Chapter 26
"It's all good, sir," Owen assured Boss Mike.
"Hm," Boss Mike scrutinized him. "Are you sure you can work?"
"One hundred percent!"
"The crane isn't working today either. It's been weeks, but the higher-ups still haven't gotten us a replacement. That's one of the reasons why I had you leave yesterday. So again, I'll ask: can you keep up? We'll be doing a lot of labor. I don't mind subbing you out."
Owen gave a firm nod. "Yes, sir. I'm fine."
Work unfolded at a begrudgingly slow pace. Each second felt like a minute, and every task seemed to carry an extra weight. Like a mindless robot, Owen moved through the motions, fulfilling each duty as the burden weighed on him deeper and deeper.
Despite the mental and physical strain, Owen remained resolute. He ended up encountering Frank during lunch break.
"Ah, the Handy Man. Back in action."
The sound of his voice brought a smile to his face. "Mr. Collecter. Good to see you too."
Smiling, Frank sat next to him on the stairwell. The two quietly ate their lunch. A minute later, he said, "Hey, man. Sorry about what happened with Lucas and the crane. He's an idiot."
"So it was Lucas?"
"Yep. He's been temporarily expelled for what happened, so I'm here to apologize in his place." Frank sent him a weak smile. "He's young. I can't tell you what to do but please don't press charges."
"I won't." Owen chewed on his sandwich. "Next time, teach him how to use the crane properly."
"I will. Definitely." Frank's was followed by a grief glance at his formerly injured shoulder. "Does it hurt?"
"Not anymore. The doctor did phenomenal work. I barely felt the stitches." Owen lightly patted his shoulder.
"Oh yeah? Who was it?" Frank asked, largely out of courtesy.
"Dr. Belle." His answer, which he assumed was normal, earned a deep look from Frank.
"Dr. Belle? You sure?"
"Pretty sure. Went to her office and everything."
"Really?" Either he didn't seem to believe or that there was something else. "The sleepy chick, right? Bags under her eyes? Pretty face? Brunette?"
"Yeah, her." At this point, Owen was suspicious. "Why?"
"Well…she's—"
"Owen, over here." Boss Mike's carried over with an echo, the man himself marching towards him. "Get up, come on. I have something for you to do."
"Okay, understood, sir." Owen began packing up his stuff, intentionally slowing down to remain seated. He looked at Frank, silently asking, "So? About Dr. Belle?"
Frank shooed him away. "It's…not a big deal. Don't worry, I'll tell you next."
"Come on, Owen, let's get going."
Owen sent the older man one last look. He shook his head and kept shooing him away. Albeit with some reluctance, Owen followed Boss Mike down the stairs and what seemed to be to the entrance.
"What's wrong?"
"A bunch of thugs have been loitering around. One of our guys got hurt by them." Boss Mike stopped at the entrance. "Take care of it, will you?"
Owen sighed and muttered, "Fine." He put his hands in his pockets and began walking. The reason he was chosen for this task was simple: he was the youngest person amongst the construction crew and thus the likeliest person for thugs to listen to.
'I should grab a drink on my way.'
Instead of going right to the thugs though, Owen went the other way. He caught a glimpse of the trio of thugs: two chicks with horribly done make-up and four tough guys. All of them save for one emo lady were wearing peculiar, yellow-white clothing. Owen went to the gas station from across the street and bought something from the vending machine. Getting out of the station, he sipped on the ginger ale and sighed in delight. Afterward, he scanned the areas in the parking lot and narrowed in on the cyan car with heavy modifications and crown symbol on the left side.
Owen drank the rest of his ginger ale and tossed it into the garbage can. "Ayuup!" Without hesitation, he jumped on the front of the car and laid down on it. Arms behind his head, leaning on the car windshield, he sighed and let himself relax for a while. Breathe in, breathe out. His eyes stared at the blue sky and the lovely clouds.
A couple minutes of cloud watching, he took out his phone and messaged Mary.
> Owen: Hey!
> Mary: heeeeeey
> Mary: what's up babe? u usually don't message first. something happen?
> Owen: Nah, just bored
> Owen: Also, I missed you
> Owen: Also, Isabella made her first hit video!
> Mary: oh?
> Mary: that's nice.
> Mary: did the mic help?
> Owen: Without that mic, we wouldn't have been able to do ANYTHING
> Owen: SO THANK YOU! REALLY!!!
> Mary: can we video call?
> Owen: Sure!
Mary started up the video call. Before accepting, Owen chuckled and remarked, "There's nothing better in the world than being given permission to slack off at work."
*****
Coworker #2: Frank
Strength: 8/10
Dexterity: 5/10
Constitution: 7/10
Intelligence: 5/10
Wisdom: 7/10
Charisma: 4/10