Just Another Job Read online

  Just Another Job

  Copyright 2013 Casey Peterson

  Published by Casey Peterson at Smashwords

  Smashwords Edition License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Dedicated To

  My big C and my two little Cs. Thank you.

  Chapter One

  They leaned their heads over the screen. The clip started again. A low shot of a standard business building climbed up to reveal a massive skyscraper. Voices near the camera competed against the noise of heavy traffic. A loud woman beat out all the cacophony with a shout, “There he is again!” The voices grew louder. The camera zoomed and focused on the roof where the outline of a man could be seen. “Suicide,” popped up from the crowd. The minuscule figure stepped backwards along the edge and paused.

  “I can’t watch this guy kill himself,” said Chris.

  Frank paused the video, annoyed.

  “You’re going to get caught again watching this crap. They’re always watching. I mean, you helped design the system to track this stuff,” continued Chris.

  “Yeah, and the backdoor program so I don’t get caught again. Shut up and watch,” said Frank Janson leaning back now. He glanced back and forth between his oldest friend’s reaction and the video playing on the iPad set in the center of the bench seat of his pickup.

  The man on the roof raced across the edge with his tiny arms and legs pumping madly. At full stride he planted a foot at the end of the building and leaped. The camera followed his arch across the open air and onto the next rooftop where he disappeared for a moment. Then with the onlookers silent, the jumping man walked to the edge of the new skyscraper’s roof with arms raised. Distorted cheers rang out from the iPad as the video ended.

  “Cool. Is there a new Superman movie coming out?” asked Chris.

  “What? No. That was completely real.”

  “Sure. It’s probably some viral marketing campaign. You could tell it was a setup. Who has their camera or phone pointing up at the roof of the building?” Chris paused. He looked over the man across from him for an answer or reaction. Frank swept his hand over his short red hair. Then his blue eyes turned onto Chris, but they looked right through him making Chris feel invisible. “And just so happens to see a guy jumping across buildings?”

  “I’ve been on the internet all day looking it up. It’s legit. There are no new copyrights for a Superman movie and the IEP for the video originates to some residence in New York.”

  “It’s a false trail. Watch, tomorrow there’s going to be a new trailer of some unknown actor dressed in a red cape and blue tights.”

  Frank’s eyes opened wide and he struck the steering wheel with the back of a rough hand. “I’m telling you it’s fucking real.”

  “Special effects.” Chris gave a small shrug.

  “Get out of my truck. Go finish your route.”

  “Thanks for the movie update. Can't wait for the trailer,” said Chris, opening the door to step out.

  “Shut up, dick.”

  “Wait, I wanna change my guess to Ben Affleck.”

  “Get to work.”

  “Or Matt Damon with Affleck producing.”

  Frank started the engine and gunned his pickup down the residential street. Chris took a moment to remember where he left off on his route and then grabbed his own iPad to do the thinking for him. The next house wasn't far and thankfully was the last one of the day. He continued to gaze at the map before deciding he needed to ask Frank how to get around the security bot on his work iPad. Movie trailers played so much faster on it. But maybe he shouldn't. His wife would rightfully pitch a fit if she found out he was, in her eyes, wasting even more time online; especially work time.

  A small oak tree gave off just enough shade for Chris to stop and check his phone next to his company truck. It was pushing into the high eighties and although not hot, the warm spring reminded him of the very warm summer and the hundreds of new internet installations he would be doing. The internet on his phone dragged and Chris stared without focus at the blank browser page. It was time to move on.

  Somehow, the last house on a route always caused the most problems: rats chewed through a cable, software updates on ten-year-old computers that should’ve been recycled, or just an empty house. It’s never the customers’ fault that they didn't call to update you that they have to run out to pick up the kids from school or they just plain forgot. Always the last house.

  Chris pulled up to a single story home in a cul-de-sac filled with ten more identical houses, except the one he was in front of had no cars parked outside.

  “Of course,” said Chris to himself.

  He checked the iPad and Google Maps again to be sure. This was the house. “Shit,” slipped through his lips before they turned into a polite smile. He made his way slowly to the door, keeping his phone ready to call the contact number for what looked to be a no-show. He knocked and received the answer he expected. With his back now to the door, he typed in the number to his phone but stopped after hearing applause from an open window.

  “Amazing!” said a young voice through the same window.

  Pocketing his phone, he slowly turned back to the door and knocked louder. Quick footsteps and a click near the lock signaled Chris to ready his smile again. The door swung open to a pretty woman in her mid-thirties. Two curious boys wrapped themselves around her legs to peek out the door.

  “Hi, I’m Chris Byrne from X-Tech. Are you Anne…Annie? You put in a service order for a new DSL package.”

  “Yeah, come on in. Did you knock earlier? I thought I heard something.”

  She opened the door wider and scooted the two boys to make room.

  “Have you seen the superhero guy jump yet?” asked the slightly older boy.

  “I’m sorry,” said Annie. “We were watching a video on my phone.”

