Chapter 9
Steak and Other Delicacies
"…see you soon." Joe said, hanging up the phone.
He placed it on the receiver, and looked around his apartment. It would be nice to get out for a change. Despite what little money he had in his pocket, he could stretch to a beer and a decent meal for himself and his daughter every once in a while, if only to escape the dreary and putrid looking apartment they lived in.
Hopefully the errand he was due to run tomorrow would bring a little income in, and he could pay the rent and treat Holly to some time at the arcade after Gru dropped her off. As he thought of this outing, he realised he could ask Gru and the girls to join them. Might be a fun day. Though, that sent other thoughts through Joe's mind, too.
Gru seemed less than reluctant to allow him to come, but Joe paid no mind to this. Perhaps the man was just weary of making friends or something, but Joe would keep trying. There was something about the man Joe just liked. He didn't know why, Gru hadn't exactly been the friendliest of people on their first meeting, and their interactions since hadn't changed all that much. Tonight though, would be different. Joe was going to bring him out of his shell.
Joe showered himself with the lukewarm slightly off colour water that the apartment provided from the gigantic boiler in the basement, and got himself dressed. He didn't exactly have a wide range of clothes to choose from, and threw on a black t-shirt and pair of combat trousers, and black shoes. Joes longish brown hair refused to obey him and he tried his best to style it properly, but gave up. He did at least want to look half presentable to Gru and his daughters, the other parents at his daughter's school looked at him with scorn since he was scruffy and didn't drive a nice car or wear expensive clothes and jewellery like they did. It was a miracle Holly was allowed into West Fields at all, he often though to himself. Such a well regarded school must have a lot of well to do parents clamouring for their children to be accepted into it, but Joe was not one to question good fortune too much. When it did happen, it was to be accepted gratefully, since it was not a common occurrence anymore.
Joe stepped out into the street outside the apartment block and walked to his car. The air was cool and the sun shined brightly, but it was making its descent into the western sky and would soon be swallowed up by the glass and concrete skyscrapers that were not too far from him. Thankfully, his car started without a struggle for a change, and he prepared himself for an evening of chit chat with a starkly gruff, imposing man and his three friendly daughters.
xxxxx
Gru approached the address Joe had given him for the "diner". The streets seemed clean and tidy, but Gru was not optimistic about Joe's (and partly Margo's) choice of restaurant. The man wasn't well off, Gru knew as much, so it was likely the place would be cheap, tacky, and the food would probably taste awful. A super villain such as him had expensive tastes and simple food was not usually part of their palette, especially Gru's. Although, he realised, his current diet consisted mainly of takeaway pizza so perhaps this diner would provide him with something different for a change.
"There it is!" he head Agnes shout. She tapped his shoulder and pointed.
Gru followed her finger and his eyes rested on a little restaurant on a busy intersection. It looked much like the old Western taverns he saw in those cowboy movies as a child, and his fears were confirmed. The Sleepy Hunter was exactly everything he had expected.
"There's daddy." Holly chirruped, herself pointing. Gru saw the man leaning on the wall outside waiting for them. The man waved as Gru's vehicle came into view and Gru began to park up. A few minutes and 3 destroyed cars later, they hopped out of the car and walked over to him, apart from Holly who near sprinted to him.
"Hey baby girl." Joe said as knelt down giving her a big hug.
"Gru has this cool dog with green fur." Holly said, playing with his collar. Joe looked at her funnily, and Gru tried to avoid looking at him lest he aroused suspicion. Joe, however, took it as his daughter's wild imagination going crazy.
"That's nice, honey." Joe said, patting her head after he placed her down. "And hello to you four."
The three girls waved and smiled to Joe, but Gru ignored them, instead staring into the restaurant through the window. The place was packed with people. Families with children, groups of loud teenagers and the occasional dating couple filled the tables and Gru shuddered to think of the amount of noise he would have to put up with.
There was an awkward silent for a minute or two as Joe looked at Gru and the three girls, waiting for something to happen. Holly and Agnes both looked up to their respective family members ignorant of the slowly rising tension. Margo was the first to speak.
"So, shall we go in?" She said, trying to break the ice. She looked up at Gru who's expression tightened for a nanosecond when she said this, and she frowned at him. "Please make an effort tonight, Gru." she though to herself.
