Poem: "Shopping for College"
Jan. 26th, 2026 06:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the September 5, 2024 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from fuzzyred. It also fills the "Family Support Makes a Difference" square in my 9-1-24 card for the People with Disabilities Drabble Fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the College Arc in the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Shopping for College"
[Monday, August 15, 2016]
Shiv was folding laundry
when the phone rang.
"Good morning, Shiv,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "We're
taking Arthur shopping for
college supplies today, and
we wondered if you might
like to come along with us."
"Uh, what for?" he said.
"I'm not moving out or
anything like that, I'm just
taking a couple of classes."
"Well, neither is Arthur,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "He
already has a place."
"Yeah yeah, I seen it --
cute little yellow house,"
said Shiv. "It looks like
a fairytale cottage and all."
"Still, Arthur needs to pick up
school supplies for this fall,
new clothes that don't have
holes from running through
the woods, stuff like that,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "We
wanted to invite you -- and
don't worry about budgeting,
because we've got you covered."
"I um, I dunno," Shiv said, nibbling
his lip. "My family already gimme
a ton of stuff, so I don't need more."
"That's okay," said Mrs. Atwood.
"You could just browse, maybe
find some things you forgot. We
would be delighted to include you."
"Why bother?" Shiv said. "You
don't gotta waste money on me."
"Because we missed out on
earlier opportunities, of course,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "We'd like
a chance to catch up, is all."
A memory flitted through
Shiv's head, of her offering
him his pick of the T-shirts,
instead of picking for him
like most foster parents did.
Once she had figured out what
he liked, though, then she helped
point him to things with cats on
them, or in his favorite colors.
Maybe he could get a little of
that back. The Finns had taught
him the value of second chances,
especially for catching up with
missed chances from childhood.
"Besides, I know that you boys
are looking for extra ways to spend
time together," Mrs. Atwood added.
"Yeah, we are," Shiv admitted. "Okay,
let me just check the bus schedule --"
"If you're at Blues Moon, then we can
swing by and pick you up," she said.
"We're planning to do our shopping at
School Daze Educational Emporium,
so it's not far from your neighborhood."
"Wait, where is that?" Shiv asked.
"I don't think I recognize that place,
I mean, it doesn't sound familiar
and I know this area pretty well."
"It's at the corner of Nicholas and
North 16th Street, right across from
the Nichol Flats apartments. There
are several schools in the area, like
Creighton College," said Mrs. Atwood.
"The bus stop for it is at the corner
of Nicholas and North 17th Street."
"Oh!" Shiv said. "That's right beside
Bean Queens and Pompey's Po'boys.
There's a whole cluster of thrift stores
and resales on the same block, too.
I usually shop at places like that
instead of buying all new stuff."
Well, he had, and sometimes he
still did, although now he could
afford to buy new things if he
needed to. Or just wanted to.
That was hard to remember.
"If you don't find anything that
you like in School Daze, then we
can try those too," said Mrs. Atwood.
"We can plan on Pompey's Po'boys
for lunch after shopping, if you like."
"Yeah, maybe," said Shiv. They
did a wicked Creole shrimp that
he loved, and sometimes they
did it with crawdads or oysters.
The fried catfish was good too.
"I'll sure be hungry by then."
"Still got those hollow legs, huh?"
said Mrs. Atwood. "No problem,
we meant to include a lunch stop.
We'll pick you up when we're ready."
"What time?" Shiv said, looking at
his watch and trying not to panic.
"It'll take us about an hour to get
everything together and reach
your place," said Mrs. Atwood.
"An hour, okay, I can work
with that," Shiv said, nodding.
He'd have to beg off work, but
it was just desk shit again and
Boss Brown had promised
that Shiv could skip out for
anything related to college.
As soon as the call ended,
Shiv dashed around trying
to finish what he was doing.
He kicked the laundry basket
into a corner of the living room
and shoved the folded clothes
into his bedroom for the moment.
Shiv changed clothes five times
before deciding that was stupid.
It was just a shopping trip and
nobody would care what he
wore. Probably. Maybe.
In the end he stuck with
a blue T-shirt that read,
Let it Gogh over jeans that
didn't have too many holes.
Shiv made sure that he had
his budget, a Greenbucks card,
and some cash too, just in case
Mrs. Atwood changed her mind
about buying things for him.
It wouldn't be the first time
that happened to him -- well,
not with the Atwoods specifically,
but with foster families in general.
They tended to drag him through
a dollar store and a thrift store
and call it done, whether they'd
finished the school list or not. If
they even bothered with the list.
Maybe this time would be
different, though. He had
vague recollections that
his one back-to-school run
with the Atwoods hadn't
sucked as much as usual.
Shiv hit the bathroom,
dragged a comb through
his hair, and headed out.
He thumped down the stairs
and looked for Boss Brown.
"Hey, I gotta go shopping
for college," Shiv said. "I'm
gonna need half the day off."
"Take it all if you need it,"
Boss Brown said cheerfully.
"I hope you find everything."
"Thanks," Shiv said, and then
went to watch for the Atwoods.
A few minutes later, a white van
pulled up and he trotted out to it.
Mr. Atwood was driving, with
his wife in front beside him.
The side door rolled open,
and Arthur beckoned to him.
"Come on, Shiv, let's go!"
Shiv climbed in. There were
two single seats just behind
the cockpit seats, and the rest
of the van was empty except for
a pile of cargo nets and a pair
of large cargo bins docked
right behind the single seats.
Arthur handed Shiv a card
and a heavy black marker.
"Put your name on this
or something so that we
know which of the bins
is yours," he instructed.
Shiv wrote his name,
then drew a fancy frame
like he did on the menus.
"Good enough?" he said.
"Yeah, that'll work great,"
Arthur said. He twisted
around to slide it into
a holder on the bin.
"Are we good to go?"
Mr. Atwood asked.
"Yeah, we're good,"
Arthur said. "This is
going to be so much fun."
Right ... Arthur maybe had
a weird idea of what "fun" was.
"Shiv, thank you for joining us
today," Mr. Atwood said as
he pulled away from the curb.
"I hope that you'll be able to find
at least a few things you want."
"Yeah, maybe," Shiv said. "I've
already got stuff if I don't, though."
Fortunately Arthur started chattering
about what he wanted to look for,
so Shiv didn't have to carry on
conversation with the Atwoods.
He liked them. He just wasn't
sure what to say to them.
It didn't take long to reach
the area they were aiming for.
Shiv recognized the bus stop, and
then the van pulled over to park.
School Daze Educational Emporium
was a big old brick building that had
a cheerful green awning over the front.
"Okay boys, here we are," said Mr. Atwood.
"Don't worry about prices, we've budgeted
for plenty of school supplies. Remember
that we don't have to do everything today.
If you get overloaded, just say so or tap
my shoulder twice, and we'll leave."
"I'll stay here and ring out our carts,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "Then Bradley
can double back for me later."
Shiv had forgotten about that,
or no, hadn't really believed it
back when he lived with them.
Nobody else had ever meant it,
after all, and even with the Finns
it had taken a long time before he
realized that they were serious
about allowing him to tap out.
They walked to the emporium
together, and that felt weird
too. Not awful, just unfamiliar.
Opening the doors of the store
let out a clatter of carts and voices.
It was busy, even on a Monday morning
when most folks should be at work.
The place was huge, too, and sounds
bounced off of the walls and floors. It
was hard for Shiv to get his bearings,
there was so much going on inside.
"Shiv? Are you okay?" Arthur said,
giving him a worried glance.
"I'll manage," Shiv said. He
would've been screwed even
a year ago, but he was learning
how to handle busy environments.
He could ignore all the stuff for
younger kids and just concentrate
on things aimed at college students.
"We really can leave if you feel
uncomfortable," Arthur said. "It's
no big deal to change plans."
"Yeah, no, it helps just knowing
that I could if I need to," Shiv said.
"Family support makes a difference,"
Arthur said, bumping shoulders.
"It really does," Shiv agreed. He
twisted around, trying to pull together
a sense of how the store was laid out.
Several big racks held shopping carts
in assorted colors, along with baskets
and flatbed trolleys. There were even
miniature "shopper in training" carts
for the little kids to practice using.
Beside those sat a row of
electric wheelchairs with
front baskets, all plugged
into their charging outlets.
"Shiv, is your favorite color
still blue?" said Mrs. Atwood.
"Uh, yeah," Shiv said, looking
around the bustling store.
"Blue it is," she said as she
pulled a cart out of the corral.
"I'll handle the cart for you, so
you can focus on shopping."
"Then we will take red,"
Mr. Atwood said as he
pulled out a cart for Arthur.
"This place is a madhouse,"
Shiv muttered as he clutched
the blue cart like an anchor.
"Shopping for college is
like dancing in a tornado:
it's full of chaos, you keep
getting turned around, and it
leaves the whole place a wreck,"
said Mr. Atwood. "But it drops seeds
that will sprout in the days to come."
Mrs. Atwood paused at a big display
that read, Back-to-School Supply Lists.
Racks held pages for each local school,
and you could tap your smartphone or
vidwatch to a screen that would give
you a digital list download instead.
"I already have the general list for
the University of Nebraska-Omaha,"
she said. "Does anyone have
a different list they're using?"
"Uh, the departments have
lists," said Shiv. "I know 'cause
Dymin made me look it up before
we spent all afternoon on my budget."
"So we need the lists for writing and
art?" said Mrs. Atwood. She tapped
her phone on the screen. "Got 'em."
"I've also got my own list of stuff
that I already have," Shiv added.
"Good, then that will help as we go
through the store," said Mrs. Atwood.
Shiv sighed. "I still kinda feel like I'm
taking things that I shouldn't," he said.
"A man who has never gone to school
may steal from a freight car, but if he
has attained a university education,
then he may steal the whole railroad,"
said Mr. Atwood. "Theodore Roosevelt."