  “Oh yeah, I think I saw that one earlier. Those things travel fast,” said Chris.

  “He was running and then – Boom! – he flew through the air,” said the older boy.

  “Boom!” repeated the younger boy.

  “I always knew they were real, right Sammie?” said the older boy.

  “Yeah, I knew they were real too,” said Sammie.

  “Oh my goodness. Graham take your brother into the other room to play cars or something,” said Annie.

  “My son loves superheroes. He’d love for them to be real too,” said Chris.

  Annie politely grinned and motioned Chris into the house. Folded laundry teetered around the edge of a couch that itself was surrounded by toys.

  “Ah, the leaning tower of laundry, you must know my wife,” said Chris, and then picked up a Transformer. “Robots in disguise.”

  “Sorry about the mess. Busy, busy with those two running around.”

  Chris put down the toy, “Oh, I completely understand.”

  She gave a small smile with a nod.

  Chris smiled back at the familiar cue and quit talking. He sucked at small talk. She led him into the dining room that doubled as a home office. Electronic components from every era and outdated computer parts covered the table along with a few chairs. Annie walked behind the table and crouched down.

  “Here’s the phone line. How long should it take you?”

  Chris scanned for any problem areas. “Not long. Twenty minutes should get
you up and running.”

  Annie stood up quickly to get out of Chris’s way. He saw her eyeball the clutter on the table before looking back to him. His eyes darted to the phone line as fast as possible to avoid another awkward moment. He knew she saw him looking, but she turned out of the room.

  Chris closed his eyes and replayed their greeting in his head. After a few seconds he opened his eyes and reminded himself most customers put a wall up, especially women, who were at home relatively alone, but Chris still tried to decipher why against him. Too much personal information? Stranger danger? Still, he never got the greeting part right. After a couple of minutes staring into the plastic and metal void of bits and pieces on the dining table with these thoughts, he turned to the phone line.

  Chris connected the modem and router in five minutes. A steady flow of data went back and forth between the house and the servers at X-Tech. He glanced around for the computer. It was uncomfortable asking for permission to use a customer’s computer. Many times he wished he could set it up and walk out the door without saying a word.

  “Oh. That was fast,” said Annie, as she walked in.

  “Yup. Just need to set up the router with your computer and I’ll be out of your way.”

  “It’s in the bedroom. Is that okay? It will reach the bedroom, right?”

  “Oh yeah, X-Tech routers have the widest range wireless signals on the market.”

  “Great. It’s over here.”

  The two boys’ shouts echoed across the hallway as Annie took Chris to the master bedroom. She peeked into the adjoining room, decided she needed to intervene, and just pointed Chris to where the computer sat. Chris’s eyes opened in surprise to a clean, orderly room with a desk that had nothing on it but a brand new Mac. Guess she had time to clean something, Chris thought. Annie tried not to shout, but her scolding came in clear through the open doors. Chris ignored it and gleefully jumped onto the computer.

  Click, click, click, and he was done. Chris checked his phone. Barely ten minutes and all he had to do was get a signature and he could head home early. Annie walked in to check on his progress again.

  “Wow. Really fast,” she said.

  “Yeah. Great computer you have here. A couple click ’a’ roos and it was ready.”

  “That’s it? Maybe I should've done it myself.”

  “Well, it’s not just clicking but… I have to run out to my truck and give a call to make sure things are fine on our end. I’ll need your signature on the work order form and then we’re done.”

  Chris stepped out of the room and out of the house before she could respond. He didn’t have to call; he just wanted to check his phone for any news on recent trade rumors. The Forty Niners needed a top flight receiver. He tapped on the app on his phone and flipped through the articles but nothing looked of interest. Scanning the phone for something else to do, he pressed the pictures icon and swept through a short timeline of his thirteen-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son’s lives. He didn’t take close to half of the pictures his wife did, but it proved a nice distraction to see those moments captured so clearly. Then the air around Chris grew impatient and pushed him back to the house.

  He held the clipboard and pen at his hip and knocked loudly on the door. Annie met him this time smiling satisfied. Chris brought the clipboard up to sign before spouting off from his work pamphlet like a good robot, “Just need your initials there and signature there. You'll be getting a call shortly after I leave from our customer service department. It’s automated but will ask you to complete a short survey about my services today. Please be honest and – ˮ

  A loud thump and a piercing scream turned Annie straight back into the house. Chris stood at the door while the crying continued. He lifted a foot to step inside and then pulled it back out. The crying got louder. Chris thought of his own son, took the leap, and followed the hallway to the boys’ room.

  The older boy, Graham, wiped away tears while mumbling “I’m sorry” over and over again. Annie cradled Sammie while kneeling on the rug. She was glued to the spot and didn’t flinch at Chris’s presence or the heart piercing sobs from Sammie.

  “It’s broken,” said Graham, and pointed to his brother’s leg. “I’m sorry.”

  Sammie cried louder upon hearing this.

  “Umm. Can I help?” asked Chris. “I mean. You should take him to the hospital. It looks like a clean break, I guess. I’m not sure. I’m not a doctor.”

