Spare Parts

By Zane D. Castillo

Arthur “Art” Collins is a struggling New York-based freelance writer who returns to his hometown of Woodhurst, Illinois for his absent father’s funeral. While cleaning out his father’s apartment and meeting his eccentric friends, Art and his brother Josh begin to discover so much about the man they resented and had given up for dead.

Both Art and Josh try to come to terms with their feelings for their father while also taking stock of their own lives and the decisions they have made.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zane D. Castillo
• Release date: Oct 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215631706

Zane D. Castillo

Hi! My name is Zane D. Castillo, and I write horror, science fiction, fantasy, and noir fiction. My writing journey began after being inspired by R.L.Stine's Goosebumps and Fear Street series. This led to me writing a short horror novel at the age of 8. My ultimate goal is to write as much and as often as I can.

Book preview

Spare Parts

By: Zane D. Castillo

So, what would you say your strengths and weaknesses are? The interviewer asked him.

Art immediately tensed at the question. The interviewer who had to be no older than 18 looked at him with a smile. There were three of them and they all looked like they had just graduated high school. They all had polite smiles on their faces as they listened to him answer questions about the position. One of them incessantly took notes whenever Art let out a word.

A bead of sweat ran down his back. He hoped that he wasn’t sweating profusely through his dress shirt and sport coat. Art figured that wearing a suit would impress them and show that he took the interview seriously even though the application said casual attire. All three of the interviewers were dressed casually in jeans and button-up shirts. The main interviewer’s shirt seemed rather tight on his chubby frame.

He had always hated that fucking interview question. It seemed like a loaded question that was designed to make the interviewee fuck up. Art took a deep breath.

I would say my strengths are that I have an extensive knowledge of various music genres, and that I am deadline-oriented. I am also great at research and I am able to produce a quick turn around on an article, Art said.

Everyone nodded along to his reply. One of them scratched his pencil on the notepad he had on the table. The one asking all the questions nodded again at Art. And your weaknesses?

My weaknesses would be that I usually have a hard time stopping an idea or piece that I have begun. I’m also quite obsessive when it comes to a finished product being as perfect as it can be, Art said slowly.

They all nodded again and one of them finished writing on the paper. Art hoped that he didn’t sound like a brownnoser.

OK, well that is the end of the interview. It has been a pleasure getting to know you, Arthur. You will hear back from us within a week or so as we are still interviewing other candidates.

Art nodded. OK, thank you. It was a pleasure meeting you all.

They all stood up and Art followed suit. They shook hands and Art walked out of the office with his book bag. The office had glass windows that encircled it and had various illustrations of musicians on them. Art stepped onto the main floor where a team of writers and marketing professionals sat at desks that were separated by dividers. On the walls were framed photos of various musicians and bands. There was also the company’s logo in a burgundy color and italic font that ran along the wall, Music Crave.

Art watched two young male employees playing fiercely at a Foosball table as he walked out the main entrance. The young female receptionist who sat behind a desk greeted him with a smile. She was texting rapidly on her phone.

Best of luck. Take care now, she said in a cheerful voice.

You too, Art said. He exited the main entrance and pressed the button to the elevator. He let out a deep breath and wondered if he screwed up the interview with that last answer. He had been doing quite well and his writing samples had impressed all of them. They had liked his work a lot, that was how he got his foot into the door. But now, he had a sinking feeling in his gut that he wouldn’t get the job.

The elevator opened and he stepped into it and pressed the button to the lobby floor. He got off the elevator and walked past the security desk. The security guard nodded at him and he nodded back. He walked through the revolving door and entered the street.

The weather was cold, and he instantly buttoned up his coat and stuck his hands into his pockets. Midtown was packed in the afternoon with many people moving about on the sidewalk and hurrying to various destinations. He saw a line of people waiting to enter a packed restaurant for lunch. Some of them looked like they were shivering in the cold. He sure hoped the food was worth it.

