‘YOU’VE GOT THIS,’ said Bobby.
‘I wish I was as confident as you,’ said his little brother, Cole.
Bobby was dressed in a black suit with a blue denim apron covering. His smirk caused his brother to rethink turning up for his job interview. Now, Cole stood outside the managing director’s office, quaking.
With more confidence than he felt, Cole tapped the door.
‘Come.’
Cole peered in, his eyes took in the dark velvet drapes, left and right. Between the floor-to-ceiling windows were glass boxes filled with God knows what?
‘Sit.’
Cole stepped forward, nodded, and held his hand out. A black-gloved fist shook it. Cole dipped his chin at the other person who was frozen in place. Thin pink lips cracked in a feeble attempt at smiling.
‘Thank you for coming in today. Your brother told us you had left school and needed to find work. The vacant position is not any old job. This is a career position. Do you understand the difference?’
‘Yes, sir.’
The contents of the glass boxes seemed to be laughing at him, unseen eyes bored into the back of his head.
‘Only two exam passes?’
‘Yes sir, I missed a chunk of my final year.’
‘Does that mean you’ll be off work sick, too?’
‘Eh, no, I’m recovered now.’
‘Have you ever touched a dead body?’
‘No, sir, only when my brother…’ He remembered Bobby was not allowed to take his work home. Even small pieces.
The boney woman’s lips turned at the edges, thin painted lines with a kink on either end. She shuffled papers and slid them across the desk.
Cole’s eyebrows met in the middle.
‘Those are the terms of a contract here at, Grimstalk & Son. Please read them and sign at the bottom.
‘You mean, you’re offering me a job?’
‘There would be no point in signing otherwise,’ said Mr Grimstalk.
‘Thank you,’ Cole said. He signed and stood.
‘Start 8 a.m. on the dot, dressed in black. Or did you not read that far in the terms?’
‘No, I mean yes, sir. See you tomorrow.’
Cole skipped down to the car park, where he left his bicycle, as Bobby tapped a window, with his thumb up.
His brother’s smile accompanied by his raised thumb said it all.
Bobby was grinning at breakfast, ‘Ready for your first day?’
‘Yeah, how about my clothes?’
‘All looks good. You get the apron after you’ve seen a body.’ His laugh spat his tea.
‘What’s so funny?’ asked Cole.
‘You’ll see. Come on let’s go.’
The brothers clamber onto their cycles and peddled to work.
Grimstalk was looking at his watch. He nodded and signalled for them to follow.
‘You two will assist me. The town's butcher died last night. He was involved in a nasty accident, we must make him look good for his wife and family. Put that on. Follow me.’
‘That’s not an apron,’ whispered Cole to his brother.
‘No,’ sniggered Bobby.
Grimstalk stood, back to the door, waiting for Cole to put on the misty white plastic overall.
‘We are about to enter the embalming room. This is the heart of my business, everything in here must be treated with the greatest respect. Including the late Mr Jones, the ex-butcher.’
‘Must I explain the procedure, Mr Grimstalk, while you prepare your tools?’
‘Yes, go ahead. I had hoped you would have done that at home.’
Bobby turned Cole away from Mr Jones and pointed his brother towards the washroom.
‘Embalming is where an embalmer or undertaker removes the blood and fluids from the person who's died. Then replaces them with water, colourants, and chemicals that help preserve the body. Organs are removed and taken to a different part of the room for the pathologist to collect samples. The doctor will be along soon. This is also when urine, blood and eye fluid samples are taken. Then when doc has finished, all the organs are put back inside the person. Then, he or she is then sewn up, before going back in the fridge. Understand?’
Cole swallowed, his chin hit his chest, and his fingers trembled. He then nodded and started to turn to face the body.
Hand to mouth, Cole’s feet flew like a seagull dive-bombing a loosely held sandwich. But unlike the bird, Cole was losing his breakfast plus anything he ate yesterday. Mr Grimstalk held open the door to the toilet. He went back to work with a smiling Bobby.
‘I remember your first day too,’ said the boss.
Ten minutes later with a face like driven snow, Cole returned.
He looked at his brother, then for an escape.
Bobby put out his arm. ‘It gets easier. You should be asking why will I be sewing up the butcher’s mouth?’
Cole crashed to his knees and clutched his stomach.
