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2024-10-29 19:42:56Chase looked through the wallet that was in the drawer and it was empty aside from a torn 1 dollar bill.
He sighed in frustration.
"Just how broke were you Theo?" He asked aloud as he kept searching the house for anything that looked like money. He was very hungry and he knew wouldn't be able to think of anything in that state.
He had searched all over the tiny room and just as he laid down on the floor in defeat, he saw a $50 dollar bill. He quickly reached for it and grinned from ear to ear. That was the happiest he'd ever been to see $50.
He grimaced at the irony that just the previous day, he had effortlessly tipped a valet with 100 bucks and there he was, genuinely happy to see 50.
He shook off the thought as his stomach growled in protest and quickly put on a worn out brown shirt and a black flip flop that had seen better days, and headed out of the room.
He went downstairs and held tight unto the rail because the stairs looked very weak and protested with a squeak each time his weight landed on any of them.
He reach the end of the stairs and the sun shone brightly at him. He felt it was probably mocking him, because there was nothing cheerful about his life at that moment.
He walked through the street and the place seriously gave him the creeps. There were three hippies down the street and they smiled like cheshire cats when he passed them.
He shuddered.
He didn't know where he was going but he knew he had to get food. He got to the end of the street and saw a grey jeep packed carelessly on one corner of the road. The jeep looked a wreck and it looked like it had been packed and abandoned there for a while.
He studied it well, saving the image in hismind to use as a landmark when coming back so he didn't lose his way.
He looked left and right, not knowing which way to follow. He saw some ladies sitting in front of what looked like a hair salon and decided to ask where he could find a café or something, since they were staring at him anyway.
"Uhhh hi" he greeted when he approached them and one of the ladies whispered something in the other one's ear and they smiled sweetly at him.
"What was going on?" He asked inwardly.
"Look who decided to show up. Where have you been for the past two days Theo?" The one that looked like the leader amongst them asked.
"Just great. They know Theo" he thought to himself. He had to play along so they don't get suspicious.
"Uhmm around?" He offered and the girl rolled her eyes, not convinced. He wondered who she was but he didn't dare ask.
"Wanna come in for a haircut? You really need it" she said and the other girls giggled.
"No no I… I'm going to the café" he said.
"Hmm" she pouted. "Where is that annoying girlfriend of yours? I don't see her around" she said.
"Uhmm yeah uhmm, she, she, we…" he stuttered, not knowing what to say. He didn't want to say anything that would raise suspicion.
"It's fine Theo. Even married couples quarrel" she said, going closer to him and resting her hand on his chest. "That's why I'm here whenever you need me" she said flirtatiously.
"Uhmm I just need you to show me where the café is" he blurted out.
She groaned and rolled her eyes and muttered to her girls and they turned and left. "He's so strange" they said.
"Well there goes nothing" he heaved a sigh.
He looked at his landmark again and decided to go right. He walked to the end of the street and took another turn and walked till saw a tiny café.
The brown building looked like it was going to fall anytime soon but if he didn't eat, he would fall first. So he ignored the look and entered inside.
The smell of sweat mixed with coffee bean wafted into his nostrils and he scrunched up his nose, fighting the urge to puke.
The café was a very small one and it didn't house the number of people that were there presently. Everyone talked very loudly and coupled with the poor air conditioning, the room was very hot. At that moment, Chase thanked God he wasn't claustrophobic.
He walked towards the barista. She stood behind the counter, her hair tied up in two ponytails and her breasts threatening to spill out of her shirt. "I knew nothing about make up but was that green eyeshadow supposed to be there?" He thought to himself.
"Hello" she said irritably, chewing loudly on her gum while making loud balloons with it.
"Uhm I'll have a large chicken burger with fries. I'd prefer the chicken undercooked with extra mustard and a large cup of latte with whip, take out" he rushed out his order.
"For someone who looks like a beggar, you sure have a choice" she said as she sent his order to the kitchen. "That would cost you 24 dollars, 5 cents" she said, still chewing loudly.
Chase brought out the $50 dollar bill and handed to her. She looked at him skeptically like he had given her counterfeit. She looked at the bill thoroughly before she shrugged and pulled out his change from the cash register.
He had to bite down the "keep the change" that was just at the tip of his tongue. He knew he'd be toast if that money finished.
"You can sit over there and wait. Don't stand there staring at me like a moron" she said, shooing him away.
He wanted to yell at her and ask her if she knew who she was talking to but again, he bit down on his tongue, restraining himself.
He wasn't the rich Chase Andersons anymore.
He was nobody.
He sat patiently and waited for his order while he thought of the sick joke life played on him with a scowl on his face. "Out of over billions of people on earth, why did I have to take the body of a pauper?". He thought.
He groaned at the reality of what his life had become and he tried to think of how to get out of the mess.