Art headed towards the subway and descended the stairs. The sound of a saxophone blared from a corner where a woman played the instrument. She had on a brown and green sweater and a scarf that dangled from around her neck. Her black skirt swayed to her movements. A group of people stood around her and were recording her with their phones.

Art stopped for a moment and watched her. She played with her eyes closed and seemed to be lost in the music. Her dreads swayed from side to side as she moved with the saxophone. Her fingers flittered up and down the instrument and held every note.

He forgot about the interview momentarily and just let the music distract his anxious mind. The announcement of his train approaching the station woke him up out of his stupor and he walked quickly towards the platform. He boarded the packed train and stood near the exit doors.

He rode the crowded train back to Brooklyn and to his stop in Crown Heights. There weren’t many people out on Troy Avenue. He figured that the cold weather was keeping everyone locked inside from the drop in temperature. He headed to his apartment and up the stairs to his floor. The sound of Ryan’s voice drifted from his closed door as Art walked to his door. The apartment had four bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. He had been living there for about a year and a half and liked that it was cheap even though the stove would work only sporadically. Many times, he had to run out and buy microwavable food because of it. The landlord kept saying that it would be fixed soon.

He opened his bedroom door with his key and stepped inside. The room was incredibly small with a twin-sized bed, small desk and chair, and a half-closet where his clothes hung crammed together. He set his bag down on the desk then took off his shoes. The pipe that ran from the ceiling to the floor near his bed was producing a lot of heat to which he had to crack the window open to get some fresh air.

He sat down on the bed and went over the interview again in his mind. What could I have done differently? He thought to himself. He desperately wanted the job. It was a full-time position as a Staff Writer at Music Crave and it came with benefits including medical, dental, 401k, and reimbursement for the commute to Midtown. It was a dream job for him after freelancing for so many years.

He hoped his desperation didn’t show through the interview and would lead to his downfall. He had gotten used to rejection since living here but this time he really hoped he got the job. He let out a sigh, got up, and walked over to the kitchen. There were a few dishes in the sink from one of his roommates and the top of the stove had grease stains and crumbs. He opened the fridge and grabbed some leftover Chinese food that he had the previous day. He put it in the microwave and set a timer.

Ryan came out of his room and entered the kitchen. What up, Art? Ryan was a Brazilian actor from San Antonio who moved to New York a month ago. He was tall and lanky with curly black hair. A blue shirt hung on his skinny frame and his baggy sweatpants covered his feet.

Hey man, how’s it going?

Good. I have a gig in two hours for a play so I'm gonna be getting ready to go to that. Ryan grabbed a water bottle from one of the cabinets and opened it.

That sounds great. Break a leg, Art said. The microwave chimed and he took his food out.

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. I mean it's no Broadway and the theater is very small and can only fit like 20 people max. The pay is low, too. I just want to build my portfolio, you know. It sounded like Ryan felt ashamed of the job and was trying to convince himself as well as Art why he took it. Art didn’t know why he was trying to convince him; he knew what it was like to settle for what’s immediately available especially if you needed to eat.

I feel you there. We all gotta start somewhere. Art grabbed a fork from the dish rack.

That is the truth. I’m gonna go over the script so I’ll see you later.

Aiight. Good luck.

Thanks. Ryan walked back to his room with the water bottle in hand.

Art picked up his food and began to walk back to his room when his phone rang. He placed the food on the counter and took his phone out of his pocket. His brother’s name appeared on the ID. Art looked at his phone in surprise then answered the call.

Hello? Art said.

Hey Art. It’s Josh, his brother’s voice replied.

What’s up, man? How’s it going? Art awkwardly asked him.

It’s going OK. How is everything with you? Josh asked him quietly.

Art could hear a dejected tone in his brother’s voice and was wondering what was going on. Everything is going alright. Are you OK?

Um… I don’t even know how to say this, but I found out that Dad died today, Josh said in a barely whispered voice.

A silence ensued as Art didn’t know what to say. He held the phone tightly in his hand and tried to come up with something to say. What?

I was notified by the police who had found his body in his apartment.

A frown came to Art’s face. So, he was living in Woodhurst?

