What a joke
1262 Words
He is a joke
After an hour-long drive across the city, Michael was escorted to an expansive grand mansion safeguarded by multiple guards. When his master told him that his job in the city would be protecting an old friend, he left the part about him being filthy rich out. Even the air bore a contrasting difference to the one he was used to back home; it was as if he had travelled to a completely different plane of existence. Either way, he figured that as long as it paved him a way of establishing his legacy, he would not mind the surprises that came with it.
When the door to the villa was opened, Michael saw the Jenkins family for the first time. Stretched out in a straight line, they reminded him of how dignitaries were received in state functions. He even felt embarrassed seeing how perfectly dressed they were, ready to welcome him. He awkwardly crossed his arms in front of his nether region. Michael noted that when he entered, he could almost taste the shock palpable in the air.
For an uncomfortable amount of time, the two parties gawked at each other, with the Jenkins family revealing the greatest level of bewilderment. Likewise, Michael rigorously studied the family, inwardly wondering why the two women resembled each other. If not for the apparent age gap, he would have mistaken them for twins. The older one had a calm face on while the younger one in tight outfits displayed a bamboozled expression. The young man standing at the furthest end was smiling in a way that suggested he was holding in the greatest laugh.
To break the now awkward silence, Robert Jenkins lightly coughed. With a wide smile, he stepped forward and stretched his right hand in greeting.
“ Mr. Lee” Robert Jenkins said in the most respectful and calm way possible “ I trust your journey was agreeable.”
“ It was” Michael instantly replied. He resolved that he ought to start getting used to being addressed as Mr. Lee.
“ And master sends his respects”
“ That old man has refused to die.” Robert cracked a joke in an attempt to break the tension in the air
“I think he grows inversely – he is certainly getting younger” Michael smiled
Robert dryly chuckled then turned to his family
“ Meet my wife, Isabella”
“ Pleasure” the woman smiled
“ She is really beautiful, ” Michael complemented bluntly.
“ T-thank you?”
“ My daughter Charlotte and son, Dylan.” Robert continued. Michael only scanned them for a quick second before he rested his eyes back on Robert.
“ You have a beautiful family.”
“ thank you” Robert smiled “ We were just about to have dinner, mind joining us?”
After over twenty-four hours of travelling with nothing but energy beverages to nourish him, it was an understatement to say that Michael was famished. As such, when food was brought over, he threw courtesy and good manners to the winds. He ravenously ate, blatantly ignoring the unblinking stares from the Jenkins family and the servants present. When he was starting to get full, he slowed down to a decent pace, dignity finally finding accommodation in his head.
He looked up from his plate and wondered if the family had been staring at him the whole time. He noticed that none of them had placed anything on their plates, and that he had easily cleared half the table. He lightly coughed in embarrassment.
“ I understand you are from upcountry” Dylan started. His expression reminded Michael of his master’s face whenever he saw a heavily pregnant thin monkey, somewhere between conjecture and hilarity.
“ Yes” Michael answered
“ Lived there all your life?”
“ pretty much, yeah” he replied
“ You literally have never stepped inside any city before?”
“ Dylan!” Isabella snapped
“ What? I’m just trying to get to know the bullet man.”
“ Bullet what?” Michael almost coughed up the soup he was sipping.
“ Dad says that you can move faster than a bullet”
“I don’t know about that but I’m pretty fast,” Michael lightly laughed
“ Michael Lee here has been trained for the longest time possible. I can almost ascertain that none of my guards can rival him in a single combat…maybe Ivar, and two others but Michael is one of the best.”
“ He looks like a p*****t” Charlotte spoke for the first time, words blurting out as if she had been holding it in for the longest duration. She regarded Michael like he was the most disgusting thing on planet earth, with pure loathe.
Dylan almost fell off his seat laughing
“ Charlotte!” Robert sternly reproached, “ apologize immediately”
“ Apologize? He is walking in his briefs, and just look at that wriggly thing on his lips….it’s like a caterpillar crawled up there,” Charlotte added nevertheless, her piercing blue eyes judging if this man had the least possible qualifications to be her guard.
“ My moustache?” Michael frowned “ I figured it was trending”
“ Trending? Were you born during the Great Depression?”
“ He’s about the same age as you” Richard sighed while giving Michael an apologetic look “ I apologize for her behavior”
“ No worries, I’m only here for one purpose, and that is to protect you from harm.” Michael sighed
“ About that,” Robert smiled bitterly “ I’ll be assigning you to her”
“ Her?” Michael almost screamed, “ That’s not what master told me”
“ He probably left that part out”
“ I…I…” Michael stuttered pointing at Dylan “ Why not him?”
“ Thanks but no, I don’t want a hillbilly watching my six” Dylan immediately snapped a response “ Charlotte can have the bullet man.”
“ Dad” Charlotte complained, “ just look at him, he looks nothing like a capable bodyguard.”
“ Hey, I’m right here” Michael said, obviously annoyed that they were not regarding his obvious presence by the table, not that he cared much about them anyway
“ He’s nothing like you previously described. I won’t walk around with him.”
“ You don’t seem like a picnic either.” Michael mumbled under his breath, but audible enough that Charlotte heard
“ And his arrogance…”
In the interim, Robert looked like he was stressed beyond measure. He wiped a nervous sweat with the palm of his hands then turned to Michael
“ Again, sorry about her. It is my humble request that you protect my daughter until all this work shenanigans blows over. Amongst other merits, I’ll pay you thrice the amount I pay my guards.”
“ What?” Charlotte exclaimed. She was confused why the city’s richest man was acting so humble in front of a homeless looking lad. Countless professional and more qualified men begged to be among his security detail, it never worked the other way around.
“ I’ll have to think about it”
“ Think about it?” Charlotte posed “ you are unbelievable.”
Ignoring her daughter, Robert added, “School starts on Monday. You have until tomorrow morning to give me an answer so that Samuel makes the contingent preparations. I trust that’s enough time.”
“It is” Michael replied
“He will show you to your room.”
- Writer
