Techton

Chapter 1

   It was a long day after work and Guy had to get back to his mother. They lived in an estate apartment at Bradford Hills. Since his dad died, he had been with his mother, regardless his situation. At his age one would be wondering why he doesn't have a better paying job and all that. He just isn't ready, that's it. "Ugh, I'm tired" he muttered to himself, "I don't think I can handle this stuff anymore", sweating so much, that you could get yourself a jug of sweat if he squeezed his t-shirt in to it. "What was that?" his boss asked anxiously, "another worker trying to get himself fired on the job?" You could just see the anxiety on Mr. Brendan, Guy's boss' face. "N-n-no sir", he stuttered, looking scared. Today was a very bad day for all workers at the diner. "Well that's good to know", he replied, "I can't afford to lose another one of my most trusted workers. You do know you are the one I trust the most, right?" he asked, looking straight into his eyes. "Yes sir, you even called me your son you never had". " Oh yes, that's right. Lovely, isn't it?" Smiling at him. "Yeah, sure". Guy was just waiting for the right time to inform him of going home. "Great!" he was just that much into him. "Um sir, Guy just broke in. "What?" "I just wanted to inform you that I wanted to get home." Mr. Brendan wished Guy could just work overtime, but he was right, it was almost 07:00 pm, meaning they had worked for an hour past their closing. "Oh really?" Clearing his throat, making the whole response a bit too serious. "Yes sir". Guy responded with hope and tiredness. "Ha-ha, going home to the old Dana?" – Guy's mum who's about Mr. Brendan's age but looks twenty years younger. "Yes sir, I'm thinking she might be worried since I didn't inform her of staying out late." "Hmm, this is very tough". "Sir, it's 06:45 pm...we should have closed about an hour ago." Guy was afraid he would say no, following what had happened earlier. "Alright, alright" Mr. Brendan had agreed. "Yes!!" Guy exclaimed happily in his head. "You can go to the old Dana. And extend my greetings to her." Mr. Brendan said. He was a kind-hearted guy and since he had a son the same as Guy, who was working outside town, he couldn't deny him of going to his mum.  So, Guy headed home.

Guy accidentally slams the door to the apartment as he enters. "........." He was so quiet, he was sure not even an ant could hear him come. "Guy?" "Oh, dang it." He whispered to himself. "she's awake". "Guy...who's there? You better show yourself or I'm calling the cops." "Mum, it's me Guy". He said as he heard his mother's threat. "Oh my God, Guy you startled me, you know?" Dana said, staring at the doorway just waiting for her son to emerge so she could just finish her scolding, which she couldn't think of because her son was a man now and scolding him would be so disgraceful for him. "I'm sorry, mum". He said as he entered the doorway smirking to save himself from trouble. "Don't worry, you were the only person I was expecting to see at the doorway." She also responded giving a tender smile. "So, what's for dinner?" Guy asked her, looking skinny all over. "Why are you asking me that? I thought you already ate at work." She just threw at him. "Mum, my day at work today is the last thing you wanna know about". "Why, what happened today?" She asked, not paying attention to what Guy had said earlier. "Mum,I said let's talk about that later, right now I just need something to eat." She just looked at him with bright shining eyes. Well that's one thing that you can see in Guy's family, just that his father is nowhere to be seen. "Okay son, I hear you. So, what are you going to eat?" "I don't know, what's there?" he just asked as if he was new in the house and didn't know the way to the kitchen. Their house was an ultramodern apartment that looked like that of a mad scientist's house but had the style of a model's own. It was the idea of both parents, and it was splendid. "Guy, you know the way to the kitchen, I'm not blocking you." "Argh, but mum." "Don't you mum me." she just cut in before he could think of another word "But I'm so tired." "That one isn't my problem, go to the kitchen, find something, if it's cold, use the oven to make it warm, if not, find a plate and put it in. And I hope you know what to do next." She threw that at him like a lecture he had back in the university. "Yes mum, I know, then I eat it. Thank you, mum." "Alright, go on hurry before something happens. But, you