Totally Clueless

Chapter 56

They did call.

And when Josh heard Chrisy's voice on the other end of the line it was like that first breath when you've been under water too long. Hope and relief and satisfaction came to him in one steady gust. It reminded him that there was no time to waste. He needed to find himself a job asap. The sooner he did, the sooner he could go home.

Josh job hunted all week long but nothing turned up apart from a few odd jobs here and there. Discouragement crept in slow. Two unrecognizable weeks had passed by and he felt like he was a stranger in his own life.

Horace noticed Chrisy only sank deeper into her solitude.
She hadn't forgotten about Josh like he thought she would and neither had he.

He wasn't sure when it started to bother him that the twins could be in danger somewhere and it would be partially his fault.

------------

Chrisy sat in the den friday evening trying to watch TV. If Josh was there she would have probably been at Sharky's. But after going through two weeks without him she wondered how it is she was surviving before they met.

Horace came in and sat next to her.

"What are you watching?"

"A show, not the kind you'd like."

He took it for what it was, a subtle hint she wasn't in the mood for company.

"Okay, maybe we can catch up tomorrow night? It's been a while since we got to hang out just you and me... we used to have fun right? Remember the dance benefit last year? That was something wasn't it...tomorrow's the first of the many events we have coming up, the season for it is here, we can..."

"What's tomorrow night again?"

"The Charity event for the learning foundation. You forgot? You never forget these things."

"I haven't been feeling myself, I dont know if I can make it."

"What's wrong?"

"I dont want to talk about it."

"If only you would talk to me..."

"And say what? That I miss him? You already know that. I know you want me to just get over him, but I cant."

"You will." Horace responded, maybe a little stronger than he meant to.

She got up and left him there. What was the point of getting into another fight with her father?

Horace went back to his office. He had a mountain of work to do. Maybe that  could take his mind of the situation.

But it didnt help.

It was as if a dark cloud loomed over him. High jacking his every thought. He couldn't focus.

He had already canceled a day in court because Chrisy's behavior worried him, and the constant guilt of not knowing what was happening to the twins haunted him, rendering him immobile and incapable of reliable work.

This was unacceptable.

He picked up his phone and dialed.

"Boss."the recipient answered.

"Atticus, I have a job for you."

"I can be there in three hours," Atticus replied.

Atticus Marino was a mysterious man.
Not unusually tall, and not unusually built, he was average in many ways but not in the skills he possessed. He had the particular set of skills that Horace needed to accomplish the job at hand and Horace trusted him implicitly.

Chrisy saw him drive into the yard from her window. Like a few of her fathers other employees, she wasn't sure what Atticus did, she only knew he worked for her father sometimes. They had never spoken. He reminded her of a bouncer at a club, dressed in black from head to toe. He looked like a dangerous man.

Atticus entered her fathers office and they exchanged  their greetings. Horace slid him an envelope across to the desk and  Atticus peaked at the contents. Papers, pictures and cash.

"You know what to do..."Horace said. "...as soon as you have a location you make contact.

-------------

Week two of job hunting had Josh in a fit. It gnawed at him like termites on wood and stung with every excruciating bite. Reid only made enough money for food and gas and Josh used the money he had saved up for rent. If he didn't get a job soon they'd be in trouble. They also needed to get started on  saving for an immigration lawyer. That was after all, the plan.

On the third week, the Monday morning blues had him.

He'd been on the road, but obviously he had come home too soon.

He looked around the lonely apartment and sighed.

The cupboards and the refrigerator were now filled. He thought. He glanced over to the stove and it was the only thing that had spoken to him all morning. The kitchen was a calming experience for him. He could make dinner, clear his head a bit. It wasn't even  lunch time yet but he had to busy himself so he didn't die of boredom.

He cooked away. Then he ate. Then he went to the living room. Flipped through channels. And just waited for his brother to get home.

The aroma of fragrant spices, hit Reid as he entered the house. Tandoori chicken and Curry awoken his suppressed hunger.

"Hey.."he greeted when he saw Josh laying on the sofa throwing a ball up in air over and over again. He looked around the kitchen. "...Dinner...for days..."

"Yeah...yeah, there was nothing else to do. Did you know there are one hundred and thirteen spots on the wall..."

"Spots? What kind of spots?"

"Yeah...and I saw some ants too, 47 to be exact, think Muriel will give us a discount if we mention that."

"You counted ants?"

"I'm just trying to keep my sanity. If I can make it through tomorrow, I can make it to the job interview on Wednesday. Hopefully I'll nail it and I'll have a job and I won't have to talk to the ants."

"I hope so, cause talking to ants is not sanity, and how long have you been at it with that ball?"

"I'm at 1,497 catches...think that's a record? I can't even see the ball anymore, I'm just going through the motions like reflex,"

"Your obviously bored out of your mind." Reid responded as he helped himself to buttered chicken.

It was wednesday when Horace received the anticipated call from Atticus.

"It took me a while but I found them. They sure know how to stay hidden, but I found them." He said.