Chapter 192: Joining Parker Industries
Everything would be resolved in time.
About ten minutes later—
"I'm back! Are the boys home yet?" Ben Parker called out, holding a bag.
"They've been home for a while. They're probably in their rooms playing games right now." Aunt May took the bag from Ben and peered inside. "What did you buy for the boys?" she asked curiously, seeing that the items were wrapped in gift boxes.
Ben Parker gave a mysterious smile. "Heh heh~ I can't say. It's a secret."
"Oh, please. It's not a gift for me, so what's there to keep secret?" Aunt May rolled her eyes at him.
Ben stared at her for a moment, momentarily stunned. "May, you're so beautiful," he said, leaning down to kiss her.
Aunt May kissed him back briefly before pulling away. "The children are still upstairs!"
"So what? Back in the day, I, Ben Parker, was a..." Ben stopped himself just in time, nearly letting something slip.
"A master of what?" Aunt May narrowed her eyes, a sharp glint appearing in them. If Ben didn't give the right answer, he might be in trouble.
"What kind of master could I be?" Ben chuckled nervously. That was definitely not something he could share.
Aunt May snorted, then took the gifts to the stairs and shouted, "Silas! Peter! Your presents are here!"
"Sigh~ loose lips sink ships," Ben muttered, adjusting his tie.
"Coming, Aunt May!" Peter was the first to charge down the stairs, with Silas following leisurely behind him.
"What are the gifts, Uncle Ben?" Peter asked impatiently, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Here's yours, Peter," Ben said, pulling a gift out of the bag.
"Thank you, Uncle Ben!" Peter cheered, hopping over to the sofa to tear open the wrapping.
"And for you, Silas." Ben handed a box to Silas.
"Thanks, Uncle Ben!" Silas said happily. No one is unhappy when receiving a gift. "Cool~ a game console." He hadn't expected Ben to buy him one.
Ben walked over and patted Silas on the shoulder. "Haha~ when you have time, I, the gaming master, will teach you a thing or two."
"Uncle Ben, when it comes to games, I'm not afraid of you," Silas said confidently. Though he hadn't played in a month, his skills were still sharp.
Ben had noticed Silas studying hard lately and that he hadn't touched his games in a long time. Now that he had finally graduated, it was time to relax.
"Thank you so much, Uncle Ben!" Peter shouted from the other side of the room.
Silas turned to see Peter holding up a camera and cheering. No wonder he was so happy.
"But Uncle Ben... I think this camera costs $1,400..." Peter said, coming back to his senses. Where did Uncle Ben get that much money? Then he looked at the console in Silas's hand. "This is the latest game console; it costs $1,000..."
Ben had been out of work for a while before finding his current job, which only paid $1,000 a week.
"Ben, where did you get the money?" Aunt May, who handled the family finances, was equally suspicious. She didn't know Ben had that kind of cash.
"Ahem~" Ben Parker laughed heartily. "Actually, I have an announcement to make."
"What is it? Did you win the lottery?" Aunt May guessed. That seemed like the only way he could afford these things.
"While I am indeed a master of winning, don't forget that I am also a master of job hunting!" Ben pulled over a stool and stood on it. "I hereby announce that I, Ben Parker, am now a technician for Parker Industries!"
"Parker Industries?! Oh my god, that's so cool, Uncle Ben!" Peter was no stranger to the name. Since becoming Spider-Man, he had made a habit of reading the daily papers to check for crime reports and news about himself. For the past two months, Parker Industries had dominated the headlines; every New Yorker knew the name.
"That's incredible. I thought Parker Industries only hired researchers with PhDs," Aunt May said. She had seen the recruitment ads in the papers which listed very high educational requirements.
"You don't know, May," Ben said, stepping down from the stool. "Parker Industries also hires technical staff, especially those with solid experience."
"But do you actually understand that stuff?" Aunt May asked skeptically. She didn't recall Ben having those specific skills.
"You should know that I am a..." Ben started.
"Master of technology?" Aunt May interrupted.
"Exactly. I see you finally understand me, May," Ben joked.
In truth, the situation was quite different. Parker Industries had advertised for a large number of technical workers. The only requirement was a specialized skill, and the monthly salary was a staggering $5,000!
When Ben saw the ad, he was immediately interested. Looking at his colleagues' boring phone-calling jobs, he decided to give it a shot and sent his resume to Parker Industries. He figured if he didn't get it, he'd just keep his current job.
To his surprise, Parker Industries actually contacted him for an interview. He didn't hesitate, taking a day off from work to go. He had dressed up in his best clothes, telling Aunt May he was meeting a client to keep it a secret.
On the day of the interview, there were over a hundred people waiting. Ben grew nervous. But when his turn came, the interviewer only asked a few incredibly simple questions:
"What is your name?"
"How old are you?"
"What can you do?"
"Great. Congratulations, Mr. Ben Parker, you've been hired by Parker Industries. Please report for work on Monday."
Ben didn't even process it until he was back outside. He was hired?! Was this company even real? He even double-checked the photos of the building to make sure he was at the right place. He then secretly quit his old job and started at Parker Industries. It wasn't until he received his first paycheck—a full $5,000—that he truly believed it.
Of course, Ben wasn't going to tell Aunt May the interview was that easy; he had to maintain his "master" status.
"From today on, our family's life is moving up!" Ben said, planning for the future.
"Wait, Ben, what is your weekly pay?" Aunt May couldn't help but ask.
"$5,000," Ben said, trying to look nonchalant while he was actually beaming inside.
"$5,000?! Uncle Ben, you really are a master!" Peter cheered. His dream job now was to work at Parker Industries too.
"Alright, let's not talk about it anymore. Life is only getting better from here. Cheers!"
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 20 chapters in advance!