After several minutes of crying he swore and lifted his self up. His eye felt like it was burning or bleeding. He could feel tears or blood streaming down his face. He picked up his bike and used it as a crutch as he padded back to the main gate.
He wished he had a mirror finish on his phone, then it’d be easier to dig whatever was in his eye out. But he’d gone for the security finish and that was just matte black and useless. The gravel crunched beneath his boots and started whining into his sobbing.
After several painful minutes of walking and shaking his head and trying to open his eyes Francis finally got to the security gate. He propped up his bike against the stucco wall and banged against the security door.
“Hey, open up!” He yelled and banged some more. A new burst of pain screamed from his eye and he bent over double.
Eventually he heard someone working the door from the other side. He rolled back on to the wall.
“What’s all the hubbub bubo?” A elderly voice came from the doorway.
He sputtered, “Oh god, finally. Hurt. Need help. Eye rinse. Water. Ugh.” Talking moved his jaw which moved his face which moved his eye lids which hurt like hell. Forgetting to hold it in he started sobbing again and pressed his fist into his eye as if pushing it in would help take the thing out.
“Come on in, you poor thing.” She said. It was an old woman, he recognized. Must be Mary, barely five foot tall and leathery.
“Thu-thanks.” He said. Mary’s hand was a calm and gentle force that eased him into the cool interior of the security bunker.
He heard the door close and felt her guide him to a chair. Its leather was warm in weird spots.
“You wait right here. I’ll be back in a second, okay?”
He mumbled consent and tried to take out his phone. He had to call Genataxis as soon as possible, it was a big job and he’d hate to look like some flaky asshole. He got the phone back on with shaky finger.
“Here,” Mary said and plucked the phone from his hand. “This will help.” She took his head in both her hands and leaned it back. He gave in completely to her. She led his clenched fist away from his eye and put in at his side. She tried to pry open his eye and said, “You gotta open up, boy.” And slapped him on the arm.
He grunted and grit his teeth. His eye grudgingly obeyed. The weak fluorescent lights from above burned into his skull through that eye. He wanted to close it again, but Mary’s reassuring hand calmed him down. He groaned and grit his teeth.
She patted his arm, “Good guy there. Just hold it.” There was a crinkling of plastic and the pop of a something opening. Then the sweet sweet relief as cool water washed over his poor abused eye. He gasped in almost orgasmic relief. He heard the water splashing on the floor and wondered idly who was going to clean it up.
“Ok, looks okay. Whoah, you gotta bee in your eye, son. Good thing you got Mamma Mary here to help you out and good luck. Damn thing’s stinger is still in. Jim wouldna piss on you if you was on fire.” She plucked something from his cheek and tossed it into the grass.
He blinked slowly as sight came back begrudgingly to his poor eye. The world was half blur and half clear.
“Take these too.” She said and shoved two pills into his half open mouth and followed with a glass of water.
By instinct alone he swallowed, but then sputtered, “Wait. What was that?”
“Just aspirin, I think?”
“Oh, shit. I’m allergic to aspirin. Let me see the bottle.”
She gasped and said, “Oh, I so sorry. I didna know! I swear.” She handed him a white and red bottle.
He took it a peered at it with his good eye. It said, Acetaminophen. He let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. “You’re fine. I’m fine. It’s okay. Oh god, that was close.”
“It’s not Aspirin?”
“No, just Tylenol. You’re fine. Don’t worry about it. Thank you so much.” He got up and towered over Mary. He paused then embraced her fully with both of his bulky arms and crushed her to his belly. She tensed for a second then eased into his hug and replied with gentle patting on his side rolls.
“No worries, eh?” She said into his belly.
“Ok, gotta go.” He said and left out through the open door. He grabbed his bike and head back home.
It wasn’t until he was back up the hill, down the street, up his driveway, and opening his door when he realized that he’d forgotten his cell phone back at the security bunker. He sighed.
First things first, he said to himself, call Gentaxis. He walked to his room and dialed up Gentaxis’ number from memory on his computer. He didn’t like Voice over IP, but it worked in a pinch.
Ring ring.
“Gentaxis. Tomorrow is today. How can I direct your call?” The calm voice on the other line said. He knew it was a real human and that was just classy.
“Tony Bay in Recruiting please.” He said.
“I’m connecting you now to Tony Bay in Recruiting. Have a good day.”
Buzz, then some waiting room music. Then a quick click, then. “Tony here.”
“Hi Tony, this is Francis Rounds. I’m supposed to have an interview today. Actually in a few minutes, but I’ve had a bit of an accident. Can we reschedule?”
“Hi Francis. Oof, that’s going to be hard. Sorry, but we were scheduling three different time zones to talk to you.”
“I know, I know. But a bee flew in my eye and I’m not really at 100% just now.”
“I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, fine. Just some water and flushed out.”
“Didn’t it sting you? Are you allergic? We can fly out paramedics for you.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s just my lucky day. I can be there whenever. Okay?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. We know you’re a good fit for the job. Just let us know where you are and we’ll send our limo, okay?” Francis could hear how straight Tony’s tie was and how crisp his suit was just by the sound of his voice.
“Yea, sure. That sounds great.” He told Tony his address. “It’s a gated community, so just tell them you’re here for me. Okay? Or, no, wait. I’ll meet you at the front gate. I have to talk to security anyways. Okay?”
“Perfect. See you soon.” Click.
Even with a seven figure savings account Francis forgot how hot a commodity he was, in direct proportion to how long he was away from the game.
He walked back outside, thought better of it, went back inside and changed into a clean shirt.
