Weird Ways Life Hits You

Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8

"Well... this is first." John said with some reluctance. "I mean, it was expected to be happening, I guess... but still..." Giorgia was still occupied with the pans, keeping on cooking something, but she immediately turned back and and gave him an interrogatory stare. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm following what you're saying. What are you referring to?". He wasn't even surprise. She had the habit of doing things out of instinct. "You've just called me partner. You've never done it before." Giorgia put the pans down and went to the table, lowering the flame at a minimum. 

"Oh. Uhm... well I guess it is a good time to say it now as much as any when else. I've been officially promoted and given a contract. Yes, I've been hired for good this time. I didn't want to tell you 'cause I know it would make you all fidgety and unease." She took both his hands with one of her own, and started rubbing them with her thumb, while using the other hand to gesticulate. "I don't want you to believe that this will make things weird for you, Johnny. It just means that we are gonna spend more time together, okay?" she was once again using her soft voice. She did it every time she felt like she might have hurt his feelings, this he knew now about her. On one side, he was pleased that she was empathetic, on the other one, he felt like he saw him as fragile. Fragile... didn't she use that word to describe him to her father? 

"Look Giorgia, I'm just happy for you. Don't know why you would think anything else. It was just... new!" he lied, forcing a smile. In reality, things were going to change. Things were changing already, as a matter of fact. Ever since she arrived, he wasn't the boss of his own actions anymore. She coordinated everything about him, 'cause she was his assistant. But now she would have not been there anymore, would have he been capable of keeping up? 

"That makes me very happy! Thank you for saying that Johnny! You know what? I want to do something fun to celebrate! It was already in my intentions, you've probably noticed I prepared some extra stuff. I am intended to have a picnic, and to go skiing. My family owns a lodge up on the mountains, it's not too far and we can be there in a couple of hours. We can spend the weekend there before coming back here!"

John didn't feel good at all about it. He didn't want to sound like a brat, but he never skied before, and he was also very well aware of how risky that would have been. Regardless of that, she already took her decision for the both of them, so he just said "Sounds great!". "PERFECT! You can watch some TV if you want, I'll prepare everything and will tell you when I'm ready to go. I'd ask you to help, but I don't think you can reach the rooftop of my car ahah!" she said jokingly, but the comment was hurtful nontheless. Grumpily, he went on the sofa and, marveled that they still had re-runs of it, he started watching an old cartoon show they used to show at the orphanage. Both the script and the drawings were childhish, but he still enjoyed the good memories, and he had nostalgia of when he was little and would just doze off watching TV. And the memory must have been very vivid, 'cause it had the same exact impact on him this time. 

He woke up hearing a key noise and some wooden door noise cracking, and more importantly feeling something warm surrounding him and looked around. His feet were in the air and something huge was touching his butt. With a second, more lucid look, he realized what was happening. "GiORGIA WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?" she had him lifted. She was just carrying around, having him set on her hand and his neck lying on her shoulder. She let him down, but looked at him with anger. Her hands were on her hips, and she was towering over him. "What did you say again?" she was frightening. Yelling Giorgia was scary and annoying, but calm Giorgia felt like a nightmare. This was the first time he had experience something like that with her and didn't know what to do. Wait. HE WAS THE ONE ANGRY AT HER. What was going on? Why couldn't he respond to her authority? He had the words in his mouth, but they didn't want to come out. "What were you-" "Excuse yourself right now, young man. I will not tolerate curse words. You are very aware of how much I dislike such things." "I... I apologize..." he mumbled. "Good. The only reason why I was doing that is that you were asleep, and it would have been very rude of me to wake you up. Now, I hope that such an accident won't be repeated. Is that clear enough?" he was in absolute shock. He couldn't help himself from complying. "Yes,Ma'am." Where did that come from? "Good. I don't like being stern with you, but it is necessary when you misbehave. Remember that I was hired in the first place to rectify your behavioural problems. Do you think that just because I'm not your assistant anymore you are free to go back to where you were?" he felt tears coming down, but tried his best to avoid letting them out. "No, Ma'am" again? "Good. Now let's go inside. I said we're going to celebrate and go skiing and we shall do that. We won't let this little accident ruining our day. Remember Johnny. I am doing this for your own good."