Chapter 6

Before he could recover from the slap, another one landed on the other side of his cheeks.

John held his burning cheeks as another set of tears trickled down from his eyes. Just then, the manager of the restaurant came out.

Judging from his decent dressing, John thought that the man would be more understanding. He tried to crawl toward him, but his butt was smacked back on the floor by the guard.However, when he beheld the familiar face, John’s countenance changed.

The man turned out to be Desmond, John’s former classmate, when he was still in high school. Desmond and his friends were one reason John dropped out of school before Olivia’s grandfather picked up and put him in a new school. Seeing Desmond now, John felt ashamed and more miserable. And wished that the ground would be opened and swallow him up.

Desmond never stopped bullying him back then in school. They bullied him until he became traumatized when he was a kid, just because he was poor. And now, in his cranky condition, Desmond appeared before him.

“What is going on here?” Desmond asked, without taking notice of the man on the floor. His gaze rested on the Lady.

The young lady narrated what happened.

Desmond drew his attention towards John. Immediately, he saw the terrible scar on his left ear. He glanced into his orbit and as soon as he saw his copper-coil brown eyes; he recognized him immediately.

“John Smith, what are you doing in this five-star restaurant? Did you come here to see whom to steal his food? Or did you wish to find a cleaning job here?” Desmond mocked.

His intimidating allure makes John fidget. John quickly stuck his thick finger deep into one of his nostrils and started to rubbing it. That brought a frown on Desmond’s face. After rubbing his nose, John cleaned the finger on his grunge clothes, making the lady pull her brow together and stare at him in disgust.

“Well, I am here to get some food for my wife, “he said.

He had fought so hard to overcome his trauma, so right now Desmond’s presence didn’t frighten him anymore, and that enraged Desmond.

“Oh yes, I almost forgot that you are a live-in son-in-law to Wilde’s family, a useless one at that. I still wonder why that beautiful woman married a dirty pig like you. Maybe I should give you a job of trashing waste for me because it fits you well,” Desmond uttered.

“A pupa like you should know that this place is not meant for you and stay away from here. Now you see what you have just done? You ruined this lovely lady’s food. How do you intend to pay her back? I know that your entire generation would not afford a plate of food from a spicy restaurant. So tell me how would you pay her back,” Desmond shrieked.

“Please Desmond, help me beg this lady, I didn’t have any money on me, please let her show me some mercy”

“You are lying, you have some money in your pocket,” the lady shouted, pointing in his pocket.

“Didn’t you say that you came here to buy food for your wife?” Desmond asked.

“Yes, I do. I come here to buy food for my wife Olivia”

“Then give this lady the money so that she can buy food for herself”

“No, I can’t do that”,

“Why not? Is your wife going to beat the hell out of you, Johnny?” Desmond smiled as he moved closer to John.

“Please Desmond, I can’t afford to lose the money,” John shouted, clutching his pocket.

“Strip this man and collect all the money in his pocket. Make sure you punish him exceedingly for causing problems in this restaurant, “ Desmond commanded.

Desmond smirked at the horror in John’s eyes. Instantly, the security men brought out the money from John’s pocket and gave them to Desmond. He counted the money and gave it to the young lady.

“Get her another plate of food,” Desmond ordered one guard. The man nodded his head and went for the food.

Desmond returned his gaze to John, who was now crying because of the money he had lost.

“As for him, give him thirty strokes of the cane for causing nuances in this place,” Desmond said, looking at the helpless John.

One of his guards quickly dragged John away.

Desmond looked at the lady and moved toward her.

“Sorry for all the trouble”. He said and handed over the plate of food his guard had just brought.

The lady gave him the money in her hand.

“No, take it, is for your troubles”

The lady thanked him and left with joy.

However, John came out of the backyard with a bruised body. The guard wickedly gave him sixty strokes of the cane instead of thirty, Desmond instructed him. He held his butt with both hands while sobbing like a baby. Desmond saw him coming and started laughing hard.

“Useless son-in-law of Wilde’s family. Don’t you have any shame? Look at how you are shamelessly crying like a little kid. Get out from here before my men deal with you again,” Desmond threatened and started laughing again when John started leaping fast towards the gate.

John recalled how terrific his punishment was and hastened his steps the more before Desmond’s men descended on him the second time.

It was already late in the night when John came back home. He met Olivia, fuming. She stood at the entrance and refused to let him in.

“Where are you coming from, John? I only sent you to buy food for me, and you are just coming back now? By the way, where is the food asked to get for me?” Olivia yelled as soon as she saw John sticking his thick finger inside his nose.

“Are you mad? Is that the food I asked you to buy for me?” She yelled harder.

“Olivia, please, I need to get some rest. My whole body hurts just because I wanted to buy your food,” John replied.

“And how is that my problem? What concerned me with your aching body? Where is my food, John?” She screeched.

John kept quiet. How could he make Oliva understand what he went through at the hands of Desmond and his men? He dared not tell her what had happened.

“See, if you know what is best for you right, just turn back from where you are coming from because you will not enter this house without my food,” Olivia said and banged the door in his face.

John was frightened. He was afraid of the dark, so he quickly smacked hard on the door, but Olivia did not show him mercy. She refused to let him in.