Chapter Text
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The sound of items being scanned filled the supermarket. It was a Saturday, and the place was packed with customers.
“You know, after he told me he didn’t want to date me because he wanted to focus on his studies, I found out he was dating someone else. What a fucking shit,” Jude said to his coworker, chewing gum as he scanned the customer's items.
“OMG, did you ever ask him why he did that?” his coworker, Gordon, asked.
“Yeah. he said the man forced him,what the hell was I supposed to do?” Jude replied. “Likeee, bitch, just say you like him,” he added, putting the items into a plastic bag.
Gordon turned around to face Jude. “What kind of behaviour is that? Jeez, jeez, jeez.”
“Erm, are you going to work or are you just going to stand there talking? There are loads of people,” a customer at Jude’s checkout complained.
“Be patient, ma’am,” Jude muttered, letting out a quiet sigh.
“You're going to get yelled at again,” Gordon said with a small laugh before turning back to his own checkout.
“That’ll be £127.30,” Jude told the woman.
“That expensive? I barely bought anything,” she complained.
Jude rolled his eyes. “Ma’am, I’m not the one who sets the prices.”
The woman scoffed before handing him her card. After the payment went through, Jude handed it back to her.
“Thank you,” he said casually.
“Next.”
An older man walked toward his checkout.
“Omfg, not this old man again,” Jude muttered.
“You always look so grumpy. Come on, a smile would suit you,” the man said with a flirtatious grin.
Jude sighed. “This is just my face. What do you want me to do about it?” he replied lazily as he scanned the man's items.
“Come on, smile a little,” the man said, reaching over and grabbing Jude's face.
Jude gasped and immediately slapped his hand away.
“Oi, old man! Why the hell are you touching me?! That’s sexual harassment!” Jude yelled.
Gordon, who was at the checkout beside him, looked over in shock.
Several customers began staring at Jude.
The man stammered, “Hey, don't yell.”
“Fuck off, man! You touched me!” Jude snapped. “I’ve been putting up with your shit for long enough!”
He pointed angrily at the man before grabbing one of the eggs the man was about to buy and throwing it onto the floor.
Then Jude stormed out of the supermarket.
He leaned against the wall outside and pulled a cigarette from his pocket before lighting it.
He took several drags.
“Jude.”
Jude looked toward the voice. Gordon was standing there, calling him.
Jude lifted his chin, silently asking what?
“The boss wants to see you.”
Jude dropped his cigarette to the ground and stepped on it.
“What the hell does that old man want now?” Jude grumbled before walking back inside.
In the manager's office
“You're fired,” his boss said.
Jude frowned. “What? Why?”
“You forgot what happened earlier? You yelled at that customer and threw an egg on the floor,” his boss snapped. “And that man is a regular here.”
He tapped his pen against the desk.
Jude gasped.
“That old man fucking touched me! And you're backing him up just because he's a regular?! He always buys, like, three fucking things! That's not exactly boosting the sales!” Jude shouted angrily.
“Just leave. Bring your uniform back tomorrow,” his boss said, looking down at the papers on his desk.
“Okay.” Jude clenched his jaw.
Then he muttered, “Fuck you, you bald old man. Stupid! You're almost fifty and still don't have a girlfriend. All you do is drink alcohol. Idiot. fuck you, fuck you, fuck you!!"
His boss gasped.
“Get out! Right now!”
Jude opened the door and walked out. Before closing it, he stuck his middle finger up at his boss.
---
Jude went home furious.
He opened the door to their small apartment and stormed inside before throwing himself onto the sofa. He covered his face with a pillow and screamed into it.
He had to go to his second job at three.
He worked as a waiter at a restaurant.
It was currently noon.
“Oh, you're home early,” Jobe said.
Jobe was seventeen and still in school. Jude was twenty-two.
After their parents died in a car accident, Jude had dropped out of school at sixteen to work and provide for the two of them. None of their relatives wanted to take them in.
