Walking a Fine Line: Day 12

Word Count: 72,102

Summary of Events:

Having come up with a way to get himself into Mr. Varley's apartment, Joseph considered his options for getting the day off work, and eventually concluded that he had to tell the Żbikowskis that he had a sickly relative who was falling ill, even though he didn't, before eventually he would tell them that the relative had died and he'd need a day off for the funeral. Conversely, to explain the day off to his family, he decided to use the same story in reverse, so after telling the Żbikowskis about his 'sick relative' at work, he disclosed the same thing at home…

Excerpt of the Day:

“Well, apparently Mrs. Żbikowski has some family here in Chicago, and one of her cousins is sick,” Joseph lied. “This cousin has always been somewhat sickly and weak, so it’s not entirely surprising, but this time it seems especially serious, so they’re worried.”

“Oh,” Theresa said, looking still sober, but yet relieved, making it clear that she’d been fearing something that might affect his income.

“That’s very serious,” Ma said. “What is the illness?”
“I don’t know,” Joseph replied. “It wasn’t mentioned.”

“And they don’t think she’s going to make it?” Ma asked.

“Well, they’re not sure yet,” Joseph replied. “There’ve been a few close calls in the past, but the older a person gets, the harder it is for them to recover, and I understand this cousin to be several years older than Mrs. Żbikowski.”

Ma nodded.

“They would be going to the funeral, I would presume,” Brighid said.

“If there is a funeral,” Joseph replied. “Undoubtedly.”

“When might it be?” Brighid asked.

“Her cousin isn’t even dead yet!” Joseph exclaimed. “Who knows when the funeral’s going to be before the person is even dead?”

“Might it be in the middle of the week?” Brighid asked.

“It all depends on if — or when — the person dies!” Joseph exclaimed. “As you should well know!”

“You don’t have to yell,” Brighid snapped.

“It would help if you were less irritating,” Joseph snapped back.

“I simply would like to know if you’re going to be getting a day off of work for the funeral,” Brighid retorted. “Is that too much to ask?”

“When there’s no guarantees that anybody’s dying, yes,” Joseph replied irritably.

“Well when there is a funeral, I would like to know,” Brighid declared somewhat haughtily. “As I have a list of things for you to get done around here.”

“How sympathetic of you,” Joseph muttered.

“You don’t sound as if you know this relative personally,” Brighid snapped. “Why should you attend the funeral?”

Joseph closed his eyes and put his forehead into his hand, sighing with frustration.

“I never said I was going to any funeral that might be happening anytime in the near future,” Joseph replied. “I don’t even know of any funerals happening in the near future. I was simply stating that you seem to be quite sympathetic.”

“To whom?” Brighid demanded.

“The Żbikowskis,” Joseph replied. “Their relative isn’t even guaranteed to die and you’re already planning the funeral!”

“If this relative is weak and sick it’s really only a matter of time,” Brighid said.

“What if it were Ma?” Joseph challenged.

“What?” Brighid asked, looking massively suspicious.

“What if Ma were weak and sick and you were told that somebody was practically planning her funeral for her?” Joseph pressed. “Would you appreciate the kind of comment you just made?”

Brighid pursed her lips.

“That’s what I thought,” Joseph declared. “You wouldn’t appreciate someone talking that way about Ma, therefore I don’t think it’s terribly sympathetic of you to go talking that way about the Żbikowskis’ relative, even if this relative is in poor health. And that’s to say nothing of why you’re even saying such things.”