“It needs a new transmission.” His mother complained shutting the hood of the truck. He was watching amazed at how she was dressed. Wearing a pair of plain jeans and a muscle shirt her face and hands covered in grease, not a slutty piece in the mix…definitely unusual.
“Well, Sake’s dad runs a junkyard.”
She blew a piece of hair from her eyes and frowned. “Alright hop in.”
They drove for ten minutes to get to the yard, pulling in Fox saw Sake’s dad lifting some large pieces of metal and throwing them on top of a scrap pile. “Pretty strong for an old man.” Fox commented.
Sounding disgusted with him, his mother got out of the truck and slammed the door getting the attention of Sake’s dad. Fox hopped out and ran ahead of her.
“Hey Mr. Hake! Hey… you got any transmissions for an old Chevy 98?” The man stopped looking past him, his eyes wide. “Hey Mr. Hake!”
Sake’s dad clenched his teeth together, Fox looked back at his mother who looked as if she had seen a ghost. They stared for a moment before Mr. Hake turned around and walked away without a word.
“What the hell was that about?” Fox shouted as he slammed the truck door staring at his mother whose eyes were filled with tears.
“Why didn’t you tell me his last name was Hake?!” She screamed pulling out so fast his head nearly hit the windshield.
“I didn’t think it was important. What the hell is going on?”
She didn’t answer him as they sped back to the apartment where she practically ran up to their apartment with Fox close on her heels. “Mom!” He stopped as she slammed the door to her bedroom on him. He banged on the door. “Mom!”
“What’s going on?” He heard and turned to see Akura coming out of the bathroom.
He gritted his teeth and turned back around banging on the door harder. “Mom, what the hell is going on…how do you know Mr. Hake?!”
“Crow Hake?” Akura said making him spin around.
“Who?”
She rolled her eyes. “Honestly do you ever listen to anything?”
“No.”
She grabbed his shirt and dragged him into her bedroom and picked up a box opening it. “Crow Hake was one of mom’s and dad’s best friends.” She dug in and pulled out a photo album he remembered from along time ago.
“How come you have that?” He asked sitting beside her as she opened it.
“Because mom doesn’t care about keeping her memories…but I do. They’re dad’s memories too and I want to remember him.”
“He died before you ever even met him.” Fox said stopping her from turning the page. “There.” He pointed. It was of his father and two other men and his mother. They all looked so young and oddly happy. One of the other men was Mr. Hake his arm was draped intimately around his mothers shoulders on the other side was his father. The other was…. and he couldn’t believe his eyes…..the man had black hair and a crooked smile that reminded him of Sake. If he didn’t know it was impossible he would say it was Sake.
Akura read the writing under the picture. “Mino, Rin, Crow and Orin…Best Friends Forever.”
“Obviously not.” Fox commented when he heard a knock on the door. He got up annoyed at having to come away from an interesting puzzle to answer the door.
He opened it to Manlie dressed in an outfit that brought new meaning to the word dweeb. “I heard yelling and banging and I came up to see if everything was alright.” He said peering into the apartment.
“Uh...yeah we were having a heated discussion that’s all.” Fox said but then his mother came out carrying a suitcase.
“Oh Manlie, good…we’re moving so I’ll give you the rest of the month’s rent tomorrow. She began stuffing some trinkets in the suitcase.
“What?” Fox said before Manlie could.
“You heard me. “ She growled not looking up and moving even faster.
“No way!” Fox shouted slamming the door on Manlie. “Mom you can’t do this… for the first time I’ve made friends.. you can’t screw this up for me!” He was shouting with everything he had in him.
She stopped and looked up at him with red eyes from crying. He hadn’t seen her cry so much since she found out about his dad dying in the war. “I’m sorry Fox...I’ve screwed everything up.“ She flopped down on the couch her face in her hands. “I can’t stay here.”
He wasn’t used to feeling sorry for his mother, she was always so selfish and usually didn’t care how her actions affected him or Akura. He wasn’t entirely sure this was even real, maybe it was an act. “Mom you can’t take us away. I’m tired of moving around so you can find the next man of your dreams. For the first time in your life… think of us more than yourself. Please.” He hadn’t said please to her since he was twelve.
She looked pleadingly at him. “You don’t know what you’re asking me to do.”
“I’m asking you to put up with an old friend who you had outs with obviously. You don’t have to see him or talk to him.”
“It’s a lot more complicated than that.”
He crossed his arms. “Tell me.”
She stared at him then looked away standing. “Fine, we’ll stay. I guess it’s time we stop moving around.” She pushed past him and slammed the door to her room again.
His ears itched at the puzzle of finding out what happened in the past. What made once best friends not want to see each other? There was a faint knock again on the door and he opened it seeing Manlie holding his bloody nose.
“Um…could I get some ice?”
Shocked Fox brought him into the apartment and sat him down at the kitchen table. “I’m sorry, I guess I didn’t think.” He said getting an icepack.
Manlie waved it away. “It’s alright.” He pressed the pack to his face. “So are you staying or moving?”
Fox sat down finding that he was smiling. “We’re staying.”
“Good.” The landlord said standing up. “I think you all belong here in our small town.” He said before closing the door.
