Tuck Sinn

19

The sunlight grew hotter, and the paint dried in some spots and he kept painting in others. He just wanted to be done and go hang out with Becky, or be done and take a nap.

His eyes tired of seeing the white of the paint and the harshness of the sun. Aunt Polly checked in at some points, nodding or shaking her head, and then left Tom to his work again.

It must've been around lunchtime when Amy and Joe and them came by, walking down the street. Becky wasn't with them.

"Hey, guys." Tom said as they approached. He met eyes with Amy for a second, and a nervousness wobbled and tipped in him. "Amy," He put his arm down and turned to her, swallowing. The whitewash dripped off the brush. "I talked to Becky. Thank you; it means a lot." He said, smiling nervously. Amy nodded, and a dullness was brought to her eyes. She blinked it away and smiled back.

"Did it for you, Tom. Sorry about it happening in the first place." She said, and Tom shrugged. A discomfort was brought to the air. Tom could tell that Amy was sad, but then against she hardly let it show, like she was holding it back. They all looked at each other in silence for a moment. Tom wasn't sure if they knew what happened, but... They probably did. He didn't want to talk about it anymore, anyway.

"Say, Tom, you whitewashing?" Ben Rogers asked from the back of the group. The air was picked back up again, and Tom nodded, turned back to the fence.

"My favorite past-time." Tom said, continuing. "What brings you all over here?" Tom asked, dipping the brush back in the paint.

"We're walking, is all. Wanted to see them set up the fair." Ben said.

"The fair? When's that?" Tom asked, glancing briefly to them.

"It's today, Tom." Someone else said, and Tom's thoughts were moving past the voice already.

"Oh." Tom said. He already had too much to do to go.

"You forgot? It's all Amy's been talking 'bout." Joe said. Tom shook his head. Sighed. He needed to go for Becky, but... He couldn't.

"I gotta whitewash this fence. I ain't even halfway done-- but I hope you all have fun." Tom ran his empty hand through his hair.

"Well, shucks, Tom." Ben said. "Becky's been looking forward to this for weeks!" Ben scratched his face.

"I know." Tom replied disappointedly. This would've been perfect for getting things back to normal.

"Say, grab another brush and let me whitewash a little." Ben said.

"Yeah, we ain't had anything to do all day. We can help you out." Joe said.

"Aunt Polly might give me a whipping." Tom replied. "But..." He needed this. "Oh, alright. Thanks, you guys." Tom said. He set down the brush he had been using and went to the back of the house. He looked around and grabbed a few more brushes. He moved quickly, but--

"What're you doing, Tom?" Sid asked, coming outside.

"None of your business, Sid." Tom said. But a nervousness rose in him; if Sid found out, Aunt Polly would hear of it in seconds. "But if you gotta know, my brush broke. So I had to fetch me a new one." Tom said. Sid frowned, looked away. Went back inside, and the pounding in Tom's heart continued. He wasn't sure Sid believed him.

But then he heard Sid go up the creaky stairs, satisfied and bored with Tom's answer. Tom got some brushes and hurried back to the fence.

"I got a debt to you guys." Tom shook his head, handing them brushes. Amy stood and watched them paint.

"Oh, it ain't even work." Ben said.

They dipped their brushes into the whitewash and started painting. The paint dried as they conversed, and they made multiple layers.

The fence was starting to look better than it ever had, even with the drips of paint on the ground by it.

They talked and laughed quietly as they painted, and Amy kept the conversation going when everyone else was focused on whitewashing. It was better company than being by himself, Tom thought. It was good he had them to rely on, even with everything that's happened.

The job went by faster than it should've, and within an hour or so of the hot day's sun, they were done. They handed their brushes back to Tom.

"So you'll come, right?" Joe asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll come. I'll head down there with Becky in an hour or a few."

"We better be on our way, then. They're probably mostly set up by now." Amy said, lightly kicking a foot against the dirt in wait.

"See you guys. Thanks again." Tom said, taking the brushes and the buckets to the back of the house. He washed the brushes off and put everything away. His clothes had some specks of paint on them, but that would just make Aunt Polly feel better about him doing the painting.

Tom went inside the house, and wandered until he found Aunt Polly sitting on a chair in the living room.

"Aunt Polly, I'm finished." Tom said. He could hear Sid leave his room and listen at the top of the stairs, and Tom glanced at him, glaring. Sid smiled tensely and bitterly back.

"Already, Tom?" She asked, getting up. She set the teacup and tea tray she had been holding down onto a nearby table. "Let's see it. I told you, don't come to me if it's not done."

"Oh, it's done, Aunt Polly. Put my sweat and tears into it."

"Yeah, right." Sid said, an edge to his voice. He came down the stairs, following Tom and Aunt Polly to see the fence. Tom had a smile on his face as he walked, leading them to the fence.

The sun hit their backs with a heat, and on Tom's already sun-worn face, it burned. But he stood still, watching Aunt Polly and Sid inspect the fence.

"Well, Tom, it looks great." Aunt Polly said. She walked slowly around it, seeing the fresh white on the whole fence. "Good job, boy. You're free to go do as you want, now, but... Just don't bother Judge Thatcher."

"But Aunt Polly!" Sid's voice had a swing, a whine, to it. Aunt Polly shushed him.

"I won't, Aunt Polly." Tom smiled. He walked back inside, bumping into Sid as he walked past.

"Aunt Polly, didn't you see that?"

"Hmm? See what, Sid?" Aunt Polly asked, turning from looking at the fence. Tom walked quicker inside, a lightness to his bounding steps.

"Why, you must be old and blind if you didn't see Tom knock into me just then!"
The air froze for a moment.

"Old and blind? Why, Sid!" Tom could hear Sid suck in a breath. "Oh, how dare you! Go on up to your room, boy!" She said. Tom could just barely hear it from the house, but still it made him smile.

He walked up those creaking steps to his room, ready to get changed out of these dirty clothes.