[Hyde POV]
That night, when Red and Eric got home, Red smiled and gave me 300 dollars from the first batch of resumes sold to the factory workers.
Donna followed Eric as we talked in the living room.
"Here you go Steven. I have already taken my cut, so you don't need to pay me anymore." Red said proudly.
Eric however, was a little dark on the face. "Why did he get a cut?" Eric complained. "He didn't even do anything! I did all of the talking and writing!" Eric pointed his fingers to Red before waggling it around with frustration.
Red turned to him with a scary face, which made him shrink back. Donna added on to it, as she shared the same frustration as Eric.
"I helped Eric too. Because he has too many things to do! Red didn't even do anything. If anyone deserved the money, it's me!" Donna snapped.
Red smirked slightly and said, "That's America kids."
I nodded and agreed with Red. "Yeah, this is how a capitalist society works."
Red guffawed and walked away. Donna and Eric were really frustrated with him for some reason.
When I asked, they said it was because he nitpicked on them without actually doing anything himself.
"Anyway. We need a raise. And Donna needs to get paid too." Eric handed me the list of people who wanted the service and the details.
"93 people? Whoa." I exclaimed wildly. "You did a very good job." I said with amazement. Both of them brightened up and were slightly bashful.
"Oh. Stop it. You." Eric said flatly.
"I'm not kidding. You did amazing. Alright, Donna. I'll pay you too." I counted the money and gave 120 bucks to the two of them.
Eric and Donna were shocked by the amount. "Wait. Really?" Donna asked to confirm.
"Yeah man." I replied. "And I'll give you the same amount tomorrow when they paid for this batch."
"Oh my god." Eric exclaimed and almost hugged me, but I stopped him by pushing him away. "Alright Alright." He accepted the rejection cheerfully.
"Two days of work, and I can get 120 dollars?" Donna was elated. "I can finally get the shoes I wanted!"
Eric added, "I also can get more Playpen–" Donna stared at him, which made him change his words instantly. "I mean, jewelry for my girlfriend."
"Don't forget the gift for your mom." Donna reminds him. "Otherwise she would always bring it up and say Hyde is more thoughtful."
"Yeah." He agreed with her and then cursed me. "Damn you Hyde. Now, I have to use my money to find a thoughtful gift for my mom! And it's all because of you!"
After his sassy remarks, he immediately changed his tune and asked, "Do you have any suggestions? Something thoughtful?"
Donna elbowed him and scolded, "You can't even think of something for your own mom?"
"What? Of- Of course I can. I'm… observant…" He pretended. "I'm just asking to see if Hyde is as observant as I am."
Donna laughed at his dumbness and said endearingly, "You Dill-hole."
"Urgh." I groaned. "You guys sickened me."
Eric and Donna laughed. Eric said tauntingly, "Oh you sickened me too you Mr Bible reading Casanova."
I narrowed my eyes at him, a little pissed. Then, I saw a shadow standing by the stairs. From the hair, I knew it was Laurie.
"Alright. I have something for your mom." I said abruptly.
"Hmm? What is it?" Eric was excited.
"A mattress topper that will make her mattress feel like new. And, it also will help with her back. Maybe Red will sleep better too, so he will be less of a hardass all the time."
"Wait. Thoughtful gift for my Mom, and make my Dad hounds me less? Alright! Let's do it! How much?"
"85 bucks." I said with a grin.
"Eighty–" Eric was surprised. "I'm thinking more like twenty."
"No. Eighty-five. And also, you don't have a choice but to buy them anymore." I said with a grin.
"Huh? Why not?" Donna asked with confusion.
I pointed at the stairs , "Laurie heard it, and she's running to your mom's room. I think she's going to tell her so she would expect to see the mattress topper as a gift."
"WHAT?!" Eric was startled. "Oh that whore!" He exclaimed with defeat.
"So I'm not getting any jewelry?" Donna asked with a smirk.
"Maybe sleep with him. He will actually give you his soul." I teased. Donna blushed and Eric turned to her.
He said, "He's not wrong."
"Shut up Dillhole." She giggled.
The two of them left hurriedly, holding hands.
Suddenly Eric burst back from the revolving door and pointed his fingers at me. "You son of a bitch."
