There wasn't much to worry about on the front porch compared to the back patio, but Henry Jenkins Senior showed his helper John Harper all there was to know about preparing a work area for painting, from using specially made blue painters' tape that would peel off easily to edge around trim and fixtures to how to properly position a drop cloth to cover where you were.
"The glue on this blue stuff is like what they put on the back of sticky notes, so it will come off easily. That's great to a point, but after you line the outer edge to be on the safe side, some things like door knobs and key holes you can still use the traditional masking tape. Besides, it's cheaper than the blue stuff," Henry added with a wink after John asked why he suddenly switched tapes in the middle of securing the front porch. "While we're not painting the front and back doors themselves, we do want to protect them."
Using the pour sprout on the 5 gallon plastic drum, paint was carefully poured into a plastic paint tray after the ladder was set up. "You never fill one completely, but you use the tray whenever possible because you won't lose as much paint as you would if you were going directly from the can if it falls off the ladder," Henry pointed out, while setting the tray carefully on the ladder's extended paint shelf.
"You always want to paint from top to bottom, no matter what you're working on, whether it's a house, wall, or even a personal picture," he explained. "Unfortunately accidents do happen so this way, if there's any runs or drips, you can always try to make sure that paint doesn't go to waste, unless it lands in an area where you want to use a different color or there shouldn't be any paint at all. Hopefully you secured that area carefully before starting if you're doing a project like this," he said, indicating the Johnstones' porch. "Otherwise, then you'll have to clean your mess up. Thankfully we don't have to worry about different colors on this project, because all we have is the weather proof sealant for the patio decking and the paint for the rest of the house."
John was paying close attention to everything Henry said, but didn't say anything in return.
His mind was still on... other things.
"Okay. Take this and paint around the porch light first," Henry instructed John, while handing him a paint brush. "Then, after we move the ladder accordingly to paint the wall and roof seams," said the experienced carpenter, "you can reposition it and paint around the door trim while I tackle the porch roof," he added, while putting an extension handle on his paint roller. "Some people prefer paint sprayers, but not me. You have to thin the paint enough for it to go through the sprayer system and that's not good in my opinion, especially on exterior work."
John just simply nodded and climbed the ladder.
"Ready?" Henry asked, turning the JENKINS CONSTRUCTION baseball cap he was wearing backwards, so the brim was behind him.
John copied the motion with the cap Henry gave him, and went to work.
"Not too thick. You only want to cover the wood," cautioned Henry.
Soon John thought he was done and was about to come off the ladder when Henry said, "You missed a spot."
John looked at his work again and saw that Henry's words were true. His paint lines along two of the light fixture sides didn't completely meet at the corner.
"Oops," said John, before correcting his mistake.
"Paint rollers cover a lot of ground more efficiently and make a job go quicker, but they aren't good for detail work like trim, which is why we paint that first with a brush," Henry pointed out.
"How about now?" asked John.
"Good. Come on down and let's reposition that ladder. We'll do this corner first, then you can go for the front door while I get to work," said Henry, knowing that they had taller ladders available to do the eaves when needed.
"Good to know you can still speak," Henry quipped, while removing the paint tray to a safe spot as John climbed down.
"Guess I have a lot on my mind," he admitted, helping Henry move the ladder.
"Can I ask what?" Henry said.
"Except for the Johnstones, there's nothing you don't already know about," was John's reply.
"What about them?" Henry asked.
"From what little I saw of them, Reginald and Frank seem happy," John pointed out, since he was unaware of and didn't meet their adopted son Tommy before he left for Moon Lake High.
"As far as I know, they are. But that's their business, not ours."
"True," agreed John, "but I know how my dad would react if he saw them, let alone the Twists. And that's as is, not furry."
"That's his problem," said Henry, knowing that they were covering old ground, but letting John speak his mind as he placed the refilled paint tray back on the ladder now that it was in place again.
"I know, and I'm not saying he's right, but no matter how much I disagree with him and how I feel about him, he's still my dad."
"I know. There were times when I didn't get along with my dad, but our issues were nowhere near as serious as yours. He was a die hard Yankees fan while I preferred the Mariners," recalled Henry.
"Huh?" asked John.
"You don't recognize baseball teams?"
"I know the names, but we weren't allowed to watch much TV beyond the news and religious programs. I just can't believe that the two of you had problems over something so... trivial," said John.
"Trivial?" Henry repeated in disbelief.
"You know what I mean. That's pretty minor compared to—"
"I realize that John," acknowledged Henry. "And I also want you to remember that it doesn't matter to any member of our family," he added, stressing that one word, "who or what you are or decide to be. Human, were. Straight, gay, bi. Except for your older brother not being here, you're among people who love and care about you no matter what, and don't you forget it."
"I haven't and I won't," promised John. "I just wish the things on my mind were easier to deal with. No 14 year old should have to—"
"I hate to break the news to you, but life doesn't get any easier at my age, but it sure beats the alternative," Henry said with a smile.
With that, John started tackling the lines created by where the walls and porch ceiling meet.
Henry watched the young Harper boy work. A novice, but with time and practice he does have a future. Maybe Huck can hire him one day?
"I've done all I can here," announced John a few minutes later. The porch corner wasn't that big, so he was able to safely reach everything without moving the ladder again.
"Okay. Let's move it over so you can do the other half and around the top of the door trim. After that you can finish all the trim on foot, then set up the other roller to start tackling these porch walls while I continue on the ceiling," suggested Henry.
Once paint was being applied to wood again, Henry asked, "If it's any of my business, are you still having those weird dreams?"
"Sometimes," admitted John. "The only consistent points in any of them are Ginger O'Toole, a male weretiger about my age that I've never met and don't even know who it is, and that there always seems to be a situation where I have to choose between the two of them."
"Choose how?" wondered Henry.
"I always wind up having to decide either which one I want to usher me into were society or I'm already a weretiger and have to decide which one I want to spend the rest of my life with."
"That's pretty deep," acknowledged Henry.
"Yeah," conceded John. Then he got lost in thought for a bit as he continued painting.
Henry figured when he was ready, John would speak again.
Which wasn't until the two of them were almost finished giving the Johnstones' front porch its first coat of paint.
"I like her," said John in a low voice, breaking the silence.
Henry, having switched from the ceiling to the porch walls, just stood there, waiting to see what else he might say.
"She's the first. Actually, the only friend I have in Moon Lake."
"I'm sure that will change in time," Henry pointed out.
"Perhaps," agreed John. "Something keeps telling me that Ginger will always be in my life, but I'm not sure how. As a friend? Something more serious?"
"Until you come to that point, I'm afraid there's no real way of knowing," conceded Henry.
"There are times when I wish Stephen had kept quiet about how he felt about me," admitted John, referring to the boy back in Alabama that confessed being in love with him. "Then there's other moments when I wish we could have found a way to figure all of this out without my dad's overbearing zealousness making me afraid of even my own shadow. If I just knew who and what I am..." said John, wiping his eyes to keep from crying.
"I'm certainly not going to try and defend the man, but for what it's worth, it's not easy being a parent," replied Henry, looking at him and taking in their surroundings. "Listen, I can finish up what little there still is to do here. Why don't you go around and start preparing the back patio for its first coat, and I'll be right behind you in a bit."
"Okay," agreed John Harper, before leaving for the rear of the Johnstones' house.
Your father better be glad he's back in Alabama, because if he was still here in Moon Lake, I'd kick the shit out of him for all the hell he put you children through! swore Henry Jenkins Senior. When we get home for the day and I have a chance to do so privately, maybe I should have a chat with Jenny about getting you an appointment with Frances Twist.
TO BE CONTINUED...