Children of a Lesser God

Chapter 35: What's She Doing Here

Picking himself off the ground, Laz brushed himself off before making his way out of the woods. It was normally a 20 minute walk from the back exit to work, but thanks to Kennedy, he was quite delayed.

He didn't know how he felt about this young woman, but he didn't think he disliked her. She had a rather fierce personality and didn't seem to be bothered by the little things. He also thought she was more mature than those his age as he thought back to how she reacted when she walked in on her 'Boyfriend' getting head from another girl.

Normal girls would flip out at something like that. Laz knew that she had been somewhat disgusted, but that seemed directed at Tommy and not the nameless dark haired girl. Jealous wasn't even in the picture which brought about several questions as to the nature of their relationship

Despite this, Laz wasn't bothered. His interactions with this slightly mature girl stopped as far as business went. He knew he was being tested by her and he felt like he had gained her approval so everything else was irrelevant.

He didn't want to be more involved than he already was. Laz was like most 14 year old males in that although he liked girls and thought about them sexualy, he wasn't emotionally mature yet. He wasn't dreaming about a relationship or love to last eternity. He actually felt that most girls were still somewhat annoying, no matter how pretty they were. They were irrational and made almost no sense, at least to him.

Seeing the bamboo sign, Laz knew he was almost there and jogged the last few hundred feet. Coming into the warm shop, Laz's mood brightened considerably. Grandpa Chu was a widow and Uncle Chu wasn't exactly a ladies man, so the shop itself could be considered a man cave. Although both men were polite and quite business like with customers be they female or male, the shop still carried that manly feel to it. Laz felt like this was one of his few homes in the world.

"Ah, Little Laz, running late today are we?" Grandpa Chu yelled out from the back.

"Yeah. Got distracted with something on my way here and took a bit longer," Laz answered back. He waved at Uncle Chu who was taking an order on the phone while taking off his jacket and backpack. He set them down behind the counter and walked over to a couple hooks in the wall for employee shirts before putting his on.

Although It wasn't really a requirement, Grandpa Chu liked the jade green button up shirts being worn as it showed a strong spirit of unity from the employees, even if it was just the few of them.

Uncle Chu hung up the phone and looked at Laz while frowning a bit. He then walked over and under Laz's astonished gaze, sniffed him a few times as though he was a bloodhound picking up a trail.

"Ah, Uncle..?"

"You little liar, you were with a girl!" Uncle Chu said in amazement.

"What's this now?" Grandpa Chu said, walking out of the back with his apron on and his hands in food service gloves.

"Smells like our little man here was spending some close time with a girl," Uncle Chu stated with a wicked glint in his eye.

Grandpa Chu walked over and took a few sniffs himself, nodding in confirmation.

"Definitely a girl," he confirmed. Laz just stood there shocked. What was with these two? Although he had come into close contact with Kennedy, it wasn't like they were getting it on. Apparently, Laz had severally underestimated the power of men with experience. They could not be lied to when it came to women.

"Well actually dad, now that I think about it, there are some boys who are quite feminine as well. In this day and age, we can't assume anything. It is their personal choice after all and so long as they are happy, that's what matters!" Uncle Chu had put on a sage look and acted as though he was speaking the will of the heavens.

"Ah, my son. You speak with true wisdom. If our little Laz here finds himself happy with a young man, then we shall support him, no matter what." Grandpa Chu said, nodding vigorously with his own serious look.

"She is most definitely a woman and a hot one too you old scoundrels." Laz couldn't help but fire back. He wasn't insulted, but he didn't want to be misunderstood either.

Both men just stared at Laz with somewhat emotionless faces before bursting out into loud laughter.

"OH HELL, THAT WAS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT," his uncle roared while bending over from laughter. Even Grandpa Chu had to sit down as he was shaking from laughing and was wobbling..

Laz stood there blank faced while the two men let it all out. He knew that not only had he been made fun of, but he had also let out that he was indeed with a woman as they both assumed. He couldn't help but lower his head a little as his face became red.

"Oh, Laz... You really got to toughen up that face of yours. You are far to easy to work up when it actually comes down to it. You could have just said a girl with a strong perfume sat next to you in class or something and that would have been that. But..." Uncle Chu once again turned serious and looked at Laz.

"When it comes to women at your age, you must always remember this.."

Laz looked at his uncle with high expectations. Just because his uncle was single now didn't mean that he had no luck with ladies. In fact, if his stories meant anything, he had been with more than a few in his lifetime. Laz was curious as to what advice he would give since he had always not given any in the past due to Laz's age. Even if Laz wasn't interested in Kennedy like that, he still wouldn't mind upping his game.

"No glove, No love! No compromise!"

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"DAMN YOU OLD MAN, I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU." Uncle Chu took off for the kitchen while Laz followed after him stopping at the door. He knew he wasn't allowed back there for health safety reasons and although he went back there every now and then, he wouldn't do so with Grandpa watching.

Grandpa Chu was almost falling out of his chair at this point while trying to hold on, his laughter ringing through the shop. Uncle Chu's voice came from the back although it was hard to hear due to his own laughing.

"Just keep that in mind until you're married and you'll be fine. Other than that, you're on your own Laz. Good Luck."

Although Laz was somewhat angry, he also knew these two cared for him and couldn't help but pick on him. He felt warm inside after a while. 'You can only be this comfortable and free around family, no matter how annoying they may be,' Laz thought while walking back to the counter.

Grandpa Chu had made his way to the back and started cooking where he left off, getting some help from his son while Laz manned the counter and looked at the orders that were coming in. They were mostly based on phone numbers so he wasn't looking for names and instead just wanted to see how big they were so he could get bags or boxes ready.

Laz liked to be prepared and wasn't one for surprises which made him good at organization. Based on the size of the order, he knew what they would need to be carried away in and could plan for if they needed sauces or eating utensils.

Grandpa Chu was a stickler for using chopsticks and originally didn't offer forks and such in the restaurant. He said that the plastic messed with the taste of the food that could only be enjoyed with the wooden chopsticks that were offered. Once his son came, he was able to convince him to offer the plastic ware as well since it was just giving the customers their own choice.

Laz always like to keep the chopstick cup full as he felt his grandpa had a point and would always encourage customers to try them. 'You never know how much a difference it makes until you try it.'

Hearing the bell ring that indicated someone had walked into the store, Laz set aside what he was doing and looked up with a smile. He had already put his cap on when he sat at the counter to hide his younger appearance, but he still kept his head slightly slanted to hide his face a bit.

"Hi, How can I help you?" He said in his most polite voice. The girl walked up to the counter and smiled, causing Laz to freeze up in shock as he felt the vibe of dissonance hitting him. He must had been so distracted earlier that he didn't notice it until now.

Standing in front of him was a beautiful girl with red hair with pink tips. She was his new classmate Malene Swan who he had just met earlier today.

'What was she doing here?'

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