11 Days of the Motherless Child

Today, for my readers, I give you the first piece of fiction here on The John Maxwell Blog. This little story is, as the title says, is "11 Days of the Motherless Child" and it's the backbone to what I hope will be the first serial story to be published on the blog. We now begin our story...

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It looked to be a normal day for Buck Owens Berline, age 23, as he walked his way to his job at Lowery's Market in his hometown of Buchanan, Michigan. As he walked, he had no idea what events were about to happen. He walked into the store at 8:00 am and took off his worn-out demim jacket. Under it was his red worker's vest that he got when he took the job over two years ago.
The radio in the store was playing away on a local county station. The stuff coming from the speakers is not Buck's favorite kind. He mostly listens to the songs of his famous namesake. His father had been a fan of Buck Owens and when his son was born, he felt to name his son after his favorite singer.
Now, this gave the boy a certain feeling about him, as he managed to have an above-average childhood. He met his best friend, Tuck Thompson, early, at the age of eight months. Buck and Tuck then spent the rest of their childhoods in one-two order. Buck was the leader and Tuck was the sidekick, to the point that Buck's father often called Tuck "Roy" after his son's namesake's famous sidekick.
After leaving high school, Buck and Tuck worked throught a small number of jobs before landing jobs at the market. For the last two years, Buck has watched the town grow and shrink with the economy. Buck takes little pleasure in his job. Anyway, that day, a Monday to be precise, was the beginning of a little adventure. That day, he began his job with the dispencement of money to the customers as he worked the cash register.
Meanwhile, Tuck worked away in one of the store's aisles, labeling the price onto the cans and putting them on the shelves. The morning went by without a thought. It was after lunch that the events began. At about 1:37 pm or so, a little boy of about 10 years of age came into the store and began to roam the shelves.
The boy wondered around as Buck looked on. The boy then proceeded to grab off the shelves about half a dozen items into a little paper bag he had brought with him. Then the boy brought the bag up to where Buck was and placed it on the belt. Buck then rang up the items as the boy got out the money to pay for it. The boy paid and then left the store.
Buck remarked in his mind on what an interesting sight that was but marked it off as another in a line of strange things about Buchanan, the little out-of-the-way town that people rarely visited. The next day, the boy returned to the store and bought only three items. As before last, Buck rang up the sales and the boy paid and left.
This continued onto a third day as the boy bought four items. The boy paid and left. By this time, Buck was beginning to wonder about the kid and decided that on the kid's next visit, he would talk to the kid. That happened the next day. This time, the kid came in and picked about five items and put them in his little paper bag. As Buck rang up the sales total, he got to talking.
"So, this is the fourth day you've been in here?" asked Buck.
"Yes, it is." said the boy in a Louisiana accent.
"How long have you been in town?" asked Buck.
"Since the hurricane forced us north." said the boy.
"Us? You live with someone?" said Buck.
"Yes, my mother." said the boy.
"Well, does she know what you are doing now?" asked Buck.
"Yes, I told her." said the boy.
"Well, here's your change. Now, give some of that to your mother." said Buck.
"I will. Thank you, sir." said the boy as he left.
At that moment, Tuck comes over to the register.
"What was that?" asked Tuck.
"A little boy. He's been coming in her for the last few days." said Buck.
"Well, that's a little strange?" said Tuck.
"Just ignore it." said Buck.
The next day, the boy came back and he and Buck talked again and learned that the boy about two blocks away. Buck remarks that that's a big distance to walk. The boy remarks that it isn't hard. The boy paid and left. Buck was beginning to suspect something about the boy, like he's not telling anything.
The boy comes in the next day and the next and always paid for his purchases, which doesn't raise Tuck's eye but it sure was beginning to raise Buck's. The boy then doesn't come in on the seventh day, Sunday. Buck wonders if the boy's mother caught him and punished him.
He soon got his answer when the boy returned on Monday. As Buck ring up the sales, Buck decided to question the boy's whereabouts.
"You weren't here yesterday?" asked Buck.
"I wasn't. I was in church. My mother told me to always go to church on Sunday." said the boy.
"My grandmother always wanted me to do the same thing but I never did." said Buck.
"Well, I went to church and prayed for my mother." said the boy.
"Why did you pray for her?" said the boy.
"Because she was in bed." said the boy.
"Well, if she was sick, I can understand." said Buck as he handed the boy his change.
"Many thanks, sir." said the boy as he left.
Buck soon went back to his work.
The following day, the boy came back and got only two items. Buck rang up the sales as he remarked to the boy about his small purchase. The boy paid and left. The next day, the boy didn't visit and Buck wondered about the boy.
"His mother must have caught him." remarked Buck to Tuck.
"He must have." said Tuck.
"I wonder about that boy. He comes in and pays for snack food. He must be sneaking it in." said Buck.
"Why haven't you seen the boy's mother?" asked Tuck.
"Because I'm a checkout line worker." said Buck.
"That must be it. The boy's mother doesn't know you exist." said Tuck.
"You're right. I know he'll be back, I know it." said Buck.
Buck was right in the fact that the boy returned. He returned the next day and this time, he plucked two dozen items off the shelves and placed them in his little bag. When the boy brought the bag up, the boy got out a credit card. This raised up a few questions in Buck.
"Does your mother know you took her card?" asked Buck.
"Not really." said the boy.
"Well, I can't let you charge this stuff to her card without her knowing. I could lose my job." said Buck.
"I'm sorry. Since my mother left, it's been hard." said the boy.
"You told me that your mother was in bed when I asked about her." said Buck. "She is in her bed and she's also gone to a better place." said the boy.
This finally raises up in Buck that something's amiss.
"Can I visit your house and see your mother?" asked Buck.
"Of course." said the boy.
Buck and the boy then walk all the way to the boy's house and walks inside and is comfronted with a mess. The house looks a little untidy and dirty. Dishes and snack wrappers lay on the floor. The television is on a children's show and the boy lead Buck all the way to the boy's mother's bedroom.
Buck opens the bedroom door and sees what the boy has been hiding for over a week. There, on the bed, is the boy's mother. Buck walks over and feels the woman's pulse. Buck finds none, which tells him that the boy's mother is dead.
"Your mother is dead?" asked Buck.
"She is. I found her one morning and I decided to keep her here. I used her money to buy stuff." said the boy.
Buck looks over the body and spots something unusual on the woman's stomach. There, in a small pile, is a pile of change.
"Why are there coins on your mother's tummy?" asked Buck.
"You told me to give some of the change to my mother. I felt she would need in heaven." said the boy.
"Boy, where she is, there is no money." said Buck.
As Buck stared at the body, she felt a feeling of wonderment at how the boy could keep his mother's death from others for 11 days, at least. The body was already beginning to smell, a smell that's hard to explain to a ten-year-old.
Buck, after five minutes, called in the police to collect the body. When the police questioned the boy, they found that the mother was home-schooling him and that her sudden death caused little grief to the boy. For 11 days, the boy had raised himself and had ate all the food in the house and the snacks he bought from the gas station were all gone.
The boy ended up in the custody of Berrien County and remained so until his aunt decided to raise him. Buck, meanwhile, continued with his job and had his own adventures but remembered somewhat of the boy who kept his mother's death a secret and never questioned her demise, something Buck felt would mark his passing, but that's a long time away.

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That concludes the story and the first piece of fiction offered on the blog. I hope that story gives you some idea of what fiction will be published here. Don't worry, the non-fiction will also be published, for life must have its day in court. Soon, I hope to use the two main characters here, Buck and Tuck, in the blog's first serial story, "Our Lady Singer of Buchanan", so keep an eye out for part one. Until the next posting, see ya later!