"You realized it huh?" I smirked.
Donna entered too and asked, "Eric, what's wrong? I thought we're going to go make out?"
"He tricked me." Eric said with realization. "He said 20%. So that's 1 dollar every 5 bucks he made."
"So?" Donna didn't catch up yet.
"I did 75 people! So that's 75 bucks. Not 60." Eric exclaimed. I laughed madly as he connected the dots.
"You bitch!" Donna exclaimed in shock.
"Give me the 15!" he demanded.
I calmed down and asked seriously, "So. 1 dollar for every person, right? How many people did you take notes with yesterday?"
"75?" Eric was confused as to why I still asked even though he just mentioned it.
"How many Donna did? 75 more?" I asked.
"Wait." Donna thought about it and said, "I did around 45. Eric did 30."
"So, give me back twenty. And Donna, give me back 5 dollars. I'll let you keep the ten for your bonus."
"YOU HAD TO ASK DIDN'T YOU!" Donna snapped at Eric angrily.
"Why are you mad? You only have to give back 5 bucks!" Eric whined.
Donna said seriously, "I did 50 today. Eric did 43."
"Alright. Noted. Eric. Once you get the money tomorrow, you'll have 83 bucks. Two bucks more shorts for the mattress." I told him casually.
"Mother–" Before he could finish, Kitty ran down the stairs excitedly, which made him change his words, " –Giver."
He lowered his head fearfully.
…
Inside my room.
"My chair has arrived." I muttered as I heard the *ding* sound in my system.
In the two days, almost all of my deliveries had arrived. Stuffs for the car and the chair.
It was an office chair with an ergonomic back, but I picked a sturdy metal leg instead of the roller leg. It couldn't be moved easily, but it was really durable.
It cost me 5 dollars.
"I have 1000 more in my bank, and 1500 tomorrow once Victoria's check is cleared."
It was 11, and I wanted to wait until the internet to turn on. Since I had a long nap in the morning at the motel, I still feel quite fresh.
I took out my camera and checked the images of the apartment. I took it after I got the keys from the landlord before.
"Should I record the renovation, and post it online? If I can monetize it, then… I can get a side income from the video."
I took out some paper and began to draw the plans for the apartment with a pencil. I could use the laptop, but without the internet, I didn't feel the need to take it out from my storage.
Suddenly, there's a knock on my door. A soft knock, almost meek-like. I scrunched my eyebrows and stored the camera into one of my slots and opened it.
There, Victoria was standing wearing flannel pajamas, with a tray of cookies and tea.
"Um, I heard you slept late at night, so I want to bring you some refreshment." Victoria said bashfully.
I smirked teasingly, which made her blush. "Want to come in?" I asked casually and led her into the room.
She widened her eyes, like she couldn't believe she was doing it and walked inside.
"How's living with Donna?" I asked as she sat on my bed and I sat on my chair, looking at her.
"It's… Fine. Midge and Bob are really energetic, but they aren't bad people. Donna is being very helpful and nice." Victoria replied as she sat there awkwardly.
I chuckled and said, "You can be at ease. I won't bite."
She smiled embarrassedly and said, "So. What are you doing?"
"I'm drawing your house plan and I'm going to see what you need. Oh, this is perfect. Have you thought about what you want the apartment to look like?"
"Umm… I told you, it's fine." Victoria was being avoidant.
I sighed and said, "Ma'am. You're making my life more difficult here. At least, pick the color of the wall. Or do you want wallpaper."
"Don't call me Ma'am." She snapped, which was awesome to see. "Um, purple? I think I like purple."
"Oh yeah. Your favorite colors are purple and green."
Victoria's eyes flickered and she asked with a touched expression, "You remembered that?"
"Slightly." I replied honestly. "You used to wear that color a lot. Now it's all dull clothes. You need to update your wardrobe too. Something more colorful, and sexier." I teased.
She opened her mouth with a silent gasp, and then began to look around the room. "Your room is quite nice."
"Really? Is this your standard? Raise them higher. This room is not nice." I teased again.
Victoria chuckled and joked back, "No, no. This is really nice, for a prison cell."
