Chapter 15 - The Good News, Is Not So Good

Chapter - 15

The following days passed by, and a game of hiding and seeking began started Martha, Margaret and Alex. Whenever Alex came across anyone of them, they tried to talk to him, he would slip away from there as fast as he could.

To avoid Martha, Alex would leave the house early in the morning in the guise of hitting the gym. He would only come back when he was sure that nobody would be there. As for Margaret, although they lived next to each other, the association between her and the Rutherford's was only up to the level of greeting each other whenever they crossed paths. Alex was the only one she had a friendly interaction with. So she can't just walk up to Martha or George and ask about Alex and his whereabouts.

Like this, five days had already passed, and like always, Alex had just slipped into the house after making sure that none of his parents was at home. First, he cleaned himself up, then ate what Martha left for him and after that did some odd chores around the house. After he was done with everything, he switched on the TV to watch his favourite footballer, CR7, make his comeback with a bang.

'Bruno Fernandes is coming in fast from the left flank. He just dribbled past the defender beautifully, and CR7 is waving from the middle to get his attention. Responding to CR7's call Bruno has kicked the ball and curling its way past the defenders, the ball is flying inside the box, and CR7 jumped in high in the air and took a magnificent header. The ball swished past the goalkeeper and into the net. What a Goal it is... What a goal it is... As if he never left... CR7 still at his absolute best,"

"YAAY!!" Alex jumped up from the sofa pumping his fist.

*buzz! buzz!

It was only then did he notice that his phone was buzzing. He wanted no disturbance during his game, so the phone was kept on silent. When he checked, the call was from an unknown number.

"Hello,"

"Is this Mr Alex Rutherford I am talking to?" A woman asked from the other side.

"Yes, you are. Who's this?" Alex asked.

"Good morning, Mr Rutherford. I am calling you on behalf of Theation. Did you apply for the job opening in the PR department?" The woman asked.

"Yes, I did," Alex said, shaking in excitement. With his fingers crossed, he was nervously waiting for the good news.

"Congratulations, Mr Rutherford. You are now an employee of Theation," The woman notified him.

Alex wanted to squeal in happiness but controlled himself, "You are not joking..." Alex laughed a bit, "Are you?"

"This is no prank or joke, Mr Rutherford. All you need to do is walk into the company building on Monday, tell your name at the reception, show your ID. With that, you will be officially a part of our company," the woman responded. She was pleased by Alex's reaction.

"Is there anything else I need to pay attention to?" Alex asked.

"No, Mr Rutherford. You have been hired as an intern for now. Only after three months of assessment from your supervisor, which would be the head of our PR department, the company will decide whether or not to offer you a permanent job. Am I clear?" The woman asked.

"Yes," Hearing that he was just going to be an inter, Alex felt a bit downcast.

"There is nothing to be disappointed about. The chances of an intern getting a permanent job in our company are well over ninety percent. So if you do well, there is nothing for you to be scared of," The lady sensing the disappointment in his voice, encouraged Alex.

"I will," Alex said with determination.

"Hehehe... then I hope to see you on Monday. Till then, enjoy your weekend," The lady said.

"You too,"

Although the call had ended, Alex held on to the phone and was still shaking in excitement. He, for the first time, didn't wasn't that pleased when CR7 scored again. He was soon jumping in joy for his own achievement. It took a while for him to calm down.

'This calls for a celebration and a hefty meal,' Alex thought to himself.

He ran upstairs, picked up his wallet, grabbed his jacket and within minutes, he was fighting with aunties over fresh vegetables and meat. It took him more than an hour to buy all that he needed. Tired, he first at his lunch outside before making his way back home.

Getting back home, the first thing he did was to watch the match left to record. And Manchester United won 4-1. Now, this is what we call a lucky day. One good news after the other.

Since it was going to be one hell of a meal, it was going to take a lot of time to prepare. Thinking about the effort it was going to take, Alex even thought of ordering the food from somewhere, but the bliss of watching his parents gobble the food made by him, and their neverending praise didn't let him do that.

By the time he was done, he was dead tired, and his parents were about to show up any time. Dragging himself to his room, he washed up and refreshed himself to look energetic in front of them.

"Alex!" While he was getting dressed up, Martha called out for him from downstairs.

"Coming!"

When Alex walked down the stairs, he found Martha glaring at him. He wanted to avoid her but could not.

"What is this, Alex?" Martha asked, pointing at the banquet in front of her.

"I..."

"I have told you many times that there is no need for you to do the dishes, prepare meals or do any kind of house chore. We have Mrs Flores for that, and if she skips a day or two, we can always eat outside. Why do you stress yourself so much? You are still not at your hundred percent," Martha rebuked Alex, but she was far from being angry. She was just very much concerned for him.

"Mom, relax. There is a reason for all this," Alex said. He grabbed her by her shoulders and tried to calm her down.

"And what could that be?" Still not convinced, Martha asked.

"Guess," Alex asked, with his face blooming with a smile.

Martha looked at his face brimming with happiness, and it was not hard for her to guess the reason for that.

"I see... So that's the case," Martha nodded her head.

"What?" Alex was curious to hear what she had to say. But Martha, without saying a word, left for her room, leaving Alex hanging.

"Mom... Mom... MOM! At least tell me what's on your mind before going," But all his whining was in vain.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Alex was fidgeting on his chair, waiting for his parents.

"Hahaha... I am lucky to have a good son like you. Every day is a feast for my stomach," George said as stroking his big round tummy.

"Everyone can see that. I can hardly discern your face from that football over there," Martha replied, irked by her husband's brazen behaviour.

"Mom, Dad, there is a good news," Alex said.

"Don't tell me... I don't believe it," George dropped the spoon he had just picked, "I am so happy, son. Finally, at last... Martha, did you hear that? I can't believe it... I am going to be a grandpa soon," George stood up, held Martha's hand and began to dance, leaving Alex embarrassed, and Martha irked again.

"Shut up. You and your wild fantasies. Do you think he..." Pointing at Alex, Martha said,"... is capable of that?"

"MOOOOM!" Alex protested. Martha made it sound like he had some issue down there.

"Then what is the good news?" George asked, disappointed.

"What else? He got the job," Martha replied instead of Alex.

"How do you know?" Alex was surprised by her bang on guess.

"It's all over your face," Martha pinched his nose and took her seat.

"Just that?" George was not happy in the least. Martha kicked him, hiding from Alex for his lukewarm reaction. It was then did George realised what he just said.

"Well, it's good news and all, but I would have preferred the former," George said. Then he bent forward and whispered to Alex, loud enough for Martha to hear, "Now that you have a job. You have done what you wanted to do. Now it's your turn to fulfil my wish, isn't it?" George said with a sly smile.

*Ting! Tong!

Alex was saved by the bell. He hurriedly made his way towards the door.

"You," Alex was surprised to find an unexpected person standing in front of him just as he opened the door.

* * * * *

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Discord link also in the synopsis.)