"Of course… lets go…" Gru said unexcitedly. He dragged his feet into the diner and Edith followed after him. Margo gave Joe an awkward smile as she saw he looked a little uncomfortable, and everyone walked in after Gru and Edith
The almost touchable wall of noise Gru walked into was both piercing and intolerable. All he could hear was 50 different conversations occurring at once, mixed in with shouting children, waitresses announcing orders to cooking staff (the kitchen was open), and the clatter of cutlery on plates. He cringed, he would have to bear this AND Joe. The place was tacky, that much was true. Hunting paraphernalia lined the walls, with photo's of hunting trips, hunting uniforms stapled on the walls randomly about the place and pretend guns mounted on racks. In the centre of the rectangular diner, just above the bar was a photo of the titular sleeping hunter. Gru felt uncertain of all the simply garish themed decorations. They were pointless and did the place no favours at all. He sighed, if only Joe could have been richer, he might have been able to go to some where nicer, with less silly finery and probably much better tasting food. Gru stood there idly for a moment with Edith, and waited for something to happen.
Margo walked with Joe to a small podium that stood just in front of the entrance and waited. A young blonde waitress dressed in a slightly skimpy themed hunting uniform approached them.
"Hi y'all, and welcome to The Sleepy Hunter. How many will be eatin' tonight?" she asked in a Southern American accent. Her voice was bubbly, Gru heard. He laughed inwardly, how could anyone be upbeat working in a place like this?
"Six, please." Margo said happily. She looked up to Gru and beamed up at him. Gru gave an awkward smile back, still trying to adjust to the noise before allowing his face to settle into its usual scowl when he was in a place or a situation he was not comfortable with. Margo saw this and tried hard to ignore it, but her brow furrowed just a little. He had been wearing that scowl the first time they met, and then it vanished after a few days. Now it seemed to have returned recently, and Margo assumed it was because of a few things. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her head.
"Certainly, follow me, sugar." The waitress smiled picking up three adult and three kid's menus and she lead them towards their table. Edith and Agnes were awed by the place, and they walked around open mouthed, taking in everything from the fake rifles hung on the walls to the moose's head, that hung just above their table. Holly however clung to Joe's arm most of the time, silent.
Everyone sat down, except for Gru who partly flopped onto his seat. Margo looked at him angrily as Gru picked up his menu and hid behind it.
"This place is soooo cool!" Edith said excitedly. She grabbed Gru's arm and he looked at her with annoyance. "Look at that big gun!"
"Yes… very eenteresting." Gru muttered, burying his head back into the menu and giving the gun a very quick glance.
"Can I get y'all somethin' to drink?" The waitress asked. She pulled out a little pad and held her pen to it, still smiling.
"Yeah, uh Holly will have a Coke, and I'll have a glass of McCray's Extra Smooth please." Joe said, clasping his hands together.
Margo looked at Gru expectantly, waiting for him to say something. He looked up briefly, and realised he was supposed to order.
"Um, yes. Four glasses of water." He said hurriedly.
Gru's adopted daughters both looked at him darkly. "Really? Just water?" Margo asked harshly, raising her eyebrow. Edith and Agnes shared a glance.
"Well what do yoo want?" Gru spoke back to Margo, in a similar tone as she did to him.
"I'll have a coke." Edith said. Gru looked at her for a second mistrustfully. Edith and coke was not advisable.
"Me too." Agnes added.
"And me please."Margo said as well. "But no ice please."
Gru looked at them exasperatedly and they looked back stoically, and Gru knew this was not a fight he was going to win. Margo gave him a desperate look which Gru could not work out, despite the ferocity of it.
"Yes. I woold like to order four cokes pleese."
"Not having a beer?" Joe interrupted.
"Um… no. I don't dreenk beer."
"Why not? Too bitter?" Joe laughed a little.
"I've nevor tried it." Gru admitted. Margo smiled a little, hoping Gru was beginning to warm up to the evening.
"Come on, have a McCray's with me." Joe said. "Its on me. Call it a "new friend drink" or something."
Gru looked sideways at Joe dubiously and he saw in the corner of his eye Margo throw him a frown.
"Um, sure. I'll try eet." Gru conceded, and he promptly buried his head in the menu again.
"Great stuff." The waitress said cheerily, and she wandered off.