"Order up" the Barista's unnecessarily high-pitched voice brought him out of his reverie.
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"I don't….." he began but his sentence was cut in his throat when a punch was landed on his eye. "Fuck" he screamed in pain as he felt his eyes throbbing violently. Huncho pulled out a knife and he began breathing heavily. He traced the tip along Chase's cheeks and stopped on his neck. "This is just a warning. I won't be merciful next time" he said and applied a little pressure on his hold and Chase felt blood trickling down his neck. "Let's go" he said and they left. Chase watched their retreating backs, his vision on his right eye almost shut. He managed to get back to the house and he rushed to the empty fridge and pulled out a pack of ice. He placed it on his right eye and he felt hot tears rolling down from his good eye. "Just what kind of life did this guy live?" He asked myself as the tears continued falling. He was tired. He was frustrated. He was hungry. I He was in pain. He left the pack of ice on his eye till it became numb. He couldn't feel anything but at the s
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"Quickly, place that there," the empress instructed a group of people with a bunch of flowers."Yes, Dame," they said and did as they were told."Mother, you'll only get yourself sick from all that walking around," Imelda said."My grandson is coming back today," the empress replied and continued walking around to make sure everything was in place. "Everything has to be perfect," she added."One would think we're preparing for a president's arrival," Imelda teased.The empress waved her off and continued checking the decorations."Why don't you rest?" She placed her hands on her mother's shoulders. "I'll take care of everything down here. Your grandson wouldn't be happy if he comes back and you're all stressed out," she told her."There's till a lot to be done and little time and…." The empress started."Mother….." Imelda drew out. "I'll take care of everything. Just take a nap," she told her."Are you sure?" The empress asked skeptically."Yes," Imelda assured her."Fine. Make sure t
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Quietly, she followed him into the car which was already held open for them.She smiled inwardly at all the respect he was getting because she believed he deserved nothing less, given all that he had gone through."Do you want to get ice cream?" Chase broke the silence between them after contemplating for a while.Getting ice cream after lunch or dinner had always been their thing.Evelyn was still overwhelmed from everything that had happened and had barely been able to get food past her throat."Maybe next time," she said with a polite smile.Her words made Chase happier than she knew. It meant that she was actually considering a next time with him, which only meant that that day wasn't going to be the last time they met."How did you do it?" She asked out of the blue, turning in her seat so she could face him.The partition of the car was up, so they were separated from the driver and could have any conversation without fear of being eavesdropped on."Do what?" Chase asked and arch
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Evelyn's eyes skimmed through the words on her screen again and again as she tried to understand what she was seeing.She looked up at Theo who had a small smile on his face as he watched her because he had a good idea what had her like that."Wha….what's this?" She asked with shaky hands. "Do you know about this?" She showed him the screen of her phone.He read through the email and leaned back in his seat."You know about this," she said softly. "I can't accept this," she shook her head and started to type on her phone but he gently took it away from her."Eve…" he started but she interrupted him."No, this is too much, I can't accept it," she said hurriedly."You've always wanted this," he pointed out.She reached for her phone but he kept it out of her reach."It was a dream. A dream I had no hope of fulfilling," she argued."And an opportunity has come for you to fulfill it," he countered."I can't accept this," she shook her head. Chase studied her for a few seconds without say
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"I know it was you who paid my mom's bills and helped my brother out of jail," she said softly. "I…" Chase didn't know what to say. He had tried as much as possible to hide it from her because he knew how difficult it was for her to accept help. She had done life on her own for a long time and she felt that any help rendered to her was a set up."I just want to let you know how grateful I am and I'll work as hard as I can to pay back every cent," she said and swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat.She hadn't expected her little speech to get that emotional and she wished with everything in her that he knew how grateful she was."I don't need anything back from you," he shook his head. "I didn't do any of that to get anything in return. I did it because I know how much your family means to you and you're my friend. Friends help each other in need," he told her."But I've never helped you," she said and choked on a sob."You have," he replied without missing a beat and leaned
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With a small smile and a shake of his head, Chase tucked the phone back into his pocket but not before sending a quick email to someone."Take me to Hovers," he told the driver, who nodded once and turned on the engine.The ride to Hovers was smooth in contrast to Chase's bumpy thoughts on what to say when he gets there.He hadn't expected her to reply but she did and he was going to see her.He tapped his long fingers on his knees impatiently as each second of the ride felt like a lifetime but soon, the driver was pulling outside of hovers.Hovers was a small café downtown. It was far from the whole bustle of the busy city and Chase could really pin that kind of place to Evelyn.The fresh greenery on the outside and the minimal but cozy decor on the inside was definitely her scene.He pushed the door to the welcoming space that smelled of coffee beans open and he looked around for a couple of seconds before his eyes caught her honey brown hair in a corner.He cleared his throat and r
