the gift that kept giving
for @corrodedcoffinfest day 11 prompt 'ashtray'
rated t | 910 words | cw: smoking mentions | tags: good uncle wayne munson, wayne pov, time skips, corroded coffin origins and eventual fame
Wayne had just quit smoking. He didn’t have the heart to look seven year old Eddie in the eyes and tell him that, though. He unwrapped it from the newspaper Eddie had taped around it, and nearly cried at the fact that he was important enough to him to get a handmade gift.
Besides, there’s plenty of uses for ashtrays, right?
It becomes useful when Wayne picks up the habit again.
1979. One of the worst years of his life.
It’s also the year that brings him Eddie.
He knows Al’s a mess without Ellen, but armed robbery with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon is inexcusable. To him and to the law. He didn’t even consider what this would do to Eddie.
Eddie is one of those kids who has a good heart and a big brain, but he struggles so much in school and with making friends. Wayne can’t understand how kids don’t see how funny he is. Kids are cruel.
At least he tells him about it, though. While Wayne smokes a few cigarettes before bed, Eddie sits on the edge of the porch and complains about the kids at school and the teachers at school and school itself. His grades aren’t bad, but they could be better. Wayne isn’t worried yet. The teachers sometimes send notes home about his behavior, but he figures as long as they aren’t calling, it can’t be too bad.
He cleans out the ashtray every Wednesday night while Eddie’s taking the trash to the edge of the gravel driveway. He should quit now that he has someone to take care of.
Maybe when Eddie’s a little bit older.
“Uncle Wayne!” Eddie comes tearing through the front door, nearly throwing it off its hinges.
“Eddie, what did I tell ya about slamming our door like that?” Wayne puts his beer on the counter and crosses his arms over his chest.
“Sorry! But Wayne!” Eddie grabs his shoulders. “I met these guys who can play instruments! For a band!”
The corner of Wayne’s mouth tilts up. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah! Jeff plays guitar and Frankie plays bass. They wanna start a band and asked me to play with them!”
Wayne’s smile grows. Finally.
Eddie’s pretty damn good at guitar. He can play by ear, which is good because Wayne can’t afford lessons, even with the discount he’d get because he bought the guitar from the same shop that offers them. He’s wanted to be in a band since he got the guitar last Christmas.
“Thats great, Ed. You guys gonna play soon?” Wayne uncrosses his arms and pats Eddie’s shoulder. “At one of their houses I assume.”
“Yeah, Jeff says they already play together in his garage while his parents are at work. He said I could ride the bus home with him tomorrow.”
“As long as Jeff’s parents are okay with it—“
“And! They play D&D too!”
Wayne nods along. He listens to Eddie talk about D&D almost every night. He doesn’t mind, he just feels bad he can’t really talk about it with him. He just can’t wrap his head around all that stuff. He smokes his nightly cigarettes while Eddie rattles about dungeons and, well, dragons. Among other things.
“Got yourself some good friends, sounds like.”
Eddie talks more about them and what they’re gonna do, how they’re gonna be rockstars as soon as they find a drummer and write their own stuff. Wayne smiles and nods along, giving him as much attention as he can while he makes them dinner.
He doesn’t even remember to smoke that night.
“Do airplanes let you take ashtrays on board?”
“In your bag is fine,” Eddie says over the phone. “They won’t know what it is, Wayne.”
Wayne’s been packing for over an hour and he feels dumb for even asking, but he just can’t leave it behind. He’ll only be gone a few days, but he can’t imagine it not being in his sight.
Even if he doesn’t smoke anymore.
He hasn’t had the heart to tell Eddie it doesn’t serve a purpose anymore. It’s just a decoration on the table by his armchair. He decided to quit about a year ago, when his friend at the plant got diagnosed with lung cancer.
He jokes all the time that he ain’t meant for living a long life, but it’s just a joke. He hopes he gets to live forever so he can keep watching Eddie shine.
Tomorrow’s the first night of their first headlining tour. They’ll be in Chicago, which is close enough he could’ve taken a bus or even rented a car, but Eddie insisted on using his big paycheck to fly him out for it. He didn’t argue too much.
He’s never flown anywhere, though, and he’s a bit nervous.
“Wayne.” Eddie’s voice is serious, but Wayne can hear a smile. “You don’t even smoke.”
“He’s such a little shit,” Wayne says fondly. “Well, I still like to have it with me.”
“I swear you’re gonna be buried with that stupid thing.”
Wayne looks down at the ashtray, chipped around the edge in a few places and the paint has faded quite a bit, but it’s still in one piece. It’s just an ashtray. But it’s also the start of everything with Eddie in some ways. It’s one of his most prized possessions.
