Peanut Butter and Bananas Chapter Two

Chapter Two
(working copy)

Peanut Butter and Bananas



It was fall in the small town of Buchanan, Georgia, population 941. Pumpkins sat on nearly every front porch, no matter what size or condition. Orange and yellow leaves indicated cooler weather was coming, despite the thermometer reading 81 degrees.

He walked through the automatic doors at the Piggly Wiggly, glad for the cool blast of air-conditioning that immediately cast a slight chill down his back. He weaved through the produce section, grabbing a bunch of bananas before walking to the peanut butter aisle.

“Yo man.” He said, while nodding his head down and to the right, which uncovered one of his eyes. His bangs were below his cheeks, and hung down over his eyes most of the time. Although all his friends bugged him about keeping his face covered like some Calvin Klein model, it was part of the job. He was a private person anyway, so this gave him a great excuse to slink into the background even in the midday sun.

“Wes. What’s up?” Brian said, while hitting Wesley’s right shoulder.

“Hey man. Watch the arm. It’s still bruised.”



“I bet it is! You took a pretty big fall last night. Did you let Coach look at it?”

“Yeah, he said to rest it a few days. It feels broken.”

“You say that every time!”

“No I don’t man. When I jumped off that train last month and sprained my ankle, I never said it felt broken.”

“True. But you hopped around on one foot for three days.”

“But I never said it was broken. So shut-up!” He punched Brian in the gut.

Brian grabbed the extra-large sized peanut butter and they both headed to the check-out. Brian saw Debbi, his sister’s best friend, at register two and pulled Wes in that direction. She winked at him as he put the jar on the conveyor belt. Brian darted off while Wesley walked past the cashier. He stood by the bags holding the bananas like they were a fragile creature.

“Be right back!” Brian shouted from across the store.

“Uh, you gonna buy those?” Debbi asked, knowing that Wesley was just being Wesley. “You need to get those blonde roots touched up.” She added.

“Oh, here.” He said and sat the bananas on top of the jar of peanut butter. “Weigh these twice, cause last week I walked out without paying for a bunch just like this one.”

“Doesn’t surprise me. You didn’t even speak to me last time you were in here. You looked like you hadn’t slept in four days.”

“I had a bad stomach virus.”

“From eating too many bananas!” Brian chided, as he placed two cans of Red Bull on the faded black conveyor belt. It moved like the tread on tired army tank.

“That’ll be $11.22.”

“I got it, man.” Wesley handed her a crisp fifty. It made him feel like a man to hand her cash. Growing up, all he’d ever seen his mom hand the cashier were government food stamps. Last year, just about the time he went to work, they converted to the plastic card. He hated that card, and what it represented. The crisp fifty seemed to cover the shame and made it possible for him to look the cashiers, the produce manager, and even the general manager in the eye. Funny how working for a living had changed his whole outlook on things. It made him feel like an equal, even though his talent and abilities far exceeded those employees, or any resident in this small town. He didn’t see it that way. For him, it was just a job.

They exited. Brian hopped on his skateboard and bumped his way through the unmaintained parking lot. “Wes, where’s your board?”

“You know I can’t text and skate at the same time. Where to?”

“Library!” Brian hollered as he jumped the new sidewalk just in front of the library. The city council voted to renovate this structure less than a year ago. Built in 1891 as the courthouse, it looked more like a miniature Biltmore. The new sidewalks and low brick walls which surrounded the building invited the local skaters. The local police used to stop and tell the skaters to go home, but in the past few weeks, ever since the construction began, no one seemed to care whether or not skaters hung out during the day. It was only after dark that the police would tell the kids to scatter. “Curfew!” they’d holler, blink their lights, and drive on by.

“Hey boys! Got some new graphic novels in. They’re in the first room.” The librarian said, as soon as the door opened. She’d heard the wheels hit the porch and knew who’d be walking in the door before the knob even turned.

“Thanks,” Brian said.

Wesley just nodded in her direction. She knew he meant thanks with his gesture. She’d known Wesley since he was old enough to lay a book on the counter. He was five when his dad first brought him in the library to look at comics. Wesley didn’t talk much to anyone then or now.

Brian grabbed the new Spiderman and turned to page thirteen. The small text, above the first frame said, “8:00pm, Second Street.” He bent the page towards Wesley, who had grabbed the latest Hulk and was reading it. Brian elbowed him and put the book in front of his face.

“Read it, man.”



“I already saw it, man. I read it over your shoulder. I’m checking out this new Hulk. I like the way this artist draws his face. He looks real.”

“So, Wes. You’re still in this thing with me?”

Wesley didn’t respond. He was going back through the events of the morning- focusing on the yellow paper. Questions started popping up. How did the paper end up on his underwear? His mom used a laundry mat a few miles away, so it could have made it to him that way. There was always the window, or the front door for that matter. His mom only locked the doors at night. And that was pointless, really, because they never locked the windows. Someone could have walked right in the front door in broad daylight.

“Wes. Wes! Earth to Wesley! Command center calling Wesley!”

“Oh, Yeah. What did you say?”

“Are you gonna do this next one with me or not?”

“Well, I don’t really have a choice do I? So, I guess so.” He said, exhaling every drop of air in his lungs after the word ‘so.’

“You can’t be unsure, man. You gotta commit, or it just don’t work.”

“I know. They spelled it all out before the last job. I promised them six more months. And I’m not a quitter Brian, you know that. But when my time is up, I’m done with this.” Wes said, while closing the latest pocket-sized Hulk.

“Why all the melodrama? It’s just a job.”

“I’m…well…I’m just ready to work a regular job, you know, like flip burgers.”

“Get outta here, Wes. You’d never be happy flippin’ burgers. Maybe flippin’ the guys that flip the burgers. You feelin O.K. man? You aren’t actin like yourself.”

“Yea man. I’m cool. It’s cool. We’re cool.” He turned and walked out of the small side room and headed for the check-out counter.

“Is that it guys?” The librarian asked, without looking up from her newspaper, just before they approached the counter.

“Yes, ma’am.” Brian said.

“We’re having a bon-fire tonight. You guys coming?”

“Can’t. Gotta work.” Brian said.

“Well, it starts at 7:00. If you get off in time, come on by. Wes, why don’t you come and bring Eve? We’re having a costume contest and pumpkin carving. Your pumpkin won last year didn’t it?”

“No. Second place.” Wes reminded her.

She leaned close to the boys and whispered. “I counted the votes. Yours won, Wes, but somebody changed the outcome. Lacey Worthy’s was nowhere near yours.”

Wesley grinned, nodded his head, and turned to leave.

“Your book, Wesley!” The librarian hollered, just after he hopped up the two steps towards the door.

Brian walked out while Wesley ran back and grabbed the book. Mrs. Loftin tossed it and he caught it in mid-air. He spun on one foot and darted out the nine foot wooden door. It slammed behind him, bell’s clanging as he tucked the book into his back pocket. He pulled out his phone and texted Julie, “C U N 2.” Within 10 seconds he got a reply. “Gud. Need u.” He knew that she needed help with her math lesson, but for a second, he imagined that she meant something deeper. He turned his phone off, tucked it into his front pocket and jogged up the hill towards the school.