Bateman Automotive Shop, 5th and Grand Street, Conyers County, District Of Colombia...
Having made his way back to the auto shop, Charley took a few moments to compose himself not at all wishing to venture into the office with a prominent hard-on after Jennifer had gone through all that trouble to rile him up. He had wanted to get his money and leave as soon as possible with the memories of his time spent in this place, which had been more like a second home to the lost boy he used to be. The night he'd been arrested had been the single worst night of his life topping the night he'd been violated by the drunken hag that made her way into his bedroom. He was terrified for weeks after the encounter but nothing could have prepared him for what happened to him once the cops had carted him off to prison.
Charley shook off his memory of the rather unpleasant event as it had been enough to quell his erection as he entered the office for the first time in five long years. It still smelled of paint, grease, and sawdust for some reason and it nearly brought a smile to his face to recall all the familiar scents that had once made him feel very much at home. Even the lingering scent of damp wood and mildew had been what he'd welcomed as he moved through the heavy steel doors and ventured toward his former workstation where he'd fixed up quite a few cars in his time of employment, being a good mechanic had been the only thing he'd learned from his no-good drunken father between the beatings at least.
Charley sighed as he continued toward Carter's office unsure of what to expect when he picked up his last check and said goodbye to The Batemans for the last time.
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Carter's Office, Bateman Automotive Shop, 5th and Grand Street, Conyers County, District Of Colombia...
Being back in Carter's office, the place where he'd been accused of stealing all that money had been strange for Charley as he stepped past the doorway catching a glimpse of his former boss's secretary Katelyn Davers as she seemed to be doing her best scrambling to follow her latest set of orders from Carter to no avail. It had appeared that once he'd been inside Charley had walked in on Carter having something of a heated discussion with his secretary Katelyn as she did her best to explain to him that their distributor had been out for the day and wouldn't return until the next morning when her shift started.
"I need her to cut the check today," grumbled Carter in annoyance.
"Well she's out Carter nothing we can do about it," replied Katelyn matter-of-factly as she glanced in Charley's direction before taking her leave of them.
"Somethin' the matter I take it?" asked Charley with an arched brow.
"Diane's out for the day, some kind of family emergency so she ain't gonna be able to cut you, your check until tomorrow," said Carter in something of a somber mood. "Now I know you got plans to cash it and hit the road but hear me out at least for tonight."
Charley had already not liked where this was going. He had known all too well that The Batemans had been against him leaving but he'd made up his mind years ago to get as far away from them and D.C. as possible the first chance he got and he was going to stick to it, even if Diane Pritchard had delayed him into waiting a day.
"What is it?" asked Charley folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against the side of the office door he'd been fond of leaning on since he'd been a teenager when pondering something.
"Since we ain't gonna be able to get you the check tonight, I say you bunk at the house for the night and at least have a farewell dinner with the family, before you shove off and we might not ever see you again." reasoned Carter trying one last time to get Charley to change his mind about leaving.
"Carter..." began Charley more or less fed up with the whole thing.
"Listen it's just dinner for tonight and you get your check in the morning and can hit the road when you please, just...humor us one last time, especially Edna, you know she's always been fond of you...like a second son," said Carter laying all of his cards out on the table.
Charley sighed and shook his head.
"Not like I got much choice in the matter, lost my place years ago and you got my check so I don't have a place to spend the night without having to pay," he replied annoyed. "I ain't changin' my mind about leavin' but I do owe Miss Edna a proper goodbye for all she's done for me."
Carter seemed to nod in agreement with his words.
"Dinner it is then," he said hopeful.
"Yeah, I'll stay for dinner and spend the night at the old house but once my check is cut at first light I'm gone." Charley made it clear that he still intended to leave and there was no stopping him no matter how many Batemans attempted to delay the inevitable.
Charley made his way out of the office, just because he agreed to go to dinner didn't mean he had to sit at the auto shop all day. He decided to take a walk and see what had changed about the old neighborhood. He made a few friends here and there while living in this place and even made the trek around his old apartment, which already had new tenants.
He spent a good deal of time in there with Tiffany whom he had managed to buy the place for after saving up for so long. She was pleased to have a place to be with him that had actual working water and heat. Charley had wondered what it had been like if she'd stayed, how their lives would have turned out back then had she married him instead but decided to let it go as living in the past didn't do anyone any good least of all him when she'd clearly already moved on with a husband and a brand new kid.
While Charley had agreed to spend the night, there had been no doubt in his mind that it would be one of the longest nights of his life thus far. For all the time he spent with The Batemans, all Julian's stunt had done was reinforce the idea that he had only been an outcast, and because of it, he knew things would never be the same for any of them ever again.