Yeah it looks like it. He was in the Cambridge area supposedly. I went over to the mortuary where his body was being held and sure enough it is Dad. Much older and with a goatee but it is him, Josh said in a sad voice.

Wow! I really don’t know what to say. I thought he was dead years ago! Art exclaimed in surprise.

You and me both. I had to ask the police officer repeatedly if they had the right Theodore Collins. The cop had verified it from some documents that Dad had in his apartment, Josh said.

Art shook his head in disbelief. This is crazy. So, let me get this straight. Dad was in Woodhurst all these years and we never got a single word from him in more than two decades and he just died?

It appears so, Josh said softly. All I’ve done so far is set up an obituary in the paper and contacted a funeral parlor and I’m going to start reaching out to people that may have known Dad. A few of his friends responded and are planning to come to the service. There was a pause after. I don’t know what to make of all this Art, but I sure would like for you to be here so we can figure this out together.

Art felt his mouth go dry. He hadn’t been back to Woodhurst in years and hadn’t really planned on ever returning. Instantly he began to formulate excuses in order to weasel his way out of this. But he knew that there was no way he could say no to his brother who seemed to be overwhelmed and truly needed him to be there.

Alright, man. I’mma try to get a flight out there tomorrow. I’ll contact you with the details after I set it up. God this is crazy!

I know. I’ve been talking to Leanne about it all and she has been great with keeping me sane. I feel like it's a dream or something, Josh said.

More like a nightmare.

Josh laughed. Yeah, I guess so. I’ll let you know how things develop over here and Art thanks for coming out here. I know how much you don’t like Woodhurst, Josh said in a sincere tone.

For sure. I’m going to book the flight right now and start packing up. I’ll hit you up in a few.

OK, cool. Talk to you later.

Art hung up the phone slowly and his hand dropped heavily at his side. The food before him was completely forgotten. Many thoughts ran through his mind as he tried to make sense of what his brother just told him. It seemed highly implausible that his father had been alive all of these years. He couldn’t even picture his father’s face after he stepped out on the family when he was eight years old. He had completely written his father off as being dead to him and also dead in general when he never contacted them.

Art put the warm food back into the fridge and walked back to his room in a daze. He sat down with a sigh on his bed and took out his laptop. The time went by in a blur as he booked an early flight the next morning to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. He was departing at 4:30 in the morning and had a five-hour layover before arriving at O’Hare that evening. He was spending more than he wanted on the flight, but it was the best he could do. He wanted to go out there for a few days but figured a week would be sufficient time to figure out what the hell was going on with his father.

He texted his brother his arrival time to which Josh told him he would pick him up at the airport. Art then spent the next few hours packing up clothes for the week. He reached out to his editors at his freelance writing jobs and told them the circumstances. He didn’t receive any problems from them, and they were understanding of the situation.

He went to bed at midnight and could already feel the anxiety running through him. He was dreading the week to come. His dreams that night was of his father, a figure with a blank face that would pop up without notice. A shadowy figure that always seemed to be just out of reach.

***

The airport was fairly deserted in the early morning and Art made it through security and to his terminal in under 10 minutes. He sat down in a seat and looked at the other passengers. There were a lot of people who sat in their seats impatiently waiting to board the plane. He looked out of the airport window and could see rain beginning to fall slowly and timidly onto the tarmac.

He had always hated flying and tried to avoid being up in the air when the weather was shitty. Art would strategically plan around inclement weather when flying anywhere but of course it was raining now. He tried to distract his mind from any bad thoughts and took out his phone and went through his emails. It was way too soon to get a reply from Music Crave, but he looked carefully anyway.

The boarding agent started to call out the rows and Art waited anxiously with his foot bouncing up and down till his section was called. He grabbed his backpack and duffel bag and headed onto the plane. There was a backup in the line as an elderly man struggled to get into his seat. A woman in front of Art sucked her teeth in annoyance. The man moved slowly and attempted to descend into the seat as a patient flight attendant tried to help him. There was a sheepish look on his face as if apologizing for the holdup. The lady in front of Art mumbled something under her breath that sounded like a string of curses.

