The Bronx and The Bull (2021)

[BRAD POV]

“Gahh, I can’t seem to get the wording right on this.” Kai groaned, crossing out the back of her receipt and ripping it into many pieces. I watch as she tosses it in the trash and tries again, attempting to get her thoughts down in the form of mediocre poetry. This has been going on for the past 40 minutes. The front desk was going to run out of discarded receipts soon. 

    “Hitting a writer's block maybe?” I asked, watching her get two lines in before trashing the whole poem once more. “Maybe you just need some inspiration! You can always write your poem on me. I’m an endless waterfall of motivation and perfection and I will allow you to drink from my cascades.”

    “Fucking disgusting.” She rolls her eyes and looks at me. In her mind I could tell she was considering it, trying to piece together the right words to describe me. I eagerly awaited the artistic things she had to say about me. She took her pen and scribbled a quick poem and handed it over to me. “Roses are red, violets are dead, you fucking suck, go eat a dick.”

    “I’m offended.” I pout, crumpling the poem in my hand but nonetheless stuffing it into my pants pocket for a reread in my spare time. 

The sounds of suave whistling came into earshot as someone with a spring to their step sauntered to the front desk. The customer was very odd in appearance, with raven-colored hair with discolored eyes. His skin was a sickly pale decorated in cracks, stubble and piercings. He also had an energy that seemed awfully familiar that I couldn’t place my finger on. Either way, he wasn’t the most appealing person that has ever walked in. I wasn’t one to complain though, I get some very backhanded comments about my looks sometimes.

We both turned our attention to him, as one does when your job relies on greeting and servicing the customers. As I looked over at Kai though, she had her hands planted on the desk, almost like she was ready to lunge at the person. From her reaction alone, I knew this person had to be bad news.

    “Ah! Ms. Adams! So this is where you’ve been! I’m glad you were able to find a job that suited your needs considering ya status.” The man stood in front of Kai, arms in his pockets and a gaze fixated on her like he was searching for a reaction. He had this pearly white smile that was unnerving and from a glance, you could tell he has done many unspeakable things. The way they both glared at each other was an unspoken battle for dominance. For someone to have an equally intense aura like Kai had left me paralyzed in my seat, unsure whether to intervene or not.

    “What are you doing here?” Kai growled, crossing her arms in defense. Though from the looks of it, it seemed like she was trying to restrain herself from trying to fight the man. He only smiled at the effort.

    “Don’t give me that glare. I have to support the local businesses! Get to know the area, help out my cohorts in need, let people know I’m a man of charity. I did a lotta of bootlicking to get access to this place so consider yourself lucky I went this far to check up on ya.” He waved a ticket of entry in front of Kai’s face to really rub in how much effort he went through. If I remember correctly, only the boss was allowed to give those tickets away. For this man to be able to obtain it meant he was either affluent, a cannibal enthusiast or just in as much illegal shit the Boss was in. “It’s not like I’m gonna be ratting you guys out anytime soon. If anything, it would put my business in danger. Use ya brain, dear.” 

    “Go to hell.”

The man ignored her, rolling his eyes and looked over at me like he just noticed I was there the entire time. I panicked, naturally, and stiffened up. I tried my best to give him a customer smile but I couldn’t say anything before the man chuckled at my appearance. “What’s with the squirt? You’re her coworka or sometin’?”

    “Uh- Yeah. We both work the front desk. Name’s Brad-”

    “Brad! See, at least someone is a little receptive around here. Call me Lachlan. Hey, care to show me where the dining area is? Kinda starved.”

    “I mean I could just give you directions-”

    “Oh come on. That's boring and I’m not the best at directions.” Lachlan scratches the back of his head, putting on his sincere, innocent look as if he was telling the wholehearted truth. For a second, I would have believed him, if I hadn’t known he was trouble. “I want you and the squirt to come join me. My treat. Bills covered and all.”

    “We both can’t leave our spots at the same time. Plus we’re not allowed to eat anything in the restaurant.” 

    “Huh? That’s a shame. Well, I still don’t want to eat alone. It’s late anyways, I doubt business is booming at this hour.” That was true. It wasn’t very often the hotel was getting many people at this hour but I didn’t want to say that incase I jinxed myself.

    “If we go with you, will you leave us the fuck alone and never come back?” Kai proposes, getting out of her seat and dragging me along with her. There was no way I was getting out of this now. I just had to pray that the Boss doesn’t catch us and we all get in more trouble.

    “Deal.”

    The three of us walked to the dining area where we both passed Mitsu and Dolos cleaning up one of my previous… mishaps. As we walked by, they shot me a glare and I awkwardly chuckled at the attention. Lachlan and Kai returned to having another one of those silent, tension filled staredowns. Kai had made extra sure that I was in between the both of them, like I was their barrier that was keeping them at bay.

    “Ah, here it is.” Lachlan sat himself down and Alvin came around to lay out a menu for him. He only spared a glance before giving the menu back and ordering a salad. After Alvin took his order, he walked off but never left his gaze on the three of us sitting at the table. As if things weren’t already awkward as it was.

“Wonderful! So Brad, was it? What’s it like working with one of my best fighters?”

    “You... Are you the one who owns that boxing place that Kai works at?” I probably should have made that guess earlier but now my suspicions were confirmed. I wasn’t talking to some weirdo, I was talking to her previous boss. The pressure just got a whole lot worse.

    “Oh, so ya told him! Bulls in the Bronx. Got some of the most talented female fighters in the country. Your friend included. Did ya know that she single handedly took down a rabid animal? Absolutely show stopping. May have lost a leg in the process but ya win some, ya lose some amirite?”