That startled Shiv into laughter. "I
didn't know he that was a thief. Weird."
"All politicians are thieves," said Arthur.
"It's just part of the sausage factory
that is government business."
"There are some good people in
politics, though admittedly, not as
many as we need," said Mrs. Atwood.
"Most people can handle hardships,
but if you want to test their character,
then give them power," Mr. Atwood said,
pushing the shopping cart around a corner.
"We're passing up notebooks and stuff?"
Shiv said, frowning. "I don't need those,
but doesn't Arthur for all his writing classes?"
"First stop: appliances," Mr. Atwood declared.
"Always put the big items in first, so that
you have room for them to fit easily."
That was good advice for a balanced life,
but it was hardly applicable to this situation.
"I don't need appliances," Shiv protested.
"I already told you I'm not moving out."
"Well I do," Arthur said, striding ahead.
"My coffee machine sailed for the West,
so I need to replace it before school starts."
"Woah," Shiv said as he skidded to a stop,
staring at a wall of colorful, compact products.
Okay, yeah, he already had crockpots and
multipurpose rice cookers and so on, but
some of the other stuff looked amazing.
"It's okay to browse, and if you find anything,
you can put it in the cart," said Mrs. Atwood.
"Look at this," Shiv said, running his hand
over a cherry-red all-in-one breakfast station.
It had a three-cup coffee maker on one end,
a nonstick griddle with a glass lid on top,
and a four-slice toaster oven underneath.
"Do you want one?" Mrs. Atwood asked.
"That would make a great start today."
Shiv shook his head. "I don't really need
one," he said. "I have a full-size kitchen
in my apartment over Blues Moon and
a toaster oven in my studio at Hanson Hall."
"It comes in blue," Mrs. Atwood said as
she pointed to one still in its cardboard box.
Robin's egg, Shiv thought automatically,
looking at the pale beautiful color. It was
the same as several things he already had
in his studio, so it wouldn't stick out there.
Tempting, but ... "Other people need it
more," he said. "Things are still tight."
They were lucky to have a shipment
of school supplies at all, without him
hogging stuff that he didn't really need.
"True, but if you get this, then you could
hand off your current toaster oven to
somebody else," said Mrs. Atwood.
"Okay, you got me," Shiv said,
and put the box into his cart.
He turned around to see Arthur
lugging a massive 12-cup machine
with a programmable computer system,
in a cheerful candy-apple red color.
Shiv put a hand underneath the box
to boost it into the cart. "Any fancier
than that and you might as well
order from Italy," he teased.
He'd seen the behemoth that
the Italians had brought over for
Mrs. Dr. G, which Tolli and Simon
also had one of for their house.
"I'm not that much of a coffee snob,"
said Arthur. "I just need something
that makes plenty of decent coffee
for late nights and also guests."
Mrs. Atwood was frowning faintly
over the breakfast maker. "Shiv,
do you have bakeware to fit
a toaster oven?" she asked.
"Yeah, probably," he said,
then he frowned too. "Maybe.
I mean, I had some, but I've
been giving away stuff to folks
who didn't have any. And we
emptied the storage building
to use it for housing again, so I
can't just check there anymore."
"There are sets designed to fit
your breakfast maker," she said,
waving a hand at the shelf. "Do
you like any of these options?"
Shiv checked. Some of the sets
were just two or three pieces,
way too small for his needs.
Eventually he found one with
a brownie pan, a cookie sheet,
a wire rack that fit both, two sizes
of round cake pans, a loaf pan,
a round personal pizza sheet,
and two 6-cup muffin pans.
"Hey, if he's getting an extra
for his, then I want one for
my pick too," said Arthur.
"Okay, this end cap has
some coffee goodies,"
Mr. Atwood pointed out.
Arthur disappeared around
the corner for a couple minutes.
He came back with a wicker basket
that held four types of fancy coffee,
three different cookies, two kinds
of candy, a chocolate coffee cake,
a bottle of French vanilla coffee syrup,
a chocolate-covered spoon, a snack tray
with a matching bowl, and a coffee cup.
"Expecting another Unexpected Party?"
Shiv drawled, nodding at the basket.
"I like to be prepared," Arthur said.
"And yeah, you were right -- teleporters
really do eat like a party of dwarves."
"You are going into college life, boys,
and you must take care of your bodies,"
Mr. Atwood said as he looked down at
their kitchen equipment. "You must
balance your appetite and exertion,
study and brain-work with exercise
and muscle-work, to stay healthy."
"Never overwork either body or mind,"
Mrs. Atwood added. "All the work that
a man can do that can be rested by
one night's sleep is good for him, but
fatigue that goes into the next day is
bad and liable to lead to burnout."
"Yeah, that makes sense," Shiv said,
patting his pockets. He still had
several packets of energy gel
and a granola bar, just in case.
The carts turned a corner,
moving out of kitchenware,
toward colorful piles of fabric.
"Do you need any linens?"
Mrs. Atwood asked Shiv.
"They have nice bedsets."
"Ah yeah," he said. "I gave
my public housing apartment to
three friends from out west, and
I let them keep some of my sheets
and stuff. What comes standard with
the apartment is just plain white, and
who wants to risk staining that?"
"All right, then look at what they
have here and see if any of that
appeals to you," said Mrs. Atwood.
Shiv scanned the shelves and
quickly picked out a suitable set.
"Here, the blue stripes," he replied,
pointing at a bag that included sheets,
pillowcases, and a reversible comforter.
"I've got white and turquoise sheets
at home that should go with this too."
"These are on sale, buy two and get
a third set free," Mrs. Atwood said,
indicating a shelf of matching sheets.
"Yeah, I like having enough sheets
to mix and match, or throw in the wash
whenever I spill something," Shiv said.
"I'm an artist, so I'm always spilling shit."
He grabbed navy because it wouldn't
show stains much, then white with
chambray stripes like the shams for
an airy look, and finally white with
multiple shades of blue that matched
a section in the middle of the comforter.
Now he had something that would look
good with the bohemian hide-a-bed couch
in his studio at Hanson Hall, which had
a patchwork cover in shades of blue.
Arthur got a rustic bedset that had
a patchwork comforter with a back of
solid brown and matching pillowcases,
plus brown sheets and pillowcases.
The design included a bunch of
different woodgrains; silhouettes
of a deer, a bear, and a campfire;
a signboard that read Adventure;
black-and-white plaid plus
black-and-red plaid, and
a rugged mountain range.
Arthur also added extra sets of
sheets in solid black and both plaids.
"What do you think?" he asked Shiv.
"Are the patterns too busy, or what?"
"Nah," Shiv said. "They're all on
the comforter. Besides, you got
two sets of solid sheets. Me,
I have paisley ones at home."
They riffled through the rest
of the dorm room materials, and
Arthur picked up a few more bits
for his apartment, but Shiv didn't
find anything else he wanted.
"All right, that's a wrap here,"
Mr. Atwood said briskly.
"Next stop: clothing,"
That was upstairs, so
they pushed their carts
into the cargo elevator
and rode up together.
Shiv looked around at
the racks of offerings.
Candy-colored clothes for
kids and fashion disasters
for teenagers gave way to
the more sensible stuff
for college students.
"I've got Arthur's list,"
Mr. Atwood said, leading
his son toward the racks.
"What do you need today?"
Mrs. Atwood asked Shiv.
"I dunno," he said. "I usually
shop just twice a year, in spring
and fall, and it's not fall yet."
"Well ..." Mrs. Atwood turned
in place, surveying possibilities.
"Okay, you can't go wrong with
a nice new set of blue jeans,"
she said decisively, and then
ushered Shiv into the display.
Yeah, she had a point. He
could always use more jeans,
especially without any holes.
"Oh, look!" said Mrs. Atwood.
"These come with a jacket too."
They were deep indigo, made of
heavy canvas still stiff with dye --
nothing that couldn't be fixed by
washing them with a handful of
rocks, and Shiv could throw in
some undershirts to take off
that too-white look they had.
"Yeah, I like these," Shiv said,
running a hand over the fabric.
Mrs. Atwood held up jeans and
jacket to him, then put a couple
of each in the shopping cart.
"One or the other of these
should fit you when you try
them on later," she said.
"I hope so," Shiv said, and
meant it. "Jeans are good."
"Here, you like -- do you still
like flannels?" Mrs. Atwood said,
indicating a rack of bright plaids.
"Love 'em," Shiv said, promptly
going over to investigate them.
They all had black as a base
plus either red, green, blue or
white for contrast. The cloth
was heavy, soft, and warm.
"These come separately or in
a pack of four," said Mrs. Atwood.
"If you get four, that's most of
a weekday set right there."
The Atwoods tended to buy
school clothes in sets of five.
"I uh ... might do some sessions
on weekends because of trips for
Nebraska en Plein Air," Shiv said.
"Then we'll find more clothes,"
Mrs. Atwood said as she held up
a flannel shirt to gauge the size.
"This should do. Let's see
what else they have here."
"I'll take the four-pack if
the shirt fits," Shiv said.
"Maybe add an extra blue."
"That works," said Mrs. Atwood.
"Look around and see whether
anything else appeals, though."
Shiv gave it a casual glance and
then spotted the flannel-lined canvas.
"They have jackshirts!" he exclaimed.
"And look, there's matching pants too."
"You seem to favor blue and black as
your base colors," said Mrs. Atwood.
"The lining flannel is all red plaid.
Will you be okay with that?"
"Yeah, one of the shirts is
pretty similar," said Shiv. "It's
okay, my family gave me a bunch
of stuff with red and black because
those are the colors for the college."
"That's good," Mrs. Atwood said,
and helped him estimate sizes.
"Crap," Shiv muttered. "I just
realized, it's still August -- if I try
to wear any of this now, I'll melt."
"No problem," Mrs. Atwood said
cheerfully. "Let's see what they
have in the way of summer clothes."
Shiv groaned, but followed her, and
soon she found a section of lighter stuff.
