Peter Pan

Part I

                Huang Zitao sat there in his chair, at his usual spot in the club. He had lost interest sooner than expected. This girl just wasn’t doing it for him tonight. He snapped his fingers. The music stopped, and the dancer looked at him.

                “You’re boring me, please leave.” He said, shooing her away. She looked at him offended, but another girl came up to her.

                “Don’t it’s best just to leave.” She gathered her clothes and left.

                “That’s right, leave quietly. It’s best for everyone.” He said smirking.

                He entered his home, a stately mansion in the bayou. He never liked the idea of company, so this seemed like a prime location. He undid his tie and threw his clothes on the floor. His house was quite unkempt. Not that he cared. Why clean? He can just pay someone to do it anytime he felt like it. He sat in his chair, swerving around in his chair to reach his liquor cabinet. He drew out a bottle of Hennessey and poured it in a shot glass.

                He then leaned over his desk and went through his paperwork. Several bills he needed to pay, people asking him for money for various charities, a letter from the clinic. He opened the letter, taking the entire shot of Hennessey. He slammed the glass down and dialed a number on his phone.

                “Hello, this is the clerk’s office of the Daily Tribune, how may I help you?”  

                “I need to put an ad in the paper.” He said.

*****

                Li Jiaheng stumbled through the office, late for work again. He had missed the bus to work, and ran the entire way there. He was smartly dressed, even if his hair was a bit unkempt. He walked into his supervisor’s office.

                “R-rep-porting for d-duty, s-s-sir!” he said, bowing to him.

                “Sit down, Li.” He instructed. Jiaheng shyly came forward and sat down.

                “Li, this is the third time this week you’ve been late for work.” Jiaheng nodded.               

                “A-and I-I’m very s-sorry for th-that sir,” he managed to stammer out.

                “It’s the eighth time this month; I can’t afford to keep you if you’re not a reliable person. I’m sorry Li, but I’m going to have to let you go.”

                “B-b-but, Mr. Zh-zh-zhang!” he protested. Zhang Yixing shook his head.

                “I’m sorry Li, but I see no other choice. You are excused.” Jiaheng was going to make another protest, but figured that it wouldn’t help anyway. He got up, bowed, and left the room.  

                He kicked garbage as he walked home. What was he going to do? He needed a job. He couldn’t just sit there. He supposed he could ask his old friend Chen for a job at the bar. He shook his head. A sudden gust of wind threw a newspaper in his face.

                He writhed around, trying to rip it off his face. After a few moments of struggling, he finally managed to get it off. As he was about to throw it on the ground, he saw something. An ad, for a personal assistant.

                ‘I need a personal assistant that can do housekeeping. If you want the job, call the number.’ It was very straightforward. It was a rather peculiar address though; it was located in the bayou. Isn’t that where the eccentric millionaire lived? He shrugged. A job was a job, no matter where it was located. He tucked the newspaper under his arm and walked home.

                When he got to his small apartment, he sat on his moth eaten quilt upon his mattress. He reached for the rotary phone, and dialed the number listed.

                “Hello?” the man who answered seemed quite somber.

                “Hello, my name is Li Jiaheng. I was inquiring about the job?” he heard the man grumble on the other side of the phone. “Excuse me?”

                “Be here at 8:30 sharp tomorrow. If you’re even one minute late, I won’t see you.” And with that, the man hung up.

                “Alright then, see you tomorrow sir.” He loosened his tie and threw it aside, looking out his window, he saw clouds rolling in. He hoped it wouldn’t rain tomorrow.

*****

                The next day, he awoke about three hours earlier than usual. He figured it might take a while to get there, so he rose when the sun did. He rushed down to the street, eager to catch the earliest bus. As he boarded, he realized he was the only passenger. He did all he could not to fall asleep as they made their way into the woods.

                The bus stopped, and he exited.

                “What you want to do is walk straight, and turn left at the old twisted tree, you can’t miss it.” The bus driver instructed. Kris bowed.

                “Thank you sir!” he said, heading on his way. He looked around, surveying his surroundings. It wasn’t as frightful as he imagined. That is, until he rounded the corner.

                It became significantly darker, and the road became damp. He heard crickets and frogs as he neared the property. He sped up as he saw lights. His mouth fell open as he approached the stately manor. A long line of women were ahead of him. Most were scantily clad.

                ‘Well,’ he thought. ‘That isn’t appropriate attire for an interview.’ The line quickly dwindled as one after the other; the women came out crying, some with fewer clothes than they came in with. ‘What the hell have I gotten myself into?’ he thought as he approached the door. As he became first in line, a woman shoved past him on her way out.

                “Next!” a harsh voice called out from the house. Kris was pushed forward by the women, all of whom seemed reluctant, and grateful that they weren’t first. He cautiously walked in.

                The house was a pigsty. Actually, that was an understatement. Kris was positive that he had seen a rat scurry away into a far off corner. The stench was horrendous. Dirty laundry, rotting food scraps and garbage littered the floor. The smell made him want to vomit.

                “The office is over here,” the voice called. “Hurry up! I don’t have all day.” It called out. He hurried over, following the voice. He shyly knocked. “Come in.” it called.

                The inside of the office was spotless. The man sitting at the desk at the back of the room was well groomed. Not a hair out of place, even if he was toasted. He motioned for him to take a seat.

                “My name is Huang Zitao, and yours?” he asked.

                “M-my name is Li Jiaheng, sir.” He smiled at him.

                “How quaint. Resume,” he held out his hand. Kris fumbled with the lock on his folder, but finally managed to open it, and handed his resume to Zitao.

                The man looked it over, sometimes looking over at him. Kris just looked at his hands, twiddling his thumbs. Zitao set the paper down and stood up. He sat on his desk, and took Kris’s hands in his, examining them.

                They weren’t the hands of a seasoned maid or butler, but that of someone who worked in an office. Gentle and smooth skin, but somewhat rough fingertips. He took his other hand, and lifted his chin, so that he could look into his eyes. This man had something to prove. Zitao smiled and leaned back. He got off his desk and walked out of the room. He then proceeded through his foyer and onto his porch.

                “The position has been filled. Go away.” He slammed the door shut and made his way back to his office. Jiaheng just sat there, befuddled as to what just happened. Zitao sat back on his desk.

                “Take off your clothes.”

                “Excuse me?” Jiaheng drew back. Tao pulled him up by his tie.

                “Take. Off. Your. Clothes.”

                “I-I-I don’t see what that has to-to do with the j-job, sir.” He stammered. Zitao cocked his head. “What I me-meant to ask w-was, why?” he asked. Zitao laughed.

                “Because I told you to.”

                “N-no.” Zitao drew back.

                “No? Did you just tell me no?” he asked. Jiaheng hesitantly nodded his head. Zitao dropped him back in his seat.

                “Well then,” he sat back in his seat behind his desk, resting his feet up on his paperwork. Jiaheng adjusted his tie. “There’s only one thing to do now.” He said. Jiaheng swallowed.

                “What would that be?” he asked.

END OF PART I

Sorry that its short, I'll update later today!