  Annie cried and rocked gently still clutching her son in her arms. “My husband has our only car. What am I supposed to do?

  “An ambulance. I can call an ambulance.”

  “Our insurance barely pays for doctors’ visits.”

  “I want to help, but –”

  “Your truck.”

  “It’s the company’s truck. I don’t know if I can.”

  “Please.” Sadie tightened her grip on her son.

  More complaints wanted to spill out of Chris, but Graham squashed them with one more soft, “I’m sorry.”

  Chris grabbed his hand and hurried to the truck. He buckled the boy in and sprinted back to help the mother. She was already on her feet when Chris came back in the room. Annie’s puffy red eyes fixed on Chris’s.

  “Thank you.”

  “Of course. Here, let me get the door.”

  They awkwardly made it to the truck and just as awkwardly set the boy next to his brother across the back seat. Chris fumbled with the seatbelt but managed to put it on without causing any more discomfort.

  “Where’s the closest hospital?” asked Chris.

  “We have to go to St. Emmanuel on Fifteenth.”

  “Do you have directions?”

  “I’m horrible with directions. Use your iPad.”

  “Of course…”

  Chris typed in the hospital to Google Maps, started the engine, and followed Siri’s voice.

  Chapter Two

  The sun was setting when Chris turned off the ignition and stepped out of the truck. He kicked the bits of concrete that popped up from the cracked walkway and looked up at his home. He knew Sadie would be furious, but he was exhausted. The red door loomed over the steps’ cracked tile. When am I going to fix those, he thought, but before he could vaguely answer himself the door opened for him.

  “Look who’s finally home,” said Sadie Byrne, hands on hips.

  Chris smiled. “Yep, finally.”

  “Dad where were you? Mom had to cook again and she burned the tomatoes,” said Gerry.

  “Mom had to pick me up from volleyball practice, too,” said Louise.

  “Burned tomatoes sound good to me,” said Chris. “As well as some… hugs and kisses!”

  Gerry ran for his room. Louise slunk her body and turned away, but Chris wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. He then made a bee-line for Gerry’s room.

  “You can’t hide from me and there’s always a price to pay for running little stinky cheese man,” said Chris.

  Once in the room, Chris pounded his feet on the wooden floor to make a resounding echo throughout the house. Sadie made a loud disapproving sigh from the living room, but Chris ignored it and continued to stomp around.

  “He’s getting too old for this, or maybe I am!” said Sadie, putting the sigh in to concrete words.

  “He’ll never be too old, just embarrassed when I do this in front of his girlfriends,” said Chris.

  “Eww, I don’t have a girlfriend,” said Gerry from the closet.

  Chris sprang the doors open and wrapped his son in his arms as the laughing seven-year-old tried to make another run for it. The hug turned into a tackle onto the bed followed by kisses across the boy’s red cheeks and tickling under the arm.

  “I’m gonna pee!” said Gerry.

  “Eww.”

  Chris leaped off his son. Gerry ran for the door, but his father ran faster and maneuvered the boy behind him.

  “I forgot. I have to pee too,” said Chris.

  They bumped a
nd jostled in a short race to the bathroom where Chris pretended defeat and let his son go through the door first. Sadie walked up to her husband standing at the closed door.

  “Hurry, hurry, I can’t wait any longer,” said Chris to the door, with one eye on his wife.

  “Oh really? I didn’t think I could wait any longer for you to come home either,” said Sadie.

  “Looks like Mommy has to go too. Hurrrrrryyyyy!” said Chris.

  “What happened today?”

  “I was working. And not peeing. Obviously.”

  “Really? I’m going to get upset if you don’t tell me.”

  “You’re not upset yet?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  The toilet flushed and Gerry popped the door open.

  “Mom, you can go first. Dad can wait.”

  “Thank you son, but I don’t have to go right now.”

  “Perfect, cause I really do,” said Chris, and jumped into the bathroom shutting the door for a moment’s salvation.

  “I’ve seen you pee before,” said Sadie, and knocked the door open.

  “Eww,” said Gerry, as he walked away from the oncoming storm.

  “What happened?” asked Sadie.

  “It was the last house. Something always happens.”

  “Not a four hour something.”

  “I would’ve been home early, but the mom needed a ride.”

  “A ride? What the hell did she need a ride for?”

  Chris finished peeing and looked at his wife, waiting for her to add anything else.

  “Go on,” she said.

  “Her son broke his leg. I had to take them to the hospital because she didn’t have a car.”

  “Oh my goodness. Is he okay?”

  “Yeah. It was a clean break. We think he was trying to jump from his dresser to his bed to copy his older brother. I actually told her it was a clean break when it happened. Maybe I should be a doctor.”

  “Where was the mother when this happened?”

  “Signing the work order form with me. Oh crap, I didn’t get her signature.”

  “Worry about it tomorrow. Come on you need to eat something and say goodnight to your kids, who would not be left alone to jump and break their legs.”