"Holly, now put the steak knife down." Joe wagged his finger at her. She placed it onto the table carefully and looked away from her fathers stern gaze.
Another couple of minutes of silence passed at their table, and Margo felt she had to again break the ice.
"I like this place so far. Its fun." She said happily. She looked up at Gru and gave him a big smile that he returned, if falsely.
"I've only been here once with Holly before." Joe joined in on the conversation and ruffled her hair. "Best steak ever."
"I want a 20 ounce T-Bone!" Edith jumped up and stood on her seat banging her hands onto the table. She licked her lips. "With fries."
"I like ice cream." Agnes said wistfully. Margo gave her a wry smile.
"You can't have that until desert, silly." She said.
"Awww, but I want something sweet."
"De coke is sweet Agnes. Wait until after you have eaten your "main course"." Gru added nonchalantly, making the speech marks sign sarcastically with his fingers.
"Not your usual choice of eatery huh Gru." Joe remarked. Margo eyes flickered between them.
"Nope, I haven't eeten out for yeors."
"Well there isn't anything better than a nice family oriented diner for a nice evening out." Joe said calmly, while looking at his menu. "Put the knife down Holly. Don't pick it up again."
"I'm sure eet ees." Gru said nonchalantly.
"I haven't been to a place like this before." Edith said, joining in on Gru's and Joe's conversation, though her remark was more directed at Gru. Unfortunately he ignored her.
Just then, the drinks came.
The waitress placed down the drinks at each of their seating positions and gave Edith, Agnes and Holly a curly straw each. Holly and Agnes appreciated this, but Edith leered at hers as if it was an insult a child like her would want a silly straw.
"I'll just let ya'll read through the menus and come back to take your orders, okay?" the waitress smiled and sauntered off to the bar.
Joe raised his glass. "To new friends everyone." He smiled and gulped, downing about a third of the yellowy liquid. Everyone apart from Gru mimicked him, Agnes and Holly obviously not really sure what the point of raising your glass is, but they did it anyway and just went along with it.
"To new friends." Edith and Margo said, and they smiled at each other. Gru raised his glass briefly before drawing it eye level.
Gru assessed his drink morosely for a moment, and then he glanced at Joe. He sipped too, and felt a bitter concoction sting his tongue and slither down his throat. Joe eyed him amusedly for a second.
"That really was your first beer, huh." He chuckled. Gru nodded, and his cheeks swelled as he moved his tongue around his mouth, still gauging the flavour and making his mind up about it.
"Eet ees certainly not like de wine." He said.
"Never been a big wine man myself, beer is much smoother I feel."
"Dat ees true, eet certainly ees smooth. But very bittor." Gru had another sip, then he gulped.
"But, I can see you kinda like it." Joe pointed as he drank.
"Well, I woold be lying eef I said eet wasn't growing on me." Gru said thoughtfully, and he smacked his lips.
"I want some beer." Edith said. Margo's eyes widened as Gru made to pass his large pint glass to her and she put her hand in the way. Joe laughed. Gru looked at Margo and gave her a quizzical look.
"She can't drink that!" Margo said half amused half shocked.
"Why evor not?" Gru asked, genuinely unsure why.
"Because its illegal and she's only 8, stupid." Margo chided lightly. Edith crossed her arms and pouted.
"Can't I have some of yours dad?" Holly asked Joe, who shook his head and ruffled her hair. "Aww."
The girls nattered away for a few moments and Joe and Gru didn't speak, and they looked through the menu.
"Everyone made up their minds?" Margo asked suddenly.
"I made my mind up as soon as we walked through the door." Edith said darkly. Margo looked at her dimly.
"Pizza by any chance?" Gru said from behind his menu, hiding away in it again.
"No." Edith punched his arm lightly. "Steak."
"Edith, yoo are not haveeng a 20 ounce steak." Margo and Gru said at the same time.
"Why not?" Edith asked in a huff. "That's what I am eating." She crossed her arms and she smiled brat like at Margo.
"Fine. Though we will take home what you don't eat and you will eet it cold." Gru bargained.
"Fine, you watch me eat every bite Mr Gru. If I win, I get a prize"
Joe had noticed the tendency of Edith and Margo to call their father Mr Gru, he also noticed how Agnes called him dad at school. He considered this for a second or two.
