FOE Family First Chapter 32 I Have an Idea
In the setting sun, the neatly trimmed lawn was stained with a layer of yellow. Tony, with a pair of shoes covered with mud, sat on the steps in front of his house with a tired face, holding a cigarette and looking blankly at the family mailbox on the street.
His girlfriend Ashley sat beside him, rested her head gently on Tony's shoulder, turned his arm, and let Tony hold her in his arms.
This is the scene Tommy Hawke sees when he returns to his home after two months away from work at the dock. Although the colors are warm, the expressions of the two people do not capture the warmth and romance that should be there, but rather a sense of sadness.
"What happened?" Tommy Hawke's heart tightened slightly, and he asked subconsciously.
Hearing Tommy Hawke's voice, Tony's eyes moved and he looked at his brother on the street. He put away his lonely expression and smiled: "Why are you back? Did the Soviet Union suddenly attack the United States? Are you going home to pack your bags and ask us to flee together, Tommy?"
Tommy didn't answer, but asked again, "What happened?"
"Mr. Thomas killed the dog he had raised for many years, then put a shotgun to his chin and pulled the trigger on himself." Ashley said sadly beside him: "Tony just went to help Mr. Thomas dig a grave in the cemetery."
Tommy Hawke breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing his action, Tony and Ashley looked at him with strange eyes.
"From the looks on your faces just now, I thought Dad had shot Mr. Thomas with a shotgun." After learning the truth, Tommy said to the two of them frankly.
Tommy Hawke was no stranger to the name Mr. Thomas . His neighbors on this street, poor unemployed people at the bottom of society, had a fate even more miserable than that of the Hawke family.
Thomas had a back injury, but it was not classified as an industrial injury, so he could not get any compensation or subsidies. After he lost his job, his back injury made it impossible for him to even do heavy physical work or odd jobs to earn money. His wife and children simply left him, leaving him with only a hound to live with him in an empty and shabby room. Several years of lonely life made him eccentric, irritable and alcoholic. When Tommy heard the news of this man's death, the first thing he thought of was that he was relieved.
"Dad said it's a pity about the hound." Tony looked up and said to Tommy Hawke.
Tommy Hawke shrugged and walked towards Tony. Ashley kissed Tony on the cheek and stood up from the steps. "I'll get you and Tommy something to drink."
Then he walked into the house, leaving the space to the two brothers.
"Thank you, Ashley." Tommy Hawke sat next to Tony and looked at the family mailbox with him.
Tony fixed his eyes on his brother's profile: "Shouldn't you be preparing to study hard for the college entrance exam?"
Tommy looked at Tony and said, "Remember when I said I was going to bring Bethea home before college? I have a plan."
Then, to Tony's astonishment, Tommy told him about his plan to sell cigarettes to Canada.
After Tommy Hawke finished speaking, Tony shook his head and said, "Brother, you can borrow 40,000 yuan from Aunt Melonie? God... I didn't think Aunt Melonie would trust the Hawke family so much. What is your purpose in telling me now? Do you want me to help you?"
"Of course, but you can't tell Dad. Dad is a heavy drinker and a big mouth. If you tell him, the whole city of Warwick will know about it. I can't do it alone. Aunt Melanie is a woman. She can't do something alone. I need your help." Tommy Hawke said to Tony seriously.
Tony frowned: "I don't know whether I should help you, Tommy. It's not that I don't want to help you, but... I need to think about it, because I still don't understand it very well. Simply put, what do you need me to do?"
"Either you go to Yarmouth and find a buyer to call me according to the method I told you, or you wait for me in Warwick to call me in Yarmouth, and then drive a fishing boat to process and ship the goods. I originally wanted to control this matter to be completed with only Aunt Melonie and I knowing about it, but I found that Aunt Melonie was too nervous. She is a good person, but she has never done such a thing. Her mind is full of fantasies of gang wars and police chases. In this state, she can't accomplish anything independently, whether it's staying in Yarmouth or going out to sea. But she recently regarded herself as my guardian and refused to let me go to Yarmouth alone." Tommy Hawke took out a cigarette, handed it to Tony, and said with a smile.
Tony hesitated and took the cigarette: "I need to think about it. Seriously, Tommy, I need to think about it. When are you going to do this?"
"Get it done before Mother's Day." Tommy Hawke lit the lighter and the flame rose between the two brothers.
Tony nodded with emotion, then he and Tommy came forward and lit the cigarette in his mouth. He exhaled the smoke and said to Tommy, "Brother, I always thought you were a selfish bastard, but now, whether you can make money or not, I take back this idea. Let me think about it and tell you the answer tonight."
Tommy Hawke had just returned to the apartment when he received a call from Tony. During the call, Tony agreed to go to Yarmouth by him. Tommy gave him the phone number of the Italian guide he got from the Ezio Brotherhood, and asked him to remember to state his identity as he had instructed when he arrived in Yarmouth and was received by the other party, so that it would be easier to find a buyer. He would wait for him to call, take cash to the processing ship to pick up the goods, and then head north. If this plan went well, it would take nineteen hours from going out to sea to completing the transaction and returning home safely.
"You told Tony the whole thing," Melonie said after she heard Tommy talking on the phone and waited for him to hang up.
Tommy looked at Melonie and nodded, "You're not used to doing this kind of thing, Aunt Melonie."
"From the moment I insisted on accompanying you to Portland?" Melonie frowned. "I was just worried about you."
"I know, but don't worry now. I have handed over the most dangerous job you can imagine, dealing with smuggled cigarette dealers, to my adult brother. You know Tony, he is very reliable." Tommy Hawke said to Melanie.
Melonie's face tightened. "Although I feel relieved that I don't have to deal , I still have to say that your behavior is very hurtful, Tommy Hawke. You don't trust me enough. To be honest, I almost went to the gun store to learn shooting just to accompany you to Portland to meet the cigarette dealer."
"I just want to be sure, but the way you show it to others shows that you want everyone to know that you have changed from a substitute teacher to Charlie's Angels." Tommy poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Melanie:
"I know this decision disappoints you, but don't worry, I need your help with something else, and I can still rely on you now because I can't get involved. I can only rely on you, Aunt Melonie. Does this sound like it will make you feel better?"
Melonie took the coffee, stared at Tommy Hawke and said calmly, "Maybe. You'd better not treat me casually, Tommy."
"Remember what I said about having to pay taxes if you make money? I have an idea," Tommy said to Melanie.
