Jason helped Val to his feet, keeping a firm hold as they walked along the park path toward their apartment building.
"Boss, how did you know I was here?" asked Val.
"Instinct, I guess. You said you wanted to sit here and watch the sunset. You have the time off now, so I figured you might be here."
Val chuckled.
"You're amazing, Boss. By the way, how was your day?"
Jason nodded.
"Uh, pretty good, pretty smooth."
Jason put his arm around Val's waist. Seeing how weak and pale he still looked, he offered his hand.
"Want me to carry you?" he asked.
Val brushed Jason's hand away from his waist; his boss was just teasing him.
"No need, Boss."
"Come on, hop on my back. You're so skinny now, you're probably as light as a feather."
"Boss, you're teasing me!" Val exclaimed, annoyed.
Jason laughed.
"I'm serious. Look at you, your legs still hurt, right? Just get on my back."
"Boss..."
The sun dipped below the horizon, the sky slowly losing its light. Val reluctantly climbed onto his boss's back, he had to admit it, his head was getting heavier than he thought, he might collapse if he pushed himself to walk now, what a lame.
They walked away from the setting sun, the streetlights flicking on one by one as they passed.
"This weekend Big Boss is having a company dinner, and everyone has to go, without exceptions. He prepares the dinner from a five-star restaurant, so it'll be good. That old man's stubborn; nobody can refuse him. It's not so bad"
Val tightened his grip on his boss's neck. Luckily, there were no other pedestrians around; it was a weekday evening, and everyone was heading home. The sidewalk, lined with city-planted shrubs, felt like it belonged to them alone.
"What's this all about, Boss? This dinner?" Val asked.
"I'm not sure about that. Maybe it's because we won the tender for sponsoring the annual City sports event. At least our part is done; the production team will be scrambling because of the huge number of orders."
Val nodded.
"Oh."
Jason looked at Val behind him.
"Um, are you hungry? We can grab something before we head upstairs."
Val thought for a moment.
"Um, I want that mochi we had yesterday again. It was so good. I'm craving for it"
Jason smiled.
"Hey, the shop's pretty far. I don't know if they do delivery. Should we just eat there?"
Val shook his head.
"No, Boss. Let's just eat at home. Iyan brought leftovers from his restaurant yesterday; we can heat them. They look good."
Jason pursed his lips.
"Iyan shouldn't call it leftovers; it's fresh and hasn't been processed at all."
Val chuckled.
"That's what he means, Boss. Iyan just talks casually."
Jason smiled, looking at Val's face right next to his head. The kid was exhausted, his chin resting on Jason's shoulder.
"Does your head still hurt?" he asked.
Val nodded.
"Yeah, it hurts a lot. I feel nauseous too."
"Should we go back to the hospital for a check-up?"
Val shook his head quickly.
"No need, Boss. It's just a fever, nothing serious. I'll be good after sleep"
Jason tightened his lips.
"You need to better take care of yourself, Val, look at how thin you are, even eating irregularly. I made an appointment with the doctor in the central hospital for a medical check-up, to see what happened to you."
Val flinched. He'd already had a check-up, and it wasn't good news. It was his private matter; his boss didn't need to know much about it.
"No need, Boss, I'm fine. It's probably just the weather,"
"What weather? I see bruises all over you, Val. That's not good. Let's get you checked out, okay? I know a good doctor at Central Hospital. I'll call him."
"No need, Boss, really."
.....
The weekend, Office dinner gathering.
Ria, and Ros, one of the cooperate's secretaries, helped distribute drinks. The office dinner was held in the large multi-purpose room on the sixth floor, one level above the marketing office and below the director's floor. That floor is usually used for product launches and exhibitions.
It's about a hundred staff, including the boss, managers, and directors, attended the event, which the big boss organized to treat his staff to delicious food specially ordered from the best restaurants around the building. So, the food was guaranteed to be delicious and filling.
Val approached. He and his boss sat at a round table where the big boss was. It felt strange and awkward, Val thought. But it wasn't just him; Anwar and Alex were also at the table, as their team had played a big role in the large sports event order. Most of the hard work was their team's.
Ria handed Val a glass of cold drink.
"Here, for you."
Val pursed his lips. Why was his, was different from everyone else's? He compared his brownish drink to the peach-colored drinks Ros was giving to other staff.
"Ria, why does mine have a different color? Is it a different flavor?" Val asked innocently.
Ria pointed at Val's glass.
"It's herbal tea, good for your health. The Big Boss specifically bought it to be shared. Drink it, it's good."
"This on for your Boss there"
Val saw the next glass Ros handed to him.
"But why is this one different?"
Ria and Ros exchanged glances; they couldn't help laughing at Val's confused expression.
"Hey kid, that's for the other staff, and it has alcohol. The Big Boss said interns and minors can't drink alcohol. So you'll just have herbal tea. Go complain to the boss by yourself," Ria said, gesturing behind Val. Jason walked over.
"Val, here, let me get that. Your hand's still hurting. Why did you grab two glasses?" Jason took the glasses from Val's bandaged hand. He frowned at Val's sulky face.
"What's with the face?"
They both walked back to their table.
"Boss, are interns like me and the others unimportant? Why can't we drink the same drinks as you guys?" Val said, walking ahead of his boss. Jason frowned, puzzled by Val's sudden anger. He glanced back at Ria and Ross to ask them what was going on. The two girls just shrugged, clueless.
Jason caught up with Val, took the glasses from him, and put them on the table. He even pulled out a chair for Val to sit down.
"What do you mean? Who's unimportant? What are you talking about? I don't understand any of it."
Val didn't look at Jason. He looked annoyed and raised his glass to drink.
"Hey, this brat..."
The dinner party was lively and friendly. Some people, like Anwar and Alex, joined in with karaoke and a quiz. The company was giving out door prizes to the winning staff. Val even had to participate because there was a game that required three people – him, Anwar, and Alex. The whole room cheered when they successfully got the balloons into the basket.
"Wow, Val, great job!" Ria and the others exclaimed.
There were three teams, each with three people, tasked with carrying a balloon without touching it from their head to their stomach. The balloon started at the head and went down to Val's stomach, but they managed to get the balloons to the finish line. Everyone laughed until their stomachs hurt. "Hahahaha!" Except for Jason, who was watching from the sidelines, noticing how happy Val was when they reached the finish line.
"Yeah!"
As the first-place winners of the group game, they each received prizes ranging from electronics to furniture. Val chose a cute little round table, perfect for his new room.
After having fun from the afternoon until almost midnight, all the staff went home with satisfied smiles on their faces. Not everyone won the games, but they all received a pretty good amount of shopping vouchers any each of them.
Everyone gradually dispersed, heading home to rest.