Starter for @hissecondchance:
Days and night all ran together since Arvin started his job on the railroad. He didn’t mind, because it kept his mind busy and away from all of the troubles he had caused in his hometown of Knockemstiff. He sometimes wished he could go back there to shake his grandpa’s hand and hug his grandmother one last time, but he knew in his gut that it just couldn’t happen. Arvin had made his bed, and now he had to lay in it.
He kept a picture of his grandparents and Lenora in his wallet at all times. The photograph was worn and ripped along the edges because he pulled it out and looked at it every chance he got, even on the job. Tears were something that Arvin never let anyone see, but on the rare occasions, tears would stain the photograph even further.
The night was still young, but like every other, Arvin had a headache and just wanted to go to bed. The way his beat up truck rode wasn’t helping because of how much the thing kept bouncing, but he was just grateful to have something to ride around in. The only places he went was his job and a restaurant in town. He always stopped by for some dinner when he got paid, but his dinner normally consisted of a stiff drink and a slice of cherry pie. The pie often made him reminisce on what it was like when he was little, because it tasted just like the one his grandma used to make him and his sister from scratch. He tried to find a little part of her everywhere he went, and if he had to spend every last dime he had to do it, then so be it.
Arvin never bothered to clean up before going in public like this. He didn’t have anyone to impress, so he always went straight after work in his old work clothes that were overdo a cleaning. He didn’t smell or anything, but the stains would make anyone just looking at him think differently. They didn’t have to look at him, though, and that’s the way Arvin preferred it.
After parking his truck on the side of the road, Arvin got out with a soft grunt. He had hurt his knee earlier that day, and he just hoped that it wouldn’t affect anything at his job. He wouldn’t know what to do if he ever lost his only way of getting paid, but the only thing on his mind in that moment was the smell that hit him when he opened the door to the restaurant.
Arvin took his hat off as he looked around, seeing some familiar faces that he never bothered talking to. He wasn’t there to make friends, and he didn’t see that anyone took interest in him anyway. He was pleased to find out that the bar looked relatively empty, so he had plenty of spots to choose from where he wouldn’t be sitting next to anyone. He casually walked over and sat on one of the stools, adjusting himself into a comfortable position. He stared down at the countertop as he waited for a waitress to come over and take his order.
