THE HONOURABLE MAN

Episode 2

Janet Jules is a beautiful girl with long black hair, pretty green eyes and a petite body. Her big ears and a flat butt are the only flaws to her looks. She is the same age as Bryce and they have been friends for over a year. She works at the restaurant where Bryce and Pete like to hang out on weekends and that is where they met.

Their friendship isn’t a tight one, Bryce is sympathetic towards her and he often helps her out with cash ever since she disclosed to him how she lost her parents at a young age and has been living with her uncle and his wife who have been mistreating her. She claims she stands it because she has nowhere else to go for she cannot afford her own place and she can’t get a better paying job as she dropped out of school thus she has no qualifications.

Bryce enjoys talking to Janet, he doesn’t have many people to talk to and so she is the only female he communicates with. He loves helping her and the feeling of being of use to someone. His best friend Pete doesn’t like Janet, he thinks there is something not right about her but he can’t put his finger on it. He believes she is taking advantage of Bryce’s kindness by often indirectly asking him for money.

“I thought you were going to tell me about someone else, perhaps a hot blonde that you are interested in and might spend the night with afterwards not Janet,” Pete doesn’t even try to hide his disapproval. “I’m not that kind of a man and you know I don’t have time for relationships right now. I don’t need the stress and the headaches that come along with them. I want to stay focused on my work and soon I’m going to be the C.E.O of Junior Centre.”

“I don’t understand you at all, are you uh m**********g?” “What! No! Why would you even ask me that?” Bryce’s eyes pop out. “Because you are a man and you are telling me that you don’t have time for women so it only makes me wonder how you relieve yourself or did you have your p***s cut off?” Pete falls down laughing hard. “Get the f**k out of here with your silly questions! If you must know I keep myself too busy with my work that I don’t even have time to think about sex.”“Hmmm, is that so?” Pete mumbles doubtfully.

A few days before the weekend, Bryce stops by Deli’s restaurant where Janet works and she is tickled pink by the sight of him. “I haven’t seen you in a while, what brings you by?” She tries her best not to sound too excited. “Been quite busy lately I had a presentation to prepare to impress some clients and it has paid off, so tell me how have you been?”

He orders snacks for the both of them and they chat for a few minutes before he asks her to be his date to Dina’s wedding but he makes it clear they will only be going as friends. Janet is flattered that he asked her of all people thus she blissfully agrees. “Ooh no! The wedding is three days away,” she niggles. “How is that a problem?” he wonders.

“I don’t have anything nice to wear and there is little time left for me to try and save money to buy a dress and I’m pretty sure everyone at the wedding will be looking glamorous including you so I can’t go looking like a . . . . . . .” “Janet!” Bryce Interrupts as he predicts she would only go on nonstop. “I will buy you a dress, don’t worry about it,” “Really? Aww thank you I guess now I only have to look for the shoes and . . . .”

“I will buy the shoes, jewellery and the clutch bag as well as anything else you need.” Janet grins upon hearing that, she is confident Bryce won’t buy her cheap clothes, whatever he will buy is surely going to be gorgeous and expensive. “Bryce I don’t want to trouble you, you shouldn’t have to pay for asking me to be your date we are friends after all.” “Don’t worry about it, it’s no trouble at all I’m happy to.” “Are you sure?” “Positive.”

When he gets home he throws himself on his leather couch, he takes out his cell phone and dials Pete’s number. After chit chatting for a few minutes he informs him that Janet agreed to be his date. Pete isn’t surprised he knew she would agree, why wouldn’t she? “Let me guess, you are buying her a dress and accessories to wear to the wedding?” he guesses right.

“I offered as a gentleman it was the right thing to do to return the favour.” “You offered or she indirectly asked like she always does?” “Stop it Pete! Don’t you get tired of hating on her, exactly what do you have against Janet?” Pete rolls his eyes before responding, “You really want to know?” “Uh not really, let’s talk later,” Bryce hangs up sparing himself from a thirty minute annoying conversation.

It’s a lonely life that he is living, he is home alone every night with no one to talk to, laugh or share jokes with. He lives a boringly predictable life it’s the same thing every day, leave for work in the morning, get back home late evening, have takeaways for supper, watch a bit of TV mostly news and business and then he is off to bed that’s if he doesn’t have work to finish off.

He looks forward weekends since that’s the only time he gets to relax and live a little, he usually spends time with his best friend Pete and it’s always a pleasure. Pete is a crazy person just the right person to keep him laughing although at times he can be annoying and bothersome.

The phone rings and Bryce’s face brightens after his eyes dart to the screen to view the caller ID. “Hie mom,” he grins childishly and stays on the phone for over fifteen minutes before hanging up.

Violet Monroe is his sixty year old mother’s name, despite her age she is still strong and full of life and she would love nothing more than to stay with her only child but Bryce is no mama’s boy he can’t have it. It never looks good for a man his age to be living with his mother and he needs his space and privacy.

His mother can be controlling and at times she loves to get all up in his business and treat him like a child thus he allows her to visit once in a while and during those days he enjoys home cooked meals and having someone to come home to.

He dotes on his mother, he makes sure all her requests are met and he sends her money every weekend. She lives in Castle City which is located three hours away from Alandro. She has just notified her son that she will be visiting him in two weeks’ time. Bryce looks forward dwelling in her company for it has been quiet sometime since the last time she visited him.