BRIEF DISCLAIMER: Rather than limit myself in any way, take this as an official warning: this material is designed for adult audiences only. If you are under legal age in your place of residence, you should not access this work without your parents' permission. While most of the work is suited for any audience, parts of it may contain vulgar language, extreme violence, and/or sexual situations which may make certain people uncomfortable. If you may be offended by any of this, you should not read any of it. I will not limit my writing to keep from offending those with narrow minds or weak constitutions. I have a notification list and if you'd like to receive an e-mail when the next chapter is submitted, just write me and ask to be added! Names on this list are not sold, bartered, traded, loaned, or distributed. You will get mail only with major announcements, such as chapter postings. Lastly, if you're a professional publisher or literary agent, or know one, and would be interested in publishing my works, please write me directly -- I will be in your debt.
BY READING THIS STORY, YOU CONFIRM YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO THE "FULL DISCLAIMER" AS LISTED IN THE INTRODUCTORY DOCUMENT.
They went out to the car and unloaded the groceries, which required two trips to carry it all inside to the kitchen. Gavin offered their unpacking services, but Abigail declined, saying, “You boys run along and have fun. And Gavin, you’re leaving in two days, so tomorrow you have to stay at home all day finishing your chores and such. I don’t want anything left undone before you go.”
“Okay, Mom. I think we’ll go down to the strip mall now. I need to rent a mobile phone that works where we’re going.”
“Why rent one? Just switch carriers to one that works everywhere. You have a pay-as-you go phone now and no contract, right?”
“Yeah. It’s cheaper that way.”
“Before you rent something, why not check out what’s available in a plan?”
“I suppose so.”
Gavin led the way out to the car, unlocked the doors, and they both hopped in. He unlocked the doors and Alex got in as well. “Do you mind if we go phone shopping or did you want to go straight home?”
“If you don’t ask me any questions, I’ll go with you. I’m just not ready to have any more angst. We’ll talk more, though. I promise.”
“That’s fair,” said Gavin, his irritation mollified slightly by yet another delay in talking. But he realized it would be hard to have a proper conversation while shopping for a phone.
They were soon in the Jag, on their way back to the mall. The silence was uncomfortable, but not overbearing. The radio was blaring but neither teen was listening because they were absorbed in their own thoughts. Gavin zoomed past the mall and moments later pulled into the parking lot at a stand-alone phone store, which was located just down the block.
“T-Mobile?” inquired Alex, “What’s that?”
“Used to be VoiceStream Wireless – they were bought not that long ago by a German company. They offer good service in Europe, but I’m not sure about here. I’ll have to find out.”
They walked in and the store was nearly deserted, which Alex thought was a bad sign, but which Gavin took as an opportunity to get personalized attention. A salesman immediately pounced on Gavin, a sure sign they worked on commission. Gavin really wasn’t fond of the predatory sales pitch.
“Hello, sir. How may I help you? Looking to upgrade, switch, or just browsing?” asked the vulture-like salesman.
“I’m just here to ask some questions about your international services. I’m interested in phones that work in Europe as well as Hong Kong.”
“That won’t be a problem. Any of our multi-band phones will auto-switch to the local GSM country pretty much anywhere in the world where there’s cellular service, except for Japan.”
“I have no plans on being in Japan but why don’t phones work there?”
“Different type of network there. Much like the CDMA versus TDMA battle here in the US. Our phones work on GSM which is a worldwide standard.”
“But will I get coverage here in the US?”
“In every major city. You won’t have as much luck in smaller cities, but our multi-band phones can work on the older networks. In another few years most carriers will have gone GSM. They’re starting to upgrade already.”
Gavin interrupted because he knew the salesman wasn’t going to stop talking. “In another few years, I’ll probably be ready for a new phone anyway,” said Gavin wondering why the salesperson couldn’t just answer the question without all the extra fluff.
Without any prompting, the obsequious salesman started back in on his well-honed pitch. “We have several models that are free with a one year contract, but most people pick this Motorola flip-phone which is about $100 after a mail-in rebate.”
“What is it with rebates? Can’t you guys just sell the phones cheaper?” Gavin just hated this sales-pitch routine. He couldn’t imagine buying a car would be as bad.
Alex chipped in, “It’s because statistically most people don’t bother sending in for the rebates so they get to keep the money.”
“Not from me they won’t,” said Gavin. “I’ll send in any rebate,” he said to Alex before turning to the salesman and saying, “Anyway, thanks for answering my questions. I’ve got to think it over.” Gavin turned back to Alex and said, “Come on. Let’s go.”
As they left the store, Gavin said. “There was no way I was buying a phone there. I felt like I was buying a car. It was like being trapped in a television commercial or something.”
“Yeah. You probably owe me points for agreeing to go along on this quest with you,” said Alex only half-jokingly.
They got in the car and went back to the mall. Gavin went into a few phone stores there, but they didn’t have international phones and suggested he rent one. He thought that was a stupid idea. After nearly 40 minutes at the mall, he looked at Alex, “I think that the T-Mobile phone is the best bet even though the guy was overbearing as hell.”
“You’re probably right. The per-minute rate for calls is a lot less than the rental, plus you won’t be paying $5 a day for a loaner phone. You shouldn’t have to be penalized because someone’s got a crappy system. You could go to another store to buy it. Why reward that guy?”
“I totally agree. We have to find another T-Mobile store to shop at. There is no fucking way I’m going back to that store.”
“I don’t want to drive around all afternoon looking, though.” Alex spied a lone, increasingly rare payphone in the corner of the food court as they walked past. “Let’s check the phone book.” To their amazement, the phonebook had been neither vandalized nor stolen.