"Solids, patterns, or mixed?" she said,
waving at the short-sleeved button-up shirts.
There were usual light blue or white solids,
some with tiny dots or pinstripes for contrast,
and a variety of plaids in soft or bright shades.
"I love madras plaids," Shiv said. "Maybe
look for a four-pack that has one or two
in solid and the rest of them plaids?"
So they poked around until they
found a package that he liked.
It had one light blue, two of
different blue plaids, and
one multicolor that added
yellow and red to the mix.
"Those will go well with
your new jeans, but you'll
need summer bottoms, too,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "How
about some nice linens?"
Shiv looked at the rack of
pastel pants that screamed
golf course. "Oh hell no."
"Okay, you don't like those,"
she said. "We'll keep looking."
The summer jogging pants
were even worse, feeling like
plastic and looking cheap.
"Do you like chinos?"
said Mrs. Atwood. "They
have short and long ones."
Shiv perked up. "Yeah,
chinos are great, they
come in lots of colors."
"So let's look for things
that match what you
already have in the cart
or at home," she said.
The shorts came in packs
of two instead of four, but
Shiv quickly found a set
of black and khaki ones.
"Are these too bright?"
Mrs. Atwood asked as
she held up a package of
bright blue and softer red.
"They're fine," said Shiv. "I
have things to wear with both."
"That's good," Mrs. Atwood said,
and grabbed some loose shorts
so he could try them on for size.
The long chinos came in packs
of four, with similar shades of
black, khaki, and red -- but
the blue was a soft sky blue.
"That's really nice," Shiv said,
holding his hand against the cloth
to see if it would look good on him.
"What about shoes?" Mrs. Atwood said,
pointing to a rack of cheap white tennies.
"Those should go with any casual clothes."
"Huh." Shiv picked one up. "This says
100% cotton canvas. I could tie-dye them!"
"Well in that case, get two pairs," she said.
"That way you'll have a fancy set and another
that will go with anything. Besides, these are
cheap -- no guarantee they'll last the school year."
"Good point," said Shiv. He was used to buying
bargain stuff and replacing it often, but he liked
being able to shop just twice a year and have it last.
"Do you need boots?" Mrs. Atwood asked. "I don't
see any here, but we could make another stop."
"Nah, Tolli and Simon already covered that,"
said Shiv. "I got a new set of hiking boots
plus warm snow boots for the winter."
He leaned against an end cap, using
his smartphone to search for tie-dye kits
designed to color shoes and shoelaces.
Some used liquid dyes and others
had markers for drawing patterns that
would spread when sprayed with solution.
He probably wanted the dye bottles and
would use them on dry shoes, then
mist with water to make the colors
run together -- you could do more
with specific designs that way.
"Socks and underwear?"
Mr. Atwood said as he
came around the corner.
"Yes, please!" Arthur called.
"Mine are all falling apart."
"I did not need to know that,"
Shiv protested, flapping his hands.
"But do you need to replace yours?"
Mrs. Atwood asked. "They have
good basics. Solids or prints?"
"I dunno," Shiv said. "Depends
on what they've got, but maybe
consider getting a mix again."
He wound up with a five-pack
that held solid socks in black,
gray, white, navy, and red.
Then he found another of
multicolored socks that had
base colors of black, beige,
white, blue, and red covered
with multicolored lines that
made an angular pattern.
"Do you want boxers, briefs,
or boxer-briefs?" she said.
"Check the material and
shape," Shiv said. "If they
have cotton with long legs,
I want the boxer-briefs. If not,
then I'll have to go with boxers."
"How about these?" Mrs. Atwood
held up a pack that was mostly solids
in shades of blue, with one red and
one pattern. "They seem about right."
"Yeah, that'll do," said Shiv. "Do they
have any other packs like that one?"
"This one has more blues, a gray,
and a stripe," said Mrs. Atwood.
"I'll take it," said Shiv. He'd worn
enough holey underwear in his life,
and he hated it. If she was offering
to buy, then he'd pounce on the deal.
"Long underwear," said Mrs. Atwood.
"They have three different color sets."
Shiv definitely wanted something more
between his bottom half and Nebraska wind
than just the thin canvas fabric of his jeans.
He picked one five-pack of black, gray,
ivory, white, and navy blue. Another
had two each of black and gray plus
one navy, those being the colors
that Shiv would wear most often.
"Okay, that's two school weeks
of new undies, so you're set,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "Are you
sure you don't want T-shirts?
They have cheap undershirts."
"I really don't need T-shirts,"
Shiv said. "I barely have room
for all the ones I've already got.
My family keeps giving me
souvenirs from everywhere.
I've got white ones, but mostly
when the logo shirts wear out,
I use them as underwear."
"Lucky," Arthur murmured.
"Yeah, I know." Shiv grinned.
"On top of the usual stuff from
travel, Aida gave me a set of four
from the Maldives National University."
It was nice, because growing up, they
had always envied the kids who came
to school with shirts like, Grandma went
to Florida and all I got was this stupid T-shirt.
Most foster kids felt that way, always on
the outside looking in, and it sucked.
"Now I'm really envious," said Arthur.
"I've got some souvenir T-shirts,
but more is always better."
Shiv made a mental note
to tell The Teleport about that,
because problem: solved.
"Anybody want sweaters?"
Mr. Atwood asked. "There is
an aisle of outlet-quality packs in
acrylic, various weights of wool,
or hypoallergenic bamboo, if you
don't mind minor cosmetic flaws."
"I don't really need -- ooo, cableknit!"
Shiv said as he reached for a shelf.
He picked two fisherman's sweaters of
aran cableknit -- well, "aran style wool" --
one faded denim, the other more navy.
If either one had any "cosmetic flaws,"
Shiv couldn't find where those were.
Arthur chose two layering sweaters
made of fine merino wool, one of
them red and the other light gray.
Those could be worn either over
or under other layers, as opposed
to Shiv's chunkier cableknits that
were exclusively outerwear.
Arthur was raiding another bin
of tops with funny captions.
Grinning, he lifted a black one
with long sleeves, the front of
which had a mountainscape
with text that read, College:
Let the Adventure Begin.
"This would suit you too,"
Arthur teased, nudging him.
"No, seriously dude, I'm
good, really," Shiv said.
"Maybe just one T-shirt?"
Mrs. Atwood said hopefully,
holding it up to show him. "It
matches your new clothes."
The background fabric was
a stunning crumple tie-dye
in deep, jeweled shades
of blue, green, and purple.
On the front, white text read,
College is my canvas, and I'm
about to paint a masterpiece.
Shiv threw back his head and
laughed. "Why the hell not,"
he said, and put it in his cart.
"You boys need anything else in
the way of clothes?" said Mr. Atwood.
"I'm not seeing long underwear and
the coats are iffy, but we could look --"
"No, I've got more than enough,"
Shiv said, waving at his cart.
Arthur scurried up with a set
of hideous red ties in a box
emblazoned New Eco-Friendly
100% Recycled Silk Look Polyester.
Shiv cringed. That definitely did not
look anything like silk ties should.
"Just in case I need to dress up for
a special occasion," Arthur said.
"Okay, I think I'm done here."
Shiv bit his lip and said nothing.
Even so. If there was any kind
of special occasion, then he
was dragging Arthur back
to his place to pick out one
of those fancy silk ties that
the Italians kept handing him.
"Good, then it's time to try on
clothes and find out which sizes
you need," Mr. Atwood said as
he led them to the fitting rooms.
Those were down by the dotties,
and fortunately they all had
full-length locking doors.
Inside, each fitting room
had a bench on one side,
a corner shelf and mirror on
the other, with various hooks
for hanging up the clothes.
It took Shiv a while to find
the right size for everything
that he wanted and report
that back to Mrs. Atwood.
Then she could keep what
fit and put away the extras.
Eventually he got it all done
and his new clothes packed up.
Arthur was taking just as long
with his own cartload of stuff.
"Oh wait, I almost forgot these!"
Mrs. Atwood exclaimed as she
hurried over with two packs of
flat round things. "Laundry bags."
Shiv took a closer look. Each set
held five nylon laundry bags that
unfolded into backpacks with
a pocket for laundry supplies.
"Sorry about the colors,"
she went on. "Every set has
black, gray, pink, blue, and green."
Shiv shrugged. "I like pink," he said,
"but why are you giving me laundry bags?"
"So you can bring home laundry for me
to wash, of course," said Mrs. Atwood.
"Every college student does that."
Funny, Tolli and Simon had
said something like that too.
"Thanks, Mom," said Arthur.
He put one pack in each cart.
"Just smile and nod, bro,"
he whispered to Shiv.
"It'll make her happy."
Shiv smiled and nodded.
He wanted Mrs. Atwood
to be happy, and also not
to regret having him around.
"Let's double back and get
the classroom supplies now,"
said Mr. Atwood. "Always
put the small items in last."
"They better be small things,"
Shiv said, "because at this point,
nothing bigger will fit in the carts!"
Arthur snickered as they piled
into the elevator. "Yeah, we've
got quite a haul here," he said.
They made their way back to
the first floor section that held
materials for college students.
"Let's check the lists first,"
Mrs. Atwood said as she
took out her smartphone
and called up the lists.
Shiv did the same thing,
looking for the ones that
he'd saved of what he had
and what the college said
he would need for classes.
Heron had given him a bunch
of stuff for planning purposes
as well as actual classwork, and
others had chipped in stuff too.
"See, I already got most of ..."
He realized that Mrs. Atwood
was staring at him, no, staring
at his smartphone. "What?"
"You have a visual list,"
she said. "That's wonderful.
I wish I had something like that.
It would help so many children
who aren't good at reading."
"Well yeah, that's why I use it,"
Shiv said. "I used to draw mine,
then Halley saw and made up
a program and mobile app so's
I can keep lists on my phone."
"What kind of lists?" she asked.
"Just this, or are there more?"
