Post by Neptune on Mar 6, 2015 9:18:23 GMT -6
Amber: I’m sorry, Mrs Warren, but I can’t give you a discount if you don’t have your senior’s card. That’s the rule.
Mrs Warren: This is unacceptable! What kind of shop is this?
Jayson, the slightly effeminate shop assistant, comes to Amber’s rescue.
Jayson: Look, lady, either you show us your card or you move along. Amber is only doing her job. I am like not really in the mood right now to deal with your stubbornness. I mean, oh my god, I got so much to do right now, you can’t even understand.
Mrs Warren: Why you!
The old lady is about to start ranting when suddenly, somebody else appeared! A young red haired Asian man.
Neptune: Stop right there!
The old lady, Amber and Jayson all stop and look at Neptune.
Neptune: You are salespeople, how can you treat customers in such a way? This is unforgivable! In the name of Neptune, I will show you how it’s done!
It has been a month or so since Neptune landed a job in this little retail shop. And within hours of being employed, he quickly earned himself a gold star from the shop manager. But on the other hand, the two other shop assistants hated him pretty much instantly.
Both Amber and Jayson roll their eyes. Mrs Warren, however, is looking rather taken by the young Neptune.
Neptune: Forget about those two, Mrs Warren. I appreciate your loyalty to us! And since, you know, you come here all the time and have presented your card on more than one occasion, I will be happy to give you twice the discount for the trouble!
Jayson: You CAN’T do that! It’s like against policy! I will report you to Stuart!
Neptune: Shut it, you prancing giggling queen!
Amber gasps as Jayson opens his mouth wide… in shock.
Mrs Warren gets a laugh out of it.
Neptune: Ah, see, a happy customer. That’s what I like to see!
Mrs Warren: Thank you, young man. You are truly one of a kind. It’s nice to see that customer service still means something to some people!
After Mrs Warren exits the store, Jayson storms into Stuart’s office to complain about Neptune. Amber throws her most bitchiest of death glares at the red head but Neptune doesn’t even register her existence so it truly doesn’t matter.
Stuart: I overheard the ordeal, Jayson. I can’t say you’ve been on your best behaviour.
Jayson: What? Are you serious? I followed PROCEDURE!
Neptune walks into the office, not even apologizing for interrupting.
Neptune: Sometimes, it’s better to follow logic than procedure, Jason. I say it without a y, by the way.
Jayson: That’s harassment! That’s discrimination! How can you allow a homophobic jerk like him to work with us?
Stuart: Jayson, calm down.
Neptune: You heard the man, Jason. Calm your tits.
Jayson: NO!
Stuart sighs.
Stuart: Jayson, Mrs Warren is a regular here, she has used her card before. I even served her and saw her card. You have served her many times as well. You didn’t need to see it today. Neptune did the right thing.
Jayson: Why do you take his side? He’s a bully! He clearly has a problem with homosexuals!
Neptune: No, not homosexuals. You. Just you. You’re an annoying c***.
The gasp that Jayson gives out blows out of the water anything that Amber ever can do on her best day. Tears fill up his eyes as he storms out of the room, throwing his hands in the air. He rushes to the bathroom and locks himself up.
Stuart: Well, great, now he’s going to be in there for hours.
Neptune: Good riddance, I say.
Stuart smiles but somehow it is bittersweet.
Stuart: Neptune, we've got to talk…
Neptune: Oh? Am I employee of the month again? I knew it. I’m the best salesperson in this joint! Do I get vouchers for that nice restaurant again? Mattaki will be so jealous. He’s never been employee of the month! Let alone, two times in a row!
Stuart’s smile is not reassuring at all.
Stuart: Look, I think you’ve been an amazing salesman. You are truly something with the customers. I don’t know how you do it, but you really know how to get those people to do what you want.
Neptune: Hehe! I knew it! EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH! Take that, Jason!
Stuart: You’re not making this easy, are you?
Neptune: What do you mean? That queen will get over it. He’ll never be me. He wishes he was me. I’m the best, he needs to deal with it.
Stuart: Neptune, I have to let you go.
Neptune: …sorry, what? Heh, I must’ve misheard. It sounded like you said you were firing me. That can’t be right.
Stuart: Jason is family, Neptune. I can’t get rid of him. Believe me, it pains me to let you go but I've got no other choice. You guys will never get along. Right now he is going to sulk for probably the next hour… I really can’t keep having him do that.
Neptune: Breathe, breathe…
Stuart: Neptune? What are you doing?
Neptune: Trying to not kick you in the f**king face, that’s what.
Stuart: What?!
