Chapter 148: Life Without John

With everyone standing behind him, John signed a one year lease on the house. He packed and left that afternoon. Bobby, Pastor Jim, and Caleb helped find some used furniture for the place.

Dean came home that afternoon and told everyone he'd found a job at a mechanic's shop. His dad had taught him well, and the pay wasn't bad. The three men gave Dean money for groceries, school supplies, and everything the two boys would need while living on their own.

They headed out that afternoon. Dean took Sam shopping. By the end of the week, both boys had the house livable and were contented to live there without their Dad.

On Saturday, Dean came home at four in the afternoon, covered with grease. He smiled and went to take a shower. After he had cleaned up, he told Sam to come with him.

"Where are we headed, Dean?"

"To a place that closes at five, so we need to hurry."

The Impala pulled up in front of a book store. Dean jumped out and said, "Come on."

"Dean?"

"Come on, Sam. You know a house isn't a home without books. There's some old bookcases in the attic. I thought we could fix them up and paint or stain them. We'd have a place for any books we buy."

"What do we do with them once Dad wants to hit the road again?"

"Leave them at Bobby's. The books here are all twenty-five cents to one dollar in range. I have thirty dollars so let's see what we can find."

The boys bought over one hundred books. They carried them out in boxes. Neither was sure what all they had bought. Dean pulled into the local lumber yard and bought a few tools, some wood glue, nails, and paint.

They spent the remainder of the day repairing three nice size book cases. One was left in the living room, and the other two went into their rooms.

By Sunday afternoon, the cases had books on them, and both boys were in their rooms, laying on their beds, reading.