NEIL NEVER WANTED THE JOB

and you knew it, you had seen it on his face the day you said you could get him a job, you could never forget, because look at you, you never forget anything. Not the time your mom sewed those shorts and you had to wear them on the first day of school. Not the time Neil broke Justin's dad's Tom Petty's Damn the Torpedoes and said it was you. Not the time you threw the rock at that bottle-headed snake and accidentally crushed its head. If anyone remembered anything about anything at all, or the simplest proverb, they would call you The Elephant, but they don't, they just use you for stupid bar bets. Sometimes Neil calls you The Elephant, or after a mickey of cheap Ron Rico, Daniellephant, and, remember, only stupid people are hurt by what people say when they've been drinking, people don't mean that stuff, not when they're sober, not later, not the morning after, not after the phone calls, "What did I say? No, I didn't, I wouldn't, I'm sorry." Neil is always sorry. He's always convincing. Even when he says he doesn't mind working with you. Even when he says that and you never brought up work or working in the first place. Why are you supposed to be the one to quit? Why doesn't Neil quit, then? Get bent, already, Neil, just get B-E-N-T.