When he made it to the front gate the limo was already there. Its shiny insectile black surface unfolded open for him and he slipped inside it’s cool interior thinking nothing of how far away it must have been to get there that quickly.
He wished he had a mirror finish on his phone, then it’d be easier to dig whatever was in his eye out. But he’d gone for the security finish and that was just matte black and useless. The gravel crunched beneath his boots and started whining into his sobbing.
After several painful minutes of walking and shaking his head and trying to open his eyes Francis finally got to the security gate. He propped up his bike against the stucco wall and banged against the security door.
“Hey, open up!” He yelled and banged some more. A new burst of pain screamed from his eye and he bent over double.
Eventually he heard someone working the door from the other side. He rolled back on to the wall.
“What’s all the hubbub bubo?” A elderly voice came from the doorway.
He sputtered, “Oh god, finally. Hurt. Need help. Eye rinse. Water. Ugh.” Talking moved his jaw which moved his face which moved his eye lids which hurt like hell. Forgetting to hold it in he started sobbing again and pressed his fist into his eye as if pushing it in would help take the thing out.
“Come on in, you poor thing.” She said. It was an old woman, he recognized. Must be Mary, barely five foot tall and leathery.
“Thu-thanks.” He said. Mary’s hand was a calm and gentle force that eased him into the cool interior of the security bunker.
He heard the door close and felt her guide him to a chair. Its leather was warm in weird spots.
“You wait right here. I’ll be back in a second, okay?”
He mumbled consent and tried to take out his phone. He had to call Genataxis as soon as possible, it was a big job and he’d hate to look like some flaky asshole. He got the phone back on with shaky finger.
“Here,” Mary said and plucked the phone from his hand. “This will help.” She took his head in both her hands and leaned it back. He gave in completely to her. She led his clenched fist away from his eye and put in at his side. She tried to pry open his eye and said, “You gotta open up, boy.” And slapped him on the arm.
He grunted and grit his teeth. His eye grudgingly obeyed. The weak fluorescent lights from above burned into his skull through that eye. He wanted to close it again, but Mary’s reassuring hand calmed him down. He groaned and grit his teeth.
She patted his arm, “Good guy there. Just hold it.” There was a crinkling of plastic and the pop of a something opening. Then the sweet sweet relief as cool water washed over his poor abused eye. He gasped in almost orgasmic relief. He heard the water splashing on the floor and wondered idly who was going to clean it up.
“Ok, looks okay. Whoah, you gotta bee in your eye, son. Good thing you got Mamma Mary here to help you out and good luck. Damn thing’s stinger is still in. Jim wouldna piss on you if you was on fire.” She plucked something from his cheek and tossed it into the grass.
He blinked slowly as sight came back begrudgingly to his poor eye. The world was half blur and half clear.
“Take these too.” She said and shoved two pills into his half open mouth and followed with a glass of water.
By instinct alone he swallowed, but then sputtered, “Wait. What was that?”
“Just aspirin, I think?”
“Oh, shit. I’m allergic to aspirin. Let me see the bottle.”
She gasped and said, “Oh, I so sorry. I didna know! I swear.” She handed him a white and red bottle.
He took it a peered at it with his good eye. It said, Acetaminophen. He let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. “You’re fine. I’m fine. It’s okay. Oh god, that was close.”
“It’s not Aspirin?”
“No, just Tylenol. You’re fine. Don’t worry about it. Thank you so much.” He got up and towered over Mary. He paused then embraced her fully with both of his bulky arms and crushed her to his belly. She tensed for a second then eased into his hug and replied with gentle patting on his side rolls.
“No worries, eh?” She said into his belly.
“Ok, gotta go.” He said and left out through the open door. He grabbed his bike and head back home.
It wasn’t until he was back up the hill, down the street, up his driveway, and opening his door when he realized that he’d forgotten his cell phone back at the security bunker. He sighed.
First things first, he said to himself, call Gentaxis. He walked to his room and dialed up Gentaxis’ number from memory on his computer. He didn’t like Voice over IP, but it worked in a pinch.
Ring ring.
“Gentaxis. Tomorrow is today. How can I direct your call?” The calm voice on the other line said. He knew it was a real human and that was just classy.
“Tony Bay in Recruiting please.” He said.
“I’m connecting you now to Tony Bay in Recruiting. Have a good day.”
Buzz, then some waiting room music. Then a quick click, then. “Tony here.”
“Hi Tony, this is Francis Rounds. I’m supposed to have an interview today. Actually in a few minutes, but I’ve had a bit of an accident. Can we reschedule?”
“Hi Francis. Oof, that’s going to be hard. Sorry, but we were scheduling three different time zones to talk to you.”
“I know, I know. But a bee flew in my eye and I’m not really at 100% just now.”
“I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, fine. Just some water and flushed out.”
“Didn’t it sting you? Are you allergic? We can fly out paramedics for you.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s just my lucky day. I can be there whenever. Okay?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. We know you’re a good fit for the job. Just let us know where you are and we’ll send our limo, okay?” Francis could hear how straight Tony’s tie was and how crisp his suit was just by the sound of his voice.
“Yea, sure. That sounds great.” He told Tony his address. “It’s a gated community, so just tell them you’re here for me. Okay? Or, no, wait. I’ll meet you at the front gate. I have to talk to security anyways. Okay?”
“Perfect. See you soon.” Click.
Even with a seven figure savings account Francis forgot how hot a commodity he was, in direct proportion to how long he was away from the game.
He walked back outside, thought better of it, went back inside and changed into a clean shirt.
When he made it to the front gate the limo was already there. Its shiny insectile black surface unfolded open for him and he slipped inside it’s cool interior thinking nothing of how far away it must have been to get there that quickly.
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