will have to change your clothes and wash down because I'm smelling something different here." "Mum!!" Guy exclaimed at what Dana said. "I said, don't mum me. Just have a shower and be refreshed, that's all." She said. "I don't want to be getting a cold while breathing in my own house, and not allergic to anything." She added. "Okay mum, I hear you." Guy answered, not feeling happy about that thought at all. Having a bath that late before eating was one thing Guy never like since his childhood and he still didn't like it. "I'm going to take my bath, then come downstairs to eat. Mum, are you sure I can't..." "You go upstairs right now and come down here Guy Dickson, or I'm kicking you out of my house." she just cut him off before he could finish his complaint. "Yes, mum." He said, trying to hide his face from his mum, who he felt was disgracing him. Guy didn't like how his mother sounded whenever she scolded him. It made him feel like a 10 year old boy once again, and he could feel himself forcing not to let any tears out. "I hate this thing that she keeps doing." Guy whispered to himself as he entered his room. "It's the worst thing I can hear from her anytime I come home. I've got to tell her how I..." just then, he was cut off by the chiming of his phone. "Argh, who is this at this time?" he took the phone and looked at the number closely. "Huh... I've never seen this number before." Just as he decided to answer, it ended "Oh, it's a missed call. Let me wait, maybe the person will..." and he was cut off again. "Oh, like I said." He then answered the phone and put it very close to his ears. "Hello." was the first thing he said after hearing a female's voice at the other end of the line. He was dumbfounded to what he heard. "Wh-Who is this?" gulping as he stuttered. "It's Ava, Guy." the voice in the phone said. "Oh, Ava." He replied, confused. "How are you doing?" He asked. "I'm doing great Guy, how are you doing?" Ava replied. "I'm also doing fine here, thanks for asking." Guy said, still surprised. "Oh, that's nice. I know what you're thinking Guy." She replied, putting him in a whole new level of sweating. "Me? What am I thinking? I'm not thinking anything. Am I?" Guy said, sounding all confused. He was thinking of something though, but he didn't know if that was what Ava was thinking about. "Yeah, that I said I don't do phone calls in the middle of the night, and that if I would call you, it might be during my break at daytime." She replied. "Oh, yeah, that one." Guy said, having a bit of relief. "Yeah, I do remember you saying that. What happened to that?" Guy added. "Well, I don't have anything to do right now." She said. "We're also entering a weekend, and I'm finding it very difficult to sleep. Then your name came into my head. So, I decided to check if you weren't asleep so..." She added, but was cut off by Guy. "So you would make me your entertainer, so you could fall asleep?" Guy said. He wasn't really into girls, and he didn't know how to be a bit polite to them. Well, except for his mother. She's the only woman in his life. "Of course not." Ava answered. "That's ridiculous" Ava said,laughing at him. "Why, what's funny?" Guy asked, not finding any fault in what he said. "Oh, nothing's funny." Ava said, "but that'snot why I called." She added, making Guy feel guilty. "I called because we hadn't talked after we met, and I just wanted to talk to you because you sounded nice the other day." "............" Guy was too silent because he had never heard that in his whole life. Ava was the only girl who had told him that, since she had the chance to. No girl has been able to be friends with Guy for long, ever since kindergarten. He always drove them away without even noticing. He just didn't see them any different from boys. He met Ava at work. He had closed, and Ava was the last customer for the day. "Hello?" Ava said, noticing Guy's silence. "Are you still there?" She asked, wondering why Guy was so silent. "Oh, sorry. I wasn't really paying attention." Guy said, not knowing what to say. He was actually surprised that he had heard such words from a girl such as Ava. Ava's family was wealthy on both sides. Her mother was the daughter of one of the wealthiest business tycoons in Bradford Hills. Her father inherited an apple farm, stretching more than 40 acres. Guy wasn't really from a rich family, but his father was the best scientist ever. Well, he was, before he disappeared a week before Guy's 11th birthday. It was a very