Art walked down the row to his seat and saw that he was sitting in the middle seat. He checked his ticket again in disbelief. He had specifically booked a window seat because it was open. There were people waiting behind him. He threw his duffel bag and backpack in the overhead compartment and sat down in the seat.

A thin woman with gray hair and several bags came up to his row and gestured at the window. Art stepped out into the aisle as the woman got settled. She sat down with a large handbag and fidgeted with it as Art went back to his seat and buckled in. She pulled out a romance book from her bag which featured a muscular black man holding a voluptuous woman on the cover. The woman then opened the window slide and looked out.

It was still raining steadily as the flood lights flashed on the tarmac. A chubby man with greased black hair and a large mustache stopped next to the aisle seat and put his suitcase above then sat down. He buckled up then grabbed an eye mask from inside his jacket pocket, put it on and turned his head to the side.

The woman next to Art fidgeted with the magazines in the seat before her. Art let out a sigh and closed his own eyes. He could hear the woman moving frantically beside him. The plane started to gear up and reversed onto the runway. It taxied for a while then the engine revved up. Art gripped the armrest as the plane ascended. He held his eyes closed and tried to take several deep breaths.

The plane shook violently, and Art gritted his teeth. The seat belt sign blinked and chimed. This is the captain speaking. We are going through an air pocket so it might be a bumpy ride for a few minutes, ladies and gentlemen. Please remain seated. Thank you, the captain said over the intercom.

The plane continued to shake, and Art’s hands gripped the hand rests more forcefully. There was a quick dip and the passengers including Art cried out in fear and surprise. Goddammit, He said through his clenched teeth. He saw that the man to his right was sleeping through it all. The woman on his left was nonchalantly staring out the window.

He could feel the plane ascending and struggling through the clouds. The plane dipped once more, and people cried out again. Art wanted to yell out and wring the captain’s neck. Many angry thoughts at his father’s death started to race through his mind. He was going to die on this fucking plane all because of his fucking father, he thought to himself.

The plane shook more and then quickly it had leveled out. People started to clap and there was relieved laughter. Art slowly relaxed his hands on the armrest and exhaled a deep breath. The woman was still staring out the window and Art peeked past her to see the dark clouds beneath the plane. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

He awoke just when the plane was beginning to land in Detroit. The plane taxied to the terminal and he disembarked with the other passengers. He texted Josh that he was in Detroit and spent the next 5 hours in the airport bored out of his mind. He walked around the airport and read a few magazines to pass the time. When he was finally able to board the plane to Chicago, he felt completely drained and annoyed from being in the airport all day.

He fell asleep as soon as he sat down in the middle seat and woke up to the plane taxiing to the terminal at O’Hare. A feeling of dread came and coursed through him as he looked out the window. The night sky painted a pitch-black outline to the lights of the runway and airport.

He stepped off the plane with his bags and followed the other passengers through the gate. Anxiety had him walking at a slow pace. He didn’t want to be here. A bar with a few people sitting at the counter drew his attention away from his uneasy mind. He walked over to the bar and sat down on a stool.

The bartender walked over to him. She was an older woman in her mid-fifties wearing a white dress shirt with a black vest and bowtie on. Her raven black hair was cut into a short bob. She gave him a warm smile as she approached. What can I get you, young man? she asked him.

Bourbon on the rocks, please he replied.

She grabbed a glass and added ice with a scoop. She turned and opened a Jim Beam bottle and poured it out then sat the drink down in front of him on the table. Art picked it up and drank it quickly.

Another one, please, he said as he put the glass down.

Long flight ahead of you? She asked him then poured the liquor into his glass.

No, more like a long week ahead of me, he replied.

Oh, I see. Work issues?

Life issues, he said then took a drink from the glass.

The bartender chuckled. Don’t we all, young man.

An elderly man dressed in a brown suit with a matching ascot cap sat at the bar and the bartender went over to serve him. Arthur’s phone vibrated in his pocket to which he took it out and answered.

Hello?

