Lazy Sunday Afternoon 2

“This is the life, Heyes, ain’t it?” the Kid said.


They were sitting on the porch of their new home, dozing in the sunshine. It was Sunday afternoon and neither of them had to work that day.


“Hmm,” Heyes grunted, in acknowledgment, from under his hat.


“Doing nothing. Nothing to do. Nobody chasing us. A proper Sunday like regular folks. Who’d of thought it?”


“Hmm.” Heyes smacked his lips, sniffed and settled. The Kid was right. Not that he was going to admit it. It was nice just being still, with nothing to do. Just sit here, dozing in the sun. Ahh!

Heyes smiled under his hat in contentment.


The Kid looked at him.


“Well you could show a little more enthusiasm!”


Heyes picked up his hat from his face and glared at him. “For what? You’ve just said it’s nice to sit here doing nothing. I’m doing nothing!” He was irritable. He tutted and replaced his hat.


The Kid returned the glare and settled his own hat on his head.


“This sure is nice,” he sighed. “’Course there are folks who have to work on a Sunday,” he mused. “Reverends, sheriffs, railroad workers, Sunday school teachers.” He listed them as he thought of them, reeling them off every now and then. “Milkmaids, fishermen, soldiers, sailors ….”


“Kid!” Heyes groaned, from under his hat.


“What? You can join in too. Prison guards, chiropodists ….”


“Chiropodists?” Heyes was incredulous. He pulled his hat away from his face and frowned at him hard.


“Yeah. Feet don’t just get sick Monday to Saturday y’know?” the Kid said, reasonably.
Heyes groaned and got up. “You’re getting seriously weird now we’ve gone straight. D’you know that?” he flung back, starting to walk inside.


“Weird? How? Now where are you going?”


He looked back over his chair at Heyes, who turned in the doorway.


“I’m going to make some tea. Do you want some tea?” Heyes asked, irritably.


“Tea! You say I’m weird! When did we start drinking tea?”


Heyes looked a little put out. “Well I thought now we got civilised … D’you want some or not?”


The Kid looked at him in disbelief then nodded. “Yeah okay. I’ll give it a try,” he frowned, still unsure.


Heyes disappeared.



____________________________________________________________________________________________________________


The Kid sniffed his tea, suspiciously. He pulled a face, and then gingerly took a sip. Beside him, Heyes had sampled his equally as suspiciously, but he was trying to put a brave face on it.


“It’s er….interesting,” Heyes said, slowly.


“Sure you made it right?” the Kid said sharply, frowning.


“Did exactly what it said.”


The Kid sniffed his again. Now he gingerly took a bigger sip.


Heyes took another sip. “It’s got a different sort of taste to coffee,” he grimaced, turning away from the Kid so he wouldn’t see his face.


“Acquired,” the Kid said, through gritted teeth.


“Mmmm,” Heyes agreed.


“I ain’t acquired it!” The Kid shook his head and put the cup and saucer down as if they had suddenly become red hot.


“Me neither.” Heyes put his down just as quickly. He sat back in his chair and looked thoughtful.

“Ladies like tea,” he said, finally.


The Kid grinned. “Oh so that’s it!” He leant over towards Heyes. “You never did tell me about your dinner the other night.” Heyes had gone out to dinner with Mary Fletcher, the owner of The Hat Shop, across the street from where he worked in The Hardware Store.


Heyes smiled and looked embarrassed. “Not much to tell. It was nice.” He licked his lips and looked away.


“So what’s she like?”


“Who?” Heyes looked back innocently.


“Mary!”


“Oh.” Heyes nodded. He didn’t say anything further.


The Kid knew he’d have to tease it out of him.


“She’s kinda pretty,” the Kid said, trying to encourage Heyes.


“No Kid.” Heyes shook his head, furiously and pursing his lips. “No she’s not.”


The Kid looked surprised and was about to protest, when Heyes looked at him, grinning broadly.


“She’s beautiful.” He laughed. Had he gone red? He certainly looked away.


“Heyes! The Kid laughed. “But does she like tea?” he asked, eagerly.


Heyes shrugged. “Dunno. ’Xpect,” He sighed, trying to be casual.


The Kid laughed. “Are you going to see her again?”


Heyes nodded. “Tomorrow night. Would of seen her last night but she had a prior engagement.” Heyes had his legs crossed and he was swinging the top one.


“Where d’you think it’ll go, Heyes?” the Kid asked, quietly.


Heyes pursed his lips and shrugged. He began to drum his fingers on the arms of his chair, as well as swinging his leg. A sure sign he was agitated.


“But you like her?”


“’Course I like her,” Heyes frowned.


He sighed and rested his head back for a moment. Then he reached for his cup and saucer again. He took another sip of tea. “If she likes tea, I might have to get used to this.” He pulled a face.

“It’s er … not too bad, really.” He took another sip and looked a bit green. Now he really did pull a face and returned the cup and saucer to the table. “I’ll think about it,” he sniffed.


The Kid chucked. “I hope she’s worth it, Heyes.”


Heyes looked at him and nodded. “Oh she is Kid, she is.”


The Kid decided to leave it there and returned to his dozing. A moment later Heyes picked up his hat to do the same. He paused and looked at his hat, thoughtfully.


“Y’know Kid, I think I’m gonna buy a new hat.”


The Kid raised his from his face and looked at him. “You’ve had that hat a long time.”


“I know,” Heyes said. He twirled it round his hand. “But I have a new life now. Think I oughta have a new hat to go with it.”


“I don’t like new hats,” the Kid sniffed, settling back. “They’re stiff and you have to keep fiddling with ‘em to make ‘em feel right.”


“I know what you mean. But this one has too many memories. And it’s got a hole in it.” He poked his finger through it in emphasis and glanced at the Kid.


“What sorta hat you gonna get? Hey, maybe Mary could find you something.”


Heyes glared at him. Mary only sold ladies hats.


“Something with ostrich feathers would really suit you!” the Kid hooted.


Heyes rolled his eyes. “I’m not getting something with ostrich feathers,” he muttered, and twirled his current hat again. “I know what you mean about hats,” he frowned. “But it’s time Kid.”


The Kid took off his own hat and looked at it.


“Y’know Heyes you might be right. Remember the hat I used to have? The one with the silver band?” Heyes nodded. “I liked that hat. Perhaps I’ll get a new one just like it.”


After a while, they both went back to dozing. The Kid said, “Y’know Heyes. This sure is the life.”


“Yes Kid, it sure is.”