After a few minutes they found a listing for one other store that was even remotely close, but even so, it was still a bit of a drive. “It’s your call, Gavin,” said Alex.
“They’re probably all the same.”
“Probably, but that’s not a guarantee.”
They went back to the car, hopped in and headed to the other T-Mobile store they had located. They discussed the merits of different models of phones on the way, though Alex didn’t have much to add to the conversation, not currently owning a mobile phone due to the costs involved.
After a twenty-minute drive, they arrived at the other T-Mobile store. It was located close to the airport, close enough that the sound of departing planes frequently interrupted their conversation. They pulled into the parking lot, then got out and locked the car. They walked in, and the store was a bit more crowded. They milled about for a few moments until one of the sales people came over and asked if they required assistance.
Gavin said, “Yeah. I need to get a phone.”
“Wonderful. Do you know what features you need?”
“Nothing fancy except for the phone itself and text messaging. It has to be an international model since I’m going to Hong Kong and the UK. I don’t care about all the other stuff. It doesn’t interest me.”
“Do you currently have a phone?”
“Yes, I do,” said Gavin, showing it to her.
“We have a new model on offer that is probably what you want. It uses the same battery, charger, and accessories as your existing model. So all you need to do is get the phone and an international plug kit. The Motorola international phones used to come with them but they don’t anymore.”
“That’s great. What about service plans?” asked Gavin, who noticed Alex fiddling with the display models.
“We have some great plans.” The sales lady went over all the plans and how they worked. Alex walked around the store staring at phones, having lost interest in the process and paperwork. It only took about fifteen minutes for the transaction to be completed, though Alex swore it seemed like an hour.
“Thank you, sir! Please come again,” said the saleslady cheerfully, which was Alex’s cue, causing his ears to perk up immediately because he knew the phone ordeal was now over.
“That wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought,” said Gavin once they were outside and getting into the car.
Alex grunted, not wanting to agree with the statement. “Now you can have a phone that’ll work wherever you go.”
“What about you?”
“Can’t afford one.”
“I’d give you my old one, but it only works in the US so it won’t do much good. And you’d still have the monthly bill to pay and then have to buy all the accessories because I’m keeping those for my phone.”
“Like I said. I can’t afford one right now. It’s not a big deal. Aside from you and Mom, who would I actually call?”
Gavin got the point and changed the subject. “I guess I’ll take you home. You can start packing and stuff.”
“Yeah. That won’t take long. I’ll throw my entire wardrobe into my suitcase and be done with it.”
Gavin let that comment pass too. He hadn’t really thought that Alex was poor, but the realization hit that this past year or two must have really been hard on Alex and his mother. He’d a momentary urge to offer to help, but he knew they’d be insulted and refuse anyway.
Soon Gavin pulled up to Alex’s house to drop him off. “I guess I’ll see you at the airport the day after tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Or maybe you can pick me up. I gotta’ see what the exact schedule is. Besides, I’m sure our moms are going to have a last talk before we go.” Alex waved goodbye, and Gavin smiled back at him as he drove off. Then Alex walked into his house.
Alex felt a mixture of relief that he had a break from the mounting pressure to finish his conversation with Gavin, to a sense of sadness that he wasn’t spending more time with Gavin.
As he entered, Alex shouted for his mother, but she wasn’t home. He decided he might as well pack and get it out of the way. He was scheduled to work tomorrow and didn’t see any reason not to. Money was money and every last little bit would help. The trip may have been paid for, but there wasn’t any money for incidentals except for a small per-diem for food. He would be on his own for entertainment and discretionary purchases.
Alex figured it might take him an hour to pack, but, if it weren’t for the delay in actually doing his laundry, it wouldn’t even have been that long. Tomorrow, he’d be stuck wearing clothes he wasn’t fond of, but that was okay since that set of clothes wouldn’t be going with him. He selected a few books and added them to his luggage.
He also put a few CDs in his backpack that he would use as his carry-on. Though his Sony Discman was getting to be an antique, it had been serving him well for years. His tastes in music hadn’t changed, but they’d become broader with the addition of some heavier music to his play-list. When he first went to London, he’d not have been caught dead listening to heavy-metal, and though he still wasn’t a fan, he was a little more open minded and tolerated some songs from AC/DC, Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Ozzy Osbourne. The only difference since his last trip was that he was able to burn CDs with random tracks he liked instead of bringing a whole collection of CDs just to hear a song or two he liked.
He went back to his books and juggled them around, throwing in the latest Harry Potter book that he hadn’t quite managed to read yet. He figured it would be a good plane book.
It wasn’t long before he was done packing, and ready to go. He was a bit tired from the day’s events – serious conversation could be wearing on the soul. He flopped down on top of his bed, and soon he was asleep.
He awakened to the sound of his mother pounding on the door. “Alex, you’re going to be late for work if you don’t get a move on.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’m leaving now,” he shouted, jumping out of bed. After quickly throwing on his clothes, he ran downstairs, grabbed his bike and pedalled off to work as fast as he could. He already knew he’d be a few minutes late, but hoped it wouldn’t be enough for anyone to notice. He sped towards work recklessly, and got to the Barnes & Nobles only a few minutes past his scheduled shift. He quickly locked his bike out front, and ran towards the main door, trying to sneak in unnoticed.
He went inside, and headed towards the back so he could punch in. He was shocked to find Delos standing next to the door marked “Staff Only.”
“You and I need to talk. Now.”