Author's note: There is a bit of sex in this part of the story but it might be substandard to other stories that focus more on the sex while this story is dealing with other issues.
Author is not a lawyer.
Author is not a doctor.
Author is not a priest.
All characters are over 18.
All sexual scenes involve consenting adults.
*
Chapter 6
Two men looking for a Big Boy
"Get your ass up." Martin heard his uncle say.
It was already mid day when Martin opened his eyes and the day started out with Martin being yelled at by his uncle that he'd missed work.
"If you're going to be staying here for free the least you can do is help me." his uncle said with disappointment flavoring his words.
That day, instead of going to work Martin's uncle wanted to do something else entirely. He ordered Martin into one of the SUVs and hardly even gave Martin a chance to shower before they were droving the rest of the day and then again and again the uncle asked Martin about his mom so again and again Martin had to tell him that he didn't know the answers to the questions his uncle was asking. After stopping for a hamburger and waiting for the sun to pass the horizon they finally arrived at some spot. However there was no business for the uncle to conduct there.
"Here we are? Remember anything?" he asked.
"Like what?" Martin tried to clarify.
"This is it, right?"
"What exactly?" Martin was so confused.
"What we've been talking about. This is it, where your mom got busted."
Oh. "Uh ..." Martin really had no idea that that was where they were.
"Don't you remember anything? Anything at all?"
"No. I mean I remember the hotel room a little bit but ..."
"Ok. Was it that motel over there?"
"I don't know. Why are we doing this?"
"What do you mean why? My wife's sister died, man. Your mom. Don't you need to deal with that?"
"I guess but ..."
"So which motel was it?"
"I don't remember. I was really little."
"Try. Come on man."
"There was a ... Big Boy."
"Burger place?"
"Yeah. I remember the big statue. I could see it from the window. I really wanted to go there and eat french fries."
Martin's uncle got out his phone and started to look up something. "Ok. Now we're getting somewhere."
"I don't know how remembering a burger place is going to help anyone deal with anything."
"You'd be surprised." he said though he was really distracted as he typed out a message to someone. When he did finally bring his eyes back up he didn't seem at all interested in dealing with Martin's past. Instead he ordered Martin back to the SUV so they could start on the very long drive home. Martin was about to actually fall asleep in the passenger side seat but the uncle wouldn't have it.
"(Racist expletive deleted), you got me driving here all sleepy. Talk to me. Tell me something to help me stay awake."
Martin realized just then that there wasn't much for him to tell his uncle. He didn't want to relive all his sins and he didn't want to reveal his new purpose in life to anyone yet. Besides, perhaps it wouldn't be so great to help his uncle stay awake to talk to him. Rather getting his uncle to talk might be better. Therefore Martin started to ask how his uncle had gotten so rich.
"Oh, it wasn't easy but once I unlocked it I was on a roll. You know what, it started with a gumball machine. I don't even remember what I was thinking. I remember little Virginia thought it was cute cause it looked like the head of some alien on a thin body. You know, decorations. I thought it was from some movie but actually it was just how the thing was. I remember after I had it at the house for a bit I decided to ask the guy at the supermarket if I could place it outside the store and he agreed. That thing was just taking up space in my house. And then I think I was after like the third of fourth time that the store called me to come fill up the machine that something clicked. I was making so much money form just selling gumballs. Sure that alone wasn't going to make me rich but the idea of what it represented as important. For the amount of work that I did to maintain that gumball machine was nothing compared to how much I was getting paid. You know, that's the key. So I started to change how I worked. I wasn't interested in a slave wage anymore. I set it up so my money made me more money. I set it up so other people's work would make me money. That was how I did it. So then I got involved in meat packing. All these restaurants want meat so ..."
Martin was still listening and asking follow up questions and the uncle was happy to talk but Martin had to admit to himself that he lost the train of logic at some point. Perhaps he was just too sleepy to fully process was his uncle was saying. Regardless, Martin had been successful in awakening his uncles slightly hyper side because the older man getting all charged up and excited telling Martin how he'd made this deal or undercut this guy and took over this market. Some of the stuff sounded like it might be less than fully legal or at least if it was legal it would certainly piss people off.
"So then I had the truck. It was mine. Instead of driving the thing myself I got George to drive it. You met him at my house. I told him, when he got the order and he went to go pick up he wasn't supposed to just pick up for the shopping center. I arranged for some extras that would be owned by me to be put on the truck too. We still billed the shopping center for all the transportation costs and then we used the same truck to go around and sell off the extras to all the other stores. Man, I tell you, I made so much money from that."
It was getting late but they still hadn't arrived home yet. Martin was thinking that it was taking longer to get home then it had taken to get to the place his mom had died. They stopped but Martin could tell this was not his uncle's estate. It was a someone's house in a suburb looking place with nice two story single family homes going down the street as far as Martin's eyes could see in the dark.
Martin was told to stay in the SUV and while his uncle got out and went to the door of the house to talk with another man about the same age as his uncle. The other man was much thinner and actually looked like he worked out. The way the man stood gave off a very authoritarian, almost military vibe. Martin's uncle was showing the stern man his phone while trying to get the man excited but apparently the man wasn't getting excited enough for Martin's uncle. Then the uncle got annoyed and seemingly pulled rank on the other man. Martin didn't know what kind of relationship the two had but the other man seemed to then acquiesce to Martin's uncle. They quietly chatted for a bit and then they said their goodbye just as sleep was about to come to Martin again.
Martin had to continue to talk to his uncle on the rest of the drive home and thankfully they arrived back without any vehicular mishaps. Once they got home his uncle tell Martin to go to his 'free' room.
"And be quiet. Everyone's sleeping. You have work in the morning."
...
Chapter 7
Watching over a drunk girl
Martin didn't even know what time it was. The house looked very different in the dark and he was very sleepy to the point of wanting to just drop and sleep on the carpet of the hallway but Martin was able to find his way around and make his way to the room he'd been given. Once he opened the door however he thought he must have the wrong room because the first thing he noticed was Flora sitting on the bed looking at her phone.
Flora came to him and took his hand into hers.
"I'm sorry." Martin said assuming he had the wrong room.
"She went to sleep in your bed. I couldn't stop her." Flora said.
Martin was having trouble processing her meaning at first but then in the darkness he could make out someone else on his bed.
"Who?"
"Carla. She drank a bit too much."
"Alcohol?"
"Wine."
"She's too young to drink. She needs to stop it."
"You've been spending too much time with Daddy."
"I think I could almost agree with you."
"Well, you're not going to sleep in her with Carla on your bed."
"It's fine. I still have the key to the other room."
"Oh, you don't have to go out there."
"If it's ok I guess I can take the sofa."
"Follow me."