Neptune: Oh, screw it. Stuart, you’re a f**king spineless c**t. You are choosing that f**king loser who can’t even get laid! I am this close – THIS close – to kicking some sense into you!
Stuart: Neptune… please get out. Please get out before I have the police come and escort you out.
Neptune: Oh? Really? That's how it's going to be? Fine, I'll find my way out, in a second.
Neptune throws his leg in the air and kicks a cup sitting on Stuart's desk sending it sailing right at Stuart hitting him in the chest. What looks to be orange juice splashes all over him as he jumps back with his eyes wide.
Stuart: You little... I'll.... I'll
Neptune slams his fist on the desk and Stuart's eyes widen even more, this time out of fear as he looks at Neptune who is breathing hard, a raging tempest inside of him.
Neptune: You'll what?
Stuart: Just get out!
Neptune: That's what I thought you f**king p**y.
*
The sun was warm and shining brighter than usual. Or maybe it was that Neptune wasn’t used to being out and about at that time of day.
He was sitting on a bench in a park, sipping on the last drops of his soda, when he sighed and looked up at the sky. Everything seemed so limitless when he looked up there. Anything was possible.
But as he looked down at the empty soda can in his hands, he realized that no matter how hard you try, sometimes things just don’t work out. He crushed the can in his hand and got up.
There was a trash bin not too far from where he was, and for some reason he couldn’t explain, he threw the can in the air and kicked it. The empty can hit the rim of the trash bin but fell into it. Neptune smiled to himself.
With his hands in his pockets, he walked away, and decided to take the long way home. He began thinking about things, as you do when you lose a job. Maybe he wasn’t made for those kinds of jobs. Maybe there was just one thing he was built to do.
Stuart was a complete coward. Even though Neptune had been a popular salesman and managed to get customers to spend more money than they usually would, he was still shown the door. All because Stuart was too spineless to get rid of the actual problem. F**k him and his sh**ty store! Sigh.
“Mattaki is going to have a field day with this,” Neptune thought to himself. “You always give me shit for not keeping a job, now who’s the one who got fired? Ha!” Neptune imagined that was what Mattaki would say to him with that smug look on his face.
Neptune couldn’t wait to see him.
No matter how shitty things got, Mattaki always made it seem like nothing bad could ever happen to them. Neptune felt safe with him.
When Neptune got back to their apartment, there were a few guys waiting for him. He recognized them instantly. Neptune’s stomach turned a bit… he knew what was going to happen next. They closed in on him, and normally Neptune would fight back… but he knew he couldn’t in this particular case. He had to bear it. Otherwise, things would get way shittier.
So when they punched him repeatedly in the gut and in the ribs… he just thought of Mattaki.
That kept him from falling apart.
*
It was late afternoon when Neptune heard the sound of the phone ringing. He had been lying on the floor, breathing with difficulty. Those #$@$# sure did a number on him. He was going to let the phone ring out but then he thought it could be Mattaki calling. That got him up (he yelped out in pain for a moment) and he answered the phone.
It was Mattaki.
“Heeeeey, Neptune!” Mattaki sounded pretty lively and happy. “What you up to? You had a good day?”
Neptune could feel pain just from breathing so he tried not to breathe too hard. He leaned back against the wall for support. That helped a bit.
“Not really, no…” Neptune sighed. He thought of lying but he couldn’t lie to Mattaki. He didn’t have much left in his bank account and he might not have a job, but he still had his honesty for the one person who mattered the most to him.
“Why? What happened?” Mattaki sounded concerned. Neptune felt a tinge of guilt.
“It’s nothing serious,” Neptune was not keen on debriefing like that over the phone. He needed to be with Mattaki. “I’ll tell you more about it when you get home.”
“Ah, yes, about that…” Mattaki cleared his throat. Neptune’s stomach turned again, hurting his breathing. “I kind of need some money… to… uhh… um… get me out of… don’t get mad… jail.”
The pain quieted down.
Rage had to take over.
“WHAT?!” Neptune couldn’t help it, he really couldn’t. “WHY THE HELL ARE YOU IN JAIL?!? WHAT DID YOU DO?!?”
“Well, it’s a long story but I kind of attacked someone thinking it was someone else. It’s his fault really, when you think about it. Then this amputee chick got out of the bag and things just got worse from then on.”
Neptune’s eyes widened… his rage got even more fiery.
“GAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”
“Wow, okay, you’re really mad,” Mattaki couldn’t help but laugh a bit. “I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you. Just come and get me out, please?”
“YOU IDIOT!”
“Thanks, Neptune. See you soon,” Mattaki said trying to be cheerful.
“$#$#@@!##” Neptune cursed before hanging up.
