Winter Layoff Chapter 1
| Winter Layoff | |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1 of 21 | |
 | |
| Read this chapter | |
| Time frame | Christmas Day, 2005 |
| Next | |
Locations
- Jim's immobile home in the immobile home park behind Hannegan’s Cove, in Spearfish Lake
- On the road between Spearfish Lake, Camden, and Waldenville
- At Jim's parents house in Waldenville
Characters
- Shirley, Jim's sister
- Bob, Shirley's husband
- Jim's mother and father (unnamed in this chapter)
Summary
Jim is on winter layoff from Clark Construction. He's rather be out working, or better yet, fishing from inside his fish coop on the frozen lake, but today he has to drive down to Christmas dinner at his folks house. He's not looking forward to it, he can't get out of it, and he's dreading the time he has to spend with his sister.
Before dinner Shirley snipes and snipes and does her best to start a verbal fight with Jim.
During dinner Jim asks about his Aunt Rita and Uncle John and finds out that their home was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, they lived in a Red Cross mass care shelter that was set up in a school gym, and now they are living with John's sister and her family. John is stuck in a wheelchair as a result of wounds he received in Vietnam. Their insurance settlement was a lot less than they’d hoped for and not enough to replace the house. The rest of the dinner and after dinner discussion is about how Jim's skills are not enough to build a house, nor does he have the equipment it would take to even clear the lot... but he could drive down and investigate how the family could help them.
Also Mentioned
- Carolyn Wooten, Jim's alcholic ex-wife and the sister of Shirley’s best friend from high school
- Aunt Rita and Uncle John Fleming - Rita is apparently Jim's mothers sister
