Chapter 20

The boys, tired of the murderous rivalry at the event, the previous night’s all-night party and climbing the stairs, decided that before they went down to get new equipment, they would first rest for a while.

They hoped a miracle would happen and the elevators would repair themselves, or it would turn out that there was no breakdown at all, and they wouldn't have to climb up to the seventh floor again.

They sat in silence, happy in the depths of their souls; there was a weekend ahead of them, two long days that they absolutely wanted to devote to rest.

Only Michael, burgundy with rage, complained about the bad luck that haunted him: all the evil, injustice, meanness of the world in the hard life of an honest, conscientiously working, and underappreciated outstanding journalist.

He muttered under his breath about the terrible headache that didn’t allow him to think rationally, the terrible pain in his back and nagging muscle soreness that made it difficult for him to move, especially with the numerous bruises on his body.

Today, his friends overwhelmed him, repeatedly calling him to collect himself in a rather unconventional way. He couldn't forgive them for kicking his legs.

The greatest disgrace on his honor which he couldn’t bear was that a pissed Adam, twisted his hand and led him by force into the kitchen, only to be quiet.

Michael decided that as soon as he finished resting, he would let them burn so much that they would remember him for the rest of their lives.

He was a pain in the ass, but no one wanted to shut him down. Even Thomas, sensitive to such situations, remained silent. He sat with his eyes closed on the armchair next to the entrance to Nicolas's office, every now and then massaging his calf muscles.

It took a nice half hour for them to pull themselves together. When they got downstairs, the picture of the new equipment almost hit them.

“This is just a few computers!!!” Michael shouted over a dozen parcels. In addition to computers, large-scale monitors, a laser printer and several new desks were also purchased. “I will not bring anything up-stairs! This woman must’ve fallen on her head!”

“Let's not bring it up.” Simon, tired, began to protest. “Let's leave all this until Monday!”

“I'm not a porter! Painting yesterday, today some idiotic competition and carrying stuff! Let this witch bring it herself! After all, she's in great shape. A little training will not hurt her!”

“What's up, man?” Thomas said; he was getting nervous. He couldn’t take it anymore. “Yesterday you didn't even wave the brush! You slept all day in the newsroom! You slept in the entire night too! Are you still not over it?”

“And... so what if I slept? Because of the absurd requests of this wicked woman, I made a complete fool of myself, showing myself in public in turquoise pants!”

“Me too! And what?” Simon laughed. “In front of several thousand people, I was parading in turquoise pants, but I am not ashamed of it!” Remembering today's competition at the charity event, especially Michael unable to understand what water polo is all about, Simon still couldn't contain his laughter.

“We helped the children! I made an idiot of myself for a good cause! The ends justify the means!” He was looking for an excuse.

“Okay. We helped the children!” Michael cried. “We have become the laughing stock of the fourth authority in this country. They will be talking about us in all mass media for the next month!”

“Rather write in all the social chronicles!” Simon was still laughing, knowing that Michael was right. They will mock them at every opportunity, tease them until something more scandalous than their appearance and poor competition happens. “You will be a star, my friend! You like to be in the spotlight! You will be in your element!”

“Michael, I don't understand!” Adam interrupted. “All the tabloids in the social chronicles write about your insults, so what's the problem?”

“These jokes stick! They will probably not forget about you either!” Ignoring Adam's statement, unfortunately true, Michael didn’t forgive the amused Simon. “You played the idiot amazingly! You should get an Oscar for your spectacle!”

“I don't care.” Simon waved his hand. “Most importantly, I had a lot of fun!”

“I don't care! I wasn't having fun at all!” Michael muttered. “Should I be a porter now?”

“Sure! Damn! Fuck our new equipment!” Adam spoke again, amused by the pain of his buddies. “You forgot that the office building is open tomorrow. On Monday morning, we will only find empty boxes.”

“Gentlemen, calm down! Let's think it over!” As usual, sensible Thomas joined the action. “We should consider all the pros and cons!” He tried to gain time by looking for meaningful arguments.

"If we leave the equipment and it goes to hell, and if we don't take it up-stairs to our offices, we'll have to pay for it for sure.”

Thomas knew perfectly well that the only argument that could influence their decisions was money, and that only they could reason with them.

“Do you have too much money? Any more savings in the bank? Maybe, you have an eye on some new, interesting and better paid job?” Thomas looked at his friends, who stood silently around the parcels.

“I'm with you!” Adam broke the silence. “Right, Tom! We can't leave the equipment. Judging by the brands and technical data on the packaging, it is worth at least as much as Michaels’ new car.” He said, well aware of how proud his friend is of his new jeep.

Adam's argument hit the heart of the most protesting one of them all: Michael, who sat down on the stairs. He was the only one who knew the truth. He had found himself in a dramatic financial situation. For several days he had been thinking how to pay the bills he had accumulated.

Michael’s bank account was nearly empty and he had spent his savings on buying a new car. The rest of the cash he had at his disposal was spent in the Tavern on a few lines for everyone present in the restaurant and the previous day, on high-percentage liquors in a liquor store.

There were still almost two long weeks to go before he received his pay. It was a blessing in such times that at least the tank was full of gasoline. It is enough to travel to work, or he planned to take the bus a few times, preventively so as not to be in a hurry to park in a forbidden place.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t even dream of going out to his favorite Tavern in the evening with his friends.