It has been a day like every other. Oliver worked a factory job down on Main Street. The work was never good however things seemed to only get worse as mass layoffs began. Something about not being able to pay all of the stray dogs. Since then everybody had been on edge on who would be laid off next. Some people just left in a fit of rage and went out to find more stable work. However, word on the street was that many factories were shutting down due to insufficient funds. Meaning anyone that the boss found slightly useless would go down the drain of poverty.
These times were the most grueling for everybody. Women were usually the first to be fired as a means to “clear up space” for men. The men were faced with a blow to their ego. They weren’t able to provide for their families anymore. And lastly for the children, why they were faced to witness and grow up with it all. Despite everything spiraling into chaos, Oliver only saw the benefits. He wouldn't need to deal with so many of his co-workers bombarding him with offers to go out drinking. Either they left, dismissed, or were fired trying to prove their worth as a means to avoid the undeniable future. Oliver on the other hand, wasn't handed a great hand, but the boss favoured him in a way so he was less likely to drop Young Parsley. This was the reasoning behind why Oliver couldn’t see what's so bad. He had a home, a rather secure job, and fewer annoying co-workers who whined about money all day.
Speaking of annoying co-workers
For the past few days, one of his colleagues had been trying to reach out to him. Something about Buddies having to get to know each other, ya know? No, he didn’t know, and he’d rather not know.
The man ran up to him and gave him a solid slap on the back.
Oliver didn’t even know this man’s name. He was as busy as a bee and as annoying as one as well. He went wherever Oliver went despite Oliver’s constant attempts to shoo him off.
“It's Oliver, and please keep your limbs to yourself,” Oliver muttered, trying to speed away. However, his legs could only take him so far before tiring. And as mentioned before, his co-worker was quite insistent and seemed to have nothing better with his time than tormenting Oliver.
The co-worker, whose name is Howard, was quite infatuated with Oliver. The resolve he held, the way he hardly broke a sweat despite his slender figure. And his face was just so….proportional! Growing up, Howard only had his mom and his sickly sister. They hardly had any money and with no man in the family, hardly any way to rise. That was why when Howard was nine he signed up for a factory job and has been working there ever since. It was due to this that he never truly interacted with anyone around his age, everyone was either older or younger than him. Additionally, they are all extremely stoic and worn down from working in the factory for so long. Not the type of company a child would want after. That's when Oliver came in.
Oliver started working at the age of 9. His parents were hardly an issue. They were never present. Often traveling across the country in hopes of starting a new life, little Oliver was left with his grandma in Buffalo, New York. To support his grandma, Oliver signed up for work and has been working there since. It was easy to land the job, factories sought out children between the ages of 8-12 under the pretense that they would be more manageable and cheaper when it came to labor costs. This, however, led to children developing diseases due to a lack of healthcare and long hours. This, then, led to many of the child laborers suffering an early death, i.e., cancer, malnutrition, infectious diseases, abuse, etc.
He first met Howard during his first promotion. He was 10 and Howard was 11. It was a wonder both of them were still employed seeing that they were older; the older you became, the more susceptible you are to being laid off as you are no longer being a manageable child. They were both managing the cotton machines when Howard bumped into Oliver leading Oliver to get injured within the intricate machine. This almost led Oliver to be fired until Howard vouched for him.
Going back to the present, Howard was still following Oliver as they passed through three blocks.
“How much longer are you going to be following me like a lost dog?”
Howard just stood there absentmindedly as he stared at Oliver’s face. Despite the two working for the same amount of time. Oliver’s face seemed to be untouched by the cruel hands of time. On the contrary, Howard’s face was pale, damanged, and sootstained. His figure was frail because he had no one to go home to each night; contrasting with Oliver, who still had his grandma to aid him.
Now they were 15, no longer small children but instead the men of the household. In charge of providing for the little family they had left. For Oliver it was his grandma, for Howard it was Oliver.
Howard finally responded and cupped Oliver’s cheeks.
“Why don’t we go out to get lunch together. Just you and me.” He proposed with a puppy dog look in his eyes.
For anyone else, they would've looked at Howard and pitied him. Afterall, he never got to bond with someone other than his sickly family. In the constant presence of the ill, one might find oneself slipping into insanity. Not Howard though. Despite all odds, he stood strong against the crashing waves, becoming the rock that his world needs. But even rocks face erosion. Over the years he found himself dulling down from his usually sharp appearance. He tried to hide it, but all his coworkers took notice and pitied him.
Young lad, born cursed he was.
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