THE LOATHSOME SON-IN-LAW

A MILLION DOLLARS

As expected Mary O'Connor was as angry as a mad bull the following morning and even her husband cowered at the sight of her outrage.

"Where is that irresponsible son-in-law of mine? I heard you disgrace my daughter in the presence of our family lawyer?"

"Am so sorry, Mrs Mary. It was-."

'Whack!'

Andrew felt a sharp pain as Mary O'Connor slapped him on his face, and felt faint when she marched his wounded leg with the heel of her shoe.

"Did you want to kill this poor man here? Remember he is our responsibility until my dad's property is shared among us."

"That doesn't give him the right to be embarrassing my darling daughter in front of her visitor."

"We could at least hear what he has to say to defend himself and not be biased in our judgment."

"What did he have to say? There is nothing worthy from a criminal's mouth."

Andrew held his swollen knee until the pain subsided and he could glint a kind of sympathy on Timothy's face, albeit for a while.

"Tell us what you have to say to defend this allegation against you?"

"I can't sleep because of my sad mood, and Andrea had locked the wine store and kept the key away from me."

"How did you enter the store when the door was jammed?"

"I met the door opened, and-.''

'Whack... Whack!'

"Let him be. I don't want to be indicted for murder."

"He is a thief and must have stolen the extra keys to all the rooms in this villa... Let's check his body."

"Get your goddam hands off my pockets."

'Whack!'

"Stop hitting him. I feel pity for his-."

"I said it, didn't I? Is this not a bunch of keys that open all the rooms in this villa? Andrew must be the one that stole my diamond chain."

Andrew closed his eyes and wished death would just visit him now and save him from this disgrace.

He knew Mary O'Connor did not have any diamond chain, but who would believe he wasn't a thief when the spare keys to all the rooms were found in his pocket?

"How did you come across this bunch of keys?"

"Grandpa gave it to me."

"Liar. I said you are nothing but a cheap liar. Make sure he didn't run while I called the police."

"We need to tread cautiously. Andrew is still bearing our names and it will be disgraceful when people associate a convict with us."

"I don't care. He had been stealing valuable things in this villa, and I will imprison him until he divulges where all his bounties were kept." 

"I swear before God and man. Brian gave it to me before his death."

"What have you stolen so far?"

"Nothing... Except for these two cartoons of liquor."

Mary O'Connor tried to slap the poor man on the floor, but her husband stood in the way of her thrust, held her hand and dragged her out of Andrew's room.

"If you won't allow me to beat him to death, forbade me from handing him over to the police, then don't quibble when I paid some bunch of hired goons to teach him the lesson of his life."

"He is hurt and will probably remain indoors for a month, is that not enough punishment for his crime?"

"Not to me. I will rather take care of his wound until he is fully healed than send him an errand into the midst of my disciplinary committee."

'Do what you want. Just make sure he isn't killed, at least till our shares of Brian's assets are given to us."

Mary O'Connor seemed to be agreeing to her husband's suggestion for the first time since they got married, and this promptly made the soft man grin with excitement as he was ordered to call the ambulance.

Timothy could vividly remember his dad wasn't a wealthy man by birth, nor did he amass wealth in his youth. The man was an ordinary farmer until he received a mail one day, and off he went.

Three days later, he arrived with a baby on one shoulder and a bag of dollars on the second shoulder. And that was the beginning of an abrupt rise of fortune for the country farmer.

Months later, a beautiful Villa was constructed, and lots of racy cars adorned the large grassland. And the name O'Connor was henceforth associated with riches. 

Andrew was as happy as King when he heard the sound of an ambulance. Unknown of Mary O'Connor's plan against him, the young man was cheerful when a dose of painkiller was injected into him, and he was asleep before the ambulance drove into the hospital. 

Overnight was the worst day of his life, and he had prayed for the death that never came during his trial moment. Since Nature can't be cheated, he was lost in dreamland for a very long time, and the pain in his knee lessened when consciousness returned to him. 

As expected, his consciousness also comes along with the memory of his dejected situation. 

When the alarm on the hospital wall clock chimed to announce the arrival of a new day, the forlorn man realizes this will be the thirty-two lonely birthday of his life.

How time flies!

To some, life is not a bed of roses. But to poor Andrew, his life was always filled with thorns and pains. 

To be fair to him, he had a reason to be depressed.

No wife, no child and not even a penny in his pocket.

Worst of all, his name was borrowed. 

Andrew felt like an alien in a world filled with humans, and the certainty that he would forever remain poor and alone made him soak in his tears till daylight chased the darkness away. 

"I pray Brian will give me enough share to at least make me live a comfortable life."

That is Andrew's last hope, and any disappointment from his guardian will lead him to a mental breakdown. 

"Good morning, Mr Andrew."

A man in laboratory clothing walked closer and offered a beaming smile.

"Where am I?" Andrew asked in a whisper and then frowned his face as the remembrance of what brought him here dawned on him. 

"I hope you are feeling better."

Andrew nodded in response as the physician checked the log book in his front, bobbed his head and let out, "Since there is no major fracture or dislocation, I will inform the nurses to discharge you."

"Thanks, doctor," he answered back as he stood from the hospital bed.

"You are welcome. We are always happy to give attention to the O'Connor family. Let's I forget, a man came to check on you and asked me to give this to you."

Andrew collected the wrapped packet from the doctor, stared at the strange telephone numbers, and shrugged as he put it inside his trouser's back pocket. And he was walking lamely out of the hospital when he remembered it, pulled it out, unwrapped and peeked at the credit card in his hand. 

"Excuse me please, can I use the hospital phone to make a call?"

The lady in white apparel gawked at him, and it was her respect for the O'Connor family that made her wave her left hand and let out, "Go ahead, but make it quick."

"Thanks," Andrew said, walked towards the telephone and quickly dialled the number on the package.

"Hello, this is Andrew-,"

"My lord," the voice at the other end of the line cut into his speech, paused for a while, and let out after, " "that credit card contains a million dollars, please use it to take care of yourself for a while, I will get back to you."

"Who are you?... Hello... Hello,' he gawked at the telephone in his hand, back at the credit card, and then muttered out in disbelief, "A million dollars!'