A/N Alright. So, this is the next chapter of this story and I have about 4 chapters left and maybe a bonus chapter. I might not be able to update anything in the next ten days because my brother is going into a quarantine and wanted to take the laptop with him. Since I still have the problem to log in the app, I have to wait until I get the laptop back. Thank you so much for the review and suggestions about what should I do with the app. I hope you guys always in a good health because in here things got scary. Stay safe and enjoy!
"Right. This one. Okay." Kristoff scrolled down the screen of his cellphone and after finding the number he wanted to call he immediately dialed the number.
He waited nervously for the call to connect because today is Sunday and that means, tomorrow is Monday and Monday means he has to go to work and until this second, the package he's been waiting for hasn't arrived yet.
Anna, his wife, faithfully sat beside him, her arm around his shoulder while her ear pressed against the other side of his cell phone. She was nervous too.
"Yes, hello, this is Kristoff Bjorgman. Is this the Joy Toy company? Okay, so, a few days ago, I ordered some samples of toys. I want to make sure, has my package been sent?"
"We just called the courier who delivered your package, Sir. He said, now he has arrived-"
Kristoff's face lit up with immense relief all of a sudden. "Really?! He has arrived?" He and Anna then hurried to the front door to greet the courier they had been waiting desperately for, only to find no one at their doorstep.
Anna and Kristoff looked at each other because they were confused and disappointed that the courier, which was said to have arrived, still hadn't arrived. Anna then closed the door and returned to the living room followed by her husband who was now even more confused. He then put the phone back to his ear.
"Hello, Sir. You said the courier now has arrived. But there is no one in front of my house." Kristoff complained.
"Mr. Bjorgman. I haven't finished talking just now. What I wanted to say is that, now the courier has arrived at his house. At the courier's house. Not your house."
"WHAT?!" Now his confusion turned to annoyance. "How come your courier has arrived at his house? He hasn't delivered my package yet."
"I don't know why either, Mr. Bjorgman. I asked him about that, but he didn't answer. His cell phone is dead."
Kristoff sighed heavily. He turned to his wife beside him and shook his head weakly. He couldn't do anything for now.
"Okay. I call you again later. Thank you, bye." Kristoff hung up the phone and put his cell phone in the pocket of his shorts.
"Keep calm, Kristoff. I'm sure the package will arrive tomorrow. Okay? Cheer up!" Said Anna encouragingly, she patted her husband on the shoulder and smiled widely trying to remain optimistic.
"I know that, Hiro. I also want to meet you guys and I don't want to be called snobby or something. You're my friend, please understand. Okay? I also really want to play Play Station and compete with you guys, but I'm really busy right now. No, I haven't got a job yet. Yes, there's a lot to do at home. Okay. Bye, Hiro." Jack placed the cell phone on the kitchen table and looked up when he heard footsteps approaching.
That morning, he woke up early and did not find his wife beside him. A little worried, he got out of bed to do an emergency search and couldn't find Elsa anywhere inside the house. Now, when he saw his wife walking into the house in a sleeveless top, yoga pants and ballet shoes, clutching a bag and seriously reading a small pile of papers in her hands, he approached and greeted her.
"Hey, Elsa." He greeted, standing in front of his wife who was just humming to answer his greeting while still seriously reading the paper she was holding. "Where have you been?"
Elsa looked up and was a little surprised to find her husband was standing right in front of her and was now holding her elbows and seemed to be trying to reach for the bag and paper she was holding. "Huh? Oh, I just came back from the office to pick up some important paperwork."
"Baby, you can't be too tired. Here, let me hold the paperwork and the bag. It's heavy. You can't carry heavy things." Jack took Elsa's bag and put it on the kitchen table. He was about to reach for the paperwork but Elsa pulled the paper closer to her body.
"What are you talking about?" Elsa asked confused because her husband said things that she thought were weird. But then she remembered something. "Oh, Jack. Today I'll go out with Punzie. Is that okay?"
"Yeah. That's okay. Anything for you, dear." Jack insisted on taking the paper Elsa was still holding. "Let me hold the paperwork. It's heavy. You can't carry heavy things."
"What?" Although confused, Elsa let Jack take the paperwork. "How can a small pile of papers like that be heavy? It's alright, Jack."
But Jack didn't listen. He put his paper on the kitchen table and watched his wife carefully, his gaze almost felt intimidating.
"Are you going straight to meet Punzie now? Don't you want to rest first?" Jack asked seriously while tilting his head, as if trying to guess something.
"Yeah?" Elsa was beyond confused now. Her husband got weirder every day.
"Looks like you haven't had breakfast. You haven't had breakfast, have you?" Asked Jack, concern evident in his voice.
"No, I haven't. I went straight to the office after waking up-"
"Elsa... You should have breakfast before you do anything or you could get sick." Jack rubbed Elsa's arm and, "I'll make the breakfast for you." He then turned around and took a bowl. He intended to make Elsa a bowl of warm oatmeal with fruit.
"Jack, You don't have to do that, I can make it myself. I don't want to have breakfast right now." Elsa stepped forward, intending to prevent Jack from cooking.