Everyone heard a little gasp, and suddenly all eyes were on Agnes.
"They have unicorn shaped meat shapes!" she screeched in glee.
Everyone, including Gru, giggled and smiled. Gru took another swig of beer and looked at the now empty glass.
"Dameet." He said, prompting a little flash of annoyance from Margo.
"Language." She hissed.
"Oh, right." Gru said, succumbing to her starkly firm stare. "Sorry."
Joe chuckled to himself at the little scene, Margo was such a sassy girl he just imagined what it must be like to live with her. She was judgmental and smart, and always looked at Gru with chagrin whenever he did something she did not approve of. Since Gru was not married, she filled in the role of a mother perfectly, and Gru was almost her child too in so many ways. He laughed out loud, which prompted stares from everyone including his daughter.
"What's so funny Mr Joe?" Agnes asked sweetly.
"Oh…" he choked, smiling. "Nothing honey."
"Mr Joe..." Margo said with a sudden realisation. "We don't know your surname."
Gru looked up at the man, waiting.
"Its Palantino." He said plainly after a short pause.
"Palantino?" Margo asked.
"Yeah. Yours is Gru right?" Holly asked, joining in on the conversation.
"Yep." Edith nodded. "Edith Gru has a ring to it!"
"Hey Gru." Joe said, looking up from his menu. "I don't know your first name."
Gru's eyes narrowed, and Margo looked up at him, a wry smile spread across her face. Gru had no idea Margo knew his first name.
"Uh…" he hesitated, as everyone looked at him. He began to retreat from the stares by lifting up the menu again. "I forgot."
"Its Felonius." Margo said simply. Gru flashed her a frowning stare and she smiled at him daringly.
"Felonius Gru…" Joe said, scratching his chin. "Cool."
Joe picked up his half drunk beer and took a sip, and placed it down onto the table gently. Gru and Margo both looked at each other then to Joe, both of them had expected Joe to find his name amusing. Gru avoided telling people his first name, as they either laughed or asked questions about its origin, especially having an accent Gru was often the subject of much interrogation from random people. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Felonius?" Edith asked, her face screwed up in confusion. "What kind of name is that?" Gru frowned and sulked.
Joe looked at her, unsure. She was 8 years old, and didn't know her fathers name? Still, he held his tongue, there was perhaps a reasonable explanation.
As if on queue to distract Gru from telling everyone his name and Edith asking about it, the waitress appeared with her face dressed with its usual toothy smile and held up her notepad and pen. "Right everybody, ready to make your order?"
xxxxx
"You know, I weel admeet eet." Gru mumbled with his mouth half full. "I was wrong, the food here is actually pretty good."
Margo smiled as she sipped some of her soup, and Agnes looked up at him with a breaded chicken unicorn shape hanging out of her mouth. Edith nodded in agreement, she had ordered the same size steak as Gru and it practically dwarfed her, but she was up to the challenge and was eating it ravenously.
"I still can't believe you've never been to a place like this." Joe said just after he swallowed a mouthful of his food. "Its good, my parents used to take places to eat all the time."
Gru surveyed the table, and eyed up everyone's food. While it didn't look particularly pleasing to the eye, Gru accepted that looks can be deceiving and the food did smell good and tasted good too. Joe had ordered a ribeye steak with potatoes and barbecue sauce smothering it all. Holly was digging into a similar meal to Agnes, she had chips, breaded meat shapes and peas. The sound of munching and the occasional mumble of satisfaction filled the air. The place had quietened down a bit now, Gru thanked.
"Yes, well I nevor usually go places like dis, but as I said I haven't eaten out for years." Gru mentioned flatly, and he crammed another forkful of delicious t-bone steak into his mouth.
"What places do you go to?" Joe asked. He sighed and wiped Holly, she had spilt her macaroni and cheese again. "Girl, one of these days your father is gonna teach you proper eating technique."
"If you haven't taught her by now she'll never learn." Margo joked.
"Heh, when a girl your age gives me parenting tips and I accept them I'll be long gone, kid." He retorted, smiling at her. Margo laughed.
"Trust me, Agnes was a nightmare to get her to eat properly. She still can't use her fork properly." She pointed at Agnes, who looked up at Margo and pouted. The girl was struggling to cut her chicken shapes with her knife and fork, and had resorted to just cramming a whole piece into her mouth and chewing it until she could swallow.
