10 Chapter 9: Fight! (Joseph's POV)
I looked back at my old house, I would miss it, there were a lot of bad times there, but I only remembered the good times. I still just felt bad for my mother, I hoped that at some point she would get out of that relationship. I don't think that my father would ever change, she had already been trying for so long.
I walked across the road, making sure that this time I did not walk into anyones path. I almost felt bad for Pop and Susan because I felt that the attack yesterday had been partly my fault. The guy had nearly ran over me in the street.
Once I was past all of that I began walking over to the bar, I kept thinking that for some reason I would walk in and Padre had a knife to Julia's throat and seeing Jim sitting there on the ground. I shook my head trying not to think of those types of thoughts.
Besides, in my mind even though I was thinking those thoughts. There was no way Padre could be there. He was locked up, and not only that he had also not seen who had hit him in the first place. Nor did he know where Julia worked at.
At least I hoped, you never really know in the end. The mobsters around the city knew a lot, and I had met a few of them at the bar. They weren't really as evil as a lot of the mobs that lived around the city. They had said that the police were a part of the mob though.
I didn't know really all that much about them besides yesterday, I had only really heard stories about those types of guys. Honestly I did not know if the libre guy was a part of the mafia.
He did not look like he was even a part of this city I had only seen another person with his ethnicity once or twice. He was a lot whiter than most so I would assume that he came from the North.
I had never met a person from the south but my uncle had said he had gone to war with one before and they were very very dark skinned. He said they seemed very scary but in the end they came to an agreement to stop the war and make peace. He said a lot of them were not bad people just their old leader.
He also said that they took down their leader and that is why the war ended. He said he was in the war room where they had made peace. He was not allowed to tell me much but I did know that he was a big part of the army in our country.
I closed my eyes, I needed to stop thinking of all the bad things that had happened in my life. In the end that would only get me into a deeper depression. My uncle was dead, my mother had been hurt for such a long time, I loved him so much but his death was long in the past.
I walked into the bar still half expecting that I was going to see Padre standing there. But I had too realize that it was impossible, there were always 3 people working there at all times. Sometimes more but this was not that time of the year.
Normally the time it really blow up was in the winter or midsummer. It was nearing the winter but it was not quite that time. The winter was around the time people had lots of free time and got really depressed because they had their mind in so many other things.
I walked in and saw Tom in the front and Tim was around the sides cleaning stuff up.
Clearly Julia was in the back which was the place we usually worked most of the time unless we were in the front restocking the shelves and the food and drinks. Tim usually gave the food and cleaned up after the people. Normally there were 2 at the front and 2 on the sides.
That was during the summer and winter. Sometimes there would even be me and Julia in the back, I was a slight but early. I didn't really mind waiting for my shift to start though, I did want to talk to Julia. I thought we had done a good job talking last night, but you never know when someone all of the sudden changes their mind.
Tom nodded to me when the door rang when I opened the bar. They were used to me coming in a bit early. I usually played a few games with some of the drunk guys that usually sat there for a while not wanting to go home drunk.
I sat down at one of the stools at the bar, there were only 2 people in there right now, but it was not quiet the time that people had gotten off work.
They were both just eating food and not drinking any beer. It made since most of the time a lot of people did not want to get drunk at this time. Jim still made a fair amount of money around this time but the main big time was late night. Tom had just gotten in to work, I usually worked with him on most days.
"How are you doing Joseph? You look happy? You enjoying your new place?" He said to me. I remembered that Tom also lived there as well. He did rent it though he wasn't the best with using his money. He often bought expensive foods and partied.
But he was still a cool guy, he was only a few years older than me, he had started working at the bar around the same time that I had started working there. He was not friends with any of Jim's family he had just heard about the place from Pop and Susan.
"Yes... They were really cool, cleaning up the place and making everything nicer. They also gave me some books, they know I like to read." I said to him. He continued cleaning up the counter of the bar. It did look like quiet a mess, I wondered he had eaten here.
I knew the 4 guys both in group of 2 that were eating right now. I never learned their names, mainly because I worked in the back but I had seen them in this bar several times. They seemed to be pretty chill, they worked a night shift at their place kind of later than mine.
"That's good, they are very good at making their business, heard they've been a bit low on funds lately, going through their savings." He said to me. I nodded, I had not known they had resorted to those methods but I had known that they were spending more than they were gaining right now.
"Yeah I feel bad for them... They need to kick those people out, they get business here pretty quickly." I said to him. He looked at me and then nodded then he walked to the back and put the rag that he had used to wipe up the counters in a laundry bin.
