Winter Layoff Chapter 2
| Winter Layoff | |
|---|---|
| Chapter 2 of 21 | |
 | |
| Read this chapter | |
| Time frame | December 26th, 2005 |
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Locations
- Jim's immobile home in the immobile home park behind Hannegan’s Cove, in Spearfish Lake
- The Pike Bar
Characters
- Jim Wooten
- Jim's mother (on the phone)
- Bob Coopshaw, an equipment operator at Clark Construction
- Russ Compton, a carpenter at Clark Construction
Summary
Jim wakes up the next morning and feels a little guilty about not being able to do much to help out his aunt and uncle. He heads out to have breakfast at the Pike Bar with some of the regulars that also work at Clark Construction.
Bob and Russ discuss a few things then Jim's trip and Christmas dinner comes up, and his aunt and uncle's house. Jim explains that It was in Pass Christian, Mississippi, until Katrina came along last summer. Now, from what I hear, it’s scattered all over southern Mississippi. He then summarizes the rest of the discussion that took place over dinner, including how his ex was a drunk, how my aunt and uncle got royally screwed on the settlement from the insurance company, so they don’t have much money to work with, either, and that his uncle is in a wheelchair.
Bob points out that despite the price of gasoline that a trip there and back might be worth the trouble just to see how bad the situation is. Russ points out that there are a bunch of other guys that are on winter layoff who might be willing to help out for the sake of doing something to help out someone in a bind like that. It might be enough to cover a lot of the difference. Jim realizes that until then he’d mostly been trying to think of problems and the reasons it couldn’t be done, not at solutions and how things could be done.
Bob points out that there is another storm on the way and that Jim might as well get out of town and far enough south to dodge it. He decides to take the pickup camper that slides into the bed of his truck just to have a warm place to throw a sleeping bag. He calls his mom at work to get the information where John and Rita are staying, but she has it at home.
The chapter ends with Jim telling her that he is going to get on the road and call her for the address and phone number from out on the road somewhere.
Also Mentioned
- Mable Hargraves, the owner of the Pike Bar
- Tammy, a waitress at the Pike bar
- Brent Clark (by reference, as "Randy's grandfather")
- Aunt Rita and Uncle John Fleming
