I don't own Home Alone
Enjoy!
The elevator dinged and the doors opened as Cedric stepped out and walked into the hotel lobby. He let out a puff of breath when he noticed the amount of people that walked about the lobby. It was always a busy work week for him, taking people's bags and showing them their rooms but it was better to have a job. He had learned his lesson the hard way. Before he found himself a job, he had been living off from his uncle's money up to the point where his uncle could see that he had no motivation. Now in order for him to be considered for a part of his uncle's inheritance, Cedric had to show him that he was willing to work hard not just for the money but for himself too. Cedric had refused at first and hated his position the first couple of weeks. However, working in a hotel came with benefits and there were the kind that he wanted to take advantage of. At least he was in a better position now than he was with his uncle before, he just didn't know if it was the same for his uncle's brother. He looked down at his gloved hands and tore off the wrapped from the gum and sneakingly put it in his mouth. If the concierge saw him do that, he knew that he was going to get an earful.
"Cedric!" Speak of the devil. Cedric slowly turned around and looked at the hotel's concierge, Mr. Hector, holding the phone towards him. "Some gentleman is requesting to speak with you."
Cedric had not been expecting any phone calls but he took the receiver in his grip and placed the phone in his ear. He turned his head to the side and slowly began to chew his gum, praying that Mr. Hector wouldn't notice. "Hello," Cedric said to the receiver.
"Cedric," a familiar voice said to the end of the line. "It's me, Robert."
Cedric's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "Excuse me sir, it's a personal call that I have to take."
Mr. Hector looked at the bellhop with a disapproving glare. There was no time for personal calls, let alone when Cedric was clocked in to work. "Hurry it up," Hector said to him with a nod of his head, "I will have Samuel cover for you, but no more than five minutes understood?"
Cedric nodded his head to the concierge as he took the phone from the table and headed into a private room. "Robert," Cedric said to the phone, "I've told you not to call me when I'm working." He could feel that Robert rolled his eyes at that. Of course his other uncle didn't care much for the blue collar worker, but it seemed like getting a ticket to easy street was not working well for him either.
"It's been awhile kid," Robert said to him, "that's how you greet your uncle?"
It had been a long time but Cedric just didn't want to lose this job, even now that he had become very skilled at it after working in this hotel for a couple of years. What Robert considered almost 'awhile' to be a year ago, Cedric thought that it was too soon for him to contact. After his uncle had gone down the wrong route in life, Cedric didn't want to have any contact with him but family was a tight bond that he couldn't sever, especially now that Robert was trying to live up to his brother's standards. "What do you want?" he asked him.
There was a mere silence between them and even if his uncle was not physically present, Cedric felt nervous. "Look, I'm in New York. Have you spoken with Elliot yet?"
"No," Cedric answered, "it's been weeks since I've heard from him. You know how busy he is with that business of his. We're all busy, us people that have a job."
"You don't have to be so condescending Cedric," Robert said to him, "I know that I haven't been the type of man the family would have wanted. We all make mistakes."
"Yeah," Cedric said, "but some mistakes don't involve stealing jewels from your sister-in-law and selling them, now do they?"
"I'm not saying that I'm not at fault here," Robert said, "but it was wrong of me to put my trust into two idiots. One who thought he was a tough guy and the other who thought he could run off and hide that money. But Elliot is also at fault here. He used to be greedy with that money before he turned his business for a good cause. Look at the rift that has happened. I'm out on the streets and you're in there working to the bone."
Cedric took a deep breath when Robert mentioned his job. "At least it's honest work," Cedric said to him, "because I'm not the one who turned his back on the family."
"Oh you almost did," Robert reminded him, "but you're the smart one who decided to take his life in his own hands. Oh wait, it was Elliot that pushed you, didn't he? Otherwise you would've been out on the streets, like me. The favorite nephew, but you're my favorite too."
Okay Cedric thought as he placed his forehead against the wall and shook his head. I better get to work now before Mr. Hector gives me hell. "I...I need to go Robert."
"Wait, wait," Robert said, "I know you gotta work but I wanna meet with you."
"Meet with me for what?" Cedric asked him.
"There's something I need to give you...for Elliot," Robert said to him. "Because I want to try to make things right between us again."
A knock on the door grabbed Cedric's attention and he looked as if the door was going to open. "Fine," Cedric said to him, "I'm off at eight in the evening. You can meet me in at the hotel's bar."
Robert let out a whistle. "Wow, eight in the evening. You're really putting work on your shoulders, kid. Proud of you."
There was no need for any high praise. Cedric was just doing what he thought was right for his life. "See you then Robert," Cedric responded and then shut the phone. Just great. He didn't know how this meeting was going to go with Robert, but the only thing he could hope for was that he could keep his job.