"That is for sure, but they always feel bad for them... Even though most of the time they are lying." He said to me. He was right, I knew some dudes that made good money that were not paying for their rent.
I sat there and stopped worrying about it. There was so much going on for me right now there was no reason for me to worry about it.
I had payed off my money for them so that should get them by for quiet some time. Tom walked away when I stopped talking so I got off of the stool and then began heading towards the back.
Jim and Julia were both usually back there, Jim was always sorting through things and thinking about stuff if he was not in the front. Sometimes Jim would not be he often went left the place for important business stuff and pulling the drinks and food from the company he bought it from.
I walked to the back to the room that Jim was in, and sure enough he was in there. He was looking through some papers, I never had any idea what it was about but he said that soon he would have to teach me when I took over the bar. Jim was old but he still had a couple of years at least left in him.
That was the only thing I was iffy about. I was never that good at talking to other people much less making business deals with other companies. I sat down in the chair that was in front of him and he just nodded to me.
I was used to it, whenever I went to go talk to him he usually took a while because he was trying to finish whatever he was working on at the exact time. I sat there and just stared at the ground. It probably was not the best idea but I thought about Padre coming into my place.
He knew where I lived at, I would not be surprised if he came out, or when he came out he would come after me. I cared more about my family than me, but still if my sister ended up moving in with me, heaven knows what that guy could possibly do to her.
I had heard such horrible stories about the mob doing things the women, stuff that I did not even want to think about and stuff that seemed so crazy I almost did not think that it was possible. But I knew it was, I had seen it try to happen, usually not the mob but drunk people at the bar. Once the had tried to do it to Julia and Jim beat the hell out of that guy. He never came here again.
Honestly I was not too upset that a guy like that Jim was not getting business from anymore. Jim looked at me and then nodded for me to talk.
"So... Not really here to talk about Padre but I need some advice about Julia." I said to him. He was always the guy I asked for advice. He had been married before but his wife was never able to have kids. She then died to some sort of cancer a couple of years ago right before I started working here.
I always felt bad about it, but I knew asking for advice would probably have come to his marriage at the end. I was ready for it. He looked at the ground I could tell that he was thinking about the same thing right now. I felt a bit bad about it but I knew he always gave me such good advice.
"You have to make sure you always tell you how much you love her, that way if she will never think that you do not anymore. Every so often give her some gifts." He said to me. I nodded and then waited for him to continue which took him a few seconds.
"Alright, I'll make sure to get her some gifts from the store or something." I said to him. He looked at me a bit confused and then he just shook his head and let out a small little laugh, as if to say I was being stupid. Which I did not understand.
"No... I mean it's good for that on important days but the best way to do it is just to show some love, maybe even a good little session of some s-" He began saying but I cut him off. I didn't want him to give me sexual advice. That just makes things a little but awkward.
"Alright note made. Im going to go see her and relieve her of her shift." I said to him. Jim nodded and then I got up from the chair. He continued going through papers and grunting like he usually did when he was working on that sort of stuff.
I left the room and headed to the back. I walked through the little dutch door and so her just sitting in the back rearranging some stuff. Clearly Jim must have gone and gotten some more stuff yesterday or today. This would probably be what I was doing for the next few days.
When Jim stocked up on food he bought them in big packs, enough for a couple of months, lately there had been a big drink that people had been into lately that took up a fair amount of the shelf. I walked over to her and then kissed her on her cheek.
It was a bit of a ballsy play but I mean technically we were together now right? She turned towards me and then smiled. She then kissed me right back and finished putting the rest of what she had on the shelf.
"Seems a little bit early..." She said to me. I smiled and then sat down at one of the table in the back with her. I couldn't stop looking at her she was beautiful. Dare I say that I loved her? I was walking fine line when it came to those words.
"Yeah, thought I would releave you of your duty tonight, maybe you could go ahead and tell your apartment owners that you are moving out." I said to her. She looked at me and then nodded as if she was saying that it was a good idea. She got up the chair and then gave me a little friendly hug.
"I will be doing that... I should be having to spend the night there though. Hopefully I can get my stuff packed over to your place some time soon." She told me. I nodded smiling at her. I was happy and thankful to have someone like her in my life. I would be moving from one family to potentially another just like that.
She finished off what she was doing and then took off her dress that we used to make sure we didn't splash anything on our clothes in the back. She walked back over to me and then through the dress onto me with a little smile.
"Thank you Joseph, I really appreciate it. Hopefully I'll see you soon... I have tomorrow off here and I will be working a full day at the market if you want to come and see me." She said to me. I nodded and then gave her one last kiss. It seemed so natural even though I had only done it once before.