"Nice." I exclaimed, feeling quite satisfied. "Don't make your apartment feel like mine. What do you imagine your house will be like? I know all girls have imagined it at some time."
"Well…" Victoria began to think back. "I guess I want a chandelier. And it needs to be somewhere good enough so that I won't be embarrassed to invite my friends in."
"Alright. So someplace to entertain. A record player with some good speakers. A nice, big tv."
"A green couch." She added with excitement, smiling gleefully as she finally got into it. "And I want some yellow cushion on it."
"Great–"
"I also want a good kitchen for me to cook. With white wallpaper, maybe some texture. Blue kitchen cabinet. Oh– the cabinet there is tan, so I can't have that."
"Don't interrupt yourself. Just let it all out." I listened intently.
Victoria blushed hard as she caught my gaze and then whispered slightly, "My divorce is filed today. So…"
She stood up abruptly and walked to the door, "I think I'd better go. Donna will think there's something going on if I stay too long."
"Wait." I stopped her. As she turned, I asked, "Do you want to pick up anything from your farmhouse? I can borrow Bob's truck tomorrow."
"Um…" Her eyes shook as she thought about it. "No. I only have some clothes there."
"What about your new fridge?" I asked again.
She gasped, "The fridge! I just bought the fridge!"
"I'll pick it up for you tomorrow." I chucked. "By the way, your ass looks really nice in those pajamas." I teased.
"Stop looking!" She covered her bubble butt as she ran away.
…
I took out my laptop and finished the resumes for all 93 people, which took me three hours.
At 3 am, I began researching for items to be bought for Victoria's rental unit. At 5 am, I finally fall asleep. And I was woken up at 7.30 again by Eric.
"Again, I woke up at 9." I told him begrudgingly.
"You went to work at nine you nincompoop." Eric snapped.
"Wow, still angry huh?" I joked.
Eric laughed sarcastically and said, "What? About the topper and you tricking me into using all my money? Hell no. I loved using all of my money for something I couldn't get to use– like buying a cassette deck for my car."
"Oh. I have a cassette deck. You should get one of those." I said, which made him more annoyed.
"Now that I have money, my dad kept reminding me about how I broke the tv with the bowling ball and made him buy a new one. So, I have that to look forward to." Eric added.
"Again with the sarcasm." I said with a teasing smile. "But, I might have a solution for your predicament."
"What?" He asked curiously.
"Help me with Victoria's new apartment. I'll give you 15 bucks a day. You can work on the weekends."
"15 bucks? Isn't that so cheap?" Eric was disgusted by the offer.
I shook my head and said, "I can get a day laborer for 20 bucks a day. They are more skillful, so this offer is just from the kindness of my heart."
"Well… I guess…go get a day laborer." He said with a deadpan voice and left.
"This is what's wrong with this country. No one wants to work anymore." I shouted teasingly, and he shouted, "I'm fighting against the system. Something you should've done instead you turned into a very lame guy!"
"Am I lame now?" I laughed by myself. "Eh, I can shove down the passion to rebel against the government with some money."
…
At the store. I yawned as the shutter door opened and the store was finally open for business.
"Tough night Hyde?" Bob asked with a grin.
"Yeah, I need some coffee." I replied as I picked up the mug.
Last night, I bought some groceries and household items from a supermarket. It was already delivered to my storage system this morning.
I gave the new detergent– the liquid kind to Mrs Forman and brought some Kopiko instant coffee with me to work.
I shared it with Bob and the other salesmen, and they love it. The stockist also loved it.
"Where is Charlie?" Bob asked with some frustration and worry. "He has never come to work late before."
I shrugged and said, "Maybe he needs to go to the doctor for something."
That was a shame since his glasses came early. It took twenty-four hours for me to get it. Of course, I picked the store lens instead of the high class one like Kodak lenses.
It did have glare protection– which meant it would change black under sunlight, but that was it. It cost me 200 usd in 2025, but only 40 in 1977 money.
I picked out a fashionable frame for him too, despite the fact they were cheap, brandless frames.
"Alright." Bob accepted the excuse easily and left. I sat there lazily as there were no customers yet.
