Ah yes~...
Give us our Daily Bread. Back in Baymard, a young man sat on his seat, in an enormous Bakery, called the Royal Delight, with a ticket number in his hand. From his little corner, he could see bits of the action going on whenever the double-sided doors at the bar back, behind the counters would open with bakers rowing out more bread to stock. The mouth-watering scent intoxicating the place made Brandon's stomach gurgle. Dammit, just being here was like a punishment to his now hungry belly. Nevertheless, the punishment was worth it if it meant he would get a taste of his favorite plaited loaves. The dough is plaited and then baked. For the life of him, no matter how he tried replicating its unique lightly salted and honey-like taste, he could never do what they did. It was because of this particular specialty that he took the time to bake on Saturdays. However, his creations, though successful, were very bland, as if missing something. 'The more I stay here, the more incredulous it seems.'
Brandon stared around the bakery with relish, thinking of his current life and comparing it to his former times of suffering.
If someone had ever told him things would change so drastically, he would not believe it.
.
"Number 098."
"Here!" Brandon's feet were quick to rush forth, as he thanked and grabbed his to-go package. Opening it while leaving, Brandon took in the smell of warm bread, feeling it was the best thing ever. He then headed to a red booth at the far end of the street and threw in a few tokens in the slot. The tokens were unique, and couldn't be replicated. They could be bought anywhere in many shops and stores. Looking at the payphone, Brandon could only sigh, feeling that Baymard was the most advanced place he had ever seen in his life. Since land phones are all in their homes, should they have an urgent matter to discuss and are far away from home, the public payphones will do them well. You have no idea how many times a payphone has saved them. Calling a cab, calling the hospital, calling their jobs to say they might be running late… the list goes on. Brandon quickly placed the phone on his ear, using his shoulders to keep it steady. "What was that number again?... Oh, Stupid. How could I have forgotten there's a phone booth here?" Putting a people of warm bread into his mouth, Brandon nodded at the passersby while using the peculiar toy-like red key that fell off from the side of the Phone block (dial-area). When you place a token in, the key, connected to strange extendable wiring, also slips out. With that, you can drag the key to the pink box beside the phone block. 'Well, they think of everything.'
Brandon hastily opened the pink box, revealing the phone book inside. And in no time, his eyes lit up like stars. 1, 2, 3… Ring~
"Hello, is this the H&R block?... Yes, yes! It's Brandon Fraser, here…. Yes, Brandon Fraser." Brandon was quickly connected, speaking to a secretary on the other end. "I am running a little late for my appointment and just wanted to let you all know I will arrive 10~15 minutes late due to transportation reasons."
[Not a problem, Mr Fraser. Your appointment is an hour long. Thank you for letting us know. We await your arrival.]
"Great! See you soon." .
Brandon was pleased, taking out sanitary wipes from another box and wiping it on the phone he kept by his ears. After being in Baymard, you will learn it is customary to wipe down every public object like gym equipment and payphones after every use. The people here were very clean. It was also customary and polite to let others know you would be running late, if you booked an appointment, even if he was going to be 15 minutes late. Brandon didn't think it was too much to ask.
As for the matter of visiting an H&R Block, it's all because Tax season was upon him. For most people, filing taxes was easier if they worked under a company. But for him, a self-starter, an entrepreneur and a successful author, he had to find the help of experts to properly look through everything and file his taxes. You can seriously lose money if you file your taxes incorrectly or leave out vital information you think isn't necessary. The reason why he knew he would be delayed for his meeting, was because he had to help his dear sister file her taxes. The meeting was for noon, but knowing his sister… if he dared wake her up so early after yesterday's exams, she would eat him alive.
Forget the fact that he was 5 years older than her. She could be a little nightmare when she wanted to. What's more, it seemed that ever since getting a taste of his favorite bread, she too became addicted to it. Today was Friday. Surprisingly, it was a school day off because of the mid-mock exams that kept his sister up at night reading till 2 in the morning since Monday. In no time, he was back in the apartment, gritting his teeth, determined to wake the sleeping beauty up. Needless to say, they fought for a bit before she finally opened her dull eyes. "Ahhh! Stupid brother, I'll do it later. Why must we do it now?"
"Of course, it must be now! We must submit it online today. So no dragging it further!" He just wanted to get it done and over with. As her guardian, he must ensure they filled it out now, so he can then print it and sign on it too before scanning and submitting it back online or handing it over to the H&R block. She was still 13, and although she had a part-time job, it must be signed by her guardian, since she has one. For those who don't, like those from other empires and UN nations, all they had to do was indicate their status and that part can be left blank. Don't ask him how, but Brandon was sure the government would have some way to confirm their identities. "Alright, Sam, we have to fill in your Federal and State Tax returns. Pay attention, because soon, it will be you sending your tax return forms to the IRS… and then, you can get money back."
Wow! The last words seemed to do the trick because now, his sister was wide awake. They seemed to know everything.
This past year was her first ever getting a job in Baymard, so she had no idea how tax returns work.
"Stupid brother, are you saying I can get money back? How much are we talking about here? Enough to pay for a week's stay in Aqua World?"
"_"
…
Taxes, taxes, taxes…
Brandon quickly finished his sister's taxes, before rushing over for his appointment like crazy. As expected, when Brandon finally reached the H&R block, he immediately rolled up his sleeves, tapped the passing underneath his clothing and prepared for impact. He, Brandon, came from another small town in Carona. It wasn't long ago that he moved to his city but he had already understood its savage rules. "Worthy of its big name. As expected, It's impossible to go in so easily." Especially since today, February 6th, was the first day everyone could file their taxes.
Even if he had an appointment, it wouldn't be that easy!
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