I put on the dress and then began stocking up the shelves. I turned to Julia as she left the room, I should have some time tomorrow, I worked all night but as long as I did not sleep too much then I should be able to go see her and talk to her for a little bit, make sure that everything for her was settled in nicely.
I sat there just thinking about her and the potential times I could be having with her and then I continued on with my day not really thinking about much besides where to stock stuff.
Time blew by fairly fast, it was nearly time for my small break, I would get a free meal from Jim during that time. His food that he made was always so good, a lot of times it wasn't the drinks that people came in here for. Like the guys that were in here earlier.
Right now since it was late at night, as I could clearly see through the window and the guys yelling and cracking jokes from the front, that's when it was mostly men that were here drinking. But during the day often a married couple would come in for some food. It was a lot of the reason why Jim's business was booming.
Pretty soon as well Jon should come to the back or Jim and tell me the shelves were nearly empty for a certain drink or food in the front. I knew business had been fairly well tonight, there were 4 of us working tonight. Another one of the guys that worked here I had heard talking to Jim.
Tom and Tim were still back in the front, I could here them talking from time to time. I figured this would probably be the best time to take my break before it got too busy for me. I began putting my dress up and leaving the room that I was in.
I heard someone walking over to the room so I quickly strapped it back on expecting it to be one of the guys asking for me to restock since they had not come in yet.
Sure enough Tom was looking right at me and nodding. But he moved his hand as if I did not need the dress, he could see me clearly putting it back on knowing I was about to go on break. This was usually around the time of day that I did.
"Someone is there to see you up at the front..." He said to me. I looked surprisingly a bit confused. I had only heard of one person ever doing it. That was my mother.
She had come in that time when my uncle had died years ago and told me the news. The whole time a bunch of guys were cracking jokes and flirting with her while she was telling me terrible news. I felt really bad for her that night I almost wanted to slap the guys.
The only time's women came into the bar late at night was too get laid. Usually that was when guys spent the night in the back of the bar. Usually to get laid by some ugly looking women. I had heard it a few times, they were extremely loud and it was disgusting.
"Who is it, my father? This is about the time he should be here." I asked him. He usually came in around this time these days and he drank so much, it was no wonder we were losing money so fast.
Jim's food and drinks were very good, I had drank some before even though Jim had told me not too. That one night I had gotten drunk with Julia in the back. I never really remembered what happened that night besides me kissing her. I wonder if she did, she had dranken a lot more than me so I doubt it.
Jon shook his head which actually came as a bit of a surprise to me. Maybe it was the guy that would come to give me a bit of my uncle's money that my mother told me I would receive when I was quiet a bit older.
But she meant it when she said quiet a bit older "It will be a few years further when I know you are ready to handle money like a real man... Not like your father." She had told me. My father was good with money until he got my uncles money. That's when it had all gone downhill.
"Nah... I've never seen the guy before, but he was asking if you were here, he said that he wanted to talk to you." Tom said to me. I was beginning to think more and more that thats who it might really be.
At the same time though I was thinking that it might be Padre, I had heard no much about the mob I would not be surprised if he knew where I worked and he came after me. He didn't seem like that evil of a mob guy but he was obviously still into the crime related gangs.
If it was him I would just yell for help, that's what Jim told all of us if someone attacked you. A couple of drunk guys had gotten into fights with Tom and Tim a few times. They still came to this place and they had usually apologized for attacking them like that.
We were used to it at this point, we always ran to each others side if we needed help. I walked to the front and there was a younger guy looking around at the bar. This had to be the guy that my mom was talking about... Maybe not... He looked far to young for it too be possible.
You never know with someones age anyways. He could look 20-25 but be nearly 40. My uncle also did work with some younger guys in the army squadron that he took care of. I knew that this was the guy that was looking for me why else would he just be looking around?
Tom said something to the guy, the guy turned around. But he looked very angry which surprised me. Maybe this was one of Padres friends... Either way I did not want anything to do with the guy. Tom was looking at me and he nodded behind the guys back as if he was saying just holler at me if you need some help.
"So... You are the little guy that my girl has been cheating on me with..." He said to me. He said it more like a fact then a question. I was a bit confused what he was talking about. Maybe he was thinking about someone else.
"I'm sorry... I think you have to wrong person... I'm only into one girl..." I said to him. He laughed and then moved closer to me. He was a bit bigger than me and he looked stronger. But that was also because he was older and he was fully grown.
He put his head against mine and then began shouting to me, our heard Jim rustle from the back as if he was wondering what was going on, and the whole bar which had about 20 people in it went completely silent.
