Strings [BoyxBoy]

CHAPTER1 - Beer, Boy, and More Beer

“Time to wake up,” Lynn knocked  “Trav, you’re late. Again.”

I looked at my phone to check the time and if there are any messages. Its 12:51pm and zero –no messages. I rushed down the kitchen for a quick meal for lunch. There was no one home but me and Lynn –she is in charge of all the chores. After one last spoonful of rice and chicken adobo and sipping on that very cold iced tea, the phone rang.

“I’ll answer it,” I rushed towards the telephone “pretty sure it’s Tri.”

 I am not a psychic. It’s just that Tri was just the only person who would call our house. Well there are some like pranksters, people from companies offering us promos and Tri.

“Are you even ready? You’re panting, again. You sound like you just came from a long run.” She asked as soon as I picked up the phone.

“Give me an hour. I just woke up, but I already ate and yeah –“

“Yeah, what?” she cut me off. “Yeah, you are not yet ready? Well, chop chop Trav, let’s not keep the business waiting.”

I looked at my watch as I drove by my old school which was thirty minutes away from our store. It’s two in the afternoon and we close at four. Great, an hour and thirty minutes for work? No wonder I do this most of the time. And no wonder I am used to all her nagging.

“It doesn’t mean you are one of the bosses here you get to come in whenever you feel like coming in, Mr. Travis Dee.” her welcoming speech as soon as I entered the store.

“Tri, I slept late, was writing twenty-seven articles last night.”  I said as I walked behind the cash register.

“Well that’s something new!” she uttered sarcastically. “And here is another!” she handed me a pad of lists. “Those are the items –both rings and necklaces Mrs. Sta. Ana  ordered.”

“Mrs. Sta. Ana? Your future mother-in-law?” I jokingly asked. Mrs Sta.Ana  is John’s mom. And John is Tri’s all time, flavour of every month, with cherries on top, drop dead handsome crush. And it calms her down when the topic is all about him or anything that has something to do with him.

“Well, yeah.” She chuckled turning red while tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Well it’s as if she wants to buy everything here!” I immediately changed the topic in fear she might go on with her John stories again. “We’ll we must prepare all the items on this list. We haven’t got this much sales for the last four months. Exciting.”

“Yes. She wants it to be packed by color, by size and by design.” She said while picking up her things.

“But –“

“You can handle that my friend! I’m off to the gym. Toodles!” and to gym she meant the foodcourt. She quickly zoomed off the store.

It wasn’t like that before. We would put on Britney music while we hop from one corner to another entertaining customers –a lot of customers. We would talk about anything during breaks while listening to Britney music again. Well that was before John came in and before I took the job of writing articles at home. We got kind of busy. We forgot about the store and even our selves.  Well, only myself.

I looked at the clock as I placed the last ring in the container with a label that reads “Mrs. Sta.Ana” then my phone rang.

“Lyka?” I picked up.

“Trav, I know you are still in your store. I read your last tweet ‘stuck again’ just four minutes ago and you forgot to turn off the geotag. So don’t you lie to me saying you are at your grandmother’s house helping her knit. Give yourself a break. Let’s have a drink.”