A&B Chapter 4
Eyebrows tightened, Alex checked the processes of calculating writing on the six pieces of A4 paper for the 5th time. He just couldn't find where he went wrong, but he knew he must have done something wrong since the final result was absurdly larger than the average. He had been staring at the paper and calculating for the entire Friday morning, but he still didn't find the mistake. When he checked it for one more time, he wasn't sure if he was really thinking but staring at the formulae with a blank mind.
Finally, he dropped the paper down deciding to take a break. He stood up, and stretched himself. Looking around, he found his other colleagues hard at work. Some of them were drawing, while some furs were looking up information from tomes. At the other side of the huge office room, a group of furs were standing around a large meeting table with drawings on it, discussing whether they should make an asymmetric design to pretend the unwanted vibration.
Alex grabbed an apple off his desk and went to wash it. When he came back he didn't go to his own desk. Instead, he went to Brandy's. The golden retriever, 5 years older than Alex, was now the deer's best friend at work. The dog's cheerful and easy-going personality made himself easy to approach, and he often came to Alex to chat when he wasn't busy.
"What are you doing?" Alex sat on Brandy's desk leisurely, giving the apple a large bite.
"Ahhhhhh... Don't mention it!" The dog growled, dropping the pencil down and scratched his head like crazy, though his facial expression was eased.
"Tortured by work, huh?" Alex sniggered at it.
"Yeah. It's the most annoying job ever to determine the tolerances." Brandy prostrated himself on the chair, giving his belly a good rub, which revealed his slightly paunchy stomach, though he didn't mind at all.
"If it's any comfort to you, I'm not having a nice day for work either. The formulae have been driving me crazy." Alex gave the apple another bite and chewed, making the noise of eating something crisp.
"I do feel better now, thanks to your misery." The dog grinned, baring his sharp canine teeth.
Alex tried to punch Brandy jokingly, but his arm was caught by both of the dog's paws. Brandy then seized the half apple from Alex, and ate it.
"I've many apples on my desk. If you want I can get them for you." said Alex.
"No." chewing the apple, Brandy said, "I just want to screw with you."
"Jerk."
"Yeah. See, there are 20 minutes left till the lunch break. How about we have lunch together? You are totally going to have a try of my hamburger."
"No. I hate meat and I told you that."
"Say it after you taste it."
"Only if you have try my celery first." Alex retorted.
"Ewww... You won. I'll never bite that thing again." Brandy made a grimace.
"Haha. Okay, I'm going to head back to my desk. Call me when you go for lunch."
"Sure."
Alex left the canine who threw away the apple core. After once again putting on the frowning expression, he continued to deal with his work.
Both Brandy and James were easy going and very popular, but they were quite different at the same time. James was a caring fur, who considered other's feeling when saying or doing every little thing. Brandy, however, was mostly careless. He never felt embarrassed when talking with a stranger, so he could pretty much befriend any fur.
Brandy and James were also both generous but, again, in different ways. James liked to spend money on others because he liked to see others happy, while Brandy spent his money freely because he didn't care about money.
It was always enjoyable for Alex to chat with the golden retriever. They could talk about anything freely. They could complain about work, or someone, or even talk about anecdotes of their colleagues. Anyway, Brandy had made Alex's work time much more enjoyable.
*
After work, Alex came back to house and prepared to go to the dinner with Blake and James. and was sure excited about it. Alex first picked up James from his home, since the gorilla asked him to do so. Then they headed to the cement plant to pick up the bear. The three furs' mood of joy filled the little truck.
When they tried to decide where to go, it turned out that James also liked the same bar so they went to the same place. On Friday, the bar was much louder and full of drinking furs, but they were lucky that a few seats remained, the last seats for the three. Blake and Alex were sitting at the same side, facing James.
The gorilla looked quite sharp in a black shirt with vertical white stripes, which was stretched by his bulging muscles. Blake was wearing a loose T-shirt that was pure light blue.
"Ready to order? Or you want to have a look at the menu?" asked James.
"I'm ready." "Me too." The other two said.
"Helen!" James waved at the ewe waitress, who came to them quickly.
"Hey, James! I didn't see you. You just came here?" said Helen jauntly.
"Yeah. We were waiting for Blake to get off work. And uh... this is our new friend, Alex. Alex, this is Helen." James introduced the two, who greeted each other shortly.
Helen said, "I've seen Alex onnnnn ... "
"Tuesday." Alex reminded.
