We're Not Crazy

You Look Like Him

We'd packed into Rufus's truck since it didn't have backseats, I had to sit in the middle of the two.

"Can you do me a favor?" Josiah asked.
"Depends on what it is." Rufus answered as he drove us out of the woods.
"Stop at the gas station."
Rufus looked over his steering wheel. "I need gas anyway, so fine." he sighed.

I knew that the two were going to the gas station for vastly different reasons.

When we arrived, Josiah and Rufus got out.
Rufus began getting ready to put gas in his truck and Josiah walked inside of the store.
I decided to join Josi just because I didn't want to sit in the truck by myself.

It was a small and empty station besides the homeless man that sat against the wall outside.

I watched Josiah stare at the guy behind the counter before walking down an aisle.
He wasn't as small as Josi's usual victims but he wasn't large either. But the size never mattered because either way, Josiah would still try to take him down.

"You want something while we're here?" he asked me as he poked at a bag of chips.
"Um...Can I have water?"
"Go ahead."
I went to the fridge and watched him go to the counter.

As I looked at the variety of water bottle choices, I could hear grunting, slamming, and rummaging around behind me.

I considered looking at the prices but that meant nothing since we never buy what we get from the gas station anyway.

All of the commotion behind me stopped after I'd grabbed a bottle of water. I turned around and saw Josiah counting money from the register.

"Five twenties. Six tens. Nine fives. And six ones. So that's-..."
"Two hundred and eleven." I answered.
He scoffed. "Yea, I'll take your word for it."
He walked around the counter and stuffed the money in his pocket before taking my hand and leading us out of the store.

Rufus sat in the truck waiting with the windows down.

"It took you that long to get some damn water?" he yelled out of it.
"I was havin' a talk with the cashier." Josiah lied as he opened the door.
I crawled inside and him after me.
"About what?" Rufus wondered.
"The cheapest stores near here."
"Damn, I could'a told ya that." Rufus replied and drove off.

____________________________________

"Now, I know you don't eat much, but when you do, is there anything you don't like?" Rufus asked me as we walked into the store.
"Um...I don't think so." I answered.
"Alright."
Josiah remembered something. "Oh I don't like-..."
"Shuuuut up." Rufus instructed and walked off with the cart.
I snickered to myself as Josiah sucked his teeth.

"Where do you wanna go first?" he asked.
"We need underwear again." I stated.
"Right...and we can get sweatpants and shirts while we're there."

We went to the men's section first since it was the closest.

"What size are you?" I wondered as I looked at the packages of underwear on the shelf.
These were so bland in comparison to womens underwear. At least ours were pretty colors. This was just grey and dark blue.

I realized I didn't receive an answer after I asked Josiah the question.

"Josi?" I called and kept looking.
Maybe the prettier ones were in the back.

Red. I guess that's fine.

I looked at him. "Josiah?" I called.

He was staring at something with a confused expression.

I walked over to him and looked in the same direction he looked in.

He was staring at some guy that was looking at the t-shirts on the racks.

I looked back at Josiah.
He looked equally sad and confused.

"Josi-...?" I called.
"He...He looks like my dad..." he stated. "He looks like Don..."

I looked back at the man.
He walked further to the back and we couldn't see him because of a large shelf in the way.

Josiah began walking over there.

"Josiah..." I called.
I followed behind him.

He turned the corner and so did I but he just stood there staring again.

The guy noticed and did a double take when he realized he was what Josiah was staring at.

"Um...Hey? Can I help you with somethin'?" The man asked.

I looked back at Josiah and he looked terrified.

"You even sound like him..." he said quietly.
He walked over to the man.

"Hey, buddy, what's goin' on?" the guy asked as he backed away slowly.

Josiah didn't answer before cocking back and swinging into the guy's face.

"Josiah!" I called.
He kept punching and soon slammed the man's face into one of the clothing racks.
He fell to the floor and Josiah just got on top of him and kept swinging with all of his might.

"Josiah, stop!" I shouted.
I tried pulling at his arm but he just pushed me off and kept swinging.
I didn't know what to do. I couldn't just sit here and listen to Josiah's fist smashing into this man's face.

I backed away and then remembered Rufus.
I quickly ran off to find him.

I ran throughout the store looking into every aisle.
I don't know how a middle aged man could get this far in such little time but I'd look more anyway.

Finally, I found him staring at seasoning.

"Rufus!" I called and ran to him.
"Yea, Leyla, what's the problem?" he asked and looked at a spice.
"Josiah!" I stated.
He looked at me.
"Josiah's beating up a man in the men's section!"
"What?!"
"I tried pulling him off but he won't stop!"

Rufus put the paprika back on the shelf and ran off.

I ran behind him.

We kept going until we'd find Josiah again.

"This way!" I told him.

When we got there, people surrounded them, taking videos and pictures of the show. I was shocked no one was helping the man.

Rufus pushed through and I saw him grab onto Josiah.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Josiah shouted. "GET THE FUCK OFF!" he commanded and tried pulling away Rufus's arms.
"FUCK YOU!!" he shouted at the stranger bleeding profusely on the floor. A swollen mess. "I HOPE SOMEONE FUCKING KILLS YOU, YOU PRICK!!"

Rufus successfully pulled Josiah out of the crowd as Josi cried.
Rufus turned him around and hugged him. One hand holding the back of Josiah's head while the other was on his back. Josiah cried into his shoulder and I stared at his bleeding knuckles hanging at his sides.

Rufus sighed. "We got some stuff to figure out, kid."