Suddenly the bell on the door chimed. I sat back up and looked at the girl who just walked in. I didn't go to her and sat leaning on the counter lazily.
She wore an oversized black jacket, striped black and white inner shirt, and a black pants and boots. She smells of weed, and has some faint dark circles underneath her slightly reddish eyes.
She walked straight towards me and asked with a glare, "Are you Steven Hyde?"
"Yes I am." I replied easily and smiled. "What can I help you with, miss..?"
She reminded me of someone. The girl in Scooby-Do. The one who became Velma. And also Hawkeye's wife in the Avenger.
"Kurt." She said with eyes that wanted to stab me. "Linda Curt."
'Ah, she looks like Linda Cardellini. Not 100% similar. But there's a lot of resemblance.' I thought secretly.
"Kurt?... Like Charlie Kurt?" I smirked slightly, feeling amused.
She slapped the counter with her right hand and said, "Yeah. I'm her daughter!"
I went silent for a while and then glanced at her hand. "That must've hurt." I teased.
"What– No– A little bit– Nevermind!" She huffed angrily. "Why are you bullying my dad?!"
"Bullying?" I was confused. "When did I bully him?"
"Aaa– How about calling him names!? "Cowardly Charlie"? And picking on him? Snatching his sales? Pulling his glasses? EXTORTING money from him?!" She listed out everything and counted it with her fingers.
"He complained about you everyday! Now, he's too scared to come to work!" She added.
"Really?" I couldn't contain my laughter. Linda thought I was taunting her and became angrier.
Bob approached us and asked worriedly, "Hyde. What is with the yelling?"
"Mr Pinciotti." Linda turned to Bob and said, "My dad had worked with you for years. But you didn't even stand up for him when you hired a bully in your store?"
"Bully? Hyde, did you bully Charlie?" Bob asked me seriously.
I was wheezing, barely able to reply to his question. "No. I did not."
"That's a lie! He even extorts money from him." Linda pointed at me accusingly.
"Hyde!" Bob was taken aback. "Did you do that?" he asked seriously.
I wiped my laughing tears with my finger and calmed down a bit. "Ah, that's a very good laugh. Best one I have in a while."
"You— precocious, condescending little shit." Linda cursed at me.
"Stop– Stop. I can't laugh anymore." I gestured with my hand for her to stop.
"You– Just keep doing this. I'm going to bring all of my friends and protest this store with banners."
Shocked, Bob showed a disarming smile and said to Linda, "I'm sure this is all just a big misunderstanding."
"Yeah." I calmed down slightly and said sarcastically, "Protesting the place your father works… That's just brilliant thinking."
"You–" She widened her eyes in surprise, and wanted to lunge at me. I sipped on my coffee and said, "I usually don't explain myself to people, but you're pretty cute, and I'm pretty sure I want to ask you out sometimes, so I'm going to explain it."
Linda froze in shock and her tone changed flatter. "What?"
I took out the glasses meant for Charlie and put them on the counter. "I asked him to bring money for this. The glasses are made of new technology, so his eyes won't look so distorted anymore."
Linda was stupefied and went into silence.
"Also, I did call him Cowardly Charlie. But he tried to bully me first, asking me to set up stock when I'm a salesman, and tried to be tough on me. I don't bully people who don't deserve it."
I smirked and said, "Also, I didn't even hold it against him, but he held it against me huh?"
She grimaced and whispered to herself, "Come on Dad!" She looks quite disappointed.
"The glasses are over 200 bucks right? He said he didn't have any money to buy one. So I got him a cheap one for 50 bucks."
"Oh." She exclaimed flatly, her face flushed with guilt. I smiled charmingly and said, "So. Do you still think I'm a bully now?"
"Um…" her face blushed red and she held out a finger. "I'll be right back." She went to the door and shouted, "DAD! Come inside now!"
"Whoa." I exclaimed with elation.
"Someone's in trouble now." Bob also laughed. He turned to me and said, "Hyde. Let me pay for the glasses. I didn't know times were hard for Charlie."
"Alright Bob." I agreed easily. "Either way, I'm getting back the money."
(If I can get 1000 powerstones this week, I'll do two chapter per day for three days.)
Read up to chapter 60 on my patreon.
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