"Hah, Gru must have had a hard time raising all three of you." Joe laughed. Margo laughed too.
"Eet has been very tough, yes." Gru said dismally, and he ruffled Edith's hat and pointed at her. "Yoo missy, are hard work."
She poked her tongue out at him and gave a sarcastic grin. Her mouth was still full of food and it was all in her teeth, and Gru sighed at her. "Evor the charmeeng young lady."
"I really like this food." Edith said. "I always wanted to come here after we delivered cookies for the oprhanage."
Joe coughed a little. "Orphanage? You mean you are…?"
Margo smiled at him, taking note of his attempt at sounding tactful. "Yeah, Gru adopted us about two months ago."
"Well, one if you consider the fact he gave us back first." Edith interrupted. Gru and Margo both choked on whatever was in their mouths. "Uhh…"
"What Edith means is we got taken back for a day because of a problem with the adoption." Margo chuckled nervously. Edith looked at her confused and she opened her mouth to speak, so Margo shot her a look which made the pink-hatted eight year old return to her plate of food and eat in silence.
"Yes, it was dis stupid problem with administration." Gru added anxiously.
"Well, at least you got it sorted out in the end." Joe said ignorantly, and Gru felt his sense of apprehension slowly disappear.
Joe now knew why the girls called him Mr Gru, and why Edith didn't even know his first name. It was obvious Gru was touchy about his name and preferred to be referred to as just Gru, so perhaps that's why she didn't know. Joe wondered how Margo knew, she was a smart girl and Joe knew it. He laughed a little again, she really liked Gru's adopted kids, and could see them being good friends and influences to his daughter. Perhaps even Gru might be a good uncle-figure, now Joe had finally witnessed the man come out of his shell and in a decent mood. He was even making conversation with Joe, which was shocking in itself.
"Oh Edith…" Gru chuckled. "Eyes beeggor dan yoor stomach?"
He waved a piece of steak in front of her and shoved into his mout, putting his lips in mock pity. She looked down at her steak and she sighed. "…no I can finish it." She said stoicially.
She picked up another forkful of steak and put it into her mouth. She struggled to chew, let alone swallow.
"Remembor our bet Edith." Gru mocked further. Edith pushed her plate away.
"Fine. You win." She huffed. She crossed her arms and Gru smiled.
"Haha!" he stood up and held his arms into the air in celebration. "Gru has mastered Edith!"
Edith frowned and picked up her fork. The steak was probably about three quarters gone, so although the gigantic plate made it seem like there wasn't much left, to an eight year old girl, there was still a way to go. But, letting Gru win was not an option.
Gru looked down at her dominant stare and his smile vanished. "What?" he said, shocked. The steak was gone, and Edith smiled.
"What? Can't you see I've finished?"
"Dat ees eempossible." Gru searched under the table, under plates and even dared to ask the family behind them if they had seen a steak. The four girls and Joe were laughing hysterically and Gru frowned dejectedly.
"So… what do I win?" Edith asked pointedly.
"Nothing, because yoo cheated." Gru crossed his arms, and a wry smile crept across his face.
"No I didn't." Edith countered plainly.
"Dis isn't some silly cheeldrens cartoon, dere is no way you could have eaten all dat in one mouthful." Gru huffed, slightly aggravated. His competitive streak flared and Edith was well up to the challenge. They both stared at each other, mimicking each others stance of crossed arms and piercing stares.
Everyone at the table was trying to stifle their laughs, and Gru felt his impatience rising. "Where ees de steak Edith."
"In my belly!" She leapt onto her seat and pointed to it tauntingly, her belly was slightly distended and she rubbed it, satisfied. "Yummy steak. I want my prize."
"Fine." Gru conceded, with a big frown and a childish pout. Margo laughed at his pout, the man was middle aged but his attitude and body language made him seem childish. "When we get home we can go to the lab and fire some guns off."
"Uhhh…" Margo said in sudden trepidation. Edith looked up at Gru, her mouth open and she looked shocked.
"What?" Gru said. His face contorted to sudden realisation as to what he just said. Joe looked at Gru expectantly.
Joe's tendency to be very quiet and ignorant as to many things that were said perhaps in some ways disquieted Gru, as Gru was unable to judge if the man took it in. But, Gru finally realised, he was taking it all in, and Joe's face communicated that fact very well.
