Someone had failed to teach him to be grateful.
They escorted him out to Grayson’s SUV and waved at Grandma. Smiling, she waved back at them.
“Did she tell you I was at her home?” Marty asked, sounding like he wanted to hold a grudge against the only person who had still been willing to take care of him.
“No, she didn’t. I always know where you end up, don’t I?” Kendra asked.
“I can’t believe she’s kicking me out of the house,” Marty said, sounding morose.
“She didn’t say that,” Grayson told him. “She just said that she wanted you to get a job.”
“Right. She’ll probably let you live with her until you earn enough that you can have a place of your own,” Kendra said. “You know she loves you.”
“I know, I know, it’s like tough love.”
“Yeah, it is,” Kendra said. “And you should have made an effort to get a job a long time ago, before it went this far. Do you even do any chores at home? Help your grandma out at all? Or do you just play your computer games, get drunk, drive, and get into trouble?”
“How often do you take out the garbage, do your own laundry, or help with the cooking?” Grayson asked. “Or even thank your grandma for all that she does for you?”
Marty squirmed in the backseat. “I thank her all the time.”
Grayson bet he didn’t. He didn’t even thank her for the apple pie. Since Marty didn’t mention doing his own laundry, taking out the garbage, or doing any other chores, he figured he didn’t do anything for himself or his grandma.
He suspected Marty didn’t straighten up his own bedroom either. “Hey, Kendra.”
“Yeah?”
“Have you ever arrested Marty when he was sleeping in his bedroom?”
“Yeah, a couple of times.”
“What did his room look like?”
“Hey, that’s not fair. My room would have been clean if I’d had prior notice.” Marty looked mutinous.
“His room was a disaster. Dirty clothes piled up all over the floor. I’m surprised he had clean clothes to wear.”
“Grandma would come and get them sometimes. That just wasn’t laundry day when you came for me.”
“It was never laundry day when I came for you. But you should have been doing your own laundry. Grayson’s right about that. You’ll get a job, you’ll do your own laundry, change out your own sheets, and keep your room and bathroom clean. You’ll take out the garbage, mow the yard, and shovel snow in the winter,” Kendra said.
“She hires someone to do that.”
“From now on, she doesn’t have to pay for it. You’ll do it,” Grayson said. “That will help to pay for your room and board. But a job will help too. And we’ll keep in touch with Grandma to make sure you’re keeping after it. That she doesn’t have to nag at you to do it.”
Marty leaned his head against the window and muttered something under his breath.
“What?” Kendra asked.
“Where did you pick this guy up?”
Kendra smiled and patted Grayson’s lap. “He was a real find and a half.”
“He’s a bad influence on you,” Marty grumbled.
Grayson laughed.
“Next, you’ll be telling me that I can come to work for you and you’ll keep me in line.”