"Yeah. On Tuesday. He and Blake came and had dinner." When the ewe mentioned the bear, the two gave each other a nod, and she continued, "Alex is quite a generous gentleman, who gave me a large tip. Thanks."
Alex chuckled, "That's fine."
"Would you like a banana milkshake? It'll be on me." Helen said, blinking her eyes at Alex for once.
"Ehh... yeah. Thank you, Helen." Alex was a little surprised by the offer but he accepted it.
"Good! What do you guy want to eat this time? Alex, you haven't tried our chips with cream yet, have you?"
"Nope."
"I recommend you try them. They are highly addictive."
"Sure, I'd love to try that if you say so. Thanks. And I'd also have a tri-coloured vegetable roll."
Then James and Blake ordered their meals, and James also asked for two bottles of beer.
When Helen walked away to the kitchen, Alex stared at the back of the ewe, pondering about the change of attitude between he and Helen.
What a magical person James was! Last time when the deer and bear came to here, the waitress merely did her job politely, but now with James' introduction the two furs talked without the estrangement between strangers.
Alex brought his attention back to his companies and asked the bear, "You don't want a drink?"
James answered for him, "He's going to have beer."
"But he is underage!" Alex protested.
"I don't think so. He is 18 already." Grinning, James said.
"He may be only 16." The deer continued expressing his little concern, though in fact he didn't mind letting Blake drink alcohol. After all there were himself and James to take care of the bear.
James laughed aloud, "No way! How can that be possible a boy 16 years ago getting this big."
"Well, he's a bear, so it's possible." Alex retorted with a shrug.
Blake was amused and getting a bit shy watching at his two best friends discussing himself. He knew the two were talking about him as if he wasn't there meant nothing offensive, but just for fun.
"Whatever, Alex. It's not his first time drinking. We've got drunk a couple times and I'm telling you this guy here," James said, pointing at Blake, "can drink a lot, probably more than anyone in this bar."
"Really? Not only have you let him have a taste of beer, you've let him drink a lot?" Alex said with a feigned scowl, betrayed by his smirking muzzle.
"You're acting like his custodian. Maybe you should drink some to stop being so uptight."
Looking around at those more or less drunk furs seeming to have a good time, Alex sighed and replied, "You are probably right. I've been kinda uneasy recently with the new place, new furs and the first job. But I still have to drive the pickup to bring you and our baby bear home. So, no alcohol for me today."
Alex put his arm around the bear beside him when he said that jokingly. He found the bear showing a genuine smile, so he was relieved that the bear didn't mind that he and James had been talking about him.
Looking at Alex, Blake said for the first time since they ordered food, "You can if you want. Helen can drive us home."
"Yeah, but I want to keep my calmness, so maybe next time."
Blake didn't fidget uncomfortably from Alex's touch on his shoulder. Rather, he seemed to enjoy it and Alex felt the bear even leaned over to him subtly. Through the clothes and their fur, the bear and deer indulged themselves into the warm transmitting from each other, before their closeness was interrupted by the ewe with their chips and beer.
Alex took his arm off Blake, and took one chip. Digging into the cream, the deer had a bite of it, savouring the salty seasoning on the surface of the well-fried chips, as well as the richness of the cream.
"Hmm... It's indeed very good. Thank you, Helen." Alex gave a comment to the waiting waitress.
Helen nodded with a polite smile, and went back to the kitchen. The three males started to consume the snack together when Helen brought all the food they ordered. After the three thanked to the waitress, they started their dinner.
Raising his beer, James said, "Let's toast to the new fur of our town, Alex,"
Blake followed him, "who has survived for more than a month,"
Alex added, "and gets two great friends now."
"Here, here."
*clink*
*
The three furs had a lovely meal. The bar pretty loud on weekends, it was inevitable to raise their voice when chatting. Their emotion was also raised up with the happy surroundings. After they finished their food, they started to talk about some unique or crazy things they had done.
James, the liberal fur, was willing to share all his experience. He said, "I'm a mosquito killer. I can always find and kill it if there is one in a room. My sister has asked me for times to kill the mosquitos in her room that had been pestering her at midnight, and I always did it."
"But that doesn't seem special." said Alex unimpressed.
James continued with a smirk, "Yeah, but one time I killed a mosquito with my eye."
"Your eye?" asked Alex in disbelief.
"Specifically, my eyelids. When I was watching baseball outside, suddenly I felt something in my eye that made me squeeze my eyelids instinctively. It was rather stimulating, so I didn't dare to rub my eyes but let my friend help me. He then claimed that it was a mosquito and helped me get it out with his paw. It was dead already."