In some ways, though the expert Gru was in reading human faces for subtle movements that told Gru when someone was lying, for example, Joe was the opposite. Gru could not work him out, and Gru often wondered if the man actually was an idiot or just hid his intelligence well.
Gru hesitated for a second and his brain worked overtime to come up with an excuse. "You know, de basement."
Joe's eyebrow raised.
"Edith likes guns, so in de basement I set up a leetle firing range and we use nerf guns." Gru explained, though it was obvious he was altering the truth.
"Yeah, I like to call it a lab." Edith added anxiously.
Agnes and Holly remained quiet, casually eating their food and smiling at each other as they ripped another meat shape apart with their hands. Oh to be young and ignorant.
"Huh." Joe said nonchalantly. "Well, sounds like a cool house!"
Joe resigned to eat some more of his food quietly. Gru had done this many times, said something he realised he shouldn't have, then panic and come up with a clever alternative explanation that sounded like a child like interpretation or something they would have imagined.
Joe furrowed his brow... a lab? Although a child imagining a basement could be a laboratory was perfectly normal, the sudden change in tone from both Edith and Margo, and also Gru's sudden panic and fumbled explanations were not. There was much more to this family than meets the eye. Joe wondered about Holly for a moment while the table was quiet, save for the clang of cutlery and the occasional sipping sound.
"So, Joe." Gru said out of the blue. "What do yoo do den?"
Joe pulled on his collar nervously. Gru took note of this, and had turned the tables on him expertly.
"Well, I don't do a whole lot." Joe said calmly. "I do odd jobs, mechanical work mainly. Just take it as it comes, I don't have a full time job."
"Ah well at least you didn't sell cookies." Edith waved a fork at him.
"Very true." Joe smirked.
"Well, eet ees getting a leetle late now. I theenk we should call eet a day soon as de gorls have ballet in the morning." Gru said sounding a little disappointed.
Margo smiled, Gru had come out of his shell with Joe and she was happy. She thought about the day they went to the theme park, how cold and indifferent Gru was until he had been given time to adjust. Margo knew Gru wouldn't let her down, he just needed to be given time.
"Ooh you do ballet?" Holly asked, excitedly. "I want to do that!"
"Maybe one day kiddo." Joe said, patting her head, and she smiled at him.
"Are coming to watch us tomorrow?" Agnes asked Holly. Holly looked up at Gru, and her eyes grew into the size of plates and she cutely fluttered her eyelashes. Gru sighed half amused, as he was now aware using your cuteness to get your own way was not just confined to Agnes. It made him feel better that he was not the only father in the world with a daughter that had a god-like power over them using cuteness.
"Yes, as Joe has errands to run." he answered.
"Yay!" Holly squeaked, and Agnes pumped her fist into the air with glee. "And don't forget I want ice cream."
xxxxx
"Goodbye Joe!" Edith Agnes and Margo waved.
"Bye girls!" he waved back. "Holly… be good!"
"I will." she said sweetly.
Joe held out his hand to Gru. "I enjoyed tonight, buddy."
Margo looked at Gru with apprehension as Gru assessed Joe's extended hand for a second. Gru held out his and shook Joe's hand.
"Agreed, friend." Gru smiled. "I will drop Holly home at 1 tomorrow eef dat is OK."
Margo beamed.
"Sure thing."
They made their way to their own cars and climbed inside. Margo hopped onto the seat downstairs as she had done earlier, and smiled to Holly as she made her way up the ladder. Gru allowed the girls to climb up before him and he pushed Agnes up with his hand. "Thanks." she said sweetly.
As Gru made his way to climb up, Margo cleared her throat.
"Mr Gru?" she asked tentatively.
"Yes Margo?" he paused as he put his foot on the bottom rung. He looked over to her expectantly.
"Thank you."
"For what?" Gru asked, stepping off of the ladder. Above, Agnes could be heard moaning and Edith laughing, but Gru ignored this for now.
"For making an effort." she answered quietly. "It means a lot to me."
Gru considered her for a moment, and he shrugged. "Sure, I guess."
"No really. It was nice to see you open yourself up to other people."
"I see. Well, eet was a good eveneeing." Gru was unsure why Margo thanked him, for doing something he was not aware of.
