Departed trail & Bitter trials.

English 51A

To a Boston meatpacking district where a man named Rick, yet likes to be call Red, he goes to work in a pig/pork factory right out of high school after getting a MCL tear in the right knee from high school hockey and couldn’t pay for the treatment for it so thus he had to come to work in a place of conveyor belts hauling upside down and hollow bovin corpse. He first worked to pay for treatments for his knee at first but it healed on its own as best as it could and he just got used to the work and fell into the worst way thing you could get into after highschool. Of course it is an over dramatic description of love matrimony in some autumn time ceremony, a really beautiful thing to have found love at a young age so saying that getting married was a bad thing is an insult for some. Well it of course makes it hard to move around with roots keeping you in place and makes it all the more dangerous when the tree that has been nurtured gets the vision of a looming axe at the trunk. Rick known as Red is by the way called that because he would see red when he got angry when playing hockey as an enforcer for the St. Paul.

Plus he would be covered in someone else’s blood when he would play all out against the other team. What should be listed in his life? Maybe first is Fanky, his older brother but ladies called him Francis like some exotic European man. He had the charm of one when he wanted to grease the ladies up and make them nice and easy to play roll around with. But he never got into trouble with the ladies or miss use them; he was a gentleman that just happened to lay it on thick when he wanted to.

He didn’t play hockey like Red did because he didn’t need the discipline of a sport. He had a good head on his shoulders and besides he was working as soon as he was able to lift up and carry a side rack of pork. Next is Gene, or Genie like some assholes would call him to rile him up. He didn’t mind if Red would call him that when we were alone but would rarely say it, well he wouldn’t say sober that is. He was one of the few black men working with them and it was hard for him.

It was because he knew those two brothers from our hockey days as enforcers that made him prefer or be more comfortable hanging out with Red and Francis than the other black guys. It’s not like he didn’t know them or talked to them or knew their names, he just likes hanging out with the guys who have been looking after his back since middle school and high school hockey. To the aforementioned wife Dory, or Dories. God Red hated saying her name. Makes him sound as if he was with an old teacher librarian that wore a lot of makeup. So he called her Dory and everyone liked the name so they called her that too as soon as they heard it.

Boston was a cold place but this “Spring” it was still cold for Bostknights; two shirts wearing weather, a sweater, coat, or with a scarf weather. 

******

“Dory. Dory, what’s in the office today?” -Red

Of course Red meant what types of donuts the office had and could she grab him one. Even though they worked different floors, Red on the line Manager and Dory as an office dispatcher, they still have time to hit on and bug eachother. He always starts the day going after his wife to find the donuts of the morning at the meat warehouse. Aside from meeting from time to time to kiss and grab each other’s ass like horny teens, they had to meet up regularly to have documents signed and okayed for shipments.

“Nothing today Red, today it’s been real down hill, Sophia who brings the donuts in got fired yesterday after work. And this morning one of the supervisors left.”-Dory

He was supposed to be shocked but there have been a few more layoff throughout the warehouse that it was about time the office got hit.

“Got that last day out of her before firing her. More people are seeing the axe this week. Maybe we should think about looking elsewhere just in case.”

“No, this place is good to us and to families.”-Dory

“Yeah but it’s just the two of us so why would they look after us? Just cause we’ve been here 8years doesn’t mean we become bullet proof and won’t get hit up with a pink slip.”-Dory

“No we’re family, I planned to work here even when I have kids and you should too.”-Dory

“Kids, I know. It’s not like we’re trying not to have kids but it’s not like we are being proactive to do it.”-Red

“Kids will come and this job will look after us Red.”-Dory

Busy as ever, working the line and saw new replacements at the stations of old coworkers. More ducks on the line he thought. Newbies have bright yellow hard hats like a duck bill. The rest of us wear darker colored yellow, white, or red hats on the floor. Also they usually follow in a line after an instructor like little ducks do. Red thought about lunch and thought about what food he could sneak out to get.

Jack n box wasn’t sounding at all exciting, Carl Jrs was expensive but hardly filling. Mexican sounded like a good option in the head, he would guess Franky and Genie would agree with me as long as he paid. “Those assholes would make me pay,” he said under his breath. By the time he looked in the locker room Red couldn’t find Tim, another one of my friends

“Hey Gene wears Tim?”

“Didn’t hear Red, he got laid off yesterday with Isaac.”-Genie

“Fucken hell.”-Red

“I think we should union up. Save ourselves from being buried in a hole like Joe Pesci in Casino.”-Genie

“I’m not gonna be buried like Joe Pesci.”- Red

“Well then Billy Batts from goodfellas.”-Genie

“Stop fucking watching my Netflix account. You’re screwing up my algorithm.”