"I have no words..." Alex chuckled and shook his heads.
"It's your turn, Blake." The gorilla said.
"I... I don't think I've done anything crazy." said Blake moderately.
The gorilla clearly disagreed with this, and reminded him, "Nothing crazy? How about one of the things you have done in the mountain?"
The bear pondered it for a moment, and replied, "Nothing unusual."
Chuckling dryly and shaking his head, James said, "Seriously? Nothing unusual? Alex has seen the Mohr right? One time, this bear climbed up to its top with bare paws, and he even wanted to build a wooden house on it."
"I have to agree with James. This is indeed crazy. You could have fallen from it. How high is the Mohr? I couldn't see the top of it because the air was misty there."
James answered Alex's question, "It is alway misty and damp there. About its height, I think only Blake knows it."
Both James and Alex turned their heads to Blake, who claimed, "It's about 150 meters."
"What? And you climbed up to the top without any equipment?" The deer was truly shocked.
"Yeah. The scene at there was ineffable. It's above the clouds, and only a few peaks of the mountains are taller than it. It is said that the Mohr has some mysterious magic within it." said Blake.
The gorilla added, "And he slept on the tree, 150 meters from the ground."
"Yes. I was first planning to build a wooden house but it turned out to be unnecessary since the branches were thick and strong enough to sleep on them." Blake said matter-of-factly.
Alex staring at the bear beside him, said, "This is crazy, and the only thing is crazier than this is that you don't find it crazy."
Blake shrugged it off, and said, "It's your turn now, Alex. What crazy things have you done?"
"Hmm... I guess coming to this town I knew nothing about is the craziest thing I've done, but it isn't something you don't know. Hmmmmmm... I did this another time before. When I was a freshman in the college in my home city, I wanted to leave for some reasons. When the college in this state agreed to accept me and transfer the previous credits, I dropped off from the former college immediately and went to the new college. It took me 5 days to travel to there."
James raised one eyebrow and said, "So, you tend to leave a place and start a completely new life elsewhere?"
"Do... do you think you will do this again? Suddenly leaving us?" Blake asked with a bit nervousness.
Alex was overwhelmed by the sudden questions from the two, harsh but completely reasonable. He thought for a moment before answered, "I don't think so. I left there for reasons, not as a caprice."
"Okay." Blake said and gulped down the fourth bottle of beer tonight.
Alex found himself bothered by the questions the other two just asked. Would he eventually leave this place also? Did he think this town was the place he would stay forever? Where was the place he did want to eventually settle himself down?
Luckily, James saved him from his self-conscious distress, saying, "We each have shared some unique things about us. Let's play another game! Do you play dice, Alex?"
"Yeah. But I can't drink, and if I don't get some punishment when I lose, it's not going to be fun." The deer said.
"Don't worry. HELEN!"
The girl pushed herself in the crowd to the table of the three, and asked, "What do you want, guys?"
"Alex wants some 'punishment' for himself when we play dices. Since he can't have alcohol, how about give him something hot? And we also want some rum, please." The gorilla said with only a hint of being drunk.
"No prob."
*
The night went quickly as the three started a dices game. The 'something hot' for Alex was another serving of chips but with a saucer of insanely hot chili powder. It looked nothing special but Alex coughed when the spice fired up all the buds of his tongue, making him squeeze out two bids of tears.
So once Alex lost, he got punished by eating a chip that Blake dipped in the chili powder. The other two had a shot of spirit when they lost.
Alex turned out to be very good at the game, who was talented at seeing through furs' expression and would know if the other was boasting. Thus the other two had a lot of strong drink down while the deer only ate a few chips (with 3 glasses of milk to sooth his burnt tongue).
A little while later, James excused himself and got to chat with his other pals in the bar, leaving Alex and Blake for their duel game.
"Two twos." Alex started this round.
"Three twos." Blake said without hesitating.
"Hmm... three fours."
"Four fours." Again, Blake said quickly, seemingly having prepared to this.
Alex smirked inwardly but feigning to be pondering for a moment. Finally he raised the cup and said, "You're boasting. I have no fours."
"Owww... You got me again. I have three fours." Blake said, pouting his muzzle and scratching the back of his head with his paw. Then he downed the alcohol in his cup.
"Haha." Alex laughed heartily, and was amused by the look of bear. He stared at the bear for a moment before called for attention, "Blake?"
"Huh?" The bear turned his head over Alex.
