The Daddy Box Set

He leaned on one of the shop’s columns, his arms crossed in a defensive stance. He looked bored with life, fed up with normalcy. He was looking for a fight or trouble, one or the other. The guy needed something to keep himself putting one foot in front of the other.

I shook my head in slow motion, emphasizing my loss of interest over what he was to whine about now. “You’re late. Get your ass in the back and get the window cleaner. You’re going to have a long day, buddy,” I kidded.

He smirked at me as he stood straight, walking closer to my desk. He was always giving me hell, but it was just part of his persona. I’d learned to live with it a long time ago. “If you’re running something as big as this gun shop, you better know everything about what you sell. You don’t gain a customer’s trust by simply drawing them in a heartfelt, dramatic story. That’s too weak of a strategy, coming from a man like you.” He pinned his name tag on the right chest part of his uniform and wagged his eyebrows at me. Asshat.

“Keep going, Garren. Acting like you know something.” I snorted. “People buy feelings, moron. Not plastic and metal.” I walked toward my desk and dropped down into my chair.

“Oh, really? What, are we all girls now?” Teasing me with his hand signaling for me to attack, I smiled, got up, and pounced on him. I popped him in the face, grateful that no one was in the store at the time. We played too much, but it was another reason I enjoyed my job so much.

“You better shut your smart-ass comments, especially if customers are around. They might believe your crazy ideas or you talking down about women. Your momma should whoop your ass for that.” I grabbed him and put him in a headlock, laughing as he tried to get out. After a few seconds, I released him and pushed his ugly ass away.

“Is that all you’ve got, Garren? What a pity.” His eyes were filled with excitement. We’d been fighting each other since we were big enough to walk on two legs. He circled me, and I turned, watching him closely.

He was desperate to get me down seeing that I’d been champion for a long time where our silly playful fights were concerned.

“Look who is the champ in hand-to-hand combat.” I raised both hands on my side, flaunting my victory.

Garren faked a few coughs in between his laughter. “Bullshit.”

“What?” I raised my eyebrows waiting for him to set up and get pounced on once more.

“Enough of this shit.” Garren rolled his shoulders and smiled sheepishly. “Everyone knows you’re the man. Stop walking around like a rooster, you idiot. You’ll have every woman in a ten-mile radius humping your leg.” He fist-pumped my hand and popped me in the chest. “Speaking of…when is the last time you got laid?”

“Ouch! You hit me right where it hurts most. Fuck you for that.” I winked and changed the subject. My love life was a closed book…more like an empty book. “Anyway, you missed out on one satisfied customer.” I got busy, taking a few crates behind the counter in the stock room. There were new deliveries already stacking up, and more crates coming in tomorrow.

Business was getting better and better, Texas being a prime location to a bunch of hunters and gun enthusiasts. Being the only one to provide bad-ass weapons and top-notch hunting companions in our area, my gun shop was known everywhere around the state.

“He looked pleased by your sales talk. Have you told him about Vince?” he asked, carrying a crate as he followed me into the stockroom.

“Yeah, I did.” I wiped the beads of sweat from my forehead before putting my crate down and walking back to the front of the store.

It was fully furnished with a huge variety of guns, so many that it was hard not to be a little overwhelmed. It was probably the largest gun shop I had seen, and I was glad as hell to be a part of it. Another memory swept through my mind of my father, showing me his gun collection. Life was easy as a boy. I prayed my son thought the same.

“You know how this shop began, Hunter. We both do. Your daddy had a dream, right, man?” I nodded, and he continued. “Hell, it’s been here as long as we have. Back when we were kids and shit, trailing along with our fathers during hunting season. Good ole’ days.” Garren had been one of those shy kids who came hunting with his dad during opening season, not fitting in at first. But we became fast friends because, just like me, he’d wander along behind his dad in awe, waiting to see the mountain of a man shoot another bird flawlessly.

“Yeah, your daddy was a natural. He would be really proud to see that you grew up to what he wanted you to be.” He gave me a stern look. “You know that, right? He’d be proud of you, Hunter.”

“Yeah. Thanks, man. You still suck.” I chuckled and leaned back in my chair as he started to arrange the guns that were on display inside the glass gun cases.

I just hoped that he was proud, indeed.

“So, Vince’s bus will be dropping him off here after school?” He changed the topic, seeing the sadness and quietude in my expression. I looked at him and nodded. I almost forgot about it.

“Hey, Garren. I’ll take the first lunch break, cool?” I wanted to buy something for Vince at the convenience store. Maybe his favorite chocolate bar or cookies? Chips. Damn, the boy loved chips.

Garren paused and turned to stare back at me. His playful sneer threw me off a little like the fucker knew something I didn’t.

“I guess that would pay off my tardiness.” He flipped me off and turned back around, continuing to arrange the guns in the cabinet.

“Something needs to.” I looked at the door as two customers walked in. Time to get back

to work. I stood up and greeted them. God, I loved my job.

*

It was late afternoon, but the gun shop was still packed with customers. Garren was busy attending to them, while I was working on the necessary paperwork for those who were ready to purchase. I glanced down to stamp one of the contracts, the seal of release and authorization to own a gun, and heard Vince’s bus pull up just outside the store.

The little guy came running in a few seconds later. He was carrying his backpack and lunch box along with him, one dragging on the ground and the other flying wildly behind him. His face lit up as we locked eyes.