It Won't Be That Bad

Ch 16

"Do you need anything else, Father?" Michael cradled the phone between his shoulder and ear while his gaze focused on the front, both hands holding tightly to the steering wheel and occasionally stabilizing the car's speed so it didn't go off the road. Father didn't answer for a while, but he could hear his voice instructing someone on the other end of the call, he was waiting. "You seem busy, you can call me later if you need anything."

["Wait a minute, Michael."]

So he didn't turn off the call, but instead changed the call mode to loudspeaker and then placed the phone on his car dashboard, he wouldn't risk himself while driving, especially as the road—even though it wasn't busy—was full of other vehicles. This morning, father told him to do a final check before giving a report while he was on guard for a week at the second location. It wouldn't be long, he hoped, his husband's class would be over in two hours and he was still on his way to Oxford city, he estimated he would arrive at the second restaurant after twenty minutes.

His mind drifted to yesterday, that kid had lied about his interactions with Ennard, he knew and he chose to wait. Waiting for Ennard to tell him the truth. Michael rolled down the car window completely and put his elbows out while exhaling, waiting for the red light to turn green while in reverie about Ennard who wasn't always so forthright. Maybe he was just too worried and thinking negatively about that guy in the bathroom, but he was a bully himself, he knew all the tricks and lies a bully would tell and he hated himself still memorizing it all.

"Father? Are you still there?" Once again Michael called, no sound could be heard from the other end of the call now. The corner of Michael's eye twitched in annoyance. "Dad."

["A moment."]

"What are you doing precisely?"

["Helping to open the restaurant because there are three employees who are absent today. Are you still driving?"] A mumbled 'yes' from his mouth answered father's question, Michael turned the steering wheel to the right after saying that. ["Okay, I need you to check the systems of all the animatronics, then check the electricity there to make sure everything is fine, the tables should be arranged facing the main stage, move Mangle to the playzone, there should be enough space for Mangle to accompany the children to play there."]

"Uh, interruption." Michael raised an eyebrow before they dived towards each other as his forehead furrowed. "Will it be safe?" He thought again about the case that happened to his friend before, and he felt doubtful. Of course, there was no desire for the same tragedy to happen again.

["I can guarantee."]

The answer wasn't convincing enough, but he believed his father. "In that case, okay. Are there more?"

["There are two things, check the equipment in the kitchen and make a list if you feel there is something missing. Lastly, can you investigate something there? At that time Vincent said he felt someone's presence but there was no one, and your papa's hunch is always right most of the time."]

Jeremy?

Was it Jeremy that Papa felt the presence? Michael kept his mouth shut, his fingers gripping the steering wheel tighter. "Okay, no problem," he finally answered, relaxing his shoulder muscles again until they slumped. "Do you want me to buy some food when I go there? Papa kept nagging me earlier because you left without having breakfast at all."

["That would be great, thank you, carbonate copy-paste."]

"I'm going to block you from life."

A laugh was heard from the other end of the call, his grip tightened on the steering wheel again, this time the emotion of irritation was channeled after hearing how his father called him with something he was bored to hear. A grumble escaped his pouting mouth, and he decided to end the call unilaterally. Michael got rid of all his irritation quickly and returned his focus to the road. From a distance he could see his destination restaurant. He increased the car speed to quickly get to the location and even overtook several other cars. After a few minutes, he pulled into the parking lot, stopping the car in front of the restaurant.