"It started with groceries,"
said Shiv. "Now I've got sets
for that, and inventory at work,
and what-all else. The list of
school supplies for college
is the latest upgrade for it."
"That really would be useful
in our family," said Mr. Atwood.
"So ask Halley if you can have
a copy," Shiv said with a shrug.
"Wait, no, Halley always has
thon's head in the clouds. Ask
Dr. G, he should know which
of the stuff is on the market,
ready for beta-testing now, or
still in the development phase."
He dug out a business card
for Soup to Nuts and scribbled,
Ask about Halley's software for
making visual shopping lists,
then gave it to Mrs. Atwood.
"Thank you," she said. "Will
you humor me and let me go
down the college lists with you?
Then you can check against yours."
"Fine," Shiv said, so they did. He
wasn't really missing anything that
this store was likely to have, though
he wanted to get more art supplies.
"Okay, you look pretty well set for this,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "Please be patient while
Arthur shops. I'll help him, if that's okay?"
"I don't mind," Shiv said, though he
looked around for something to do.
Meanwhile Arthur grabbed a big box
that read, College Classwork Starter Kit.
It had pens and pencils, highlighters,
paper, folders, and stuff like that.
Then he headed back to pick up
whatever else wasn't already in there.
Shiv ambled around, poking at this and that,
before he found a table piled with notebooks that
had ... actually quite rude titles printed on them.
They sounded like something made by supervillains.
Laughing, Shiv picked up one after another to read:
Reasons I Should Never Be Put on Speakerphone,
Things I Want to Say at School But Shouldn't,
Reasons Why I Like Cats More Than People,
Times I Was Right and Nobody Listened,
My Archive of Flying Fucks I Don't Give,
My List of Bodies I Buried in the Woods,
My Survival Plans for the Apocalypse,
People I Want to Punch in the Face ...
Then Mrs. Atwood lifted the stack out
of his hands. "These are your picks?"
"Actually I was just looking at --"
Shiv began, but she had already
dumped them into his shopping cart.
Suddenly he saw another perfect title:
Evil Plans and Unicorn Drawings.
Oh yeah. These things were
definitely made by supervillains.
"One more for a friend," he said,
snagging it to add to the pile.
The notebooks might not be
suitable for class, but they could
work quite well for therapy purposes.
Arthur glanced at Shiv, chuckled,
then went back to his shopping.
Shiv stirred a bin of fidgets, but
they were all cheap plastic, and
none of them appealed to him.
Then Mrs. Atwood came back
with two colorful notebooks that
read, College Memory Book.
"Arthur wants one of these,
and I thought that it might
help you too," she offered.
"There's this paper version,
and you can print more pages
if you want them in a binder."
Shiv wrinkled his nose. "I'm
not really into that crap," he said.
"Just try it," Mrs. Atwood coaxed.
"It's only paper. If you don't like it,
you don't have to stick with it. I think
you might surprise yourself, though.
I know you're going to surprise me,
and I'm really looking forward to it."
Shiv flicked his thumbnail against
the corner of the notebook. The thing
reminded him of the stupid life book that
Family Services had used against him.
That shit had fucked up his memory
until telepaths could barely make
heads or tails of what remained.
Then again, given his past, it might
be a good idea to write stuff down
if he didn't want to forget about it.
Shiv nibbled his lip. This wasn't
like the life book in one crucial way:
this was something he controlled.
He could choose what to put in,
or leave out, or light on fire.
That last thought made him
smile. Burning or shredding
shit could be so therapeutic.
"Yeah, okay," Shiv said. It was
cheap, after all, and it gave him
the option of doing just these pages
or printing out additional ones to try.
Besides ... maybe it wouldn't suck.
Finally Arthur ticked off the last of
his list. "Okay, I'm done," he said.
"Shiv, anything else for you?"
Mrs. Atwood asked him.
"Nah, I was ready to go
ten minutes ago," he said.
"Then let's check out now,"
Mrs. Atwood said. She
turned the cart toward
a row of cash registers.
A handful of other shoppers
were spread out, but there
1075 wasn't a long line anywhere.
There was, however, a bunch
of crap cleverly laid out to make
folks want to buy just one last thing.
The huge bin of labeled Dorm Decor
just made Shiv roll his eyes at it.
The thing was overflowing with
cutesy stuffed animals and blankets.
A nearby end cap held racks of posters,
and another had fairy lights falling off it
like an explosion of techno-spaghetti.
Suddenly Arthur darted forward and
exclaimed, "I want the ent pillow!"
From a nearby shelf he grabbed
a long squishy body pillow with
a tall green tree printed on it.
Mrs. Atwood looked at Shiv.
"Do you want an ent pillow too,
or would you rather choose
something else?" she said.
Shiv looked down. He
was petting an ent pillow.
He closed his hand around
the corner and then slowly
dragged it off the shelf.
The thing was nearly
as big as himself, and
he had a struggle just
to stuff it into the cart.
"I think we're done,"
he said. "There's no
room for anything more."
"This is true," said Mr. Atwood.
"Good thing we're at the register."
"It's fine, boys, we're just happy
that you both found things you want
to use for school," said Mrs. Atwood.
It took a while to ring up two whole carts
of stuff, then pack everything into bags.
"You're ready for college," Mr. Atwood said,
patting both of the boys on the shoulder.
"Don't live down to expectations. Go out
there and do something remarkable."
As they walked out of the store,
Shiv looked around so that he'd
be able to remember it now and
place this on his mental map.
Across Nicholas Street was
the Adele Astaire Activity Park,
with the bus stop on the corner.
Across North 16th Street stood
the Nichol Flats apartment building
with its distinctive curved balconies.
That was one of several places
used to house folks displaced by
the Omaha Incident last year, since
it was fairly close but not damaged.
Farther down 16th, on the same block
as the emporium, were Thrifty Bits,
Targets Online Sporting Goods Store,
Standard Printing Company, and
another thrift store, Kiddie Korner.
All the resale places in the city
were swamped by the refugees
pouring in from the West Coast
after the Big One back in May.
Going along Nicholas, the store
leaned against Bean Queens, and
after that was Pompey's Po'boys.
Shiv felt confident that he could
find School Daze again if necessary.
They packed everything into the van.
Good thing it was a big van, too.
There was so much stuff that it
wouldn't all fit into the bins, but that
was okay. The boxes didn't need to,
and the clothes all got folded and
stuffed into the laundry bags.
The two ent pillows were
secured by cargo nets.
"All right, that's everything,"
Mr. Atwood said, dusting off
his hands. "Lunch next!"
Soon they all piled into
Pompey's Po'boys.
"Pick out whatever
you want to eat, boys,"
Mrs. Atwood invited.
Shiv ordered one catfish
and one Creole Cajun shrimp.
Arthur wanted smoked sausage,
Mrs. Atwood got chicken, and
Mr. Atwood went with beef.
They sat down in a booth
to wait for their sandwiches.
On the table lay a copy of
the Omaha Star, so they
split the pages for everyone
to read, sometimes swapping.
Fortunately for Shiv, that was
a black paper, so the writing
wasn't too fancy because
plenty of black people
struggled with reading.
It had lots of pictures, too,
which helped him sort out
what it was talking about.
The "What You Can Do"
section from the back
that had followup ideas
for the articles went in
the middle of the table
so everyone could use it.
That explained ways of
dealing with the issues
raised and things that
you could do to help.
Shiv kept flipping back
and forth because, well, it
was a black newspaper and
black folks got screwed a lot.
One article in particular concerned
businesses that had reopened after
the Omaha Incident, in addition to
the ongoing repairs of a few places
with the worst damage, which were
trying to finish before winter arrived.
Shiv nibbled on his lip, remembering
that day and how hard he'd worked
trying to help in the aftermath.
Quickly he switched to reading
a different article, this one about
collapsing fisheries, climate change,
and how people needed to make
more mindful choices about food.
"I think I owe seafood a favor,"
he muttered. "I eat a lot of it.
Maybe I shoulda stuck to catfish."
At least that was one fish that
usually tasted better farmed than
wild, because the catfish raised in
an aquaculture pond ate fish food,
but you never knew what crap
the wild ones might gobble up.
"Oh, the fisheries article,"
said Mr. Atwood. "I see
your dilemma. My beef
wasn't the greenest choice
I could have made, either."
"Chicken is less Earth-hostile,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "Most poultry is
among the more sustainable meats.
Shiv is right, though, if we want to eat
less sustainable things, we should
probably think about some payback."
A waitress brought their sandwiches,
and Shiv thought he recognized her
from a previous trip to the restaurant.
"Labonnie, are you gonna move back
to Greenhouse Apartments when
they reopen?" Shiv asked her.
"Heck no," Labonnie replied.
"Nichol Flats is way nicer. I make
better money here than I did at
the Downtown Coffee Company,
because Pompey gave me a raise
on my one-year anniversary here.
Sides, I got a baby girl now, we
wouldn't fit back in the old place."
"I thought Nichol Flats only had
one or two bedrooms?" said Shiv.
"Yeah, but we made the study
into a nursery, done up with
a real cute African theme,"
said Labonnie. "That'll do
for at least a few years."
Then she left them to go
clean up the other tables.
Shiv bit into his shrimp po'boy
and savored the spicy flavor,
still reading the newspaper
that he held in his other hand.
"This is really good," Arthur said,
lifting a page with his free hand.
"We should definitely come back."
Labonnie kept sneaking looks
at all of them as she worked.
"What the heck, Labonnie?"
Shiv said as she passed
them for the fourth time.
"I owe you money or what?"
"Sorry," she said. "I'm not
used to seeing white folks
read our paper. I mean, you
do it, but you're like one of us."
Finally, Arthur looked up and said,
"I'm adopted. I've spent time in
black families too. So to me,
this is all relevant news."
"Oh!" Labonnie said,
looking at Shiv. "Is
this your family?"
"One of them,"
he said with a nod.