"No, I mean it. Thank you." she smiled, and jumped off her table and ran to him. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his waist, and gave him a hug. Gru raised his arms in mild surprise at this, then he placed his arms around her and returned her cuddle. "Its nice to have a family, and everything that comes with it." she added cheerily, and she closed her eyes and squeezed him closer.
"Well, I am glad yoo are happy." Gru smiled. "Now let go, I have to get yoo home or Edith weell be in a bad mood tomorrow from not getteeing anough sleep." he pinched her nose playfully, and she brushed off his hand and giggled.
"I'm not 5 Mr Gru." she laughed. Gru chuckled, and turned away, making his way back to the ladder.
"Mr Gru?" she asked, again sounding worried.
Gru sighed and turned around half heartedly. "What now Margo?" he said, eyeing her with a little irritation.
"You..." she began, and she brushed her foot uncomfortably on the metal grate floor. "You have stopped with the heists, right?"
Her eyes shone with hope, and she stood there with her usual hands-behind-her-back submissiveness.
Gru paused, and he looked at his adopted daughter sadly. "Yes Margo. No more heists."
Gru looked away cheerlessly as her face stretched into a smile. "Thank you." she said kindly.
Gru nodded and turned to the ladder and climbed up. He felt awful about lying again, but the 11 year old would never allow him to go on a heist no matter how much money he needed. It was draining fast, and soon he would find it difficult to continue with the lab. Although he knew Margo was wise beyond her years, she would not accept Gru felt his only option was to perform a heist, even if he needed money. And she would never believe him, either. Gru felt in so many ways he was a lost soul in this world, that his personality, demeanour and outlook would not afford him much success in any legitimate and honest line of work. Plus, as far as the world of employment was concerned, he didn't exist. He had no experience in any field, despite his considerable intellect and resourcefulness. He would never be able to convincer her of this fact.
He silently ignored the 3 girls playing in their seats, and started the vehicle. He looked out of the window, forlorn and disappointed with himself. Gru sighed, and made himself a promise that this would be his final heist and he would use the money he earned from it wisely. Placing the vehicle into gear, he started his journey home. As he made his way down the street, his doleful mood was punctuated by the bright and nearly full moon, which had just begun to rise over the skyscrapers twinkling in the distance. If he had been in another mood, perhaps he may have noticed its quiet beauty. But all it did was make him more aware of his blatant lie to Margo and how her smile of hopeful gratitude told him she believed him, and the moon seemed to be winking at him in disappointment.
xxxxx
Joe smiled to himself as Gru drove off, and inserted the key into the ignition. He was contented. Gru had become his friend. Joe always loved the power of a cold beer and a family setting to bring people out of their caves and Joe began to think of his old life, and how he had messed up badly. But now, he had to look to the future for Holly's sake, and now Joe felt his new life was beginning to look up.
Except that, the blasted car refused to start.
"Come on girl." Joe said desperately, turning the key every few seconds. "Dammit." he yanked the steering wheel in dismay and stepped outside.
Joe popped the bonnet open and glanced around the compartment. The battery looked old and worn out, and one of the connections had oxidised. Perhaps a radiator leak had caused it with condensation buildup. He eyed the rest of the engine compartment and saw nothing else broken or out of the ordinary, and knew the battery would need jump starting.
"Great..." he said, looking around. There were no cars driving around near him that he could flag down, and he felt too embarrassed to go into the diner and ask for a jump start.
He sat on the car for a few minutes, waiting for a family to leave the place so he could ask. Though some did leave, but they walked down the street. He sighed and considered walking home himself, it was perhaps a 30 minute walk away.
As he grabbed a filthy brown jacket out of his car and moved back to the engine compartment to close the bonnet, just then a large, sleek black car pulled up next to him and a smartly dressed man stepped out from the drivers seat. He approached Joe calmly and took off his glasses, revealing piercing blue eyes. The man smiled welcomingly.
"Need a hand?"
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xxxxx
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Authors Notes
Sorry it took me so long to update everyone. Real life reared its ugly head and I've been trying to find new employment, so I didn't have much time to do this chapter. I did about a page a day. Plus, I found it hard to write with 6 people at one table and I had to often edit conversations so they made sense (to me at least)
I hope you like this chapter, and the story so far!