the Scuffy - 4. Chapter 4

As we pulled into the driveway, a porch light came on. “I have an apartment above the garage but before we go there, you need to meet the family.”

We got the scooter out of the car, Glen pushed it toward the garage. I guess his family became concerned that no one came to the door. They heard the car, turned the porch light on and no one.

A young man came out, “Is that you Glen?”

“Yes, Nicky, we just got home.”

“We, who else is here?”

I walked up behind him, “Me” he jumped. He obviously didn’t hear me.

Glen came up on the porch laughing, “Nicky, this is a friend of mine, Kevin. We worked the fishing boat together.”

Nicky started sniffing Glen, “How come you don’t smell like fish?”

“Cause we showered. Come on and meet the rents.”

Nicky ran in, “Mom, Dad, Glen is here with a friend.”

Glen’s parents came into the entry hall, “Mom, Dad this is Kevin. We worked together on a fishing boat.”

“It’s nice to meet you Kevin.”

“Thank you, it’s nice to meet you as well.”

“Dad, I won’t be going in with you tomorrow. Kevin offered me a ride. He works about two blocks from the store.”

“Can I stay in the apartment?”

“Sure Nicky, just keep it clean.”

Nicky ran and gave Glen a hug. “Thanks Glen, you’re the best.”

Nicky looked at me and mouthed a ‘thank you’. “Nicky, how old are you?”

“I’m sixteen but will be seventeen in a couple of months.”

“I need another hand on the boat, interested?”

He looked at Glen, Glen nodded his head yes. “Yes, but I have never worked on a boat.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, we’ll teach you. If you try hard you’ll be an old fisherman before long.”

“Come and I’ll show you my apartment while I get my clothes for tomorrow.”

I followed Glen, along with my new deck hand, Nicky. Glen’s apartment was a nice place, neat and concise, no wasted space.

While Glen was gathering his clothes, “Are you Glen’s boyfriend?”

“It’s a little too early to make that determination. Anyway, Glen might not be ready for a boyfriend.”

Nicky just smiled as if he knew a secret. “Ready to go?”

“Yes. Nicky, remember to keep the apartment clean and here are the keys to the scooter. You may need gas.”

Nicky looked like he got all of his wishes granted. We stopped at the house to say goodbye to the rents. Glen pulled his dad aside and told him he gave the scooter to Nicky.

“Ready?”

“Yes” I said goodbye to Glen’s parents and got a hug from Nicky as I left.

“You have a nice family. In a way I envy you.”

“You don’t have to feel that way. Who knows maybe someday they might end up being a part of your family as well.”

“You tease a lot”

“Maybe, you know this is the first time I stayed at someone else’s home overnight.”

“You never had a sleep over when you were in high school?”

“Nope, never felt comfortable enough to stay at someone else’s house.”

“Okay, consider this as a sleep over, we’ll make popcorn, watch a movie and have a few beers.”

Glen laughed, “If I had known that was part of a sleep over, I may have tried it.”