work."
"Are you still working hard or hardly working?"
"I did construction for a long time. The builder let me go last year when the market took a dump. I was making eighteen an hour with overtime. People would camp out to buy a house that cost three times what it was worth. Now you can't give them away."
Lloyd stared at the baby blanket on the rug. "What about school?"
Josh ignored the question and gathered toys from the floor by the baby swing. "You haven't changed in eight years."
"Ten," Lloyd corrected him.
"You still look ripped. Must have pumped a lot of iron in prison."
"A little."
"What was the food like?"
"It sucked."
"Did you get in fights?"
Lloyd crumpled his empty beer can. "Where should I put this?"
"Under the sink."
Lloyd pushed the can in the trash. "Mom asked about you."
Josh nodded. His cigarette bounced in the corner of his mouth when he talked. "Must have been the booze talking."
"When's the last time you saw her?"
"Last summer."
"She's sick, you know."
Josh dumped the rest of his beer in the kitchen sink. "You wanna see something cool?"
"Will it get me arrested?"
Josh put his fingers in his mouth and pulled his dentures out. He flashed a toothless grin. "Don't try this at home."
Lloyd stared at his brother.
"Pretty cool," Josh mumbled with a toothless grin. He wiggled his jaw and popped the dentures back in. "It's hard to talk without them."
"What happened?"
"The meth rotted out my teeth. My front ones were in pretty bad shape. The dentist had to pull a couple molars in the back. It hurt like hell for a week." He bit down to seat the dentures. "I feel like an old man sometimes, but at least I can chew again."
"Do you still get high?"
Josh pressed his tongue against his gum line to adjust the fit. "I've been clean for three years. After you were busted I hit a wall and started chasing the wrong crowd. I was good at that, I guess." He avoided eye contact with Lloyd. "Nobody wants to grow up and be a junkie."
"No worries," Lloyd reassured him. "It's behind you now."
"You need a place to crash?"
"I'm good for the next sixty days. The state has me chained to a halfway house. Part of my parole agreement."
"That sucks."
"It's better than the alternative."
Josh shoved his hand in his pocket. "You need some cash?"
Lloyd shrugged. "I'll find work."
Josh pulled out a crumpled Jackson and offered it to his brother. "It's all I have on me."
"Put your money away."
"Take it."
"I didn't come here to ask for money."
"It's not a handout. It's a loan."
Lloyd took the bill. "I'll pay you back."
Josh smoked his second cigarette to the butt and snuffed it in the sink. "Sheila's got a girlfriend I could hook you up with."
"I'll pass."
"She's got a nice body."
Sheila entered the room with one hand supporting her baby's soggy bottom and the other on his back. "We're out of diapers," she blurted.
"I bought two boxes this morning," said Josh. "They're in the trunk."
"Can you get them, please? My hands are kind of full right now."
"In a second."
"When are you going to fix the AC? It feels like Hell's Kitchen in here."
"Put a cold washcloth on your face."
Sheila cradled her baby. "It's not me I'm worried about."
"I'll fix it tomorrow."
"That's what you said yesterday."
"I had to work a double shift."
"You didn't have to watch the football game."
Josh tapped Lloyd on the arm. "I'll be right back."
"You need help?" Lloyd offered.
"I got it."
Lloyd wiped his forehead. Despite the fan blowing, he could feel the sweat dripping down his face. "What's his name?" he asked Sheila.
Sheila dabbed the burp cloth on her baby's mouth. "Logan."
"He has your eyes."
"He has his moments. I never planned on getting pregnant."
"How old is he?"
Sheila stared at the cross tattoo on Lloyd's forearm. "Twelve weeks." She also noticed his boots and the bulge from his ankle monitor. Lloyd watched her face change as the pieces suddenly came together. "When did you get out?"
Lloyd opened the
"Are you still working hard or hardly working?"
"I did construction for a long time. The builder let me go last year when the market took a dump. I was making eighteen an hour with overtime. People would camp out to buy a house that cost three times what it was worth. Now you can't give them away."
Lloyd stared at the baby blanket on the rug. "What about school?"
Josh ignored the question and gathered toys from the floor by the baby swing. "You haven't changed in eight years."
"Ten," Lloyd corrected him.
"You still look ripped. Must have pumped a lot of iron in prison."
"A little."
"What was the food like?"
"It sucked."
"Did you get in fights?"
Lloyd crumpled his empty beer can. "Where should I put this?"
"Under the sink."
Lloyd pushed the can in the trash. "Mom asked about you."
Josh nodded. His cigarette bounced in the corner of his mouth when he talked. "Must have been the booze talking."
"When's the last time you saw her?"
"Last summer."
"She's sick, you know."
Josh dumped the rest of his beer in the kitchen sink. "You wanna see something cool?"
"Will it get me arrested?"
Josh put his fingers in his mouth and pulled his dentures out. He flashed a toothless grin. "Don't try this at home."
Lloyd stared at his brother.
"Pretty cool," Josh mumbled with a toothless grin. He wiggled his jaw and popped the dentures back in. "It's hard to talk without them."
"What happened?"
"The meth rotted out my teeth. My front ones were in pretty bad shape. The dentist had to pull a couple molars in the back. It hurt like hell for a week." He bit down to seat the dentures. "I feel like an old man sometimes, but at least I can chew again."
"Do you still get high?"
Josh pressed his tongue against his gum line to adjust the fit. "I've been clean for three years. After you were busted I hit a wall and started chasing the wrong crowd. I was good at that, I guess." He avoided eye contact with Lloyd. "Nobody wants to grow up and be a junkie."
"No worries," Lloyd reassured him. "It's behind you now."
"You need a place to crash?"
"I'm good for the next sixty days. The state has me chained to a halfway house. Part of my parole agreement."
"That sucks."
"It's better than the alternative."
Josh shoved his hand in his pocket. "You need some cash?"
Lloyd shrugged. "I'll find work."
Josh pulled out a crumpled Jackson and offered it to his brother. "It's all I have on me."
"Put your money away."
"Take it."
"I didn't come here to ask for money."
"It's not a handout. It's a loan."
Lloyd took the bill. "I'll pay you back."
Josh smoked his second cigarette to the butt and snuffed it in the sink. "Sheila's got a girlfriend I could hook you up with."
"I'll pass."
"She's got a nice body."
Sheila entered the room with one hand supporting her baby's soggy bottom and the other on his back. "We're out of diapers," she blurted.
"I bought two boxes this morning," said Josh. "They're in the trunk."
"Can you get them, please? My hands are kind of full right now."
"In a second."
"When are you going to fix the AC? It feels like Hell's Kitchen in here."
"Put a cold washcloth on your face."
Sheila cradled her baby. "It's not me I'm worried about."
"I'll fix it tomorrow."
"That's what you said yesterday."
"I had to work a double shift."
"You didn't have to watch the football game."
Josh tapped Lloyd on the arm. "I'll be right back."
"You need help?" Lloyd offered.
"I got it."
Lloyd wiped his forehead. Despite the fan blowing, he could feel the sweat dripping down his face. "What's his name?" he asked Sheila.
Sheila dabbed the burp cloth on her baby's mouth. "Logan."
"He has your eyes."
"He has his moments. I never planned on getting pregnant."
"How old is he?"
Sheila stared at the cross tattoo on Lloyd's forearm. "Twelve weeks." She also noticed his boots and the bulge from his ankle monitor. Lloyd watched her face change as the pieces suddenly came together. "When did you get out?"
Lloyd opened the
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