And it didn't feel so weird.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character, location, and content notes will appear separately.
fuzzyred. It also fills the "Family Support Makes a Difference" square in my 9-1-24 card for the People with Disabilities Drabble Fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the College Arc in the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series."Shopping for College"
[Monday, August 15, 2016]
Shiv was folding laundry
when the phone rang.
"Good morning, Shiv,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "We're
taking Arthur shopping for
college supplies today, and
we wondered if you might
like to come along with us."
"Uh, what for?" he said.
"I'm not moving out or
anything like that, I'm just
taking a couple of classes."
"Well, neither is Arthur,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "He
already has a place."
"Yeah yeah, I seen it --
cute little yellow house,"
said Shiv. "It looks like
a fairytale cottage and all."
"Still, Arthur needs to pick up
school supplies for this fall,
new clothes that don't have
holes from running through
the woods, stuff like that,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "We
wanted to invite you -- and
don't worry about budgeting,
because we've got you covered."
"I um, I dunno," Shiv said, nibbling
his lip. "My family already gimme
a ton of stuff, so I don't need more."
"That's okay," said Mrs. Atwood.
"You could just browse, maybe
find some things you forgot. We
would be delighted to include you."
"Why bother?" Shiv said. "You
don't gotta waste money on me."
"Because we missed out on
earlier opportunities, of course,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "We'd like
a chance to catch up, is all."
A memory flitted through
Shiv's head, of her offering
him his pick of the T-shirts,
instead of picking for him
like most foster parents did.
Once she had figured out what
he liked, though, then she helped
point him to things with cats on
them, or in his favorite colors.
Maybe he could get a little of
that back. The Finns had taught
him the value of second chances,
especially for catching up with
missed chances from childhood.
"Besides, I know that you boys
are looking for extra ways to spend
time together," Mrs. Atwood added.
"Yeah, we are," Shiv admitted. "Okay,
let me just check the bus schedule --"
"If you're at Blues Moon, then we can
swing by and pick you up," she said.
"We're planning to do our shopping at
School Daze Educational Emporium,
so it's not far from your neighborhood."
"Wait, where is that?" Shiv asked.
"I don't think I recognize that place,
I mean, it doesn't sound familiar
and I know this area pretty well."
"It's at the corner of Nicholas and
North 16th Street, right across from
the Nichol Flats apartments. There
are several schools in the area, like
Creighton College," said Mrs. Atwood.
"The bus stop for it is at the corner
of Nicholas and North 17th Street."
"Oh!" Shiv said. "That's right beside
Bean Queens and Pompey's Po'boys.
There's a whole cluster of thrift stores
and resales on the same block, too.
I usually shop at places like that
instead of buying all new stuff."
Well, he had, and sometimes he
still did, although now he could
afford to buy new things if he
needed to. Or just wanted to.
That was hard to remember.
"If you don't find anything that
you like in School Daze, then we
can try those too," said Mrs. Atwood.
"We can plan on Pompey's Po'boys
for lunch after shopping, if you like."
"Yeah, maybe," said Shiv. They
did a wicked Creole shrimp that
he loved, and sometimes they
did it with crawdads or oysters.
The fried catfish was good too.
"I'll sure be hungry by then."
"Still got those hollow legs, huh?"
said Mrs. Atwood. "No problem,
we meant to include a lunch stop.
We'll pick you up when we're ready."
"What time?" Shiv said, looking at
his watch and trying not to panic.
"It'll take us about an hour to get
everything together and reach
your place," said Mrs. Atwood.
"An hour, okay, I can work
with that," Shiv said, nodding.
He'd have to beg off work, but
it was just desk shit again and
Boss Brown had promised
that Shiv could skip out for
anything related to college.
As soon as the call ended,
Shiv dashed around trying
to finish what he was doing.
He kicked the laundry basket
into a corner of the living room
and shoved the folded clothes
into his bedroom for the moment.
Shiv changed clothes five times
before deciding that was stupid.
It was just a shopping trip and
nobody would care what he
wore. Probably. Maybe.
In the end he stuck with
a blue T-shirt that read,
Let it Gogh over jeans that
didn't have too many holes.
Shiv made sure that he had
his budget, a Greenbucks card,
and some cash too, just in case
Mrs. Atwood changed her mind
about buying things for him.
It wouldn't be the first time
that happened to him -- well,
not with the Atwoods specifically,
but with foster families in general.
They tended to drag him through
a dollar store and a thrift store
and call it done, whether they'd
finished the school list or not. If
they even bothered with the list.
Maybe this time would be
different, though. He had
vague recollections that
his one back-to-school run
with the Atwoods hadn't
sucked as much as usual.
Shiv hit the bathroom,
dragged a comb through
his hair, and headed out.
He thumped down the stairs
and looked for Boss Brown.
"Hey, I gotta go shopping
for college," Shiv said. "I'm
gonna need half the day off."
"Take it all if you need it,"
Boss Brown said cheerfully.
"I hope you find everything."
"Thanks," Shiv said, and then
went to watch for the Atwoods.
A few minutes later, a white van
pulled up and he trotted out to it.
Mr. Atwood was driving, with
his wife in front beside him.
The side door rolled open,
and Arthur beckoned to him.
"Come on, Shiv, let's go!"
Shiv climbed in. There were
two single seats just behind
the cockpit seats, and the rest
of the van was empty except for
a pile of cargo nets and a pair
of large cargo bins docked
right behind the single seats.
Arthur handed Shiv a card
and a heavy black marker.
"Put your name on this
or something so that we
know which of the bins
is yours," he instructed.
Shiv wrote his name,
then drew a fancy frame
like he did on the menus.
"Good enough?" he said.
"Yeah, that'll work great,"
Arthur said. He twisted
around to slide it into
a holder on the bin.
"Are we good to go?"
Mr. Atwood asked.
"Yeah, we're good,"
Arthur said. "This is
going to be so much fun."
Right ... Arthur maybe had
a weird idea of what "fun" was.
"Shiv, thank you for joining us
today," Mr. Atwood said as
he pulled away from the curb.
"I hope that you'll be able to find
at least a few things you want."
"Yeah, maybe," Shiv said. "I've
already got stuff if I don't, though."
Fortunately Arthur started chattering
about what he wanted to look for,
so Shiv didn't have to carry on
conversation with the Atwoods.
He liked them. He just wasn't
sure what to say to them.
It didn't take long to reach
the area they were aiming for.
Shiv recognized the bus stop, and
then the van pulled over to park.
School Daze Educational Emporium
was a big old brick building that had
a cheerful green awning over the front.
"Okay boys, here we are," said Mr. Atwood.
"Don't worry about prices, we've budgeted
for plenty of school supplies. Remember
that we don't have to do everything today.
If you get overloaded, just say so or tap
my shoulder twice, and we'll leave."
"I'll stay here and ring out our carts,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "Then Bradley
can double back for me later."
Shiv had forgotten about that,
or no, hadn't really believed it
back when he lived with them.
Nobody else had ever meant it,
after all, and even with the Finns
it had taken a long time before he
realized that they were serious
about allowing him to tap out.
They walked to the emporium
together, and that felt weird
too. Not awful, just unfamiliar.
Opening the doors of the store
let out a clatter of carts and voices.
It was busy, even on a Monday morning
when most folks should be at work.
The place was huge, too, and sounds
bounced off of the walls and floors. It
was hard for Shiv to get his bearings,
there was so much going on inside.
"Shiv? Are you okay?" Arthur said,
giving him a worried glance.
"I'll manage," Shiv said. He
would've been screwed even
a year ago, but he was learning
how to handle busy environments.
He could ignore all the stuff for
younger kids and just concentrate
on things aimed at college students.
"We really can leave if you feel
uncomfortable," Arthur said. "It's
no big deal to change plans."
"Yeah, no, it helps just knowing
that I could if I need to," Shiv said.
"Family support makes a difference,"
Arthur said, bumping shoulders.
"It really does," Shiv agreed. He
twisted around, trying to pull together
a sense of how the store was laid out.
Several big racks held shopping carts
in assorted colors, along with baskets
and flatbed trolleys. There were even
miniature "shopper in training" carts
for the little kids to practice using.
Beside those sat a row of
electric wheelchairs with
front baskets, all plugged
into their charging outlets.
"Shiv, is your favorite color
still blue?" said Mrs. Atwood.
"Uh, yeah," Shiv said, looking
around the bustling store.
"Blue it is," she said as she
pulled a cart out of the corral.
"I'll handle the cart for you, so
you can focus on shopping."
"Then we will take red,"
Mr. Atwood said as he
pulled out a cart for Arthur.
"This place is a madhouse,"
Shiv muttered as he clutched
the blue cart like an anchor.
"Shopping for college is
like dancing in a tornado:
it's full of chaos, you keep
getting turned around, and it
leaves the whole place a wreck,"
said Mr. Atwood. "But it drops seeds
that will sprout in the days to come."
Mrs. Atwood paused at a big display
that read, Back-to-School Supply Lists.
Racks held pages for each local school,
and you could tap your smartphone or
vidwatch to a screen that would give
you a digital list download instead.
"I already have the general list for
the University of Nebraska-Omaha,"
she said. "Does anyone have
a different list they're using?"
"Uh, the departments have
lists," said Shiv. "I know 'cause
Dymin made me look it up before
we spent all afternoon on my budget."
"So we need the lists for writing and
art?" said Mrs. Atwood. She tapped
her phone on the screen. "Got 'em."
"I've also got my own list of stuff
that I already have," Shiv added.
"Good, then that will help as we go
through the store," said Mrs. Atwood.
Shiv sighed. "I still kinda feel like I'm
taking things that I shouldn't," he said.
"A man who has never gone to school
may steal from a freight car, but if he
has attained a university education,
then he may steal the whole railroad,"
said Mr. Atwood. "Theodore Roosevelt."
That startled Shiv into laughter. "I
didn't know he that was a thief. Weird."
"All politicians are thieves," said Arthur.
