Frowning like he was battling a migraine, Chris said, “So to prevent civil unrest here, you make people unemployed?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t even know if I’ll have a job at the end of this.”
Looking at the picture on the desk of Dick with his fat wife and fat son, Chris’ lip lifted in a snarl, and he said, “You’ll be okay. You’ll do what you’ve always done…” Clearly expecting a compliment, Dick’s heavy face fell limp when Chris said, “You’ll live off Daddy.”
Slapping his chubby hands onto his desk, Dick pushed himself to his feet, his chair scuttling out behind him. He then leant forwards, his little blue eyes boring into his worker.
Clenching his jaw, Chris’ eyes narrowed. “You don’t intimidate me, fat man. Especially as I no longer work for you. You’re a sad man that sits in here with your finger up your arse all day thinking that you do something important. You don’t. You’re a puppet for your daddy and the rest of the board. They employed you to do their dirty work. That’s it. It’s not because they think you have something to offer. You follow their instructions to the letter because you’re not capable of making your own decisions. I wouldn’t mind betting that you don’t even understand half of the things you say to people.”
“How dare you?”
“Shut up, Dick, you fat loser! Sit your fat arse down and listen to what I have to say—you may learn something.”
For a moment, Chris was surprised that Dick did as he was ordered to. Then he remembered that he spent his whole life following orders.
“The way you speak to women isn’t okay. It’s cringe-worthy. You hide behind the façade of being fat as if that makes you a non-threat, but you clearly have the libido of a rapist. The only thing I’ve seen you slobber over more is food!”
Looking like he wanted to lash out but not feeling brave enough, Dick remained still, his mouth hanging slightly open, a lump of pork sitting on his thick tongue.
“You call the unfortunate countries PIGS—”
“Portugal, Ireland, Greece, and Spain—”
“I know why you call them that, you fucking idiot, but take a long hard look in the mirror. You’re trotters away from being porcine yourself.”
“Hang on, Chris, they’re destroying Europe’s economy.”
“A select few have. That’s my point. You condemn a whole country because of some bad decisions made in government or in the banks. The only thing stopping us being like them is that we have a more robust economy.”
Looking at the chair on the opposite side of the desk to Dick, the chair that was never offered to him when he went into the fat man’s room, Chris kicked it as hard as he could. It scooted across the room before toppling and crashing to the floor.
Opening and closing his mouth, Dick then sputtered, “Y… you’ll pay, pay for th… that. It’ll come out of your wages.”
Running his arm along the desk, hurling everything from computer, to phone, to the tray of ribs to the floor, Chris moved his face so close to Dick’s that he could feel his body heat and taste his lunch. With malice seething through him and his face on fire, Chris saw fear in Dick’s recoiling body. It felt good to see. He then growled, “Fuck you. Get a fucking life. I hope you end up out on your ear, you fat fucking waste of space!”
Lingering for a moment and enjoying the fact that the huge man was flinching from his wrath, despite the smell of meat he had to endure, Chris then turned and walked out of his room.
The fear of the future would come, but Chris chose to enjoy the moment. With a smile on his face, he listened to Dick shout after him, “Don’t ask me for a reference!”
Flipping the fat man the bird without even turning around to look at him, he walked away with a bounce in his step. For the first time in years, he felt like he was the master of his life. For the first time in years, his permanent headache lifted.
Action
“I should have seen it coming, Michael.” Chris dragged a heavy hand through his hair that left a residue of grease on his palm like he’d just stroked a dirty dog. His breathing ran away from him and his frantic blue eyes looked at the floor as if searching for bugs. He blurted out random statements. “I’m such an idiot. We shouldn’t have stayed here. I’m so sorry. I should have acted on my fears.” He froze and his eyes glazed, filling with water that sent a solitary tear down each cheek when he blinked. The small amount of light in their dingy room glistened off the trails left behind.
The wide eyes of his little boy stared back at his manic father like he didn’t recognize him. His small mouth hung half-open and he stood still, a confused snapshot of himself.
“I’ve condemned this family with my actions.” His heart felt like it would pop, and his mind spiraled. “What have I done? Why was I such an idiot?” His thoughts were a runaway train. “I could have acted. I could have got us away at any point. We could have taken to the road. Why did I just sit around and wait?”
It took Michael speaking to break through the chaos in Chris’ mind. “I’m scared, Dad.”
Parental responsibility took over and shone a light through his mental fog. When he bent down and held his little boy’s cold face, he could feel him trembling. Looking around their perpetually twilit room, Chris’ eyes settled on one of his jumpers, and he picked it up from the floor. Handing it to Michael, he then stared into his eyes.
“I’m scared too.” The silence consumed the pair, and Chris spoke, more because he had to rather than because he believed in what he was saying. “But don’t worry, we’ll make something happen, I promise. Now put this on, you’re freezing.”
Turning his back on the messy room, Chris looked out of the window again and Michael asked, “What’s happening? Where are the men?”
“They’re scavenging. They’ve all rushed into the house.”
“Tommy’s house?”
“Yep. They’re stealing everything they can.” The curtain moved next to him, changing the direction of the cold breeze. “Be careful not to move the curtain too much, mate. We can’t afford for them to notice you.”
While the other men were in the house, Dean walked over to the pick-up with the women in. The way he walked, his slow and measured steps, showed just how drunk he was on the power of his new existence. Every pair of eyes in the back of the truck watched him like animals scared of their tyrannical master. The fear in their faces seemed to be based on memory rather than fabrication, their glazed eyes showing they’d been to places they were desperately trying not to think about. A cold chill ran through Chris.
Michael said, “I hope they don’t find Mum and Matilda while they’re out looting.”
Every time Michael spoke about his mum and sister, Chris’ heart twisted with guilt. He should have done more. He should have seen it coming. After closing his eyes and drawing a heavy sigh, he placed his hand on his son’s head and said, “I’m sure they won’t.”
Stood next to the truck, Dean shouted at the men in the house, “Don’t forget candles, can openers, and anything that can start a fire!” He then turned his attention back to the women and licked his lips as a leering grin opened up on his bloodstained face. He continued to stare at them as he added, “Sex toys would be good too!”