Jack and the Sinner

tu I never understood why he left us waiting ten minutes past seven when he had no reason to be late. My twin brother always said that it didn't matter weather he was late or not, he was our ride into town. What he did was his own business. Besides we would still get there in time for our shifts to start.

I couldn't help but think this as I slid into Hubbard Rileys pick up truck, taking the middle seat of the bench. Jimmy, my brother, always got the window seat, mainly just because he was the bigger out of the two of us. The smarten, the more liked, and favored one.

It was'nt my fault that he was born first, maybe that had nothing to do with it but I always knew that our parents preferred a son over a daughter. This was obviouse, due to there lack of finding a suitable girl name to sattle me with. I knew it for a fact. Jack Brown was the curse i bared. My brother on the other hand could not even tempt me to hate him even if he was liked more. He was too kind and caring to me, he seemed to care more then my parents even did.

When my parents had kicked me out the year before, he not only moved out into what is now our two bedroom apartment but he also found us jobs and made the arrangements necessary to make it on our own. But now that we had both graduated it was time for him to go off to college and for me to be the responcible one.

This day was one like any other. Mrs. Cotton still sat on her front porch sippin on tea waving as we drove by. The road block sign was still up on fifth street causing us to detour again delaying our morning drive another five minutes. And Hubbard Rileys was still late ten minutes to picking us up.

It took us the good thirty minutes to drive from our smallish town of Dever Hill to the near by city of Ellensburg. Thirty miles of nothing but road and desert. We would have driven ourselves given the possibility that we had a car, but we didn't and things where tight as it was let alone pay for the expences of a car. So as it had started we got a ride with Hubbard.

Hubbard owned his own hardware store in Ellensburg and it was only a hop skip and a jump away from Ellen's Diner where I worked, and the Quicky Mart where Jimmy workes across the street. All Hubbard asked in exchange for his service was that I suppy lunch for him every wednsday afternoon because that was the day his house keeper had off and there was no way you where going to get Him to make his own sack lunch.

As we pulled into the parking lot behind the Crafty Man Hardware Store the same way we do every day Jimmy muttered something under his breath that sounds something like a "I'm sorry".

"What was that Jimmy?" Hubbard askes because we all know his hearing isn't that great.

"Oh I was just asking Jackie if she waunted to catch lunch on our brake." Was that really what he had said or had his mind wandered like mine had on several occations due to the endless drownding desert. Had he projected his inner thought, and if he had what was he sorry for? "So what do you say Jackie, how's lunch?"

"Ya sure, see you out front the market." With that I hoped out of the truck and said the usual good bye to Hubbard.

"Bye to you too jackie, have a good day and say hello to dixie for me alright."

"Sure thing Hubbard." I secretly was smiling "See ya later." I turn towards the alley way that leads down to the main road and from there to Ellen's Diner. My mind couldn't help but think about how things where going to be once Jimmy went to college, was our routine be totally diffrent? Would I stop caring and just go back to my old ways? These questions where written on the inside of my skull and I couldn't find the big pink eraser to make them disappear.

I really just wanted to write these questions down on the walls of this alley way just to get them out of my mind, which is something the old me would have done. Add more to the confused art work they called grafiti. As I escaped out the mouth of the alley I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Jimmy was talking to Emma Galagee. She also worked at the Quicky Mart, and happen to be an exclusive member on Jimmy ex girlfriend list.

It didn't take a genius to put the pieces together; she was probably going to be working there for the rest of her life. Maybe you could tell by the way she acted or maybe I knew because she was also on my ex bestfriend list. She earned her spot there when she started dating my brother. I kept my eye on them till I made it to the entrance of the diner and it hit me like it always does. The sweet smell of apple pie, and the door bell that announced my arrival to anyone who cared. With the aroma filling me up it was hard to think of the small slice of apple pie that my brother was talking to outside.

I mean I really didn't need to worry about him, he was a big boy and he knew he didn't need a girl to make him happy, he had me.

"Hey jackie, be a sweet heart and grab table five would ya?" I was pulled back to reality and back to my real reason for comming here. To wait tables and pour coffee for are small amount of customers.

"No problem Dixie, oh and Hubbard said good morning."

"That's great sweety, grab a apron and get to work your shift starts in five." and like that my day began.

***

Jimmy almost never smelled of perfume when I met him for lunch. Rose Lust it was, I could tell from the first second I smelt it, and there was only one who would wear that God awful smell and that was Gabe. I couldn't help but laugh that my brother got caught on the meat department shift with Gabe, he was one of the few bisexual guy in Ellensburg but everyone already knew that.

He could tell as we sat down to the plastic table outside of the Quicky Mart that I was wearing a smile due to his misfortune and this made him lower his head almost into his bowl of mac and cheese.

"Whata happened Jimmy? Did ya get stuck with Gabe in the meat department again?" I chuckled, what was a girl to do. If I would have got stuck in the meat departmant with Gabe Becer we would have got fired.

"I rather not talk about it sis." Yes, I had done it. I had caught him feeling awkward.

"Ok, fine. If that's how you want it." I smiled. "Here have a napkin." I slid one under his bowl. Its not that he had anything against Gabe, but that didn't mean Gabe wasn't going to resist the chance to make a straight guy feel akward in the meat department. I would have to thank him later.

As much as this amused me I needed to move on the things that was really bothering me, and I was running out of time. He could only eat so much mac and cheese. I looked at the ground searching for the words that wouldn't upset him even more.

"So I had a quick question." He took his face out of his bowl and stared at me as if he knew my question already. It was as if I was talking to a mirror. Salt and Pepper blonde hair that always fell in the right place and dull but endless brown eyes. Practicly the masculan version of me. "So this morning when we got to the hardware you said something, and I know you where not asking me to lunch, you said sorry. But what are you sorry for?" What could he be sorry for?

"Oh it was nothing. Um Jackie can I ask you a question."

"Sure. ask away"

"What if I told you that I got another scholarship?" there was hesitation in his voice.

"Well If you told me that I would be happy for you, but that still qualify as a question." I didn't understand where he was going with it.

"Well it really isnt, its more of me telling you that I have to leave earlier then I intended. which kinda means that...well I don't really know what it means." I finally understood.

"Well I do. It means I've gotta start looking for a roomate. It means no more Saturday mornings at the diner." Actually I could still spend my Saturday morning at the diner, I would just be eating alone.