"It's just part of the sausage factory
that is government business."
"There are some good people in
politics, though admittedly, not as
many as we need," said Mrs. Atwood.
"Most people can handle hardships,
but if you want to test their character,
then give them power," Mr. Atwood said,
pushing the shopping cart around a corner.
"We're passing up notebooks and stuff?"
Shiv said, frowning. "I don't need those,
but doesn't Arthur for all his writing classes?"
"First stop: appliances," Mr. Atwood declared.
"Always put the big items in first, so that
you have room for them to fit easily."
That was good advice for a balanced life,
but it was hardly applicable to this situation.
"I don't need appliances," Shiv protested.
"I already told you I'm not moving out."
"Well I do," Arthur said, striding ahead.
"My coffee machine sailed for the West,
so I need to replace it before school starts."
"Woah," Shiv said as he skidded to a stop,
staring at a wall of colorful, compact products.
Okay, yeah, he already had crockpots and
multipurpose rice cookers and so on, but
some of the other stuff looked amazing.
"It's okay to browse, and if you find anything,
you can put it in the cart," said Mrs. Atwood.
"Look at this," Shiv said, running his hand
over a cherry-red all-in-one breakfast station.
It had a three-cup coffee maker on one end,
a nonstick griddle with a glass lid on top,
and a four-slice toaster oven underneath.
"Do you want one?" Mrs. Atwood asked.
"That would make a great start today."
Shiv shook his head. "I don't really need
one," he said. "I have a full-size kitchen
in my apartment over Blues Moon and
a toaster oven in my studio at Hanson Hall."
"It comes in blue," Mrs. Atwood said as
she pointed to one still in its cardboard box.
Robin's egg, Shiv thought automatically,
looking at the pale beautiful color. It was
the same as several things he already had
in his studio, so it wouldn't stick out there.
Tempting, but ... "Other people need it
more," he said. "Things are still tight."
They were lucky to have a shipment
of school supplies at all, without him
hogging stuff that he didn't really need.
"True, but if you get this, then you could
hand off your current toaster oven to
somebody else," said Mrs. Atwood.
"Okay, you got me," Shiv said,
and put the box into his cart.
He turned around to see Arthur
lugging a massive 12-cup machine
with a programmable computer system,
in a cheerful candy-apple red color.
Shiv put a hand underneath the box
to boost it into the cart. "Any fancier
than that and you might as well
order from Italy," he teased.
He'd seen the behemoth that
the Italians had brought over for
Mrs. Dr. G, which Tolli and Simon
also had one of for their house.
"I'm not that much of a coffee snob,"
said Arthur. "I just need something
that makes plenty of decent coffee
for late nights and also guests."
Mrs. Atwood was frowning faintly
over the breakfast maker. "Shiv,
do you have bakeware to fit
a toaster oven?" she asked.
"Yeah, probably," he said,
then he frowned too. "Maybe.
I mean, I had some, but I've
been giving away stuff to folks
who didn't have any. And we
emptied the storage building
to use it for housing again, so I
can't just check there anymore."
"There are sets designed to fit
your breakfast maker," she said,
waving a hand at the shelf. "Do
you like any of these options?"
Shiv checked. Some of the sets
were just two or three pieces,
way too small for his needs.
Eventually he found one with
a brownie pan, a cookie sheet,
a wire rack that fit both, two sizes
of round cake pans, a loaf pan,
a round personal pizza sheet,
and two 6-cup muffin pans.
"Hey, if he's getting an extra
for his, then I want one for
my pick too," said Arthur.
"Okay, this end cap has
some coffee goodies,"
Mr. Atwood pointed out.
Arthur disappeared around
the corner for a couple minutes.
He came back with a wicker basket
that held four types of fancy coffee,
three different cookies, two kinds
of candy, a chocolate coffee cake,
a bottle of French vanilla coffee syrup,
a chocolate-covered spoon, a snack tray
with a matching bowl, and a coffee cup.
"Expecting another Unexpected Party?"
Shiv drawled, nodding at the basket.
"I like to be prepared," Arthur said.
"And yeah, you were right -- teleporters
really do eat like a party of dwarves."
"You are going into college life, boys,
and you must take care of your bodies,"
Mr. Atwood said as he looked down at
their kitchen equipment. "You must
balance your appetite and exertion,
study and brain-work with exercise
and muscle-work, to stay healthy."
"Never overwork either body or mind,"
Mrs. Atwood added. "All the work that
a man can do that can be rested by
one night's sleep is good for him, but
fatigue that goes into the next day is
bad and liable to lead to burnout."
"Yeah, that makes sense," Shiv said,
patting his pockets. He still had
several packets of energy gel
and a granola bar, just in case.
The carts turned a corner,
moving out of kitchenware,
toward colorful piles of fabric.
"Do you need any linens?"
Mrs. Atwood asked Shiv.
"They have nice bedsets."
"Ah yeah," he said. "I gave
my public housing apartment to
three friends from out west, and
I let them keep some of my sheets
and stuff. What comes standard with
the apartment is just plain white, and
who wants to risk staining that?"
"All right, then look at what they
have here and see if any of that
appeals to you," said Mrs. Atwood.
Shiv scanned the shelves and
quickly picked out a suitable set.
"Here, the blue stripes," he replied,
pointing at a bag that included sheets,
pillowcases, and a reversible comforter.
"I've got white and turquoise sheets
at home that should go with this too."
"These are on sale, buy two and get
a third set free," Mrs. Atwood said,
indicating a shelf of matching sheets.
"Yeah, I like having enough sheets
to mix and match, or throw in the wash
whenever I spill something," Shiv said.
"I'm an artist, so I'm always spilling shit."
He grabbed navy because it wouldn't
show stains much, then white with
chambray stripes like the shams for
an airy look, and finally white with
multiple shades of blue that matched
a section in the middle of the comforter.
Now he had something that would look
good with the bohemian hide-a-bed couch
in his studio at Hanson Hall, which had
a patchwork cover in shades of blue.
Arthur got a rustic bedset that had
a patchwork comforter with a back of
solid brown and matching pillowcases,
plus brown sheets and pillowcases.
The design included a bunch of
different woodgrains; silhouettes
of a deer, a bear, and a campfire;
a signboard that read Adventure;
black-and-white plaid plus
black-and-red plaid, and
a rugged mountain range.
Arthur also added extra sets of
sheets in solid black and both plaids.
"What do you think?" he asked Shiv.
"Are the patterns too busy, or what?"
"Nah," Shiv said. "They're all on
the comforter. Besides, you got
two sets of solid sheets. Me,
I have paisley ones at home."
They riffled through the rest
of the dorm room materials, and
Arthur picked up a few more bits
for his apartment, but Shiv didn't
find anything else he wanted.
"All right, that's a wrap here,"
Mr. Atwood said briskly.
"Next stop: clothing,"
That was upstairs, so
they pushed their carts
into the cargo elevator
and rode up together.
Shiv looked around at
the racks of offerings.
Candy-colored clothes for
kids and fashion disasters
for teenagers gave way to
the more sensible stuff
for college students.
"I've got Arthur's list,"
Mr. Atwood said, leading
his son toward the racks.
"What do you need today?"
Mrs. Atwood asked Shiv.
"I dunno," he said. "I usually
shop just twice a year, in spring
and fall, and it's not fall yet."
"Well ..." Mrs. Atwood turned
in place, surveying possibilities.
"Okay, you can't go wrong with
a nice new set of blue jeans,"
she said decisively, and then
ushered Shiv into the display.
Yeah, she had a point. He
could always use more jeans,
especially without any holes.
"Oh, look!" said Mrs. Atwood.
"These come with a jacket too."
They were deep indigo, made of
heavy canvas still stiff with dye --
nothing that couldn't be fixed by
washing them with a handful of
rocks, and Shiv could throw in
some undershirts to take off
that too-white look they had.
"Yeah, I like these," Shiv said,
running a hand over the fabric.
Mrs. Atwood held up jeans and
jacket to him, then put a couple
of each in the shopping cart.
"One or the other of these
should fit you when you try
them on later," she said.
"I hope so," Shiv said, and
meant it. "Jeans are good."
"Here, you like -- do you still
like flannels?" Mrs. Atwood said,
indicating a rack of bright plaids.
"Love 'em," Shiv said, promptly
going over to investigate them.
They all had black as a base
plus either red, green, blue or
white for contrast. The cloth
was heavy, soft, and warm.
"These come separately or in
a pack of four," said Mrs. Atwood.
"If you get four, that's most of
a weekday set right there."
The Atwoods tended to buy
school clothes in sets of five.
"I uh ... might do some sessions
on weekends because of trips for
Nebraska en Plein Air," Shiv said.
"Then we'll find more clothes,"
Mrs. Atwood said as she held up
a flannel shirt to gauge the size.
"This should do. Let's see
what else they have here."
"I'll take the four-pack if
the shirt fits," Shiv said.
"Maybe add an extra blue."
"That works," said Mrs. Atwood.
"Look around and see whether
anything else appeals, though."
Shiv gave it a casual glance and
then spotted the flannel-lined canvas.
"They have jackshirts!" he exclaimed.
"And look, there's matching pants too."
"You seem to favor blue and black as
your base colors," said Mrs. Atwood.
"The lining flannel is all red plaid.
Will you be okay with that?"
"Yeah, one of the shirts is
pretty similar," said Shiv. "It's
okay, my family gave me a bunch
of stuff with red and black because
those are the colors for the college."
"That's good," Mrs. Atwood said,
and helped him estimate sizes.
"Crap," Shiv muttered. "I just
realized, it's still August -- if I try
to wear any of this now, I'll melt."
"No problem," Mrs. Atwood said
cheerfully. "Let's see what they
have in the way of summer clothes."
Shiv groaned, but followed her, and
soon she found a section of lighter stuff.
"Solids, patterns, or mixed?" she said,
waving at the short-sleeved button-up shirts.
