Chapter 13

"Alright follow me back to my office, I want to talk to you about something."

"Yes sir!"

About 2 minutes later, they were in Chefy's office sitting opposite each other and separated by a 4 foot wide, mahogany interactive table. After the life on earth had evolved, even trees like mahogany were considered lower class among the people left on Earth. Now, there was much better species of trees available.

"Alright, Alva, I don't know if you have noticed but, we are a family here. We're only 6 here. 7 if you include Fred, but, what I want to know is if you want to be a part of this family too. It's only been a couple of months but, I like you, and you seem like you've got potential kid so, what do you say?"

Alva hesitated a bit before looking up at Chefy with moist eyes and a quivering bottom lip. Alva couldn't say that he had never had a family but, he had lost them when he was younger and had had to live on the streets where you could get stabbed in the back for a bite of bread. If not for the kind old lady at the bakery, he probably wouldn't be in here today. Finally, he asked, " Do I get a raise?"

"Get out!"

"No, no, I was just kidding, of course I want to be family, you've treated me better than most of the people I've met since I became homeless in over 3 months."

"Hmph, it's good you know. From now on, call me Papa Chefy, or Big Daddy Chef Tings, whichever one you choose is fine with me."

"Then I'll just call you Big P-papa Chefy"

"Alright kid, your treatment is going to be the same as before except, I'll be correcting and reprimanding you more often and you can come to me for advice whenever you want- especially with the ladies- Dammit if I still had hair I'd be the bane of all the father's in town."

Alva looked at Chefy's glistening, mirror like head then down to his belly, which covered up a good foot of the interactive table before getting caught,

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing sir!

"Don't be fooled by my appearance, I've still got 'it' in me. Okay then, tell me about you, why are you homeless and what caused you to walk up to me looking like Frankenstein and smelling like you had just finished one of your toilet 'sessions' to ask for a job?"

Alva looked at him with a hesitant skepticism.

Chefy smirked, knowingly before saying, "What? I can't know anything about my own family? If I wanted to do something to you, I've had plenty of opportunity to do so."

"We were a family of 4, me, my little sister, and my mom and dad. I was 10 when they died, it was a house fire. I was out on a school trip to a nuclear bomb site. I came back a week later to dead parents and a burnt corpse that was supposed to be my little sister. They were probably in so much pain. I should've died with them. Nobody had bothered to do anything other than keep the fire from reaching their properties. I guess you can't waste water right?"

He looked Papa Chefy straight in the eye, questioningly, as if he wanted to know what was going on in his mind- 'Will he not want me anymore? The problem child? He probably thinks I arranged my parents death like all those other people. He left just before the fire started, how convenient.'

Chefy egged him on with a nod.

"I got passed around to family friends, the ones who'd come around whenever they had run out of food, or need a temporary place to stay and my parents welcomed them. They never took me in. I got left on the streets by one of my 'uncles'. He got a check and I slept in the sewers that night. It's a lot less cold than the top is at night. I was 12. Fast forward 6 years and now I'm tired of living like that... old grandma... her son... wrench... then, I came to you."

"Well, that's a sad story, and I sympathize with you but, if you want my pity you're not getting it."

Alva immediately jumped, towering over the still seated Chefy then roared, "I DON'T WANT YOUR PITY"

Chefy with an unperturbed smile looked up and said,"Good, there's no soft people looking for handouts in this family.Calm down and put my chair back, it's expensive."

Alva glared at him, refusing to sit back down or obey Papa Chefy.

Chefy sighed before getting up, "After all, a parent must discipline."

In a flash, Papa Chefy was upon Alva before kicking his knees and forcing him back in the chair then, Chefy was back in his seat.

Alva gazed, widemouthed and in disbelief, "Se-seru-"

We are family now, you can take me as your father now and as a father, I demand respect, do you understand?

"Yes sir." Chefy glared at him.

"Yes, Big Papa Chefy."

"Good, everyday after work, you'll come to me for training. It will last an hour so eat something before you come. Don't be late. You start tomorrow."

"Training?"

"What do you think I gave you that manual for? Now hurry up and get out. I have to oil my head"

It was Monday so, Alva had to go around in his rented truck delivering and installing Cleaps for his customers.

"Haaa", he sighed, "after 3 long hours, I'm done.

Goodbye Mr Zhang, before I go please know that the Cleap has to be cleaned once a month. You can clean it yourself if you want, the way to do it is in the manual, or you can call The Cleap Customer Care and have us come clean it for you. It's 50 jays per cleaning sir."

"No problem, no problem, I'll do it myself. if I can't do it then I'll call you guys, how about it?"

"Alright sir."

Mr Zhang closed the door behind him and went inside whistling to himself. He had always liked it when the young men in the world got up from being lazy and tried to accomplish something in their lives, and, he was respectful on top of that. Mr Zhang was willing to patronize him as long as he kept up the good work.

After all that, Alva had a profit of 1260. The Cleaps sold at 200 jays and cost, on average, 65 jays,. plus the truck cost 30 jays an hour to rent.

He parked the truck off at the owners home and walked back to his place. Ready for a good night sleep.