To Be A Carnivore

Chapter 11 Subtleties

My boss was up all night working. It was easy to know he did that whenever he was wearing his pajamas outside his house and covering his tired eyes with large shades. He needed to get a lot of work done since we were taking a couple of days off meaning the office was going to ran by the department heads and Yvette.

I prayed Yvette wouldn't burn down VInTech while the boss and I were away. I hoped that wasn't too much to ask.

The boss was on the phone the whole time we were at the waiting area. I was sitting with the luggage. He was fighting with Diane from the looks of it. Our plane was delayed due to weather conditions. These were other things my boss had no power over. It was weird but after my boss told me about his mom, I was starting to see the things he didn't have control over namely disease, parents, an uncle, a girlfriend and the weather.

I counted down the days until I would meet my parents. At first it didn't seem so bad. My boss was coming with me and we were flying business against my better judgement which gratefully he shouldered. The boss had suggested we use the company plane but I didn't think that was appropriate for personal use. It still surprised me how it was already the end of the month.

I packed light and Tina packed for the boss. I decided not to comment on how that made the boss more childish. He was a child I reminded myself. He was the child king with a broken childhood.

The boss and I agreed we'd be gone for at least three days and we could only at most afford four. He was as worried as I was that Yvette was going to be left in charge. He didn't voice it out but before we left he kept repeating his instructions to Yvette telling her to call him if anything at all came up.

My phone beeped alerting me to a text. I fished it from my back pocket. It was from an unknown number that neither my phone nor I recognized.

"Where are you going with my nephew?" It asked revealing who it was. It was vexing when rich people did this suddenly getting your number without your permission. I was still lightly avoiding Richard. He checked up on the project periodically but he kept it professional to my comfort.

"Seaside Grand Hotel" I replied.

"Why?"

I didn't know how to reply to that. The answer was simple and complex at the same time. It was easy enough to text, "To meet my parents" but the underlying reasons for that was hard to explain. Also, I didn't want Richard to know how he got under my skin.

It was partly his attitude towards me that convinced me to learn the truth.

"Earth to Emmeth" my boss said impatiently tapping his foot and folding his arms. I heard the announcement that our plane had arrived and was now boarding.

"Let's go" I said.

"That's what I should say" my boss said testily. I decided to let sleeping lions lie. I could tell that the phone call with the girlfriend did not go well. I rose up and typed a short reply before pocketing my phone again and taking the luggage. I was grateful Tina had packed a single rolling suitcase that was easy enough to pull along with my light bag pack.

I didn't try to think about my reply. It was the best I could come up with as of the moment. "Work", I lied.

My boss was tired and emotionally strained. The prospect of meeting my parents we shared while he contended with another fight with his girlfriend. We were alone at the business class which made the silence between us much louder. He wasn't very happy to hear from the stewardess that a commotion in economy was making it hard to depart.

"What commotion?" My boss demanded. He was using the rude tone he usually specifically used on me.

"An old couple seem to have double booked their tickets with another pair of passengers." The stewardess hurried to explain gushing out the detail like she was leaking. "The other party is with a group of friends going on a vacation and insist the couple catch the next flight. But the old couple is adamant about attending their granddaughter's wedding in time."