 80 year old child "Yes, and he's been getting better from it! If I can just uh remind him, or maybe-"

"He's not getting better." Rose snaps, silencing Tim "I want you to stop coming here. I want you leave him alone."

"No." Tim says, lowering his voice.

Roses leans in "Excuse me?"

"I have to keep helping Dayton, It's what's right." Tim says.

"Can't you see he's too far gone." Roses begs "He doesn't need us anymore, he needs doctors."

Tim grits his teeth "Dayton needs us more than ever, can't you see that!"

Roses eyes shimmer in the pale hospital lights as the valleys of wrinkles beneath her eyes flood "Dayton, he... He don't even remember our vows. I'm sorry Tim, I wish it weren't true this but Dayton isn't the same, and he'll never be. He's moved on... and so should we."

"Your terrible." Tim growls deep from his chest "You don't just friend because they changed."

"He's changed for the worst Tim, all he causes is grief now." plees Rose, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Tim scoffs "And so what? That doesn't take away the fact that he's important. You can't let go of a loved one because there not of use to you. I'm not sure how you see him but Dayton isn't some tool for me. He's my best god damn friend and he taught me two things; friends fight for each other no matter what and determination can get you anything." Tim walks past rose, his nostrils flaring as he paces to the door, hearing his heart pounding in his ears.

"Your a fool Tim boy, he ain't never getting better and yous knows it!" Rose Shrieks to his back through her tears.

Tim stops and turn slightly, staring at the ground "And so what?"

Exactly one week later, Tim comes through the hospital door, gets his visitor sticker and heads to see his friend once again.

A nurse walks him into the room, telling Dayton "Mr. Stockherd, you have a visitor."

"That's odd?" he responds "No one's ever wanted to visit me before."

Tim laughs lightly and begins "Good morning Dayton, it's lovely weather outside."

"Is it, I wouldn't know." Dayton responds coldly.

Tim takes a seat close to the bed, sitting slowly as his joints begin aching from age "I remember when the weather wasn't so great, where it hailed for a week and Tim boy and Dayton had to fix the Barn as it broke. Would you like to hear the story."

Dayton sighs and rubs his face "How long are you going to take?"

"Well you'll just have to stick around to find out." And Timothy begins again.