Friday, August 4, 2017

A girl named Liv

a girl named Liv




Joey guessed he was getting used to the classes and the work at the factory. There was a lot to know and a guy named Hal guided him the first couple of weeks.

Of course, Hal was a bit of a mystery to him. He came off like some California hipster, yet it was Hal who asked Joey if he was from California.

Joey got a laugh and told Hal he was from Minnesota.  Yes, for about minute or two, Joey could see himself falling in love with Hal, but then Liv showed up, his roommate or his twin.

Well, he was certain, Hal's better half. They got along so well, finishing each other's sentences.

"Are you sure you aren't married?" Joey winced at all their happiness. He really wasn't sure he could hang around with Hal now.

It was true..Joey was full of envy.

"No, just my roommate." Liv smiled. "Do you have a roommate?" She asked while they were out to lunch. She worked at the factory. Usually, she was busy with inventory.

"Um, I live with this couple that just got married and her brother. Its more..like a boarding house." He shrugged. After all, he rarely ever ate in their kitchen anymore. He wanted to give Vada and Alo space. "We're not as close as..as you and Hal."

"We're not close." She smiled. "I don't have a boyfriend." She told him. "Not for a long time now."

"Oh."

"Yeah, we kind had a falling out, and then I broke my neck and ended up in a coma for a few weeks." She shrugged as she told him this while Hal was getting himself a salad at the salad bar.

"He hurt you?" Joey thought that was the worst story he'd ever heard. She was such a fragile thing. She mentioned something was wrong with her bones, but she didn't know this until after she broke her neck.

"No, not really." She said she slipped in the kitchen and fell. "I ran away from home." She admitted it was possibly all her fault, at least she remembered the house phone number at the hospital. "I mean, I was old enough to leave home. I was just trying to help them out, by leaving, so they wouldn't have to put up with me. I was never very good in college. I'm the worst student you'll ever want to meet. Anyway, I just felt like leaving with this guy for Georgia. I just didn't know he had this other older girlfriend, and I'd gotten on at this grocery store.  Of course, my mom seems to think they were scaming me, or something. And yeah, it was kind of rough, sleeping on this old couch. We didn't know the best people in that little town. And yeah, he'd hit me, but slipping in the kitchen was something I did all on my own. And, I know I'll never do anything like that again to my parents. I'm amazed my mom is still around to tell me..'Told you so'..they know where I am now, but I really don't want to live at home. I'm trying to take care of myself."

Joey guessed he was trying to take care of himself, too.

She spread some butter on a cracker then and gave it to him.

"Ever tried it?"

He looked at the butter on the cracker. He'd never thought of butter on a cracker. Joey put it in his mouth, there was something that tasted like home about it. Or maybe it was Liv who made him think of home.

He told her he had a daughter then.

"A daughter?" She sounded so excited. "Can I meet her?"

"I guess so."

"Why are you two eating crackers?" Hal asked when he got back with his plate of food that was piled high with pizza too. "Its Pizza ranch." He pointed to the fried chicken too. "We paid for the whole buffet."

Liv only laughed and Joey lead the way. Yeah, maybe it would be good to hang out with Liv.

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