Brothers

Saying Grace I

November 21th, 1929

At The Elementary School

Today was a special occasion at the Brooklyn learning institution. It was “Bring A Parent to Work Day”. And since Thanksgiving was around the corner, it seemed “appropriate” to hold this event. After all, today was the last day of school for the elementary students. Fall leaves and drawings of pilgrims and Indians and turkeys lined the walls and windows of the institution.

The teacher, Mrs. Buckner, stood in the corner of the room by the back wall of the classroom by the other adults there. Most were middle aged men, some wearing scruffy clothing while few wore clean and pressed suits. Some mothers were there, looking somewhat decent in their dresses. They didn’t have jobs, anymore if they even had any to begin with.

“…and that’s about it.” The gentleman standing in front of the class, Mr. Lucas, smiled a bit nervously in front of the youngsters, wearing a clean and pressed black suit with a bit of a gut hanging over the waistline of his suit pants. He was a banker, and would still hopefully be one by the end of the week.

The adults in the back began to clap lightly, followed by Mrs. Buckner and the elementary students occupying the small desks in the classroom.

Steve sat at his desk, fumbling with his hands nervously. What if he didn’t show? What if he was late; again? What if something happened to him that prevented him from showing? What if-

Bucky leaned over to his left to whisper something into the blonde kid’s ear. “Hey, Steve, when’s your uncle getting here?”

The blonde boy shook his head and lightly shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. He was supposed to be here by now,” he lightly uttered back in response, voice threatening to stutter a bit. Nine year old Steve bit lightly on his lower lip as his eyes shifted back to the front when he saw his black haired and green eyed teacher walk to the front. She stopped; a pleasant smile on her face as she began to address the class.

“Now, next up is…Steve Rogers and,” her emerald eyes turned to stare at the little nervous boy. “Who is your person?”

At the question, about all of the kids’ heads turned to look at him. Bucky’s black eyes just shifted, but none the less, they were still looking at his best friend. Steve gulped lightly as his hands balled up into light fists as they rested against the wood of the desk’s top.

Hearing running footsteps coming down the hallway from outside the door, some parents turned their heads to listen more closely. There was then a loud skidding noise followed by a grunted “Shit! I missed it!” emitted lowly. The two men, both in pressed suits, looked at each other before looking back at the door.

And…right on cue, it opened, abruptly too. Being slammed open seemed to be more appropriate apparently, though. Considering that one of the two men were now trapped behind it with their body twitching to give off the only sign of life behind the wooden door. Yup, slammed was more appropriate.

At the noise, the kids turned around in their desks, eyes finally of Steve. The little boy turned around himself, curious about what that noise just now was. A light brown haired man stood in the doorway, panting heavily while holding a brown paper bag with a cardboard handle weaved around the wire inside of it. His left hand kept the door propped open, along with keeping the man squished between the heavy wooden door and the wall. The man standing next to him by the other side of the doorway was now gawking at the door now with bugging eyes and hairs standing up all over his body.

“Sorry I’m late,” the grown man sighed out as he straightened himself out. He removed his hand from the door, letting it shut now. “There was an accident a few blocks back and I was stuck directing traffic for a while…” he laughed nervously towards the end.