The beginning of chapter 2

Deacon wakes up and takes his calendar off of his nightstand.  Today is March fifth, he circles the date and writes in one hundred and twenty eight.  He showers, puts on his uniform and drives into the plant.  When he arrives, Trent and Will are sitting in Wills office running their mouths.  Deacon walks in and tells Will that for somebody that claims to be as antisocial as he does, he sure doesn’t ever shut up.  Will flips him off and walks away.  Trent turns to him and tells him that the load is ready to go. 

“I don’t trust anything that I don’t do myself,” Deacon responds. 

Trent starts telling him how he has been doing this for years and he knows what he is doing but Deacon interrupts him and explains that he doesn’t mean anything by it, he just has a way of doing things, “So nothing personal.” 

Trent asks where they are off to today.  Deacon tells him that they are going to Castle Dale. 

“That is a little ways away,” Trent says. 

Deacon agrees that it is, but assures him that the people are worth it.  They drive for about an hour, talking about nothing important.  Deacon asks him where he is from. Trent tells him that he grew up in a city on the East coast.  Trent asks Deacon where he is from and he tells him that he has lived here his whole life.  Trent then asks him what he did growing up.  Deacon tells him about how he helped his grandfather on his farm, since his dad worked for the government and was gone a lot when he was growing up.  Deacon then asks him how he ended up all the way out here.  Trent tells him that after high school his girlfriend moved out here to go to nursing school.  He was afraid of losing her so he came out a couple of months after she did.  When he got out here, they were living together.  One thing led to another and they started a family a little sooner than they had planned and got married.  Trent explains that he had to get a decent paying job so that his wife could keep going to school and that is how he ended up here.  Deacon asks him what his wife’s name is.  Trent tells him that her name is Valerie, and she is actually doing her internship at the hospital now.  The plan is when she is finished, he will start going back to school.  He tells him that their little ones name is Pat, “Short for Patrick.” 

“He is splitting the summer between our parents for the summer, back East.”