    “Oh.” What was I supposed to say to that?! I didn’t want to make a comment that would offend Kai. If anything I was beginning to become upset. A pang of anger boiled in my chest at the way he was flaunting Kai’s misfortunes as if it was a trophy. 

            “Won 201 out of her 256 fights. I’m surprised that after all that achievement, she would want to settle for some boring front desk job ya’know?”

    “That’s enough Lachlan. Could you just shut up and eat your food alone so we can go back to our jobs?” Irritated, Kai stood up, warning that she was going to leave. I hoped that wasn’t the case because either I had to follow her or stay with Lachlan.

    “I was just wondering how you were holding up now that you’re not boxing, Ms. Adams. I’m just worried. I understand that you’re needed here and your current boss is really strict but the reviews are dropping. You’re a star. My star. The Bronx needs ya more than this meat motel does.”

    “You already made your decision selling me to this hellhole, you rat.” Kai spat, her anger beginning to teeter over the edge. “At the very least, this hotel took care of me more than your shitty ass boxing program ever did.”

    “Kailana-”

    “THAT'S KAI TO YOU.”

    Immediately, Lachlan’s face soured. “You don’t get to talk to me like that.”

    “You don’t fucking deserve be spoken with respect.  You’ve done nothing for me.”

    “I found you while you were weak and defenseless and I made you strong and capable. I gave you an opportunity. I gave you work, fame and strength and this is how you pay me back?”

    “YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME.” Slamming her fist into the table, silverware clattering and glass spilling over. I flinched in my seat and kept to myself as everything began to descend into chaos. “You stole my adulthood, my freedom, my lover, my kids, my fucking leg, MY NAME! You don’t get to call me by Adams anymore!”

    “I’m repulsed.” With a calm voice, Lachlan countered Kai’s aggressive behaviour and diverted his attention to me. “I can’t believe you let her grow this wild. Please don’t tell me you are just as pathetic as her.”

    “Do not talk to Brad like that!” Kai threw back her fist, ready to deck Lachlan square in the face.

    “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. What would your Boss do if he found out you hit one of his valued customers?” 

    I couldn’t take it anymore. I knew this hatred all too well. I wanted the shouting and the fighting to stop. I didn’t want any of us to get into any more potential trouble. Why was I here? Why did I have to witness this? Is this who Kai had to deal with on a daily basis? 

    With a retch, I had thrown up on the table, liquids spilling everywhere and the tablecloth now discolored. I had stopped the argument. Lachlan flew back in his chair and screamed for a waiter or a maid while Kai grabbed me by the shoulders and walked me to the nearest bathroom. From there, I was glued to the cleanest toilet just in case my stomach decided there was a round two. Kai stood directly outside my stall, waiting for me.

    “You doing okay in there?” She asked, voice wavering as if she was trying to hold back a shake. It made me feel awful to witness something so personal and  dreadful at the same time.

    “I-I’m so sorry-”

    “Don’t be. You saved my ass again. If I stayed there any longer, Lachlan would be brain guts and I’d be in the kitchen with my body strung up for James. I’m more sorry you had to see that. That asshole knew that having a close witness was going to ruin me.”

    “If you want me too, I can forget this ever happened to spare you the shame-”

    “No. Don’t. I don’t need that kind of pity right now. But at least you know the utter shit I had to deal with and who to avoid if you ever see him again.”

            By then, my stomach had seemed to quell itself and I knew waiting by the toilet was useless. I opened the stall door and greeted Kai, who seemed to be a bit more composed than she was a few minutes ago. “Do you still want to go outside? Or wait till he leaves?”

    There was a moment of silent contemplation, a countenance of painful consideration while I had finished washing up. By then, she had already come up with an answer. “I’m not going to run away from that bastard, even if I get in trouble for it.”

    We both stepped out of the bathroom and made our way to the dining table. The already tense atmosphere got thicker when we noticed Boss had beat us to Lachlan, the both of them talking to each other while he seemed to assess the situation. Almost in an instant, I wished the both of us had stayed in the restroom.

“Boss.” Kai addressed. I lingered in the background, wishing that at no time I would be acknowledged for throwing up all over a guests’ table. “We can explain what happened-”

“There is no need for that.” He interrupts, pulling out a small hole puncher of sorts and taking the ticket Lachlan had previously flaunted. Boss punched a small hole in the corner and handed it back to him, Lachlan looked flustered from the ordeal. This was my first time watching someone get their ticket punched. “I already have eye-witness accounts. No guest belittles my employees.”

I had flicked my attention at Alvin who stood at the bar. He looked disinterested, but almost pleased with himself. I made a mental note to thank him later. “So… you’re not mad that I puked all over the place?”

“No.” He shoved the hole puncher back into his pocket and fixed himself up, turning to us with stiff courtesy and then glaring down at Lachlan. “This is my warning to you. Don’t do this again.”

“Wasn’t planning to!” Lachlan smiled, a look that spelt superficial all over. Lachlan’s sagacity allowed him to realize that pushing the Boss was only going to make matters worse. “Sorry to cause you trouble. I’d hate to be someone’s dinner.”

The Boss walked off and Lachlan hovered around, his eyes fixated on us with a belligerent stare. “I’m going to miss you Ms. Adams. Just telling you now, if you ever drop by the Bronx, I will have a lovely surprise for you! Please come by eventually to redeem it, ey?”

Kai flipped him off and Lachlan walked off towards the direction of the lobby and that was the last time I saw him. Once more, we were back in our spots at the front desk like nothing had happened. The energy didn’t feel the same and the both of us were drained, emotionally and or physically. So in an effort to revive the mood, I took one of Kai’s discarded receipts and uncapped my pen. She was confused at first, but understood where I was going.

“Heh, writing was never my thing. Wanna have a competition?”