‘Because they want his enduring memory to be a good one. We set the features. We close the mouth and shut the eyes. People have been doing this for their dead since the beginning of time. You are not the first to watch this, and won’t be the last. Man up. Work starts here,’ Mr Grimstalk handed Cole a needle and cord.
Bobby hid his grin. Grimstalk glared at the siblings.
‘How was your first day, darling?’ asked Cole’s mum.
‘Terrible, I hated every minute. What can I do? I want to quit.’
‘Oh, no, dear, stick with it. It will get easier.’
‘Mum, I want out. I mean it.’ He saw out the rest of the month.
‘You were right Mum, work has got less, eh, stressful. At least it is less upsetting. I’m getting used to touching dead bodies. But why does Bobby keep ribbing me? He laughs at every little thing I do.’
‘I don’t know, dear, are you taking some of his duties?’
‘Mr Grimstalk hands out the tasks fairly. Maybe now I’m there, there is no overtime?’
‘That could be it. Don’t forget he is saving up for his wedding.’
‘That’s another question, what does he see in that horrible, Lesley, girl?’
‘She is his choice. Leave her alone.’
‘Don’t tell me, you approve?’ Cole’s mum grinned as she looked out the window.
‘Be nice to her, here she comes. And look, she has bought me some flowers.’
Cole whispered, ‘Yeah, she nicked them straight from this afternoon’s funeral.’
‘Hello, “little brother”, soon to be “even smaller brother-in-law”. It looks like you are going to lose your “big” bedroom. “We” will be taking the larger room. You’ll have to move into your “big” brother’s “tiny” bedroom,’ Lesley said. She hid her smile as Mother arrived with tea and biscuits.
There was a scraping racket from upstairs. ‘What’s that noise?’ asked Cole.
‘Oh, I told Bobby and Lesley they could start moving your furniture across. I knew you wouldn’t mind.’
‘You mean, she’s going to live here now?’
‘Yes, dear. They can’t afford to get their place right now.’
Cole stamped upstairs.
‘Oh, good you are here, you can help,’ said Bobby.
‘What is going on? Nobody asked me if it was okay to chuck me out.’
‘We’re not chucking you out, you're moving across the corridor. Here, help me with the wardrobe.’
‘Why can’t she help you?’
‘She can’t lift heavy weights.’
‘And why not?’
‘Think about it. She shouldn’t because of the state she’s in.’
‘What?’ The penny dropped. ‘Oh God, this gets worse.’
‘Yes, and that’s why we can’t live at her grandfather’s.’
‘What are you talking about? Who is her grandfather?’
‘Didn’t you know? Mr Grimstalk, your boss is granddad. How do you think you got the job?’
‘And you met her at work?’
‘Brilliant little brother, yes of course.’
‘Now, he has thrown her out?’
‘No, she lived with her Mum.’
‘I don’t understand?’
‘She has been thrown out of her home and struck off old Grimstalk’s will. All because she got pregnant outside wedlock!’ said Bobby.
‘None of that is my problem, yet I’m the one who suffers.’
‘You haven’t lost anything, except for a few square metres.’
Breakfast was quiet until their mother tried to cheer the morning mood.
‘How’s the baby?’
Cole cringed and went to find his bike.
‘Morning, Cole,’ said Grimsdike.
‘Good morning, sir.’
‘Where is your brother, this grey and miserable day?’
‘I don’t know, I left before him. I expect he’ll be along soon.’
‘He had better be.’
‘Do you know your granddaughter is living at my house?’
Grimsdike turned and slammed the door. Cole heard him shouting at his wife, but couldn’t make out the one-sided argument.
‘Here you are, Cole, I’ve made you a cuppa,’ said Lesley.
‘Thank you. Where is my Mum, and my brother?’
‘Both of them felt unwell, they went to bed early. So I’m cooking tonight. Here, get stuck in.’
‘Wow, this looks a feast.’
‘I thought we got off on the wrong foot. Sorry about that. I want us to be friends.’
‘You are a great cook. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Bobby loves eating.’
They both laughed and high-fived before Lesley started the washing-up.
‘I think I’ll get an early night. See you in the morning, Lesley.’
‘Okay, Granddad, I’ve solved your staff problems. Can I come back to work now? We’ve got three bodies to dispose of. But at least, I’ve got a place to live now.’
The END
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