But then Jack turned around and made Elsa stop. The bowl was still in his hand. "No, Elsa. You can't be too tired. You think too much, you know that? You think about work, think about this, think about that. Breakfast is important too, Elsa."
Elsa smiled awkwardly and tried to reach the bowl in Jack's hand. After she felt the bowl in her hand, she pulled it closer but Jack held it tighter, so they fought over the bowl.
"Jack, I can make my own breakfast." She pulled the bowl even closer.
"No, Elsa. I'll make you breakfast." Jack held the bowl even tighter.
"No, Jack."
"No, Elsa."
"No, Jack."
"No, Els-"
SMASH!
The bowl finally fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.
"Kristoff, look at this. I've been browsing about how to deal with an angry boss." Anna scrolled down the screen of her iPad and showed it to Kristoff who was sitting sullenly next to her.
Later that day, out of nowhere, the boss, Mrs. Ursula called him and asked him to meet her at the office, on Sunday. Since the package had not arrived, this made Kristoff anxious because he was afraid that his boss would be angry if she found out he didn't have the package yet.
Without answering, Kristoff just tilted his head towards his wife to show that he was listening.
"One, come early. Two, low profile. Three, be honest. Four, correct your mistakes. Five, don't think too much about it." Anna explained cheerfully, while Kristoff frowned still unconvinced.
"Really?"
"Yeah! Now, all you have to do is come to the office early and apologize to your boss. That way, your boss will forgive you. Trust me."
Kristoff's lower lip was sticking out as his brain pondered over his wife's words. Slowly his sullen face changed to a full of motivation. "Okay. I'll do that, honey. That will work, right?"
"Yeah! Of course it will work. Now, follow me." Anna changed her sitting position like a yoga expert and then she raised her hands high in the air and took a deep breath.
And as if it was automatic, Kristoff followed suit. He took a deep breath, his face was so serious and he closed his eyes, waiting for further instructions from his wife.
"Take a deep breath and say, I... Will... Be... Alright." Said Anna, and immediately Kristoff followed her words.
A few moment later, they let out a deep breath and opened their eyes. They looked at each other and smiles of relief were etched on their faces.
"How was it? How's your feeling now?"
"Oh my God! You're right, honey. I feel more confident now."
"See? Everything will be alright. Just keep up your spirit, okay?"
"Okay!"
Kristoff got off the stool and warmed up his body while Anna cheered and clapped her hands because her husband was no longer gloomy. Kristoff did a few stretches to loosen up his muscles and finally he felt ready to go to the office and face his boss. But then, his cell phone suddenly rang. He looked at the screen and saw Cliff's name on it. Since he was already feeling so excited, he grabbed his phone and greeted Cliff cheerfully.
"Hey, Cliff! What's up, mate?"
"Hey Kristoff! Don't forget to bring the sample toy package with you today. The boss can be furious if you don't have the package. Do you understand?"
Kristoff's face paled at his friend's words. Gone was the confidence and enthusiasm he had just felt. He felt anxious again and feared his boss's wrath if she found out that he didn't have the package.
"Y-yeah. I-i will bring the package," which he didn't have yet. He gulped and then hung up the phone.
Anna noticed the change in her husband's face and she put the iPad on the table to look more seriously at him. "What happened? Who was that? All good?"
"That's was Cliff. And because of him, now I'm anxious again."
"Yes, Punzie. We can meet sooner. I'll be leaving soon." Elsa was in the room pacing back and forth because Jack insisted on asking her to rest in the room while he cleaned up the kitchen and made her breakfast. She was on the phone with her friend and said that she could leave earlier than the agreed time.
"Really Elsa? It's Sunday, usually on Sunday you clean the house. Are you done with all that?"
"Yeah. The house is already spotless, let me tell you. Jack did all that." Said Elsa, there was a hint of pride in her voice even though she was still confused about what had gotten into her husband these past few days.
"I don't believe you. Didn't you say that your husband is indolent?"
"I know right? I don't understand either, Punzie. He does all the housework. Sweeping, mopping, doing laundry, washing dishes, everything."
Elsa checked her watch and felt it was time for her to come down. She then took her bag and left the room while still talking to her friend. As soon as she got downstairs, her heart skipped a beat when she saw her husband slicing some strawberries and putting them on top of her oatmeal. She hung up the phone and headed for the kitchen, she was so ready with her breakfast, hopefully it was worth eating.
Kristoff sat restlessly, his body rocking back and forth incessantly from the growing anxiety as he waited for his boss who still hadn't arrived. He checked his watch and then let out a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He took a piece of paper from his pocket and opened it to find his wife's handwriting on how to deal with an angry boss and then read it out loud.
"Be honest." He said, his face full of determination. "Okay, let's do this. I'm ready." He cleared his throat and leaned forward.
"So here it is, Ma'am. I came here to apologize and admit that this was my fault. I was a little negligent and that caused the sample delivery to be late. I will order again from Joy Toy and I will make sure that this time it won't be late."
