I got up from the bar stool and headed towards the living room where Wendell was. Moving further into that room, I could now see a long gun propped up on the side of the fireplace.
Wendell was sitting in one of the arm chairs with a flip phone out. He seems to be struggling to type something as his hands were a bit big for the phone. While he was busy, I made my way to the sofa beside him and sat down. Since I was facing away from the entrance, I was facing a tall and triangular wall of crystal clear glass. The windows looked out onto a hill that sloped upwards with a tunnel of grass fields surrounded by patches of trees and bushes. It was hard to tell if they were intentionally cleared to let in more sunlight into the lodge. I kept my head turned towards him until he noticed me. In the time it took for him to get done I noticed he wore a golden ring on each hand.
He glances at me with a hint of annoyance, “What do you want deadbeat? Don’t you have a job to get to? Maybe a minimum wage to act like you deserve.”
I tilted my head some at him, “You know you made Dante cry right? I assume he cries every time he pretends to stand up to you.”
While flipping his phone shut, he takes a dramatic sigh and eye roll, “He does this every fucking day. Does it look like I care? No. That guy is just a walking bald spot. If I were him I’d be crying every day too.”
A thought starts to creep up as I fold my arms, “So you hate his guts? Like you don’t even like a single thing about him? If you were standing by a volcano and had the chance to accidentally push him, would you?”
Wendell nods, “I would! That guy h-”
I interrupted him, “Then why is he still here? Just kick him out.”
A hint of rage boils up behind Wendell’s eyes as he turns to completely face me. His voices raises in volume, “Don’t you ever fucking interrupt me like that again. I run this show here and if you so much as try to butt in, I will pull your tongue into a protein taffy so you don’t do it again.”
He paused to wait for my reaction. Eventually I put both hands out in front of me as if gesturing to stop, “My bad man. But uh, could you answer the question? Like you’re the landlord. You can just kick out people you don’t like. The place is so dirt cheap you could easily get a reroll on new people. Anyone would come by wanting to live here. Maybe win the social lottery and you get another prick just as feisty as you are.”
Slouching back into the arm chair, Wendell huffs, “For the record this place is a privilege. I only keep the whiny bitches around for entertainment because I enjoy being mad and calling you guys things that make you crack under pressure. Besides, most of the town knows that’s what my family enjoys so they would rather live out on the streets than under the same roof as me. They know their place.”
“You make it a habit to show the world your attitude then?”
“I didn’t have to show it. I know you’re ill-informed so I'll dumb it down for you.” His tone changes to be overly condescending as he was talking to a child again, “I am part of the Barret family business. We started in the town next door! Now we are setting up shop here in Wickerwoods. Everyone in this town knows that the Barret’s land is crime free or else you get your shit rocked. So setting up in a town full of crime will only strengthen the family name by proving we can remain strong no matter the environment. That’s why I was sent here to spread our reach.”
As he talked down to me my face turned sour along with my words, “You know no one else can hear us here right? Dante is busy bitching to himself and I didn’t see a single security camera on the property. You can drop the act.”
Wendell sounds more serious as he looks me dead in the eye, “There isn’t any act. This is fucking it. This is why I hired you to begin with. Don’t ask why. You go off script again and there will be trouble. Even if no one can hear us, get it?”
I furrow my brow, “But you protected me like the moment we met? Plus my job makes no freaking sense! Like why am I-”
He interrupts me with a snap, “NEVER! Finish the job and don’t ask questions. It’s the easiest cash you’ll make in your whole miserable life. Spend it on whatever the hell you want. I don’t give a shit! Just don’t act like this job gives you the privilege to go snooping in my business. And I only helped you so you could get your job done. There wouldn't be a point in hiring someone if they get merked on sight for picking the worst time to show up.” Suddenly his phone starts ringing. He pulls himself out of the arm chair with a grumble as he checks the name of the caller, “I gotta take this. Just fuck off or something.”
He waves a hand at me to shoo me away as he puts the phone to his ear, “Oscar. Look I know it’s difficult but if you don’t evict them you’re going to be leaking money. The last thing you want is Blair finding out and her doing it for you.”
I got up and put my hands to my hips, “Whatever. I gotta get to my deadbeat job! Gotta earn my privilege!" I flash a fake smile at him and a finger gun before turning and walking towards the front door.
Wendell yells back at me as I leave, “Wash that dirty ass mane before you go! You’ll never get a job looking like a used mop.” He turns his attention back to his phone, “Sorry, not you man. A new tenant I got over here... Yeah… If you already put up that notice you gotta raise your voice a bit man, show them you don’t take shit so they know what they’re dealing with. Hell, even parade that family name if you need to. With how many times they’ve jumped places, you can’t let them play dumb. They’ve got to know it by now.”
Heading outside the lodge, I sighed to myself, “Pff… a dirty mop. At least I don’t look like uh… Uhm… Well at least I’m not mean.” My own comment made my face contort in regret, “How does he think of stuff on the spot like that?”
When I went in the day, the town was completely different. It felt like the pamphlet I had read back on the bus. People were roaming the streets with smiles and laughing. The smell of various restaurants mixed in the air. Plants, tables, chairs, and signs were back in their places. Not a single metal gate left in sight. I would ask Wendell more about why the entire town had an alter ego. But it feels like if I kept poking the bear with a stick he might actually bite for once.
As I searched for jobs and heard about different interviews, I remembered Dante. However, I wasn’t sure if I was better off poking a bear than I was playing with a snake.