tamingthemuse | Prompt #273 - Ink - As Yet, Forgotten - Tekia

Title: As Yet, Forgotten
Fandom: Original
Prompt: Ink
Warnings: none
Rating: G
Summary: Toby starts over, and his first step, is to get a new job.

Toby hadn’t had much of an adventurous life. He wasn’t one to jump before he leaped, and he wasn’t known for his daring escapades. It wasn’t that he was afraid of the unknown and exciting, but that he just never seemed to have the time.
His mother had been a sad woman, prone to illness and weak of body. Throughout his youth, it had been his grandfather that did most of the rearing, and his mother often begged their forgiveness for her faults. He never resented her, nor did he resent the time he spent with his grandfather.
His grandfather was a jolly old man. He had taught Toby to be happy, no matter what. His mother had some of that in her too, despite her constant illness. His youth had been full of bright laughter and mzany a day sitting out by the river with a fishing rod in hand.
His grandfather had worked much of his life as a carpenter. He taught Toby much before he died and it was that skill that brought Toby to his current position. He eyed the towers of papers stacked on the desk before him. He feared to breathe in this small room. One errant breath could send the whole thing toppling over.
The desk was covered completely save for a small blotter right in front of the seat. There were, aside from the stacks and stacks of papers, mugs and to go cups everywhere, pens that had leaked ink on the blotter and papers, and even a small plant all fighting for room on the tiny surface. The floor wasn’t much better. There were boxes everywhere, some haphazardly balancing on the sofa pressed up against one wall. Only a thin trail led from the door, to the desk, and to the small fridge at the other end.
He looked up from the papers to the man behind the desk. He was a lanky man, balding, and had a pair of thin wire frames perched on his nose. His eyes were lowered to Toby’s resume, scanning the page rapidly.
“The pay’s not too great, but you get to travel with us. We’ll pay your gas, of course.”
Toby nodded. “How long before you leave town?”
The man hummed low and lowered Toby’s resume. “Two weeks? Depends on how well our tickets sell. At the most, we’ll be here for three weeks.” The man narrowed his eyes at Toby. “We’re looking for someone to travel with us.”
Toby nodded his head. “I’m looking to get a permanent job.”
“Good, good.” He pulled up Toby’s resume again. “It says here you did office work prior to this?”
“Yes, I work for WT in the news room.”
“Why’d you quit?”
Toby had hoped he wouldn’t ask that question, but he supposed there was no way getting around it. He sighed and forced out, “I only got the job there because my ex was the boss’s daughter. We broke it off, and, well, I really couldn’t stay.”
“I see. Well, like I said, the work’s hard, and you seem to have the history here to say that you can do it.” He stood and knocked over a few leaves of papers. They fluttered down to the floor. He blinked down at them before dismissing them and coming around his desk.
Toby stood as well, careful not to also knock any papers off. Together, they made their way out of the stuffed trailer and back out into the bright daylight. The man led him through the mass of tents and fenced off pens that were full of animals not usually seen by the locals. There was one massive elephant that idly grazed on a bale of hay, a tiger dozing in the heat, and a llama watching them with wary eyes as its jaw moved slowly, chewing its hay almost as slowly as the elephant.
Sequestered amid the tents was another much smaller metal trailer. The manager fiddled with the keys on his ring before finding the correct one to unlock the door.
“This will be your work station. It’s not much, and the tools are old and used, but it’s all we got.”
Toby peered into the dark interior and his nose itched at the dust idly drifting through the air. It wasn’t so bad, he thought. He looked back at the manager, wishing he had paid more attention to the man’s name. “So, does this mean you’ll give me the job?”
The man smiled and tossed him the keys.