It was Saturday, so Jobe didn't have school.
Jude moved the pillow away from his face.
“I got fucking fired,” Jude groaned.
“Huh? Why?” Jobe asked while drinking from his juice box.
“I'll tell you later,” Jude replied, covering his face with the pillow again. “Wake me up at 2:15.”
Jobe nodded.
---
2:40 PM
“Jude, wake up! Wake up!”
Jobe shook Jude's body.
Jude opened his eyes.
“Er... what time is it?” he asked sleepily.
“Hmm... 2:40.”
Jude immediately sat up.
“Why the hell didn't you wake me up?!”
He pulled off his shirt and hurriedly changed into another one before running into his bedroom.
“I did wake you up at two! You just wouldn't get up!” Jobe shouted from the living room.
Jude came rushing out of his bedroom and ran toward the front door.
“I'm going out to play football for a bit!” Jobe called, asking for permission.
Jude simply nodded before rushing down the apartment stairs.
He ran all the way to the restaurant.
---
Jude arrived at the restaurant at around 3:15 PM.
He usually took the bus, but he couldn't wait for one today.
Jude rushed inside and headed to the back.
He clocked in.
“Why are you late?!” his boss demanded.
“Sorry, boss. I overslept,” Jude replied as he grabbed an apron and put it on.
“Don't be late again.”
His boss walked away.
Jude sighed and got to work as usual.
Taking orders.
Serving food.
Clearing tables.
The usual.
---
8:00 PM
A man and his wife walked into the restaurant with their son, who looked about ten years old.
They sat down at a table.
Jude greeted them and handed them the menus.
“Mom, I want chicken tenders!” the boy said, his eyes glued to his iPad.
“One chicken tender,” his mother ordered.
“Sorry, ma'am. We don't have chicken tenders here.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“We simply don't serve them here, ma'am. I'm sorry.”
“You have chicken, don't you? Just make some!” the father said, raising his voice.
“I'm sorry, sir, but we still can't,” Jude replied.
“But I want chicken tenders!” the boy screamed, repeatedly slapping the table.
“Look at him throwing a tantrum,” his mother said, trying to calm him down.
'The kid's already ten and still acts like an idiot' Jude thought.
After a few minutes, they ordered something else.
Jude brought their food to the table.
“Hmm, I didn't order this,” the father said.
“Huh? You didn't?” Jude asked, confused as he looked back at his notepad.
“Yes, you did, sir. You ordered this.”
“I ordered spaghetti Bolognese, not spaghetti carbonara! Take it back!”
Jude sighed before taking the plate back to the kitchen.
“Wrong order. He wants spaghetti Bolognese. Change it,” Jude told the chef.
“Next time, check properly! You're making things difficult for everyone!” the chef snapped.
Jude let out a long sigh.
A few minutes later, he brought the food back.
“Hey, why is my steak still pink?” the woman asked.
“You asked for medium-rare, ma'am.”
“This is raw, not medium-rare. Take it back!”
Jude said nothing and took the steak back to the kitchen.
He had already gone to their table several times because there was always something wrong.
“Hey, kid.”
Jude walked over to them.
“Yes?” he asked, clenching his teeth.
“Why is my son's chicken so small?!”
“Because your son already ate some of it, genius,” Jude replied with a sarcastic smile.
“What did you say?!” the man shouted, slamming his hand against the table.
“You heard me, didn't you?!” Jude yelled back, right in his face.
“You're asking to get your ass kicked.”
“Don't,” his wife said, trying to stop him.
“Meet me outside. How about that?” Jude challenged.
“Come on, then.”
The man rolled up his sleeves.
Jude threw his apron onto the floor.
“Fine, we can do this outside,” the man said before grabbing Jude by the collar.
Jude shoved the man away, freeing
himself.
Without thinking twice, Jude grabbed the plate of spaghetti Bolognese from earlier and smashed it straight into the man's face.
“Darling!” his wife exclaimed in shock.
