[ WP ] Just because you love them , does n't mean they have to love you back .

“ Listen Bryce, we ’ ve been working together for fifteen years but we ’ ve been friends much longer. You know it if was up to me things would be different. But with the goddamn sub-prime mortgage situation and the economy being flushed down the shitter, we ’ re running out of options. ” 
 
 Bryce listened in silence, the only sign of his distress being his clenched fists which trembled as they rested on his lap. Tucker never enjoyed being the bearer of bad news but knowing what Bryce had been going through in the last few months made the job that much more difficult. He braced himself against the edge of his desk, using it and his senior management position as a barrier to shield himself against what was essentially a betrayal of his oldest friend. 
 
 “ I know things will be difficult. But the company is willing to offer you a generous severence package.'' 
 
 Bryce scoffed. “ Yeah right, and after the alimony and child support the ‘ generous ’ severence package will barely keep the lights on. ” 
 
 Tucker didn ’ t have a response. They knew each other too well for him to fall back on the canned redundancy script he was trained to use. It ’ d be an insult. They stared at each other for a few minutes, Tucker ’ s discomfort growing exponentially as the silence continued. He almost sighed in relief when Bryce spoke. 
 
 “ Two weeks. ” 
 
 “ What? ” 
 
 “ Give me two weeks and I ’ ll bring you a product that ’ ll make this company bigger than Lego. ” 
 
 It wasn ’ t the response Tucker was expecting. He ’ d had to fire a whole division ’ s worth of people in the last month alone and he was getting used to the tears and tantrums. Noone had even thought of making a counter offer, let alone one of such boldness. 
 
 “ Uhh... are you being serious? ” 
 
 “ You ever known me to fuck around with business? ” 
 
 Tucker nodded his agreement. Up until the recession the company had been, if not an industry leader like the Hasbros or the Fisher-Prices, a competitive player with products sold on their novelty and niche value. Bryce had been the driving force and creative mind behind these innovations, so when he came up with an idea Tucker was inclined to keep the faith. 
 
 “ Okay, I ’ ll have to speak to corporate but I think I can make it work. It ’ s a two week notice anyway, so if you can come up with something they ’ ll like by then... ” 
 
 Bryce nodded and got up. They shook hands and he left. Tucker checked his schedule. A half hour break before the next round of soul-draining layoffs. He sat back and wondered if what Bryce was preparing could save him. He doubted it – with the way the company finances were looking, even if the product was the next Bratz doll he ’ d still get the chop. He called his secretary for a cup of coffee, dearly wishing he could make it Irish. 
 
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 The apartment was filthy with dust and trash. Dirty dishes and take-out containers covered every available surface and threatened to topple down and add to the refuse littering the floor. The curtains were drawn and the apartment was draped in gloom, the only light filtering out the bottom of the bathroom door. Bryce had slept on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor for the last month. He didn ’ t mind the pain radiating from his lower back and the various aches and strains in his joints. He was consumed by his work, his latest project that would elevate him to the status of industry legend. The impending redundancy didn ’ t faze him at all. Not even the bloodsucking leech that was his ex-wife and her flaunting her new man and the luxurious lifestyle she enjoyed off his money bothered him. He did miss the kids, but with every passing moment the ache in his heart dulled. His love for them was slowly being replaced by something else, the chirping squeaks and slopping sucking sounds coming from the tub. 
 
 He added some crushed vitamin pills into the mush of minced beef and ground crickets and stirred to a smooth consistency. He scooped out a spoonful and threw it into a blender, adding water and a vial of liquid growth hormone before hitting the switch, humming as he waited for the whirring blades to mix up the concoction. Once the blender had done its work he drew some of it into a syringe and turned to the tub where they were already waiting for him, looking up with eagerness in their moist eyes. 
 
 He had to be careful not to leave his hand near them for too long. He ’ d learnt his lesson when he ’ d almost lost a finger during the very first feeding session. Their teeth were small but razor sharp. They knew what to expect when he waved the syringe in front of them now, forming an orderly line and opening their mouths wide for the drip. They were growing quickly, having doubled in size since they shed their tails. He had to refill the syringe nine times before they were satisfied, burping and rolling on to their backs to fall asleep. He watched them as they slumbered, their gently rocking forms and twitching limbs a delight to witness. Every now and then one of them would open an eye and look at him, and he swore to himself that there was a glint of recognition and... dare he say it, love behind the midnight black of the pupil. The feeling of nursing them was akin to what he ’ d felt as he watched his children grow in his past life. At least these creatures relied on him without judging, affectionate without a hidden motive, innocent in their selfishness. He was a proud father protecting his budding progeny, and in two weeks he would show Tucker and those assholes in corporate that he was an asset they couldn ’ t afford to lose. 

