Chapter 16: Job Hunting

"You must be presentable." His father says as Ethan fixes his tie in the mirror inside the second story bathroom. With a soft sigh, he runs a hand through his chestnut curls before turning to face his father.

"Oh, but must I have to wear a suit? I'm just looking for jobs, not applying." Ethan grumbles under his breath, causing his father to give him a stern look in response to his son's distasteful attitude.

"Yes, you must. Now hurry along now and get downstairs so you can eat and we can get out of here. I don't like your attitude boy, fix it." His father says in an authoritative tone of speech before continuing his path to his bedroom.

With another soft sigh, he makes his way out of the bathroom and down the creaking wooden staircase.

"Oh, my mother! My dear, dear, dear, dear, dear mother." Marriane flutters her eyelashes as she chants the word dear to her mother. Mrs. Pinwick frowns at her words as she sets the table.

"What did you do now, Marriane? Why are you buttering me up?" Her mother questions her words in suspicion as she sets a plate of eggs and sausage where the table meets a wooden chair.

"Me? Butter you up? Oh, no no! You just look so radiant today, you know?" The girl hops onto her chair, kicking her feet up and down under the white tablecloth as her mother sets a steaming plate of a small omelette fit for her and half a sausage.

"Right, what do you want, Marriane?" Her mother breathes out in a sigh after setting a plate in front of Ethan. Ethan drools at the sight of his mother's morning breakfast, a delicacy he wouldn't trade for the world.

"Well, can I come job hunting with daddy and Ethan? With Arlo!" Marriane stuffs her face of the fluffy omelette and her father raises his head from his newspaper.

"What? Explain, girl." Her mother says as she slowly and elegantly eats her food. Ethan also reacts with a curious raise of a brow.

"So, I just think finding a job is very exciting! Also, I want to hang out with Arlo and he agreed to go with me if I were able to tag along. So, please? Pretty please?" Marriane gives her best puppy dog eyes to her parents and they glance at each other.

Ethan was silently hoping that they would not agree. Bad enough he's getting a job but to have two little kids running around and ruining his chances wasn't ideal in his green eyes.

"I will agree—" Her father starts and Marriane cuts him off with a squeal of success.

"However, if you make a ruckus and ruin the impression they have on our family and Ethan, you're grounded. That's final." Mr. Pinwick says and quickly goes back to reading his newspaper. Marriane smiles widely and shoves a piece of sausage into her mouth.

"Of course, father. I shall not do such a thing as I am the best child in the world! She says and their mother giggles in response.

In only about twenty minutes, the door is heard with a knock, then two and Ethan takes a sip of water before he gets up to answer it.

"Oh, hello Ms. Farce." Ethan greets with a kind smile as the elegant woman is seen at the door with Arlo beside her. She returns the smile with just as much vigor.

"Hello, Ethan. I see your arms are free. May I come in?" Ethan nods and allows room for Ms. Farce to come in.

"What a nice home it is," she comments as she steps past the shoe rack and into the living room. She looks around, as if looking for something. How strange, Ethan saw his father was nowhere to be seen. Was this old issue that bad that his father would flee the scene?

"Oh, Arlo!" Marriane grins her cute grin. Then, hops off the chair and runs over to Arlo whom she hugs as tight as she can, squeezing the life out of the poor boy.

He nods and doesn't bother returning the hug.

"Nice to see you, Celine." Ethan's mother smiles as she gets up from the table and comes over to the other woman to shake her hand. Ms. Farce returns the hand shake and continues her eyeing search for something.

"Where is Oliver?" She questions and Ethan sees his mother's kind smile falter.

"He's still holding onto the past so he's upstairs getting ready." She says quietly, her hand slipping out of Ms. Farces and she smiles down at Arlo.

"So, are you just dropping him off or…?" Mrs. Pinwick trails off and glances back at Ms. Farce as she looks around in slight visible disappointment.

"Yes, yes. He is a very well behaved boy so you really shouldn't have any trouble with him. I am just glad he is actually attempting to hang out with who he considers friends." Ms. Farce explains as she places a hand on her boy's golden curls.

"Right, you know Oliver will take good care of him." Mrs. Pinwick assures her, which Ms. Farce sighs dreamily at the words spoken.

"I'm sure he would." She murmurs as if in a dazed state before turning on her heel and walking to the door.

"I will come back for you around nine, Oliver. Don't give these people trouble." She says softly before exiting the Pinwick home.

"Arlo, we're going with my big brother to look at jobs. I want to see all the various jobs and you should too!" Marriane smiles widely and the boy nods before opening up a book he brought with him.

Ethan watches his father come back downstairs to get ready and Ehan follows his example, slipping on his shoes and coat.

"Come on, Marriane. Hold out your arms." Their mother says as she slides Marriane's coat onto her body. She giggles and holds onto Arlo's arm as he reads silently.

Geez, Ethan hasn't seen his sister this happy. Love is a nice thing, isn't it? Ethan's green eyes trail down to his hand, which he raises to stare at. That's what his grandmother said.

Who does he love?

"Alright, we're going to the library first since I think that's where Ethan would prefer." His father says as the four of them walk down the road. Arlo was reading and walking simultaneously while Marriane was talking to him even though he appeared to be a brick wall. Ethan nods quietly at his father's words.

One thing's for sure, he would rather be hanging out with his friends rather than looking for a job at fourteen. Perhaps he could have been fed another cookie by Irene. Perhaps.

His cheeks heat up slightly at the thought even though it happened weeks ago.

They reach the library shortly and before they enter, Ethan's father stops them. He turns around and looks specifically and pointedly to Marriane.