There were usual light blue or white solids,
some with tiny dots or pinstripes for contrast,
and a variety of plaids in soft or bright shades.
"I love madras plaids," Shiv said. "Maybe
look for a four-pack that has one or two
in solid and the rest of them plaids?"
So they poked around until they
found a package that he liked.
It had one light blue, two of
different blue plaids, and
one multicolor that added
yellow and red to the mix.
"Those will go well with
your new jeans, but you'll
need summer bottoms, too,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "How
about some nice linens?"
Shiv looked at the rack of
pastel pants that screamed
golf course. "Oh hell no."
"Okay, you don't like those,"
she said. "We'll keep looking."
The summer jogging pants
were even worse, feeling like
plastic and looking cheap.
"Do you like chinos?"
said Mrs. Atwood. "They
have short and long ones."
Shiv perked up. "Yeah,
chinos are great, they
come in lots of colors."
"So let's look for things
that match what you
already have in the cart
or at home," she said.
The shorts came in packs
of two instead of four, but
Shiv quickly found a set
of black and khaki ones.
"Are these too bright?"
Mrs. Atwood asked as
she held up a package of
bright blue and softer red.
"They're fine," said Shiv. "I
have things to wear with both."
"That's good," Mrs. Atwood said,
and grabbed some loose shorts
so he could try them on for size.
The long chinos came in packs
of four, with similar shades of
black, khaki, and red -- but
the blue was a soft sky blue.
"That's really nice," Shiv said,
holding his hand against the cloth
to see if it would look good on him.
"What about shoes?" Mrs. Atwood said,
pointing to a rack of cheap white tennies.
"Those should go with any casual clothes."
"Huh." Shiv picked one up. "This says
100% cotton canvas. I could tie-dye them!"
"Well in that case, get two pairs," she said.
"That way you'll have a fancy set and another
that will go with anything. Besides, these are
cheap -- no guarantee they'll last the school year."
"Good point," said Shiv. He was used to buying
bargain stuff and replacing it often, but he liked
being able to shop just twice a year and have it last.
"Do you need boots?" Mrs. Atwood asked. "I don't
see any here, but we could make another stop."
"Nah, Tolli and Simon already covered that,"
said Shiv. "I got a new set of hiking boots
plus warm snow boots for the winter."
He leaned against an end cap, using
his smartphone to search for tie-dye kits
designed to color shoes and shoelaces.
Some used liquid dyes and others
had markers for drawing patterns that
would spread when sprayed with solution.
He probably wanted the dye bottles and
would use them on dry shoes, then
mist with water to make the colors
run together -- you could do more
with specific designs that way.
"Socks and underwear?"
Mr. Atwood said as he
came around the corner.
"Yes, please!" Arthur called.
"Mine are all falling apart."
"I did not need to know that,"
Shiv protested, flapping his hands.
"But do you need to replace yours?"
Mrs. Atwood asked. "They have
good basics. Solids or prints?"
"I dunno," Shiv said. "Depends
on what they've got, but maybe
consider getting a mix again."
He wound up with a five-pack
that held solid socks in black,
gray, white, navy, and red.
Then he found another of
multicolored socks that had
base colors of black, beige,
white, blue, and red covered
with multicolored lines that
made an angular pattern.
"Do you want boxers, briefs,
or boxer-briefs?" she said.
"Check the material and
shape," Shiv said. "If they
have cotton with long legs,
I want the boxer-briefs. If not,
then I'll have to go with boxers."
"How about these?" Mrs. Atwood
held up a pack that was mostly solids
in shades of blue, with one red and
one pattern. "They seem about right."
"Yeah, that'll do," said Shiv. "Do they
have any other packs like that one?"
"This one has more blues, a gray,
and a stripe," said Mrs. Atwood.
"I'll take it," said Shiv. He'd worn
enough holey underwear in his life,
and he hated it. If she was offering
to buy, then he'd pounce on the deal.
"Long underwear," said Mrs. Atwood.
"They have three different color sets."
Shiv definitely wanted something more
between his bottom half and Nebraska wind
than just the thin canvas fabric of his jeans.
He picked one five-pack of black, gray,
ivory, white, and navy blue. Another
had two each of black and gray plus
one navy, those being the colors
that Shiv would wear most often.
"Okay, that's two school weeks
of new undies, so you're set,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "Are you
sure you don't want T-shirts?
They have cheap undershirts."
"I really don't need T-shirts,"
Shiv said. "I barely have room
for all the ones I've already got.
My family keeps giving me
souvenirs from everywhere.
I've got white ones, but mostly
when the logo shirts wear out,
I use them as underwear."
"Lucky," Arthur murmured.
"Yeah, I know." Shiv grinned.
"On top of the usual stuff from
travel, Aida gave me a set of four
from the Maldives National University."
It was nice, because growing up, they
had always envied the kids who came
to school with shirts like, Grandma went
to Florida and all I got was this stupid T-shirt.
Most foster kids felt that way, always on
the outside looking in, and it sucked.
"Now I'm really envious," said Arthur.
"I've got some souvenir T-shirts,
but more is always better."
Shiv made a mental note
to tell The Teleport about that,
because problem: solved.
"Anybody want sweaters?"
Mr. Atwood asked. "There is
an aisle of outlet-quality packs in
acrylic, various weights of wool,
or hypoallergenic bamboo, if you
don't mind minor cosmetic flaws."
"I don't really need -- ooo, cableknit!"
Shiv said as he reached for a shelf.
He picked two fisherman's sweaters of
aran cableknit -- well, "aran style wool" --
one faded denim, the other more navy.
If either one had any "cosmetic flaws,"
Shiv couldn't find where those were.
Arthur chose two layering sweaters
made of fine merino wool, one of
them red and the other light gray.
Those could be worn either over
or under other layers, as opposed
to Shiv's chunkier cableknits that
were exclusively outerwear.
Arthur was raiding another bin
of tops with funny captions.
Grinning, he lifted a black one
with long sleeves, the front of
which had a mountainscape
with text that read, College:
Let the Adventure Begin.
"This would suit you too,"
Arthur teased, nudging him.
"No, seriously dude, I'm
good, really," Shiv said.
"Maybe just one T-shirt?"
Mrs. Atwood said hopefully,
holding it up to show him. "It
matches your new clothes."
The background fabric was
a stunning crumple tie-dye
in deep, jeweled shades
of blue, green, and purple.
On the front, white text read,
College is my canvas, and I'm
about to paint a masterpiece.
Shiv threw back his head and
laughed. "Why the hell not,"
he said, and put it in his cart.
"You boys need anything else in
the way of clothes?" said Mr. Atwood.
"I'm not seeing long underwear and
the coats are iffy, but we could look --"
"No, I've got more than enough,"
Shiv said, waving at his cart.
Arthur scurried up with a set
of hideous red ties in a box
emblazoned New Eco-Friendly
100% Recycled Silk Look Polyester.
Shiv cringed. That definitely did not
look anything like silk ties should.
"Just in case I need to dress up for
a special occasion," Arthur said.
"Okay, I think I'm done here."
Shiv bit his lip and said nothing.
Even so. If there was any kind
of special occasion, then he
was dragging Arthur back
to his place to pick out one
of those fancy silk ties that
the Italians kept handing him.
"Good, then it's time to try on
clothes and find out which sizes
you need," Mr. Atwood said as
he led them to the fitting rooms.
Those were down by the dotties,
and fortunately they all had
full-length locking doors.
Inside, each fitting room
had a bench on one side,
a corner shelf and mirror on
the other, with various hooks
for hanging up the clothes.
It took Shiv a while to find
the right size for everything
that he wanted and report
that back to Mrs. Atwood.
Then she could keep what
fit and put away the extras.
Eventually he got it all done
and his new clothes packed up.
Arthur was taking just as long
with his own cartload of stuff.
"Oh wait, I almost forgot these!"
Mrs. Atwood exclaimed as she
hurried over with two packs of
flat round things. "Laundry bags."
Shiv took a closer look. Each set
held five nylon laundry bags that
unfolded into backpacks with
a pocket for laundry supplies.
"Sorry about the colors,"
she went on. "Every set has
black, gray, pink, blue, and green."
Shiv shrugged. "I like pink," he said,
"but why are you giving me laundry bags?"
"So you can bring home laundry for me
to wash, of course," said Mrs. Atwood.
"Every college student does that."
Funny, Tolli and Simon had
said something like that too.
"Thanks, Mom," said Arthur.
He put one pack in each cart.
"Just smile and nod, bro,"
he whispered to Shiv.
"It'll make her happy."
Shiv smiled and nodded.
He wanted Mrs. Atwood
to be happy, and also not
to regret having him around.
"Let's double back and get
the classroom supplies now,"
said Mr. Atwood. "Always
put the small items in last."
"They better be small things,"
Shiv said, "because at this point,
nothing bigger will fit in the carts!"
Arthur snickered as they piled
into the elevator. "Yeah, we've
got quite a haul here," he said.
They made their way back to
the first floor section that held
materials for college students.
"Let's check the lists first,"
Mrs. Atwood said as she
took out her smartphone
and called up the lists.
Shiv did the same thing,
looking for the ones that
he'd saved of what he had
and what the college said
he would need for classes.
Heron had given him a bunch
of stuff for planning purposes
as well as actual classwork, and
others had chipped in stuff too.
"See, I already got most of ..."
He realized that Mrs. Atwood
was staring at him, no, staring
at his smartphone. "What?"
"You have a visual list,"
she said. "That's wonderful.
I wish I had something like that.
It would help so many children
who aren't good at reading."
"Well yeah, that's why I use it,"
Shiv said. "I used to draw mine,
then Halley saw and made up
a program and mobile app so's
I can keep lists on my phone."
"What kind of lists?" she asked.
"Just this, or are there more?"
"It started with groceries,"
said Shiv. "Now I've got sets
for that, and inventory at work,
and what-all else. The list of
school supplies for college
is the latest upgrade for it."
