Finding a job was harder than Sean realized. It seemed that nobody wanted to hire him, and if there was a job that was available for Sean, the hours were obscenely long or just didn't fit with his schedule. Unless Sean wanted to tend a bar from eleven to two, there was no optimal place he could find a job to take. He even subjected himself to the old fashioned want-ads in the local newspaper, but no luck. But if he were an experienced cleaning maid or knew how to fix up cabinets, Sean wasn't going to get a job anytime soon.

     He deliberated, contemplated, and lost almost all of his entire weekend night's sleep on the thought of getting a job. Any job would be nice. Even if he had to clean gutters Sean would be open to the idea now. Sean wiped his forehead, clearing the perspiration that had creeped out of his pores and onto his brow while he thought. Sean shook his head, watching the shadow of a tree branch fluttering on his wall. The lazy Sunday afternoon was coming to a close and Sean hadn't found anyway out of his unemployment stick.

     Sean chuckled, rolling over onto his stomach. He wasn't even in college yet and he was already getting gray hair over a job. Sean frowned. Of course he was getting gray hair. Who wouldn't? According to the family lawyer, what lay in store for the family was the brink of bankruptcy, and possibly even worse, if Sean let his imagination run wild. But he wouldn't have to. His worst fears would all come true only he did one thing.

     Nothing.

     Sean stood, unable to look away from the incessant fluttering of the shadow the tree branch outside cast onto his white wall through the window. Sean sniffed and stepped off his bed, on his way to the living room. He had a phone call to make. Just then Emily stepped in front of Sean, right in the doorway. Her hair was mussed and her red rimmed eyes hinted that she might've been crying.

     "Sean?"

     Sean kneeled down to his sister's eye level. The uneasy squelching feeling rose in him again, just seeing his sister in emotional pain.

     "Yeah Em?"

     Emily's eyes were wide and had a half crazed look, which unsettled and scared Sean all at the same time.

     "Where's daddy?"

     Sean's scalp tingled.

     "Where's daddy?" Emily repeated, her voice sounding hollow and empty with every word that came out of her mouth. She looked over Sean's shoulder, as if Sean Senior was in the room.

     "Didn't he come back from his business trip?"

     Sean shook his head vigorously, feeling the rims of his eyes itch.

     "No... no he didn't." Sean said, choking on his own words. Emily walked towards him listlessly, her eyes glazed over and her brows scrunched together. Her lip quivered, and the shine in her eyes made Sean pause for a second. It was a pleading cry. An inaudible cry for help that screamed outwards from her eyes, crying to Sean.

     Sean inhaled shakily before answering. "Daddy... dad didn't..." Sean's mouth became dry, and he could feel the lump growing in his throat as his voice cracked. "Dad won't be... dad isn't coming back..."

     As Sean said those words, Emily's dazed stare became a shocked expression. A subtle, yet identifiable wide eyed stare that drilled its way into Sean's mind.

     "Sean..." Emily began to shake and then fell forward to hug her big brother. "I'm sorry." she cried shakily into Sean's shoulder.

     "No, no-" Sean shook his head, pulling Emily back and staring her in her grief stricken eyes. "You don't need to be. It's okay. It happens." Sean tried to stop his voice from cracking, but he couldn't. He could feel Emily's frail body in his arms tremble and Sean felt his heart crumble.

     "It's okay, Em." Sean whispered over her muffled crying. "It's gonna be okay."

     ~~~

     "You okay?" Harry asked on the other side of the line.

     "Oh, hi Harry." Sean said, coming out of his blank stare. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

     "You don't sound fine."

     Sean sighed, wiping the corner of his mouth with the edge of his sleeve.

     "Don't worry about me." Sean lied. "I'm really worried for Emily."

     "What?" Harry exclaimed. "Why? What happened?"

     Sean rubbed the corner of the telephone case, his eyes running along the aged plastic.

    Sean shook his head, "She forgot again."

     "Oh..." Harry's voice trailed off. "Really? How bad is it?"

     "Uh, it was exactly like last time." Sean sniffed, wiping his nose. "Woke up crying. Totally forgot."

     Sean exhaled deeply, changing the subject. "But that's not why I called."

     "Oh?"

     "Harry, can you do something for me?"

     "Yeah, anything. Shoot."

     Sean looked towards Emily's room, knowing she would be in there. He could almost see her, lying down on her bed and crying her eyeballs out. It wasn't as much the pain of losing her father, but Sean knew that she was embarrassed--humiliated, even--that she forgot her own father's death.

