Cricket doesn't own chickens himself, but the Bondurants do, and he's pretty sure they won't mind introducing Hugh to them. He's going to need to talk to them anyway, if the boy means to stay around. He works for them, and lives close by, and these are their stills he's got him working on. Technically, Cricket should've just run the boy off as soon as he saw him, but...well. He didn't, and he thinks his reasons were sound, and he's pretty sure he made the right decision in retrospect, too.
Of all the things for Hugh to latch onto in what Cricket's just said, the bit about pretending to be kin isn't what he expected. And it says something. Cricket's got no parents, no siblings, and his one living relative close by only remembers who he is about half the time. He's old enough now that that doesn't matter so much. He can take care of himself. But he was a child not that long ago, himself, and being a lonely child is awful.
He breaks into a smile, one that's surprisingly soft and warm considering he only met Hugh a couple hours ago. "Sure thing," he tells him, and ruffles his hair gently. "Have to come up with some excuse for your accent, but I reckon I could do a lot worse'n having a kid full of bees as a cousin or a half-brother."
There's nothing more important than home and family, as far as Cricket can tell. You can't take in every stranger, of course, whether they need or deserve it or not, but offering feels like the right decision here.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2019-07-01 02:47 am (UTC)Of all the things for Hugh to latch onto in what Cricket's just said, the bit about pretending to be kin isn't what he expected. And it says something. Cricket's got no parents, no siblings, and his one living relative close by only remembers who he is about half the time. He's old enough now that that doesn't matter so much. He can take care of himself. But he was a child not that long ago, himself, and being a lonely child is awful.
He breaks into a smile, one that's surprisingly soft and warm considering he only met Hugh a couple hours ago. "Sure thing," he tells him, and ruffles his hair gently. "Have to come up with some excuse for your accent, but I reckon I could do a lot worse'n having a kid full of bees as a cousin or a half-brother."
There's nothing more important than home and family, as far as Cricket can tell. You can't take in every stranger, of course, whether they need or deserve it or not, but offering feels like the right decision here.