Chapter 3

3、

3、

“Let me owe you, then. Pay you when my salary comes in, all right?”

I didn't argue at all.

Renee snorted. “Your salary gets handed over to me. So what exactly are you going to pay me with?”

I had no idea what to do. It was a knot that couldn't be untied. Somehow I would owe her forever.

Renee gave a cold laugh. “You work in the day, you deliver food at night. What do you do at lunch? Use your lunch break to earn money, and then you can pay me back, can't you?”

My mother-in-law couldn't stand it any longer. “Renee, that'll work him to death!”

Renee snapped at her. “Are you even my mother?”

I gave a bitter smile and nodded. “Fine. I'll go earn money at lunch too.”

Once I'd changed my clothes, I saw breakfast on the table, but I didn't dare take it. I was afraid she'd hit me up for money again.

My mother-in-law quickly got up, put the breakfast sandwiches into a bag, and handed it to me. “Everard, I bought these. Take them and eat.”

Bang! Renee slammed the table and jabbed a finger at me, shouting, “My mother bought those for me. You touch a single bite and see what happens!”

I stared at her blankly, sighed, then set the sandwiches down and walked toward the door.

Renee's voice came from behind me. “This is exactly how you treated me back when I was eating!”

I said nothing and just left.

I tapped my transit card. No seat, so I stood the whole way, propping up my weak body.

When I clocked in at the office, I noticed a lot of people giving me strange looks. I asked, but no one would say anything.

Back at my desk, my good buddy and subordinate knocked and came in.

Mervyn Fox set a cup of coffee in front of me, then handed over a sausage panini. “Eat up.”

My eyes went red. I wanted to cry, but hunger had me wolfing it down.

In under two minutes the panini was gone, and so was the coffee.

I felt a little brought back to life.

Mervyn pressed his lips together, then after a moment said, “That video of you in the neighborhood has gone everywhere. Somebody even posted it in the company group chat.”

All I could do was give a bitter smile and sigh. I felt like I couldn't lead my team anymore.

Mervyn sighed.

“They always say talk people into staying together, not into splitting up. But brother, if you can get out, get out.”

“You're a director. You make almost a hundred grand a month. What kind of woman couldn't you find?”

I rubbed my face hard and sighed.

“If there were no kid, I'd have left long ago.”

“But you know how it is. I grew up with just one parent. It left me with a lot of flaws in how I turned out.”

“So I don't want my son growing up with one parent too. Mervyn, can you understand that?”

Mervyn let out a breath and said nothing. He left a pack of cigarettes behind, clapped me on the shoulder, and walked out.

I lit one, took a hard drag, and got back to work.

At noon, Mervyn called me out to lunch. His treat.

While we ate, I spoke up, a little embarrassed. “Mervyn, could you lend me five hundred?”

Mervyn blinked. “I'll just give it to you.”

I gave a bitter smile and explained. “Renee washes and irons my clothes and charges me a hundred bucks for it. I can't even offset it against my salary. She's telling me to find work at lunch too, but I'm just too tired.”

When I finished, Mervyn's eyes went red. He looked ready to cry on my behalf. He didn't say a word. He went straight to the register and got me a thousand in cash.

“Everard, hide this well. When it runs out, come to me again.”

Mervyn pressed the money into my hand.

Before I could even thank him, I felt a fat hand clamp around mine.

I looked up and saw Renee's fleshy face, her eyes fixed dead on me.

“Well, well, Everard Lawrence. I told you to go earn money at lunch, and instead you're borrowing it?”

Renee snatched the money and stuffed it into her own pocket, then jabbed a finger at me, spit flying.

“You worthless thing. I ask you to do a little work and you're whining that you're tired?”

“Back when you forced me to do all the work, did you ever think you'd end up here?”

“You go earn money right now, or you know exactly what I'll do!”