Finley's Way : An Alternate Earth LGBTQ+short story by Julie Mannino

Author:Julie Mannino [Mannino, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-07-30T04:00:00+00:00

***

The next Sunday, Evan was gone all day. Finley was worried because the dwelling was coming along fine, but some were saying the Master Carpenter might let a few go on Monday to save money. If that was true, Finley was sure to find himself without a job. In fact, he’d probably be the first one to get sacked, and he wasn’t sure what to do. He had very little money saved up, and asking around after work ended yesterday had yielded no results.

It would probably be better to leave for some other town or a city, but he was afraid of being in a new place, finding nothing, and then not even being sure where he’d sleep at night.

He’d noticed something once when Evan had moved his pack to look in it. Part of the floor was missing there, and the dirt didn't look quite right. Evan might have been willing to go to the whorehouse and waste money there once in a while, but if opportunities for theft or quick jobs were low, he’d want a backup. He was more concerned about now, but he had to have thought of the future at least a little, right?

It was quite possible that there was a bit of money buried under there. It probably wouldn’t be a lot, but Finley could just take it, run off, and he’d have a bit of security until he found work again.

What the hell was he thinking? That was so wrong! He didn’t want to do that, especially because Evan had let him stay here, and he’d even shared food and stuff. Finley bit the tip of his thumb and stared at the bits of light coming through the cracks in the wall while his gut shriveled in shame. How could he even let such a thought cross his mind?

Evan popped in. “It’s been a shitty day, but it’s about to get better. What’s with the sour expression? Someone piss in your ale?”

Finley sighed. “I might get let go. I’ve been trying to think of what else to do. Do you know anybody that might let me help out for a bit?”

“Then you’ll be taking my quick jobs,” said Evan. “Besides, they’re random anyway, so it’s not like I could tell where or when to go. If you get sacked, tell the Master Carpenter to go fuck himself with a splintery board. I’ve got a great idea that will help us.”

Finley narrowed his eyes. “What?”

It better not involve bathhouses and Finley nearly getting his ear ripped off.

Evan knelt. “The old lady next door…why don’t we just go see her?”

Finley blinked. “See her? For what?”

“She thinks we're someone else.”

“Okay…?”

Evan frowned as if Finley was quite stupid. “She’d probably feed us. Obviously, she has enough brains leftover to go shopping and cook because she’s not about to wither away. She’s capable of stuff even if she’s confused about faces and names. She’d probably actually bake us cookies or make something to eat. We’d have a real meal for free.

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