Alex was relieved to see the bear appearing slightly drunk, whose round eyes were now half opened but still with brightness. He asked to make sure, "Are you okay with the alcohol? Do you feel dizzy?"
Blake opened his eyes fully, appearing to be more conscious and sober. He replied, "I'm totally fine. Don't be worried."
"How about I give you some little tips of the game?"
"Yeah, please! You are so good at this."
Alex started to show some tricks of the game when the gorilla was have a good time with his other pals, chatting and laughing loudly.
*
When James came back, he was staggering a bit. No one knew how much he had drunk that night. He said, "Whatcha chatting about yah loving birds?"
"About the game." answered Alex, neglecting what he was called.
"Oh yeah the game! Let's continue!" The drunk gorilla said with the volume louder than necessary.
"You two play, while I watch." Alex said.
But the gorilla wasn't happy with that, "No, my friend. You are the one who beat me many times tonight, and this gorilla is seeking his revenge."
"I think you probably shouldn't drink anymore." The deer protest honestly.
James looked at Alex for a while, before suddenly filled his glass full with rum, saying, "Dare a last game before go home?"
"I really think you shouldn't drink more."
"If you win, I bottom up the whole glass. If I win, you eat all the chips and the powder. Deal?" James said with a huge drunk grin.
Alex sighed, and said, "Fine. If you insist. But lets make it more interesting. You and Blake have a game."
The gorilla disagreed immediately, "No. You and I."
"Let me finish. You and Blake have a game. If he wins, you down the rum. If you win, he downs the rum and I eat the chips and the damn chilli powder as you said. How's that?"
"I'm in." James smirked.
Blake hesitated, looking at Alex who gave him an assuring nod. Then the bear agreed.
Thanks to Alex's tips, the game went fairly quick with another loss for James, but he seemed to not mind it at all and downed the whole glass with a swill. After that, Blake paid for the night and the three left the bar.
"Thank you, Blake. We had a great night!" Alex said to the bear, while the bear and him were helping the intoxicated gorilla on his feet.
"You're welcome. I'm glad you had a great time." replied Blake.
The gorilla between the two was mumbling something incomprehensible. The other two gave each other a soft chuckle at the drunk gorilla between them.
"I'm going to bring my truck here. You think you can handle him by yourself?"
"More than enough." Blake answered confidently.
Then Alex went to drive the truck to the door of the bar. Alex and Blake stuffed the drunken gorilla into the pickup, laying him down on the back seats, and got into it themselves.
On the road to James house, Alex asked, "Does James often get drunk like this?"
"No. But I've seen him got worse than this, hehe. He'll be fine."
Before Alex could reply, the gorilla sat up and said, "I'm not drunk, but only happy."
"Okay." Alex smiled, and he smelled the alcohol which soon filled the entire cab.
Soon they pulled off beside James houses. Although the gorilla claimed to be not drunk, he accepted the two's help to support his body by his arms. As they reached the front door, the muscular gorilla suddenly drew his arms together, making the three furs' heads very close, especially Blake and Alex's who were almost kissing.
"I'm very glad you two are hitting it off with each other." James said.
Alex struggled out from the headlock, and stated blankly, "You are really drunk, James."
"No. I'm not drunk, but only happy." The gorilla claimed again.
With the help of the light of the truck, Alex watched James fumbling out his keys, trying to insert it in the keyhole, and succeeded at the fourth time. They helped James going to his bedroom and laying him on the bed before went back into the truck.
It was already 2 am. Both furs in the car were tired.
"Next, Let me take you home." Alex told the bear.
"Thanks." Blake smiled at Alex with his eyes half open.
When they reached the bear's home, Alex's heart was pumping hard as he put his arm around the bear's waist to help him walk, although the bear appeared to be mostly sober. Alex saw Blake having no trouble to find the key and open the door with it. To be honest, he was slightly disappointed by that. Otherwise, he could send the drunk bear into his bedroom, and then maybe something would happen.
In reality, they whispered goodbyes to each other to not disturb other furs living in the house, before separated by the wooden door of the house.
The deer drove back to home alone. The hope that something magical might happen in this beautiful night had gone. He wondered if he should have kissed the bear goodbye instead. He also blamed himself for being so uptight. Maybe he should have listened to James and had a little to drink after all.
Anyway, it was a great night with the two furs he liked really much. When he was at home standing at the basin ready to wash himself up, he found his own reflection through the mirror smiling at himself.
He remembered the questions about leaving the town, and he assured himself everything about his new life here was just fine. He started to enjoy it.