Chapter 21 #2
“Nope. Just take a seat until we’re ready to go.” Kendra bit into the piece of apple pie. “Now this is delicious.”
“This is terrific. You ought to open a pie shop,” Grayson said.
Kendra smiled at Grayson.
Grandma chuckled. “When I was younger, I should have.” Then she pointed to Marty. “When you get home, you will get a job, or you’ll be out of the house.”
Good for Grandma. Marty’s parents had already stopped funding him because he didn’t want to work. It was time for him to become an independent working member of society and pay his own way.
Kendra took her plate and empty glass into the kitchen and set them next to the sink. Grayson glanced at Marty and gave him a look, telling him he'd better pick up his own plate and glass and take them in there, too.
Marty acted all cool, like he wasn’t going to be swayed to do what was right, but when Grayson rose to his full height, Marty quickly picked up his plate and glass. Grayson carried his in after that.
“Thanks,” Grandma said, smiling at Grayson. She looked like she wished he were her grandson instead.
Then they thanked her for the pie, Grayson giving Marty another of his stern looks, prompting Marty to thank Grandma as well.
Someone had failed to teach him to be grateful.
They escorted him out to Grayson’s SUV and waved at Grandma. Smiling, she waved back at them.
“Did she tell you I was at her home?” Marty asked, sounding like he wanted to hold a grudge against the only person who had still been willing to take care of him.
“No, she didn’t. I always know where you end up, don’t I?” Kendra asked.
“I can’t believe she’s kicking me out of the house,” Marty said, sounding morose.
“She didn’t say that,” Grayson told him. “She just said that she wanted you to get a job.”
“Right. She’ll probably let you live with her until you earn enough that you can have a place of your own,” Kendra said. “You know she loves you.”
“I know, I know, it’s like tough love.”
“Yeah, it is,” Kendra said. “And you should have made an effort to get a job a long time ago, before it went this far. Do you even do any chores at home? Help your grandma out at all? Or do you just play your computer games, get drunk, drive, and get into trouble?”
“How often do you take out the garbage, do your own laundry, or help with the cooking?” Grayson asked. “Or even thank your grandma for all that she does for you?”
Marty squirmed in the backseat. “I thank her all the time.”
Grayson bet he didn’t. He didn’t even thank her for the apple pie. Since Marty didn’t mention doing his own laundry, taking out the garbage, or doing any other chores, he figured he didn’t do anything for himself or his grandma.
He suspected Marty didn’t straighten up his own bedroom either. “Hey, Kendra.”
“Yeah?”
“Have you ever arrested Marty when he was sleeping in his bedroom?”
“Yeah, a couple of times.”
“What did his room look like?”
“Hey, that’s not fair. My room would have been clean if I’d had prior notice.” Marty looked mutinous.
“His room was a disaster. Dirty clothes piled up all over the floor. I’m surprised he had clean clothes to wear.”
“Grandma would come and get them sometimes. That just wasn’t laundry day when you came for me.”
“It was never laundry day when I came for you. But you should have been doing your own laundry. Grayson’s right about that.
You’ll get a job, you’ll do your own laundry, change out your own sheets, and keep your room and bathroom clean.
You’ll take out the garbage, mow the yard, and shovel snow in the winter,” Kendra said.
“She hires someone to do that.”
“From now on, she doesn’t have to pay for it. You’ll do it,” Grayson said. “That will help to pay for your room and board. But a job will help too. And we’ll keep in touch with Grandma to make sure you’re keeping after it. That she doesn’t have to nag at you to do it.”
Marty leaned his head against the window and muttered something under his breath.
“What?” Kendra asked.
“Where did you pick this guy up?”
Kendra smiled and patted Grayson’s lap. “He was a real find and a half.”
“He’s a bad influence on you,” Marty grumbled.
Grayson laughed.
“Next, you’ll be telling me that I can come to work for you and you’ll keep me in line.”
“No way. Not with the way you keep getting yourself in trouble. You have to be an upstanding citizen. Drunk driving doesn’t get it,” Kendra said.
“You might have to get your hands dirty, washing pots and pans at a restaurant for a while or something like that, until you can move your way up. Who knows? Maybe, if you learn anything, you can be a chef or a manager someday,” Grayson said.
Not that he thought Marty could do anything like that, but who knew?
Sometimes someone would work with a kid like that and give him a chance.
But only if he worked hard and was grateful for the opportunity.
If he acted like a spoiled brat, that was different.
“A chef,” Marty said.
“Yeah, and you could work with your grandma on making pies and other meals. Maybe you’ll learn something,” Kendra said.
“She’s an excellent cook. And even if you never worked in the field, just knowing how to cook as well as she does wouldn’t hurt when you find a girlfriend who will appreciate your talent. A wife even, later.”
“Do you cook?” Marty asked Grayson.
“Yeah, grill too.” Then he frowned. “Do you even know how to grill food?”
“No. Dad wouldn’t teach me. And Grandma doesn’t know how to.”
Grayson wondered if Marty just never tried to grill anything with his father. “Maybe we can have you over to the house, and I can teach you a thing or two.”
“Yeah, sure, that would be great.”
Maybe the “kid” just needed someone in his life to get him started down the right path.
Kendra was holding back a chuckle.
Yeah, Grayson hadn’t planned on becoming a role model for a grown kid who didn’t have any desire to work.
After they dropped Marty off at the police station, he waved at them like he'd met his new best friends.