"That really would be useful
in our family," said Mr. Atwood.
"So ask Halley if you can have
a copy," Shiv said with a shrug.
"Wait, no, Halley always has
thon's head in the clouds. Ask
Dr. G, he should know which
of the stuff is on the market,
ready for beta-testing now, or
still in the development phase."
He dug out a business card
for Soup to Nuts and scribbled,
Ask about Halley's software for
making visual shopping lists,
then gave it to Mrs. Atwood.
"Thank you," she said. "Will
you humor me and let me go
down the college lists with you?
Then you can check against yours."
"Fine," Shiv said, so they did. He
wasn't really missing anything that
this store was likely to have, though
he wanted to get more art supplies.
"Okay, you look pretty well set for this,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "Please be patient while
Arthur shops. I'll help him, if that's okay?"
"I don't mind," Shiv said, though he
looked around for something to do.
Meanwhile Arthur grabbed a big box
that read, College Classwork Starter Kit.
It had pens and pencils, highlighters,
paper, folders, and stuff like that.
Then he headed back to pick up
whatever else wasn't already in there.
Shiv ambled around, poking at this and that,
before he found a table piled with notebooks that
had ... actually quite rude titles printed on them.
They sounded like something made by supervillains.
Laughing, Shiv picked up one after another to read:
Reasons I Should Never Be Put on Speakerphone,
Things I Want to Say at School But Shouldn't,
Reasons Why I Like Cats More Than People,
Times I Was Right and Nobody Listened,
My Archive of Flying Fucks I Don't Give,
My List of Bodies I Buried in the Woods,
My Survival Plans for the Apocalypse,
People I Want to Punch in the Face ...
Then Mrs. Atwood lifted the stack out
of his hands. "These are your picks?"
"Actually I was just looking at --"
Shiv began, but she had already
dumped them into his shopping cart.
Suddenly he saw another perfect title:
Evil Plans and Unicorn Drawings.
Oh yeah. These things were
definitely made by supervillains.
"One more for a friend," he said,
snagging it to add to the pile.
The notebooks might not be
suitable for class, but they could
work quite well for therapy purposes.
Arthur glanced at Shiv, chuckled,
then went back to his shopping.
Shiv stirred a bin of fidgets, but
they were all cheap plastic, and
none of them appealed to him.
Then Mrs. Atwood came back
with two colorful notebooks that
read, College Memory Book.
"Arthur wants one of these,
and I thought that it might
help you too," she offered.
"There's this paper version,
and you can print more pages
if you want them in a binder."
Shiv wrinkled his nose. "I'm
not really into that crap," he said.
"Just try it," Mrs. Atwood coaxed.
"It's only paper. If you don't like it,
you don't have to stick with it. I think
you might surprise yourself, though.
I know you're going to surprise me,
and I'm really looking forward to it."
Shiv flicked his thumbnail against
the corner of the notebook. The thing
reminded him of the stupid life book that
Family Services had used against him.
That shit had fucked up his memory
until telepaths could barely make
heads or tails of what remained.
Then again, given his past, it might
be a good idea to write stuff down
if he didn't want to forget about it.
Shiv nibbled his lip. This wasn't
like the life book in one crucial way:
this was something he controlled.
He could choose what to put in,
or leave out, or light on fire.
That last thought made him
smile. Burning or shredding
shit could be so therapeutic.
"Yeah, okay," Shiv said. It was
cheap, after all, and it gave him
the option of doing just these pages
or printing out additional ones to try.
Besides ... maybe it wouldn't suck.
Finally Arthur ticked off the last of
his list. "Okay, I'm done," he said.
"Shiv, anything else for you?"
Mrs. Atwood asked him.
"Nah, I was ready to go
ten minutes ago," he said.
"Then let's check out now,"
Mrs. Atwood said. She
turned the cart toward
a row of cash registers.
A handful of other shoppers
were spread out, but there
1075 wasn't a long line anywhere.
There was, however, a bunch
of crap cleverly laid out to make
folks want to buy just one last thing.
The huge bin of labeled Dorm Decor
just made Shiv roll his eyes at it.
The thing was overflowing with
cutesy stuffed animals and blankets.
A nearby end cap held racks of posters,
and another had fairy lights falling off it
like an explosion of techno-spaghetti.
Suddenly Arthur darted forward and
exclaimed, "I want the ent pillow!"
From a nearby shelf he grabbed
a long squishy body pillow with
a tall green tree printed on it.
Mrs. Atwood looked at Shiv.
"Do you want an ent pillow too,
or would you rather choose
something else?" she said.
Shiv looked down. He
was petting an ent pillow.
He closed his hand around
the corner and then slowly
dragged it off the shelf.
The thing was nearly
as big as himself, and
he had a struggle just
to stuff it into the cart.
"I think we're done,"
he said. "There's no
room for anything more."
"This is true," said Mr. Atwood.
"Good thing we're at the register."
"It's fine, boys, we're just happy
that you both found things you want
to use for school," said Mrs. Atwood.
It took a while to ring up two whole carts
of stuff, then pack everything into bags.
"You're ready for college," Mr. Atwood said,
patting both of the boys on the shoulder.
"Don't live down to expectations. Go out
there and do something remarkable."
As they walked out of the store,
Shiv looked around so that he'd
be able to remember it now and
place this on his mental map.
Across Nicholas Street was
the Adele Astaire Activity Park,
with the bus stop on the corner.
Across North 16th Street stood
the Nichol Flats apartment building
with its distinctive curved balconies.
That was one of several places
used to house folks displaced by
the Omaha Incident last year, since
it was fairly close but not damaged.
Farther down 16th, on the same block
as the emporium, were Thrifty Bits,
Targets Online Sporting Goods Store,
Standard Printing Company, and
another thrift store, Kiddie Korner.
All the resale places in the city
were swamped by the refugees
pouring in from the West Coast
after the Big One back in May.
Going along Nicholas, the store
leaned against Bean Queens, and
after that was Pompey's Po'boys.
Shiv felt confident that he could
find School Daze again if necessary.
They packed everything into the van.
Good thing it was a big van, too.
There was so much stuff that it
wouldn't all fit into the bins, but that
was okay. The boxes didn't need to,
and the clothes all got folded and
stuffed into the laundry bags.
The two ent pillows were
secured by cargo nets.
"All right, that's everything,"
Mr. Atwood said, dusting off
his hands. "Lunch next!"
Soon they all piled into
Pompey's Po'boys.
"Pick out whatever
you want to eat, boys,"
Mrs. Atwood invited.
Shiv ordered one catfish
and one Creole Cajun shrimp.
Arthur wanted smoked sausage,
Mrs. Atwood got chicken, and
Mr. Atwood went with beef.
They sat down in a booth
to wait for their sandwiches.
On the table lay a copy of
the Omaha Star, so they
split the pages for everyone
to read, sometimes swapping.
Fortunately for Shiv, that was
a black paper, so the writing
wasn't too fancy because
plenty of black people
struggled with reading.
It had lots of pictures, too,
which helped him sort out
what it was talking about.
The "What You Can Do"
section from the back
that had followup ideas
for the articles went in
the middle of the table
so everyone could use it.
That explained ways of
dealing with the issues
raised and things that
you could do to help.
Shiv kept flipping back
and forth because, well, it
was a black newspaper and
black folks got screwed a lot.
One article in particular concerned
businesses that had reopened after
the Omaha Incident, in addition to
the ongoing repairs of a few places
with the worst damage, which were
trying to finish before winter arrived.
Shiv nibbled on his lip, remembering
that day and how hard he'd worked
trying to help in the aftermath.
Quickly he switched to reading
a different article, this one about
collapsing fisheries, climate change,
and how people needed to make
more mindful choices about food.
"I think I owe seafood a favor,"
he muttered. "I eat a lot of it.
Maybe I shoulda stuck to catfish."
At least that was one fish that
usually tasted better farmed than
wild, because the catfish raised in
an aquaculture pond ate fish food,
but you never knew what crap
the wild ones might gobble up.
"Oh, the fisheries article,"
said Mr. Atwood. "I see
your dilemma. My beef
wasn't the greenest choice
I could have made, either."
"Chicken is less Earth-hostile,"
said Mrs. Atwood. "Most poultry is
among the more sustainable meats.
Shiv is right, though, if we want to eat
less sustainable things, we should
probably think about some payback."
A waitress brought their sandwiches,
and Shiv thought he recognized her
from a previous trip to the restaurant.
"Labonnie, are you gonna move back
to Greenhouse Apartments when
they reopen?" Shiv asked her.
"Heck no," Labonnie replied.
"Nichol Flats is way nicer. I make
better money here than I did at
the Downtown Coffee Company,
because Pompey gave me a raise
on my one-year anniversary here.
Sides, I got a baby girl now, we
wouldn't fit back in the old place."
"I thought Nichol Flats only had
one or two bedrooms?" said Shiv.
"Yeah, but we made the study
into a nursery, done up with
a real cute African theme,"
said Labonnie. "That'll do
for at least a few years."
Then she left them to go
clean up the other tables.
Shiv bit into his shrimp po'boy
and savored the spicy flavor,
still reading the newspaper
that he held in his other hand.
"This is really good," Arthur said,
lifting a page with his free hand.
"We should definitely come back."
Labonnie kept sneaking looks
at all of them as she worked.
"What the heck, Labonnie?"
Shiv said as she passed
them for the fourth time.
"I owe you money or what?"
"Sorry," she said. "I'm not
used to seeing white folks
read our paper. I mean, you
do it, but you're like one of us."
Finally, Arthur looked up and said,
"I'm adopted. I've spent time in
black families too. So to me,
this is all relevant news."
"Oh!" Labonnie said,
looking at Shiv. "Is
this your family?"
"One of them,"
he said with a nod.
And it didn't feel so weird.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character, location, and content notes will appear separately.
