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It's been a week since the cruise and that meant vacation time for Michael was over. Back to the life of the hard working mechanic he was. Thankfully, today wasn't going to be as long according to KP which was great. Although Michael didn't mind the extra hours of overtime, he also hated how fatigued he would be from those taxing hours and not being able to spend time with Inga. When it started disrupting his love life was when it became a bigger issue.
He knew there was nothing he could have done about it then, and Inga was such an understanding individual; he had no worries about her ever coming at him about spending less time with her even when they made their relationship exclusive. Nevertheless, he made time for her regardless of his exhaustion. It was his way of letting her know she would always be a priority. Since his break neared, he made sure to cash out his last customer after replacing the ABS system of their Mercedes-Benz.
Afterward, he made his way into the break room, washed his hands thoroughly and retrieved his food from the fridge to warm up in the nearby microwave. Two of his co-workers by the name of Chadwick and Ivan entered, laughing. As Michael was heating some leftovers his aunt prepared for dinner last night, he looked up at them and grinned. "What y'all cacklin' about?"
"This negro right here," Chadwick pointed his thumb at Ivan, "itchin' and burnin'." He laughed harder, and Ivan shoved him away causing him to stumble sideways.
Michael shook his head, snickering. "Oh, Lord."
He wasn't as close to them as they were close to each other and that was fine. However, they got along great and were an amazing team together as the top mechanics of the shop. Michael was an extremely private person and never vocal a lot about his life like them. They were comfortable with sharing so much with him because he was truthworthy, for one. And two, who would he tell anything to? They've never felt a way and respected his privacy. Michael never understood how they could be so candid.
"You ain't have to air my business out like that," Ivan said with a sideways glance. "And I have a UTI for the last damn time. I'm not itchin', nigga."
"Could've fooled me the way you've been goin' to the bathroom every two damn minutes." Ivan shook his head and mumbled under his breath as he walked over to the fridge to grab his lunch. "So, Mike, how was your first cruise?"
The timer on the microwave sounded, and Michael removed his tupperware from it. Nearby were three boxes of plastic forks, spoons and knives so he took a fork, grabbed his bowl and bottled water to sit at the table and eat. As he pulled out a chair to sit, he said, "It was the best damn vacation I've ever had in my life. To experience that with my girl was amazing."
Both Chadwick and Ivan's heads jerked back at the revelation of a girlfriend. "Your girl?" Chadwick questioned almost comically. "When did yo' ass get a woman?"