"Is that one person Julia?! Leave her alone you little prick! She is mine, you aren't taking her from me..." He said to me. I was confused, Julia said she was not dating anyone. Maybe this was some guy that had seen her with me yesterday that had a crush on her.
Either way I was not trying get into a fight right now. Especially not with a guy this big. I walked back a little bit and he moved even closer to me. I saw Tom move a bit closer and I waved him to stay back saying basically that I had it under control.
"Look man... I don't know who you are but we are just talking, you have a chance to go after her if you want... Just saying she's mainly interested in me though." I said to the guy. The guy looked at me and then laughed. He then shoved me to the ground. Tom walked a bit closer as if he was going to stop it before it got a bit further.
I don't know who this guy was, calling me a prick... But I think it was pretty obvious in this situation who the actual prick was. I got up and shoved the guy back a little bit. He grunted and then laughed at me.
"Dickhead... I'm her husband..." He said to me. My mind went into so many different places at the same time, and time just seemed to stop for me. My heart began to hurt. I had heard of women messing around with several men at the same time but I never would have thought that Julia was into that sort of stuff.
Clearly my mind needed to be opened up to a lot of other things. She was messing around with me and him at the same time. Either way I needed to get this situation under control right now. I wasn't ready to get into a fight, I had never been in one before and I wasn't sure I was ready.
I was in good shape and I was strong, that wasn't the problem though, and the guy in front of me was quiet a bit stronger than me anyways. At least he looked like it and he had the physic of it.
I had just never been in a fight before, and I didn't really know what to do or how to really fight back.
"Calm down... I didn't know this... This just seems to be a misunderstanding." I said to him. He pushed me again, clearly I was not making this situation any better. I was about to call the word to everyone working here that I needed help when I heard what he said next and it made me mad.
"After I beat the fuck out of you! I'm going to beat her... She's messing around with other guys again." He said to me. It made me mad, not just to him but to realize that Julia was messing around with other guys and she had never even told me she was with a guy. But it also made me mad because he said he was going to beat her, even though she had really just hurt me it still made me mad to here those words come out of his mouth.
"Honestly I did not know she was with another guy she never told me. We just work here together." I said to him. He looked at me for a few seconds, he looked like he was thinking about it very closely.
Clearly the guy was not very smart, I could tell, maybe that was why Julia was manipulating him. But she was at the same time for me as well though. It kind of hurt me now that I was thinking more into it. I looked at the guy but he seemed to be into a bit of rage again.
"Sure you did, you're a lying pussy! She is moving in with you?! You expect me to believe that bullshit?" He said to me. I did not expect her to tell him that, maybe she wanted to see us fight. My mother had told me stories about this type of stuff.
Long ago guys fought to the death for a women, women were into it and they loved watching it. Granted she was not here she might be into that sort of stuff, maybe she would choose the guy who won. I began sizing him up, then wondered why.
If she was messing around with other guys, even if I won who says that she wouldn't just go mess around with me as well. It hurt me, I had not realized that she was doing that sort of stuff. I remembered what my father had told me, it seemed dumb but now I was starting to believe it, all girls really are the same...
All of the sudden I hit the ground, the guy had knocked me right on my jaw and I had not seen him coming. Everything became blurry and my eyes saw black. For a second I thought I had lost consciousness. I had hit the ground pretty hard on my head. But I heard people yelling in the bar and Tom walking over to the guy.
When my eyes got up I saw Tom was holding the guy back as he was trying to go after me. I could here what Tom was saying and everyone in the place was yelling and laughing. Laughing at me obviously, it was not my fault maybe if I had seen it coming I could have dodged it.
I heard Jim walk from the back and he was yelling to the guy, the guy just spit at him and Jim through something at the guy. The guy began laughing. Noe I had gotten really pissed off. I looked right at Tom and yelled to him.
"Get off of him, I want him..." I said to him. Maybe it was a bit dumb, and in the end I might regret my decision, but I was just so upset not just at the guy but I was also upset at Julia for lying to me. She had never told me she was dating someone, why had she told me she was moving in?
"Shoot yourself kid... If it gets too rough, you know what to yell." Tom said to me. I heard Jim walk over to me and he whispered something into my ear that the guy could not hear.
"I don't think you want this fight Joseph." He said to me. I shook his head and then leaned him off of me a little bit "shoot yourself kid..."
The guy ahead of me began laughing he then headed back towards me.
"Oh yes... I've been waiting for this..." He said to me. I held my fist back I was ready. Everyone in the bar was laughing and enjoying the show, they loved stuff like this. It was normal.
"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"
