Out Bad Read Online Free Page A

the
weekend.  It was gonna be a late night. 
    He was halfway home when his cell started ringing over the
speakers.  He turned down the fan speed on the vents and connected the
call.  “Hello.”
    “Hey man.  How’s your day been?”  Heath must have
been on his way home too.  Both men put in long hours at work.  Both
cleaning up shit other people didn’t want to know about.  One
literally.  One figuratively. 
    “On my way home to work some more.  You?”
    “Same.  Gabbi called as I was leaving to let me know
the central air unit is rattling.  I’ve gotta go
home and check it out.”
    “Need help?”  Joe really wanted to get his bathroom up
and running, but going to Heath and Gabbi's would mean dinner.
    “Nah.  If it needs more than I can handle I might hit
you up for a referral for an air guy though.”
     
    Even just a few seconds of imagining a home cooked meal left
him more than a little disappointed Heath didn't need him.  “Call me if
you change your mind, and I’ll text you my buddy's name when I get home just in
case.” 
    Right now was not a fun time to go without air. 
Mid-July in central Alabama was stifling.  Luckily his friend owed him a
favor and would push them to the front of the line if they needed it.
    “Thanks.  Before I go, Gabbi’s got some sort of thing
she’s planning for my birthday Wednesday evening if you’re free.”
    “She cookin ’?”
    “Probably.  I think I heard something about ribs.”
    “Hell yeah I’m free.”  He might not get it tonight, but
at least he'd be well fed at least one night this week.  Six o’clock
Wednesday would be the best meal he’d had since the last time Gabbi made him
dinner.
    They said their goodbyes and he disconnected as he exited
the highway.  His stomach rumbled so loud he could hear it over the noise
of the air conditioning.  He’d been so busy today he skipped lunch to be
sure he could finish everything and he was starving.
    It was hard to consider anything after thinking about
Gabbi’s ribs, but grabbing something on the way made the most sense if he
wanted to get to work on the bathroom right away, so he was stuck with fast
food tonight.  It would be worth it if it gave him time to work on the
drywall.  After a week of having to take a bath, he was ready and willing
to do whatever it took to get a working shower back in his house.
    He resorted to a burger and fries that he ate during the twenty-five
minutes it took him to get from the urban spread surrounding the highway, to
the big drafty farmhouse he’d called home for the past six months. 
    He’d just guzzled the last of his drink when he pulled his
van up the gravel driveway, if you could call it that.  The rock had
scattered over the years until it was mostly comprised of compressed
dirt.  Fresh gravel would be nice, but not as nice as a hot shower, so it
had to wait.
    He pulled around the back of the house and swung the van
around, backing it up against the sliding door of the barn.  Climbing out,
he thumbed through the keys on his ring until he found the one that unlocked
the sliding double door. 
    He tugged the barn door to one side and opened the split
doors on the back of his work van.  It took five trips to unload all four
toilets and the box of faucets and shower heads from the house he worked on
today. 
    One of the perks of his profession was most people didn’t
want to have to figure out how to get rid of what they replaced.  He offered
to take it with him when he left and nine times out of ten they took him up on
the offer.
    He locked the barn back up and grabbed the trash out of the
van.  He didn’t want to open it up tomorrow morning and gag at the smell
of grease baked into the interior. 
    Heading to the house, he chucked the garbage in the can
outside and let himself in the back door.  The cooler air hit him as he
stepped in and pulled the door closed.  He knew it wasn’t nearly as cool
inside as it could be, but once he