"No noise, no playing, and no messing with the books unless you're going to read." He says sternly and Marriane nods with a grin on her face.

"Mhm! I couldn't do anything anyway because Arlo loves books and I have to, just have to follow him around." She explains and Arlo doesn't utter a word as he reads the book in his hands.

Arlo and Marriane go off to the young adult literature mostly on Arlo's accord and Ethan is led to the front desk by his father. The library was spacious with shelves and shelves lined in nice rows.

"Yes? Have a book you need help finding?" The lady behind the desk talked in a slow tone of voice and craned her neck to look above her glasses at his father. When she recognizes him, she smiles, showing off nice pearly teeth.

"Mr. Pinwick. How very nice to see you again. You were here for me to introduce your boy to the workforce, right?" She questions before fixing her glasses and squinting at Ethan with the wrinkle of her forehead.

"Yes, Mrs. Dearie." Ethan's father nods and pats his son's back, edging him to go forward to the lady behind the desk. Ethan, obediently moved forward a bit and helped Mrs. Dearie to not crane her poor old neck so much.

"I see. I see. Follow me to the back." Mrs. Dearie stood up, leaning onto the desk for some support before moving through the circle of desks that capsuled her to the other side. "Come, child."

Ethan went through the small wooden gate that led into the circle of desks and stood close to the old woman. She pointed a wrinkled finger to the books that sat on the back part of the circle desks.

"As a <i>libary</i>assistant—"

"You mean, <i>Library?</i> Before he could stop himself, he corrected the woman's wording of Library and that earned him a mean old glare. "Excuse you? I'd think the boy of Oliver would know better. And it's <i>libary.</i>

Ethan sighed softly as Mrs. Dearie explained the job to him and what it would entail and the horrid sound of her saying libary was all he could hear. Out of the corner of his eye however, he sees Marriane climbing on the shelf with Arlo watching silently.

"Um—"

"Shut yer' trap, boy. I'm trying to explain how to help people look for books." She said with finality in her tone and Ethan could only look at his sister who was possibly jeopardizing his chance to get a job at the local library.

The bookshelf began wobbling a bit and he looked over his shoulder to his father who was reading near the double doored entrance. Ethan couldn't stand by and watch this happen, his hand was twitching slightly.

His sister was at a potential to get seriously hurt and maybe worse. Plus, she was ruining his chances to get a job like his father wanted. He looked back at his sister who was climbing the bookshelf like a little chimpanzee and his eyes raced between Mrs. Dearie and Marriane.

In Marriane's eyes, she was on a splendid adventure.

"I almost got it for you, Arlo!" She whisper yells, her small limbs shaking slightly as she grabs onto the next shelf ahead of her.

"Get down, Marriane." Arlo called softly as he watched with indifferent eyes as she scaled up the shelf in search of the book he was supposedly interested in.

"No, no, I almost… got it…" She trailed as her shaky hand reached for that one brown hardcovered book that stuck out the shelf ever so slightly.

A loud THUD rang out through the silent library and all eyes and ears turned towards the now collapsed bookshelf. Mr. Pinwick rightfully so was confused at the bookshelf and so had been Mrs. Dearie who was in a silent stand of horror and shock when her precious bookshelf toppled over.

Ethan however, sprinted in a moment of panic, pushing through the wooden gates that led out of the circle. "Marriane? Marriane?" He called once he got on his knees and dug through the books. He did care for his sister and like any good sensed elder brother, worried for her safety. Plus, his six year old sister against a hardwood bookshelf? She would be lucky if all she got was seriously hurt.

"Arlo? Marriane?" He called desperately and tried to tug at the bookshelf, alas it was done useless. Mr. Pinwick suddenly realized the situation at the sound of his boy's cries, the toppled over shelf, and his daughter nowhere in sight.

"Oh no!" Mrs. Dearie murmured but did not make an effort to move and help, not with her old sad bones.

"Marriane!" His father cried in dismay as he tried to help Ethan lift up the bookshelf. With the strength of a man and a boy, the heavy bookshelf was moved only about a few inches before Mr. Pinwick had to give up.

"Daddy?" Both of the males turned their head to the sound and there stood Marriane perfectly unscuffed with Arlo next to her, indifferent as the boy usually was.

"Ethan, I got Arlo this book, look!" She grins and holds up that brown hardback book. Her expression slowly shifts as she sees the damage caused to the library and her father's livid expression.

"Oh— um! I… I just wanted—"

"Marriane…" Mr. Pinwick walks up to his daughter and grabs her wrist firmly. She is promptly dragged out of the library.

"No, no! Daddy, I didn't mean to! No!" She sobs, her eyes looking into Arlo's pleadingly as she's dragged out of the double door.

"Well, there goes my chances." Ethan sighed softly as he looked over the damages caused.

"Oh, so you're right, boy! I'm billing your father and you're all banned for a month!" Mrs. Dearie said as her old limbs shook at the sight of her sacred books scattered and the bookshelf laying still on the ground.

Ethan grabbed Arlo's hand and silently left the library.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Marriane sobbed as her father scolded her thoroughly.

"Oh, sorry is right! Do you have any idea of how much this will cost us!? After your last stunt, we barely could afford your hospital bill! I—"

"I'm sorry, daddy! I…I didn't mean it!" She chokes out, running up and hugging her father's legs. To that, the man's resolve crumbles a bit and he sets a hand on her head.

"I shouldn't be so harsh, but you need to be more accountable." He says simply with a stern undertone to which she nods silently in shame.

"Father, she told us we were banned for a month and demanded payment on the shelf." Ethan interrupted, prompting his father to clear his throat and turn his back on his son.

"I figured. Let's all go home. Marriane, you're grounded."