Hey Art, did you land? Joshua asked him.

Yeah, just did. I’m heading to the baggage claim area now.

Alright. I’ll meet you there, Josh said.

OK, I’ll see you in a few.

Alright.

Art hung up the phone. He quickly finished his drink and put cash on the bar.

Good luck to you, the bartender said as she took the cash and the empty glass.

Thanks, I’ll sure need it. He picked up his bags and began walking to the baggage claim.

He was not surprised that Josh was at the airport already. He probably was here about an hour ago, Art thought to himself. The always dependable Joshua. His younger brother had always been punctual his whole life. Every deadline at school did not matter as Josh would finish his homework or project weeks in advance. He was never one to procrastinate.

Art walked into the baggage claim area and looked around. He hadn’t seen his brother in years and wondered if he would even recognize him. The baggage carousel began to distribute the luggage. Art glanced around to see if anyone resembled his brother. Josh had a Facebook account but didn’t seem to post much on there. If Art remembered correctly, Josh’s last posting was from over a year ago.

Art, he heard from behind him. He turned around and faced his younger brother. Josh had changed slightly since he last saw him. He was still lanky and tall. Art beat him in height about an inch or so. Josh had a short Afro and sported a mustache that was trimmed neatly. He was dressed in khaki pants with a blue polo shirt tucked in. He also had on black dress shoes and a dark blue coat.

What’s up, Josh? Art said. Josh hugged him and patted him on the back.

Nothing much. God it has been too long! Josh said as he stepped back and looked at his brother. Art wondered about his own appearance. He had let his beard grow out and could only imagine what it looked like after the plane rides. He was dressed in denim jeans, brown desert boots, and a long sleeve gray shirt with a black peacoat on. He felt unkempt next to Josh’s neat appearance.

Yeah, it has, Art replied.

More than six years, Josh said.

How’s Leanne?

She’s good. She is at home making you a welcome dinner, Josh said.

When did you grow out the mustache? Art asked with a grin.

About a year now. I wanted to try something new, Josh replied.

You look so much older than your age.

Josh ran his fingers over his mustache. Is that the only bags you have?

Yeah, I didn’t pack too much, Art said.

You got enough for a week? Josh asked him in surprise.

Yeah, if I need to get anything while I’m out here, I will.

Alright, come one. Leanne is really excited to meet you, Josh said.

How long have you been married now?

Three years. It’s been good, you know.

Art nodded. Are you planning on having kids?

We are undecided. She just started teaching at an elementary school and wants to focus on that for now. I’m fine either way, Josh replied. They entered the parking lot and moved along with other people hurrying to their vehicles.

How is work? Art asked him.

It’s going well actually. I’m the manager at the tire shop now.

Congrats, man. I know you have been working there for a long time, Art said.

Yeah, I was promoted a few months ago. I have attended a few conventions recently. Rather nice to get away for a while. I’m also getting a decent salary now which makes it better to pay off the mortgage, Josh said.

Nice, I’m happy to hear it, Art said.

How’s your work? Still writing for that music blog? Josh asked him as they stopped beside a car. It was a gray Honda Civic that Art assumed was new. Josh unlocked the doors and Art put his bags in the trunk then got into the car.

No, I’ve actually been writing for a few different websites now. It’s a variety of topics, Art replied.

You get paid enough from these sites? Josh asked as he started the car and pulled out of the parking spot.

It’s decent. Enough to stay afloat in New York.

I’m still kind of in awe that you live out there. I constantly hear horror stories about the homeless problem and how the apartments are expensive and very tiny. You got your own place?

Nah, I share an apartment with some other guys, Art said.

Is it tiny?

Not that bad, I would say. We have had some parties there and it wasn't so bad.

Are you dating anyone? Josh asked him.

Nope, I was seeing someone for a while, but it was nothing serious. It ended last year and I recently found out that she’s engaged now.

Oh, I see, Josh said.

The car entered the freeway. Josh turned on the radio and Ben E. King’s crooning vocals came in through the speakers. Art looked out at Chicago and wished he was staying