"…"
"…"
"…"
What an absolutely awkward situation.
Peter was still in the park. He was seated on the bench, and in front of him were the tribal men that he had been looking for hours earlier.
"Uhmm…" Peter was unsure of what was happening. There was someone behind his back, drying his hair with some patterned cloth. The oldest and the leader-looking was sitting beside him, looking sideways in his direction and smiling.
The young kid, on the other hand, was seated on his other side. He was also looking at him. And their fellow tribesmen were just standing in front, staring at him too.
'This is fucking awkward,' Peter muttered again.
That wasn't until the leader finally spoke out loud.
"Sir, we want to thank you," he said, bowing slightly. "The $1k you gave us… We really appreciated it!! We used it to pay our overdue rent. And we were also able to buy some food."
"Yes, Sir!"
"Thank you!"
"Thank you very much!"
"Awoo!"
"Awoooo"
Peter pressed his lips together when he heard those howling again. But this time, they sounded deeper. He wanted to laugh at it, but he couldn't. The timing wasn't right, and they also seemed genuinely grateful.
"It's nothing, it's nothing." Peter waved his hands at them. He just smiled.
For a moment, his mind went back to the $1k he gave them. That definitely wasn't from his heart. But he was glad they used it on good things and not on… ehem.
"That's why, Sir! We should perform for you! Our tribal performance!" The young kid bounced excitedly on the spot.
"Yes! Yes!"
"Awoo!"
"Awoo!"
The other tribesmen immediately chimed in.
"Hehe… no need for that." Peter raised a hand quickly as a small smile appeared on his face.
Inside his mind, he groaned. 'Please… I don't want to be traumatized again.'
But the leader stood up slightly, insisting politely, "Sir, we insist. You helped us…"
And before Peter could even react, the tribal men started dancing already. Without drums this time, so they just clapped their hands.
Peter leaned back on the backrest of the bench. He rubbed the back of his neck as he watched the tribal men clap and stomp rhythmically.
'What did I put myself into again?' he thought, trying to maintain his calm face.
Despite the chaos of clapping hands and howls from them, Peter forced a smile on his face and kept nodding along as if he was genuinely impressed.
"Hehe… very good! Very good, everyone!" he said, clapping his hands enthusiastically once they finished.
The tribesmen beamed at that, their eyes shining with pride. Peter leaned forward a little. He was keeping the grin on his face. "You're all so good! That's why… I'm here to say I have a job for all of you."
The group quickly froze, their smiles faltering for a second.
"A… job?" one of them asked, disbelief written all over his face.
"Yes," Peter said, keeping the tone light and encouraging.
"Uhm… you know, a job that only requires you to help out here and there. Pushing things, carrying stuff, some simple work around the place."
The tribesmen's faces lit up instantly.
"Awoo!"
"Awoo!"
"We can do that easily!" they cheered in unison, bouncing slightly in excitement.
"But… sir… how about our pay?" The leader stepped forward uncertainly. .
Peter's smile widened into a sly grin. He reached over and began counting them in his head.
One…
Two…
Three…
Four…
There's 9 of them in total plus that 1 little guy. So there's 10.
"All right, I'll pay each of you 3k a month!" he said, speaking slowly and clearly. Even the little kid was included in the pay. The amount was considered average, but in their eyes, it might as well have been a fortune.
The reaction from the tribesmen was immediate. The men jumped up, threw their hands in the air, and howled joyfully.
"Awoo! Awoo! Yes! Thank you, sir!"
Peter just laughed at it. The thrill of amusement was already surging in his chest. If this all failed, that's an easy 150k for him next month!
'Perfect… just perfect.' He kept repeating those words in his mind.
The little boy also spun in a circle. He looked genuinely happy. Even the leader's eyes gleamed with both excitement and gratitude.
Peter clapped his hands again, pretending to be the proud boss. "All right! Let's get started tomorrow. I'll show you the place and what I need. We're going to do great things together!"
The tribesmen erupted in cheers once more.
"Yes, Sir!"
"You're our savior!"
"You'll be our father!"
"What?" His eyes widened, and he quickly waved both hands in front of him. "No, no, no! I don't want to be a father!" he said immediately.
The tribesmen paused at that. They all looked at each other then they looked back at Peter.
"Then… what should we call you?" one of them asked.
Peter rubbed the back of his neck and thought for a moment.
"Uh… just call me…" he thought for a moment.
"Boss. Just call me Boss."
'That's the most normal word, right?'
The tribesmen looked at each other again then suddenly their faces lit up.
"Alright, Boss!"
"Yes, Boss!"
"Awoo!"
"Awoo!"
"Bosss!"
Peter wince again but didn't say anything more. After all, this was what he was looking for. Their weirdness would definitely push away every customer who would dare enter their store.
That put a big smile on his lips.
"Alright," he muttered before standing up from the bench and brushing his hands together. "Come to Sunshine Market tomorrow. You should arrive there at 6 in the morning, okay?"
"Don't worry," The leader nodded quickly.
"Yes, Boss!"
"We will be there!"
"Awoo!"
"Awooo!"
Peter watched them cheer and howl again. This time, he didn't even try to stop them.
Instead, he simply smiled and nodded like a satisfied employer.
'This is perfect.'