Of Men

Of Mice and Men - Epilogue

"You hadda, George. I swear you hadda. Lennie's better off this way, trust me," Slim repeated for the third time to a silent George.

"It's awright Slim, he's dead, there ain't nothing no one can do about it," George finally replied.

The two men were walking through a path among the sycamores and willows, back to the bunkhouse. The other men on horseback were already in there and, by the sound of it, talking about what happened that afternoon. Slim stood in the doorway, waiting for George. But George turned away; he couldn't face anyone yet.

" 'ere, give that Carlson back his gun. I don't want nothing to do with it," said George, tossing the gun in his hand towards the tall man.

----------

It was after supper when Crooks finally sat down to apply liniment on his back. Noiselessly a lean man appeared in the doorway of his room. Crooks looked up at the man, shivering, taking his hand out of his shirt. The liniment was kept aside.

"Ay, I 'eard about the big guy durin' dinner. You weren't there, the boss was askin' ya know."

"Yeah, I left. Couldn't stand none o' the noise tonight. Thought I'd set in the hay barn, bu' it's cold there. I seen your light. S'okay, I ain't gon' bother you, jus' set in the quiet," George said, his voice rough through lack of use.

Crooks settled himself more comfortably on his bunk, picking the liniment back up from where it was resting on the table.

"Set down," he invited,"set down on the nail keg."

George sat himself quietly, as Crooks quietly continued rubbing his back, he looked around the room trying not to think about the last time he entered here.

"Crazy bastard," came a low whisper. Crooks was long gone to sleep as George sat on the floor of his warm room.

"Tol' him not ter mess abou' with anyone an' he forgot. He always forgets, the god damned fool." George's eyes glistened with held back tears.

---------

A few groans were let out as Crooks woke up to the rooster's call. He looked towards the spot he saw George sitting at last, finding it empty.

"Course' he woulda come back. He'da always come back for the big guy," Crooks whispered to himself, remembering the conversation he had with Lennie a couple of days back. He remembered how Lennie thought it was impossible that George wouldn't return to him. He was right.

"That bitch had no business goin' abou' in between those two," came bitterly out of Crooks mouth, surprising him a little.

----------

"Oi George! The boss wants ter speak to you!"

Sweating from all the heaving, George made to move towards the big house where the boss was. He caught Candy's eye, who gave him a half smile and a nod, turning back to his work.

It was after midnight that George finally settled on a bed back in his own bunk house. He'd left Crooks' room somewhere during the night, wandering across fields before he couldn't stand to hear Lennie's last words in a loop in his head anymore.

"I gotta. We gotta."

"Let's do it now. Let's get that place now."

No, he couldn't hear that voice anymore. He made his way back to the bunk house, through the willow path he had returned from with Slim that very afternoon.

He didn't know why he came back to the riverside. Maybe he expected to find the body even when outside the bunk house, he heard Whit say that he and Carlson tossed it into the river so no animal might find it.

It was dark, George made his way noiselessly through the snoring men, to the farthest bed in the shed. Far from Lennie and his.

Work went on as usual that morning. Except for a few solemn nods and ignored attempts to talk by the other men and even Slim, George was left alone to his thoughts. Fortunately, Bucking barley came naturally to him, which meant his mind was free to wander. Unfortunately.

The call by the boss was almost like his saving grace as his mind replayed events from their childhood, mostly George playing pranks on Lennie.

"Milton! What's this I hear about that cousin o' yours havin' kicked the bucket?"

"Yeah, he's dead. Accident wi' the guns," George replied cautiously.

"You don't need to pull nothing over me Milton, Curley's told me everything."

"Wha' everything?"

"Abou' how yer cous' did away with that tramp an' you killed him. Never liked her much anyways. More peace without her 'round here. Say, you want me to arrange a funeral for him?"

"No. There ain't no need for no such fancy stuff. I'm willin' to carry on workin' 'ere."

"Awright, then. That's all."

George left without a word, not to the field as it was nearly lunchtime, but to the bunk house to freshen up. Candy was apparently waiting for him, as he approached him hesitatingly in case George wasn't in the mood to talk.

But George was in a good mood, knowing that he wasn't going to get sacked eased him a little.

"Say, George, I know it's 'ardly been a whole day, bu', I was thinkin' abou' the land you was gonna have. I mean, Lennie'd hav' wanted us to get a fatta' the lan' right?

"Yeah, I've been savin' up, a couple months more an' we're outta here."

This was clearly not what the old man expected to hear, as he showed by dropping his hat on the floor that was covered with stray grass and hay.

George turned to Candy.

"Oi, you're still up for it aren' ya. We both can still pool in an' get that piece o' lan' before the harvesting season. Maybe we can save up mor' an' keep the money for other stuff. What d'ya say, Candy? Roll up a stake an' live offa that fatta the lan'. Orchards, pig pens, cottages, chicken runs, smoke house...a patch for alfalfa, an' I'll feed the rabbits, damn right I'll feed them suckers! An' maybe we'll ge' a dog, maybe two..." George was now talking to himself more than to Candy, who just nodded, lost in his own daydream as soon as a dog was mentioned. A sudden light had come into George's eyes as he talked about the rabbits and the puppies and dogs, almost as if Lennie was never gone.

It was a tribute to the mouse whom the man killed.

----------

END

----------

A/N

Hi there.

Well, I wrote this a couple years ago for my English class and found that it's not as cringe-worthy as I remembered so here you go. 

I'm gonna presume you've read the book first if you're reading this. It is an epilogue. If not though, then... spoiler alert? (oopsies)

OK bye,

Gaagul :)