Jude smirked.
The man angrily grunted before shoving Jude to the ground. He started kicking him while the people in the restaurant watched.
Some of them even pulled out their phones and started recording.
One of the employees ran toward them.
“Hey! Stop!”
Jude grabbed the man's leg, causing him to fall.
Jude got back up and kicked the man in the face.
“You kicked me, didn't you?! I'm kicking you back!” Jude shouted.
The employee grabbed Jude and held him back.
“Stop! Why are you two fighting?!” he demanded.
“He started it,” the man said as he got back on his feet, helped up by his wife.
“Your mouth is what started it!” Jude shot back.
“Enough!” the employee snapped.
The restaurant manager arrived.
“What the hell is happening?!” he shouted.
“Boss, Jude got into a fight,” the employee explained.
“Boss, he—”
Jude didn't even get to finish.
“You're fired!”
“B-but, boss, he—”
“Get out! Now!”
Jude let out a long sigh.
“Okayyy. The pay was shit anyway! Might as well leave.”
He walked out of the restaurant.
Jude walked slowly down the street.
He had just lost both of his jobs.
“They didn't even take my side,” Jude muttered, wiping the tears from his eyes.
He eventually reached the apartment and walked inside.
He peeked into Jobe's room.
Jobe was already asleep.
Jude sighed before walking into his own bedroom.
It was still early in the night, but he was already home.
Usually, he wouldn't get home until midnight.
The Next Morning
8:30 AM
Jude woke up.
He lay there for a moment, staring blankly at the ceiling as he thought about what had happened the night before.
'Now I've lost both jobs. How am I supposed to find another one? It's already hard enough to get a job. How am I supposed to afford food for Jobe'
'If Mum and Dad were still here, maybe I could tell them what I'm supposed to do'.
Tears slowly rolled down his cheeks.
“Jude, are you awake?” Jobe asked from outside his bedroom door.
Jude quickly wiped his tears away.
“Y-Yeah!”
“Okay. Come have breakfast.”
A few minutes later, Jude came out and saw Jobe sitting on the sofa, eating cereal.
Jude sat down beside him.
“Do you want some? I can get you a bowl,” Jobe offered.
“Ah... no, it's okay.”
Jobe nodded and continued eating.
Jude looked at his phone and opened his bank account.
£1,890.
Jude bit his nails.
Is this enough? I still have rent to pay. Jobe's school fees haven't been paid yet, and we're running low on food.
“Jude! Jude!”
Jobe tugged on his hand.
Jude stopped zoning out.
“What is it, Jobe?”
“Your finger is bleeding. You've been biting it!”
Jobe frowned.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!”
Jude let out a long sigh.
“I... I got fired again,” he said, looking down.
Jobe gently rubbed his brother's back.
“It's okay. If I quit school and got a job, would that help?”
Jude immediately looked at him.
“Don't you ever quit school. I'll work. You stay in school until you get into university. Understand?”
Jobe simply nodded.
Meanwhile...
“Can you please look after Odin today? I have a meeting in a little while.”
Erling held his phone to his ear, wedged between his cheek and shoulder as he gathered his son's things.
“I was supposed to go on a date today, Erling!” his sister complained over the phone.
“Come on, please. Just this once. It'll be the last time,” he pleaded, packing his son's things into a bag.
“Fine!”
His sister hung up.
Erling placed his phone on the table and walked over to his son, Odin.
Odin was two year old.
“Your auntie is going to look after you again today, Odin,” Erling said as he picked him up.
He grabbed the rest of Odin's things and headed out.
At Erling's Sister's House
“You said that last month too. And now you're saying this is the last time? Please, just find a babysitter already,” his sister complained as she took Odin from Erling.
“I'm sorry, but I still don't trust babysitters. I'm scared something might happen to Odin,” Erling replied as he placed Odin's things by the door.
“All right, sis. I've got to go to work.”
Erling headed outside and got into his car.
Then he drove to work.