The Guardsmen

Chapter 33: Crumbling Sorrow

Birds chirp in the bright blue sky. Life in the upper-class suburbia could not be any better.

"Owen!" shouts a man in a suit

"Yes sir, Mr. Humphrey?" Andrus hesitantly responds as he enters the room

Andrus wears a formal tuxedo.

"You look so dapper, Owen!" Mr. Humphrey shouts in a gleeful tone

Mr. Humphrey is large in stature. How he can fit into such a tight suit: nobody knows. He has short black hair that softly shines a dark green in the light.

"Thank you, sir, but please, I prefer to go by my last name," Andrus said in a nervous tone

"Oh hush!" replies Mr. Humphrey, "You've been working with us for over a year! You're practically family now. Last names are so formal"

Andrus sighs but returns a soft smile.

"Yes sir. Thank you" says Andrus

"So, Owen!" continues Mr. Humphrey as he stands up; almost towering over Andrus

"Yes sir?" replies Andrus

"As you know, we have that wine mixer in a few hours! I need it to go off without a hitch!" says Mr. Humphrey, "And I need you to make sure that it happens! That means keeping everything in line and civil. And it also means making sure the maids don't have any problems whatsoever with my son!"

Andrus softly chuckles as he fondly remembers the hectic tantrums that kid has thrown.

"Yes sir!" Andrus says as he places his hand over his chest and softly bows

"I knew I could count on you!" shouts Mr. Humphrey as he tightly embraces Andrus

Andrus's breath is practically squeezed out of his body. Memories fill Andrus's mind as he remembers the past. After the squadron had broken apart, he had a choice: return to the loneliness of the army or try and return to civilian life. Little did he know how difficult it would be to find any form of stability after being away for so long. Rejection after rejection only sent Andrus further into depression. Then, one day, he sees a job opportunity to be a servant for a decent salary. The interview, if that's what he could call it, was completely unstructured. Mr. Humphrey asked him about his favorite snacks.

"Um...sir?" Andrus asks, returning to the present

Mr. Humphrey releases his grip on Andrus. A smile gleams off his face.

"Alright! Back to work!" he says after toughly patting Andrus on the shoulders.

As Mr. Humphrey sits back down at his desk, Andrus regains his composure while walking out of the room. The next few hours fly by faster than Andrus could have ever imagined.

"Owen! Owen! Owen!" shouts a little kid in an almost shrieking voice

Andrus softly winces and looks down to see a child barely old enough to be in grade school. He wears a small suit similar to Mr. Humphrey's. His bright brown hair bounces in the light.

"Yes sir?" says Andrus as he squats down to reach eye level

"Dad says I can't have a cookie right now! Can I have it??" shouts the kid

"Now, Oron," Andrus says while ruffling the child's hair, "If your dad said no, then that means no."

Oron's face quickly droops with disappointment. Andrus roughly sighs with exhaustion.

"Here," says Andrus

Andrus takes the cookie and snaps it in half as best as he can. He hands the smaller portion to Oron.