      Sean rubbed his temples and faced away, towards the kitchen.

     "I need you to get me a job. Any kind of job."

    There was a short pause on the other end from Harry.

     "Okay... but how could I help?"

      Sean licked his lips. "I just need you to get the word out that I'm willing to work for anybody, for any job."

     Another long pause, except this time Sean could hear Harry's breathing.

    "And Harry?"

     "Yeah, Sean?"

     Sean pursed his lips, hearing the garage door opening. His mother was home.

     "Get me any job." Sean continued, looking towards the door leading to the garage. "And I don't care if it's legitimate."

     ~~~

     That night Sean barely ate. Even though his mother had bought his favorite take out Chinese dish, Sean's stomach told his mouth that it didn't care for noodles and chopped chicken that evening. The table was more quiet than usual; nothing except but solemn glances from each other until Mary decided to break the monotonous atmosphere.

     "So, Sean," Mary began, noticeably glancing at Sean's untouched plate. "How was job hunting?"

     Sean stared down at the spoon in his hand, looking at his warped and inverted reflection.

    "Oh, you know." Sean said distantly, putting down the spoon. "Nothing. Unless I become a four-star cook overnight, I don't see any job applications..." Sean's voice trailed off as he pursed his lips.

      Mary tilted her head. "Don't be too worried, Sean. If you can't find one right now that's okay. No need to rush."

     Sean looked up to stare at his mother, shaking his head.

     "But what about the bill-"

     Mary tilted her head forward, glaring at Sean as split seconds before the word came out of his mouth. Sean had rarely been given this look by his mother, but when she did give it, Sean knew that he should really shut up.

     An awkward pause was cut short by the phone ringing, to which Sean took the cue to excuse himself from the table.

      "What was Sean talking about, mom?" Sean could hear Emily say as he walked away from the table and towards the phone. His mother's voice was drowned out once Sean picked up the phone and answered it.

     "Hello?"

    "Sean? Is that you?" Harry's voice said on the other side.

     "Yeah, it's me." Sean replied. "What's up?"

     "I wanted to tell you that I found you a job." Harry's excited tone elevated Sean's spirit immediately.

    Sean's heart raced slightly as he looked back to the kitchen table and his mother and sister talking in the dining room. He turned away from them and replied, "Wow. That was incredibly quick. What's the job?"

     "Okay, ready?" Harry asked, rather unneededly in Sean's opinion. "It's a pretty good paying job, actually. When it came around to asking my dad for any job openings, he instantly had one. He said-"

     "Harry!" Sean hissed into the receiver. "What's the job?"

     "Promise you won't overreact?"

      Sean sighed a heavy, guttural note into the phone. Whenever somebody told someone else not to overreact, the news that was coming usually boded very ill for the person on the receiving end. So when Sean was delivered this completely cliche line, he squeezed the phone so hard he couldn't feel his fingertips.

     Sean cleared his throat, breathing slowly.

      "What is it, Harry?"

      "Well," Harry paused, which further annoyed Sean. "It's a job application for this old man in his museum. He needs a custodian."

      Sean blinked. He frowned, counted to ten, and then licked his lips before he answered.

      "Sounds good." Sean affirmed, rubbing his brows. "Any details you got about the job? Like, what are the regular work hours and all that stuff?"

      "Yeah, it's all cool," Harry assured over the phone. "It fits with what you've told me, about your school schedule and all. There's just one thing."

     "What is it?" Sean asked warily, feeling a deep, sinking feeling in the pit of his gut. Sean could hear the tone in Harry's voice that the rest of the information he was about to give wasn't going to be good.

     "You've got to be twenty-one and over." Harry said slowly, and then exhaled. Sean looked up at the ceiling, rolling his lower jaw a bit.

     "That's hardly good news, Harry." Sean replied, putting a hand on the phone base. "That's-that's completely useless to me!" He whispered harshly.

     "Hey, hold on now," Harry interjected. "Don't get so fussy. I haven't told you the good part yet."

     Sean sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm brimming on the edge with excitement."

    "My dad told me that the old man told him that the position's been open for so long now, he just might bend a few rules."

     Sean titled his head, nodding slowly. "Ohhh. Okay then. Sure, contact him that I want to apply."

     "So you'll take the job?" Harry's voice asked, sound unusually astounded.

     "Sounds like a good deal." Sean shrugged. "It should be an easy job."