When he finished his rehearsal, he felt more confident and less anxious, and would say the same thing if his boss came later. It wouldn't be that hard right? All he needed to do was tell the truth and his boss would understand.
"How could you do that, Tonny? You can make my company lose money, you know that?" Suddenly Mrs. Ursula walked into the room nagging over the phone. She threw her paperwork on the desk and stood with one hand on her waist. She noticed Kristoff's presence, who was now on his feet and nodded curtly.
"I do not want to know. It's your problem, I don't want to hear any other excuses. You have to make this work. You understand?! Ugh!" She threw her phone against the wall, screaming in annoyance. Kristoff gasped in silence, watching an expensive and high-tech cell phone shatter into pieces the moment it hit the floor.
"Why he can't work properly?!" She then looked at Kristoff. "And you too Kristoff! Don't be like Tonny. He just can't do anything. Even a simple task like delivering a package, he couldn't do it properly. I will fire him if this delivery fails!"
Kristoff swallowed hard and several hours later, he was already sitting in front of his wife, in the verge of crying. "I don't want to be fired, Honey. I love working at the Play Ground company."
"Calm down, Kristoff. Did you say what I taught you? That you have to tell the truth?" Anna asked, she leaned forward to get a better look of her husband.
"When she asked if you got the package, did you answer the truth?" She asked again when her husband had not answered the previous question. And seeing her husband's face now, she could guess. "You said that you have the package?" And slowly, Kristoff nodded his head.
"And she asked me to do a toy sample presentation tomorrow. And, Tonny was fired this afternoon." He said.
Anna didn't know what to say. "You're doomed, Kristoff."
"Honey! How could you say that?!" Kristoff straightened his back, unable to believe what his wife had just said.
But Anna could only laugh and take her husband's hand. "Okay, okay, okay. I'm sorry. Now how about you take a rest and eat something delicious? Hmm? I have your favourite cheesecake in the fridge." She wiggled her eyebrows.
Kristoff's face lit up instantly when he heard about the cheesecake. "Cheescake!" He stood up and rushed to the fridge.
"I already told him, Punzie." Elsa was sitting on the edge of the bed talking with her friend, again, over the phone. It was almost late at night but she was still waiting for her husband who had not yet come up to the bedroom.
"I told him not to bother with the housework, but he wouldn't listen. Yeah, I don't know what happened to him. This is weird you know? No, I don't think he hit his head or something. You know what, right now he's still busy in the kitchen. He said he wanted to make me a glass of warm milk but until now still not finished. It's been a while, almost an hour I think. Hm-hm. Hm-hm. Okay. I think I should check on him now. Okay. Bye, good night, Punzie."
Elsa hung up the phone and got up to leave the room. She wondered what took her husband so long just to make a glass of milk. She descended the stairs carefully and when she reached the kitchen she sighed softly when she found Jack already asleep, his face pressed flat against the dining table. His hand was holding a glass of milk which Elsa was sure was no longer warm.
Elsa gently rubbed Jack's back and called out to wake him up. "Jack? Wake up. Jack?"
Jack's head shot up straight and he looked confused with his surrounding. It wasn't until he realized Elsa was standing beside him that he remembered the milk in his hand.
"Elsa? Baby, why did you come down? I said you just wait in the room, I will bring you milk." Jack took Elsa's hand and caressed it with his thumb.
Elsa sighed softly, seeing how tired her husband was now that he accidentally fell asleep on the dining table, she couldn't bear it. "Jack, I can get myself that milk. You don't have to bother like this."
"No, no." Jack took both Elsa's hands and gave them a gentle kiss. "You just rest in the room. I will bring the milk for you. Okay?"
Elsa couldn't argue anymore when she saw the sincerity on her husband's face. "Okay. Just don't take too long. You need to rest and I need you to cuddle."
"Alright. I'll keep up with you in a moment. And be careful with the stairs."
Elsa nodded and let go of Jack's hand. She tried to think that her husband had finally changed instead of being nice just because he wanted something from her. She walked up the stairs, got into the room and was just about to lay down on the bed when suddenly she heard a loud thud followed by the sound of something shattering.
"Ugh, what now?" Elsa got back up and walked out of the room to see what the noise was.
And to her great shock when she reached the stairs, she found her husband lying motionless on the down floor with both feet on the steps. Broken glass and spilled milk not far from his hand, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. It seemed, Jack had just fallen when he was about to climb the stairs.
"OH MY GOD, JACK! ARE YOU OKAY?" Elsa exclaimed, she descended the stairs two at a time in order to get to her husband quickly. She was just about to bend down and touch her husband, when she suddenly felt afraid she would make him hurt even more.
"Is anything broken? Is your head okay?" She asked worriedly, her hands holding her head in anticipation.
"I-i'm so so sorry, E-elsa. I-i'll make another g-glass f-for you." Jack stuttered instead. Made Elsa stare at him in disbelief that instead of complaining if any part of his body hurt, Jack was worried about the milk for her.
"Oh God." Said Elsa quietly, dropping her hands and letting out a long sigh. She thought that now her husband had gone too far with whatever was happening to him.
to be continued...