unusual incident. He just vanished right in front of them. That was the saddest moment in his life. Due to these family differences, and how Guy was weird in making 'lady friends', he kept on wondering how this friendship was going to last. Maybe he just had to be different this time. "Oh okay" Ava said, with her tone down this time. "Maybe this wasn't the right time to call. I'll call you tomorrow then" "No no no no,it's not a bad time. I'm just not thinking straight right now." Guy said, trying to save his new friendship from ending in less than 36 hours. "I'm so sorry. Today was a long day for me, and there was an issue at the shop so..." Just then, Ava cut him off. "What happened at the shop? Are you okay?" Sounding worried. "Oh yeah,I'm okay." Guy replied. "Nothing to worry about. I'm fine." He added, just to not make Ava more worried. "Okay Guy, I hear you." Ava said. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay." "Oh, no one's been so nice to me like that before. Thanks." Guy said, sounding like he was making it all up, but that was just his life. He never actually had permanent friends. Maybe this was gonna be a very interesting friendship. "You're welcome." Ava said, blushing while she spoke. "So, what are you doing tomorrow night?" She asked. "Erm-uh tom-to- tomorrow n-night?" Guy asked, stammering like a little child. "Yeah, tomorrow night. Say, around 7 pm." Ava said. "Erm-uh, I um..." he was cut off by Ava as he kept stammering. "Well, it's okay if you're busy. I could ask another time." "No, no, no. I'm very free tomorrow." Guy said, trying not to ruin his chance. "I'll be very free. You wanna do something?" Guy asked. "Um, I don't know. Maybe we could just talk. We could grab some drinks, just us. Or we could go for a walk. What do you think?" "Well, they're all good ideas and I haven't done any of those before so, why don't we figure that out tomorrow?" Guy asked. "Sure thing. So, I'll call you tomorrow then." "Why don't I call rather? That would be cool." Guy offered. He felt some manliness in him at that time. "Alright, sure. So, it's a goodnight then." Ava replied. "Yeah, goodnight."  

Guy had never made a call like this in his entire life, and he felt so good, smiling as he hung up. He finished dressing up, and applied perfume, still smiling, then went downstairs. He noticed Dana acting strange as he  went down the stairs. "Mum? What's wrong?" he asked. "Nothing." Dana replied, as she had placed her hands on her mouth, to prevent her from bursting into laughter. But she couldn't hold it any longer. "Who was that on the phone?" she asked, laughing so teasingly. "That was Ava, um....mom, were you eavesdropping?" "No, no. I was just passing by. I went to put my clothes in the room. I heard something you said, it was so funny, so I had to come downstairs. I promise." she said, still laughing. "You were like, what am i thinking? I'm not thinking of anything." she said, mimicking Guy's voice and laughing at it. "Mum, that's not cool. That was my first ever call with a girl, and I didn't know what to say. She said something, I didn't know what to say, she said i was thinking something, I wasn't, what else was i to say?" Guy replied, sounding troubled. "Don't worry Guy, mum's got you covered. Trust me. I'll help you get on with her." Dana said. "What do you mean by get on with her?" "You know, let you two get along." "Mom we already get along pretty well." "I mean, the other one." "Mum, no. No. I'm not ready for that. I don't even know how that starts. No, mum. I'm not doing that. Besides, I don't even think she'll like me. Her dad is that rich guy everybody talks about." Guy said, his face red from blushing too much. "Wait. You mean that was Mr. Blue's daughter?" "Um, yeah. Why?" "Oh wow. Blue's daughter likes you?" "What? Mom!! No! She wouldn't. I'm not her class, or type, or whatever they call it." "Guy, you're exaggerating. Did you ask her out, or anything?" "Well, we were planning to go out, but we'll settle on that later. It was her idea though." Dana broke into laughter again. "Guy, are you that clueless? She literally asked you out. Ha" Dana replied, making fun of Guy. "You know what mum, I'm going to eat. I can't talk about this any longer. Please don't talk about this again. I'm going to eat." Guy said, feeling bad. "Okay, I put the food in the oven I'm sure it's done." Dana said, laughing silently. Guy went for the food. He ate, as Dana sat with him, watching a show. Nobody mentioned the call.