Post by The Undercover Wonder on Aug 23, 2009 1:17:58 GMT -5
Title: Life After Fire
Fandom: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Rating: PG-13/R
Summary: A continuation of ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’. Starting from the point that the house is burning down.
Chapter One
As I watched the house quickly burn down, standing there next to my brother Arnie, my sisters several feet away from us on the other side of the road, I quickly wondered what we were going to do. We had a tight budget, since my job wasn’t really doing that well anymore and my sister Amy was having a hard time finding work, considering her habit to set things on fire in the kitchen. Foodland was hiring new people, but I couldn’t possibly work there, I had to stay a loyal employee at Lamson Grocery. If Becky hadn’t have left the day before, we could’ve went with her and her grandmother, wherever they were going. You see, we did have a home, but our momma died, and she wasn’t exactly thin. No, she was fat, well I don’t even think fat begins to cover what Momma was. So seeing as we didn’t want to embarrass her, or make a mockery out of her, we had a little private visitation for ourselves, so we could all say goodbye, which was especially hard on Arnie, who was the first one to see her dead, and seeing as he has Autism, and other problems, he took this really hard. After our private visitation, we all had to take furniture out of the house (the really important furniture that we wanted to keep), and then I poured gasoline on the floors, all the way up the stairs, to momma’s room. I came back downstairs, close to the door, and lit a match, then turned around and walked outside and stood next to my brother Arnie. That’s where I am now.
“What do we do now? Where do we go?” My sister, Ellen asked looking at me. Did I dare tell her that even I didn’t know what was going to happen to us, or where we would stay? “We will be fine.” I told her, hoping she wouldn’t spot my lie. “I’m going to talk to Mister Lamson about my working extra shifts, and I’ll ask Tucker if we can stay with him until we can get back on our feet.” “What if you don’t get extra shifts Gilbert?” Amy asked “Lamson Grocery isn’t getting many costomers, everyone knows that.” “I have thought about applying over at Foodland.” I said, expecting to get hit. “Well Gilbert, normally I would say no.” Amy said “but, at this point in time, anything you can do, anything ANY of us can do, will help.”
So I guess it was official, I would go to Lamson Grocery and ask for more shifts. If I didn’t get any, then I would go over to Foodland and apply for a job there. I would also ask my friend Tucker if we could stay at his place, only until we could get a place for ourselves.
“Mister Lamson, I was wondering…would it be possible if I could get some extra shifts to work?” I asked hoping that somehow, he would say yes to me. “I’m sorry Gilbert, but I just can’t give you extra shifts. Not now, not when we are barely getting any costomers. I can’t afford it.” Mister Lamson said, gravely. “I kind of figured you wouldn’t be able to. Thanks anyways.” I said, walking out of the door of Lamson Grocery. “Hey, Gilbert.” Mister Lamson said as I opened the door to leave “Foodland is hiring, you can go apply there and I will put in a word for you.” He said, as I started to turn the doorknob. “Really? But Foodland is the enemy.” I stated, looking at Mister Lamson surprised. “I know it is, but seeing your situation, you need all of the money you can get.” Mister Lamson told me. “Well, thanks then.” I said, walking out of Lamson Grocery.
“Well, I guess I need to go over to Foodland and fill out an application.” I said, to no one but myself as I got into my truck and started the engine. A few minutes later I arrived at Foodland. What was once a big area of open land, was now a large grocery store, that everyone shopped at, even though it was more expensive than Lamson’s.
“Hi, can I please have an application?” I asked a lady at the help center. “Yeah, sure.” She said, her smile had to have been one of the prettiest I had ever seen in these parts. “Here you go.” And she handed me the application. Those eyes, they really sparkled. “Thank you miss.” I said taking the application. “Please, call me Nat.” “Nat? Interesting name.” I said, grabbing a pen from a little jar on the counter between us. “It’s short for Natalia.” She said smiling. “and you are?” “Gilbert, Gilbert Grape.” I said, filling my name out on the application. “Well, nice to meet you Gilbert.” Nat said “I hope after you get this application done, and we look over it here, I will be able to see more of you.” “Why thank you.” I said, blushing a little. As I finished filling out the application, we continued talking and by the time I gave it to her, she had invited me over to her place.
