Post by Hurley Reyes on Jun 22, 2008 15:46:23 GMT -5
--- Santa Monica, California ---
Hugo Reyes sat upon the couch in his mother's living room. At twenty-six years old, you'd expect him to be living on his own somewhere. Nothing fancy, but maybe an apartment, or even just a friend's place where he contributed to the rent. But the fact of the matter was, Hugo hardley even earned enough to pay for his grocery bills, let alone a place of his own. His mother would love nothing more than to have him out of the house. Her current goal for his seemed to be to force him into meeting a girl and promptly getting married. She seemed to be living in an detached form of reality, however, because Hurley knew with one look in the mirror that her fantasy wasn't likely to happen any time soon. Hell, just look at him; girls weren't interested in long-haired, overweight guys who worked at fast food restaurants and lived with their mothers. It wasn't exactly the best image when trying to play the dating field.
Hurley lifted a drumstick from the bucket of chicken he'd brought home after work was over today. He'd love more than anything to dump that bucket of chicken over Randy's head right now. The guy was a real jerk, hassling them about giving extra napkins to customers--it wasn't the customers' fault the food was so greasy and required more material to wipe it all up. Not that Hurley was really complaining... it tasted better that way anyway.
"Hugo?" His mother's voice drifted in from the adjoining kitchen, and Hurley turned up the volume and did his best to act def. He wasn't in the mood for whatever his mother was going to throw at him. "Hugo!" Unfortunately, she'd just walked into the room. She was standing there, hands on her hips, her eyes ablaze in typical Carmen Reyes fashion.
"What, ma?" Hurley asked, annoyed, as he took another bite of the drumstick he held in his hand.
"What are you doing sitting here? You should be out, finding yourself a nice woman. Not sitting in my living room wasting all of your time." She frowned at him, but he didn't even look up at her. Hugo fixed his gaze resolutely at the television screen.
"Yeah, I'll get right on that," he said absently.
"And you need to start excercising, you're gaining weight again." she said disapprovingly, eyeing him as he continued to work his way through the bucket of chicken.
"I am not!" Hurley said indignantly, though he had no idea if it was true or not. He tended to stay away from scales, or any other means of measuring his girth. It wasn't exactly the biggest self-esteem booster. "And I do excercise!" He shot back, finally turning his head to look at her defiantly.
"Hugo, lifting a drumstick is not excercise." Carmen sighed heavily. "Maybe if you ask Jesus very nicely, he will bring you a good woman, and new car. Yes, jesus can bring you a new car, but you have to start making some changes in your life."
"Right," Hurley replied absently, his attention focused back on the television screen. They were about to announce the lottery, and in a quite out-of-character move, he'd purchased a ticket this week. He began to dig it out of his pocket as the telephone rang in the background, and Carmen threw her hands in the air and puttered out, muttering something further aboout Jesus under her breath. The woman was far too old fashioned. She didn't really understand that her faith alone couldn't get her anything in the world anymore. It sure wasn't going to get him a car, or a companion. He'd have to figure those things out the old fashioned way.
Hurley was jarred out of his thoughts as he began to register the number the woman was reading. As she ran through them and he followed along on his ticket, his eyes began to wider. But that... that couldn't be possible. The announcer must have made a mistake, because the numbers she was stating so clearly were the exact same ones he had on his ticket, right down the line. He stood up from the couch, forgetting about the bucket of chicken he had on his lap, and it crashed to the floor, dumping its contents onto the carpet. A near record total of winnings, the announcer was saying. The lottery hadn't been claimed in 16 weeks. Hurley stared at his card. It just... it just couldn't be. He'd just won the lottery!
This was all too much for poor Hugo. His vision began to blur and the lottery announcers shifted out of focus. He began to sway in place, and then, with an enormous thud that he didn't hear, Hugo Reyes fell to the floor, unconcsious.
Hugo Reyes sat upon the couch in his mother's living room. At twenty-six years old, you'd expect him to be living on his own somewhere. Nothing fancy, but maybe an apartment, or even just a friend's place where he contributed to the rent. But the fact of the matter was, Hugo hardley even earned enough to pay for his grocery bills, let alone a place of his own. His mother would love nothing more than to have him out of the house. Her current goal for his seemed to be to force him into meeting a girl and promptly getting married. She seemed to be living in an detached form of reality, however, because Hurley knew with one look in the mirror that her fantasy wasn't likely to happen any time soon. Hell, just look at him; girls weren't interested in long-haired, overweight guys who worked at fast food restaurants and lived with their mothers. It wasn't exactly the best image when trying to play the dating field.
Hurley lifted a drumstick from the bucket of chicken he'd brought home after work was over today. He'd love more than anything to dump that bucket of chicken over Randy's head right now. The guy was a real jerk, hassling them about giving extra napkins to customers--it wasn't the customers' fault the food was so greasy and required more material to wipe it all up. Not that Hurley was really complaining... it tasted better that way anyway.
"Hugo?" His mother's voice drifted in from the adjoining kitchen, and Hurley turned up the volume and did his best to act def. He wasn't in the mood for whatever his mother was going to throw at him. "Hugo!" Unfortunately, she'd just walked into the room. She was standing there, hands on her hips, her eyes ablaze in typical Carmen Reyes fashion.
"What, ma?" Hurley asked, annoyed, as he took another bite of the drumstick he held in his hand.
"What are you doing sitting here? You should be out, finding yourself a nice woman. Not sitting in my living room wasting all of your time." She frowned at him, but he didn't even look up at her. Hugo fixed his gaze resolutely at the television screen.
"Yeah, I'll get right on that," he said absently.
"And you need to start excercising, you're gaining weight again." she said disapprovingly, eyeing him as he continued to work his way through the bucket of chicken.
"I am not!" Hurley said indignantly, though he had no idea if it was true or not. He tended to stay away from scales, or any other means of measuring his girth. It wasn't exactly the biggest self-esteem booster. "And I do excercise!" He shot back, finally turning his head to look at her defiantly.
"Hugo, lifting a drumstick is not excercise." Carmen sighed heavily. "Maybe if you ask Jesus very nicely, he will bring you a good woman, and new car. Yes, jesus can bring you a new car, but you have to start making some changes in your life."
"Right," Hurley replied absently, his attention focused back on the television screen. They were about to announce the lottery, and in a quite out-of-character move, he'd purchased a ticket this week. He began to dig it out of his pocket as the telephone rang in the background, and Carmen threw her hands in the air and puttered out, muttering something further aboout Jesus under her breath. The woman was far too old fashioned. She didn't really understand that her faith alone couldn't get her anything in the world anymore. It sure wasn't going to get him a car, or a companion. He'd have to figure those things out the old fashioned way.
Hurley was jarred out of his thoughts as he began to register the number the woman was reading. As she ran through them and he followed along on his ticket, his eyes began to wider. But that... that couldn't be possible. The announcer must have made a mistake, because the numbers she was stating so clearly were the exact same ones he had on his ticket, right down the line. He stood up from the couch, forgetting about the bucket of chicken he had on his lap, and it crashed to the floor, dumping its contents onto the carpet. A near record total of winnings, the announcer was saying. The lottery hadn't been claimed in 16 weeks. Hurley stared at his card. It just... it just couldn't be. He'd just won the lottery!
This was all too much for poor Hugo. His vision began to blur and the lottery announcers shifted out of focus. He began to sway in place, and then, with an enormous thud that he didn't hear, Hugo Reyes fell to the floor, unconcsious.