“No I’m screwing Dory’s algorithm from only watching doctor shows like grey’s anatomy and scrubs. And you’re just mad at the situation. Are you gonna union up with me? or seat here like the rest of the guys and get laid off until they put more ducks in here?”-Genie

“Shut the fuck up and get Franky, we’re getting Mexican. And yes I’m buying.”-Red

Stopping to wave to Dory before lunch in the office to see if she wanted anything for lunch, Dory wasn’t there. Yet again another biased thought popped in “what they fired Dory too.” But then spoke too soon and saw her car outside so Red guessed he missed her or something. Red, Genie, and Francis went to Tacos el Fogon for some tacos and a split of carne asada fries.

********

“I’m just saying we will whined up fired and forget the references and the bullshit. We should union up with half the guys who already are union.”-Genie

“Then pay ‘does’ to someone who will buy a mustang and steal more from my pocket, like hell.”-Red

“Come on Red, Dory wants some kids and doesn’t want to leave. So union up and knock her up and you’re golden Pony Boy.”- Genie

“You asshole, stop watching that shit.”- Red

I looked at Franky who was quite and I was ready to shut him up with an “asshole.” But he laughed and held his hands up saying without saying I should calm down. We were just outside the building when the conversation started moving again in that direction. I stayed at my side of the car eating my share of the fries and started to think it might be a good idea to meet up with James, a union rep that works at the meat factory with us.

“Alright, let’s head back to work and maybe we’ll get over time today with pay this time.” -Red

“No I got to go to the bar with a lady”-franky

“Franky! When don’t you have a date with a lady”- Red

A quick bash on Franky before we left the outside of tacos El Fegon. In the car I played some local stations before I settled on old school hair rock. A tunnel and some railroads passed as we made it back to cutting up pigs in the factory.

“Red, I’m sorry but I already talked to James and I got some papers, for me and Gene were gonna union at the end of the week”-Franky

“The fuck man”-Genie

“No point to playing around Red, just trying to be straight with him”-Franky 

“God…. okay so Red, what do you say.”-Genie

“Dory’s still talking about kids and talking about staying at the factory till were a hundred, if I want that protection to stay there then I guess I have no choice but to follow you guys.”-Red

******

On the way back from El Forgon Red couldn’t help but think about what Dory may say and wonder if she was okay with going with me to Jame’s place; then getting the run down on what to expect if we switched over. He had doubts on his part of the plans to remain loyal to a company that may lay them off. But family is what he was striving for and the best way to protect it is by fighting the thing that very much threatens it. After the passing of security guards to let the three guys in, all three came to see Dory waiting in Reds parking spot looking nervous and holding some papers.

“What is Dory”

“I got the altar sound back and its gonna be a girl”

Red looked with shock as the what if’s about family came real, the family constantly planned had come home. Dory was pregnant but didn’t talk about it cause they didn’t want to jinx us or the third time she went to the doctors and told us she wasn’t. Celebration came from the idiots called friends and from his smiling Dory.

“See i told you to and you already did it, Dory’s knocked up and your gonna be a dad.”-Genie

“Guess we got to stop smoking in front of you I guess, damn I like smoking. It makes me look even more cool with a cloud swirling around me.’-Franky

******

“Hi James”-me

“Hi Red, so I guess the Dory’s Bun in the oven got you thinking of unioning up with us.”-James 

“You heard, so yeah that’s why I’m here. I have to protect what is mines and whats to come.”

Red spent his day off with James and listened over how the job was screwing us over time not being counted right, our time and a half sometimes not being paid in full, and paid sick days not being honored. All he said was true for the most part and was fully ready to hear the good fight that was going to be led with as we were done. Of course he said we would fix those said issues but Red needed assurances that a union would work. But it wasn’t given and so Red headed to the factory to pick up Dory to go tell the family in person that we were pregnant.

******

I left the car and noticed it right away in the air. Something was wrong with Dory. I immediately turned to a search hound and charged to the back of the house to see Dory not in bed. I grew panicked and hot. Searched the house until finally I hit the restroom and I found it; a pool of blood and her sitting down in one of the stalls.

I first thought she threw it up as she was holding her stomach; her head was also in the toilet as if placed there for her to do it. I looked at her and back to the blood trying to figure it out. 

“I’m sorry baby.”-Dory

“Dory? What happened?”-me

“I didn’t know”-Dory

She cried like he never saw her do. kissed her and tried to find a place to grab her from so Red could lift her up. But her weight seemed to multiply as He tried. Feeling exhausted just by one attempt; Red took out his iPhone and dialed the sheriffs.

“The baby is gone”-Dory

“What”- Red

“I’m sorry Red… She’s gone”-Dory