Fandom: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Rating: PG-13/R
Summary: A continuation of ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’. Starting from the point that the house is burning down.
Chapter One
As I watched the house quickly burn down, standing there next to my brother Arnie, my sisters several feet away from us on the other side of the road, I quickly wondered what we were going to do. We had a tight budget, since my job wasn’t really doing that well anymore and my sister Amy was having a hard time finding work, considering her habit to set things on fire in the kitchen. Foodland was hiring new people, but I couldn’t possibly work there, I had to stay a loyal employee at Lamson Grocery. If Becky hadn’t have left the day before, we could’ve went with her and her grandmother, wherever they were going. You see, we did have a home, but our momma died, and she wasn’t exactly thin. No, she was fat, well I don’t even think fat begins to cover what Momma was. So seeing as we didn’t want to embarrass her, or make a mockery out of her, we had a little private visitation for ourselves, so we could all say goodbye, which was especially hard on Arnie, who was the first one to see her dead, and seeing as he has Autism, and other problems, he took this really hard. After our private visitation, we all had to take furniture out of the house (the really important furniture that we wanted to keep), and then I poured gasoline on the floors, all the way up the stairs, to momma’s room. I came back downstairs, close to the door, and lit a match, then turned around and walked outside and stood next to my brother Arnie. That’s where I am now.
“What do we do now? Where do we go?” My sister, Ellen asked looking at me. Did I dare tell her that even I didn’t know what was going to happen to us, or where we would stay? “We will be fine.” I told her, hoping she wouldn’t spot my lie. “I’m going to talk to Mister Lamson about my working extra shifts, and I’ll ask Tucker if we can stay with him until we can get back on our feet.” “What if you don’t get extra shifts Gilbert?” Amy asked “Lamson Grocery isn’t getting many costomers, everyone knows that.” “I have thought about applying over at Foodland.” I said, expecting to get hit. “Well Gilbert, normally I would say no.” Amy said “but, at this point in time, anything you can do, anything ANY of us can do, will help.”
So I guess it was official, I would go to Lamson Grocery and ask for more shifts. If I didn’t get any, then I would go over to Foodland and apply for a job there. I would also ask my friend Tucker if we could stay at his place, only until we could get a place for ourselves.
“Mister Lamson, I was wondering…would it be possible if I could get some extra shifts to work?” I asked hoping that somehow, he would say yes to me. “I’m sorry Gilbert, but I just can’t give you extra shifts. Not now, not when we are barely getting any costomers. I can’t afford it.” Mister Lamson said, gravely. “I kind of figured you wouldn’t be able to. Thanks anyways.” I said, walking out of the door of Lamson Grocery. “Hey, Gilbert.” Mister Lamson said as I opened the door to leave “Foodland is hiring, you can go apply there and I will put in a word for you.” He said, as I started to turn the doorknob. “Really? But Foodland is the enemy.” I stated, looking at Mister Lamson surprised. “I know it is, but seeing your situation, you need all of the money you can get.” Mister Lamson told me. “Well, thanks then.” I said, walking out of Lamson Grocery.
“Well, I guess I need to go over to Foodland and fill out an application.” I said, to no one but myself as I got into my truck and started the engine. A few minutes later I arrived at Foodland. What was once a big area of open land, was now a large grocery store, that everyone shopped at, even though it was more expensive than Lamson’s.
“Hi, can I please have an application?” I asked a lady at the help center. “Yeah, sure.” She said, her smile had to have been one of the prettiest I had ever seen in these parts. “Here you go.” And she handed me the application. Those eyes, they really sparkled. “Thank you miss.” I said taking the application. “Please, call me Nat.” “Nat? Interesting name.” I said, grabbing a pen from a little jar on the counter between us. “It’s short for Natalia.” She said smiling. “and you are?” “Gilbert, Gilbert Grape.” I said, filling my name out on the application. “Well, nice to meet you Gilbert.” Nat said “I hope after you get this application done, and we look over it here, I will be able to see more of you.” “Why thank you.” I said, blushing a little. As I finished filling out the application, we continued talking and by the time I gave it to her, she had invited me over to her place.
