The Phenomenal Bryson Wyatt (The Invisible Successor)

Chapter 4

After over three minutes of silence, Bryson watched his wife sit down. He thought she had cooled down and so he put on his socks. He stood up to talk to her and she jerked up like a plane taking off, startling him.

"Where the hell are you going to? You want to go to work for a meager three thousand dollars a month?"

"Come on, Ainslie, we've got expenses to make…"

"I see you want to humiliate me more. I won't let you do that! I feel there's something dancing in your brain or maybe they are some insects in your head but I don't give a damn. Honestly, all I know is that I won't let you go work there. Get that into your thick skull."

"Enough, Ainslie, please. I'm sure the neighbors are hearing you yelling and it's not proper."

"Really? I'm yelling, huh? Why won't I? Tell me Bryson? You've shattered my hope. I'm suffering now because I married a pauper like you! Now you want to take up a job where you get only three thousand dollars a month. That's nonsense. You know I'm going to be earning twenty times of what you earn. What makes you think that your salary by the month will help us?"

"I'll save more, Ainslie."

"You'll save your whole life working as a delivery man and you still won't earn up to what I earn for three months."

"Ainslie."

"Don't call my name. You're a disgrace to other men out there, you know. You want to work as a delivery man? Seriously?"

"You know it's not my fault. You forced me to quit working at that foreign restaurant. There I earned over two times of what I'm going to be earning now. Why made me quit?"

"Because it's embarrassing! Don't you feel a little ashamed? I come there sometimes with my friends and sometimes with my seniors who give me a treat and there you will be, serving me. They got to know that you were my fiance then. Do you know how embarrassing that was for me?"

"You know it wouldn't be a big deal if you haven't lied to them about me from the beginning."

"Oh, yeah. Then I should have told them boldly - 'my fiance works in a restaurant and he's being bossed around and yelled at by customers who don't even measure up my real status and I, Ainslie, is proud of him', I should have said that right?"

"It wasn't a big deal."

"Really? Come on, Bryson,for crying out loud, you're a graduate! And you want to be working like an undergraduate. What the heck is wrong with you? You want to go work at that factory, hm? How will we survive? Your salary wouldn't even be enough to cover up my skin care expenses for a week. My family doesn't give me a dime. My Dad got my unlimited credit card blocked the moment I refused to end my relationship with you. I was cut off from my family. It's all because of you that I face all these ordeals and you can't even get a good job to meet up to my expectations."

"Its not my fault, Ainslie. I tried looking for a better job…"

"I feel you're a curse," she blurted and he went mute. "You want to start your new job, right? Just go away! Get lost, Bryson!"

She grabs his arm and pushes him to the door. He tried to talk to her but she pushed him out to the lawn and threw his shoes at him before banging the door closed.

Bryson looked around and saw some of their neighbors staring and laughing at him. He put on his shoes and ignoring them, he headed to the factory.

 Ainslie was very upset. She went to the room and pondered on how her life had turned out in the last few years. She was not in the slightest okay with it.

Later in the afternoon, she decided to go eat outside. She went to one of her favorite restaurants to spend her last bills on a good meal of her choice and after ordering for what she wanted, she asked for the bills.

"Your order cost five hundred dollars, ma'am," the water said. Ainslie's jaw dropped and she looked around before dipping her hand into her purse. She was about to take out some hundred dollar notes when someone walked up to her and tapped her.

"Hello, sister." Ainslie lifted up her head to see her younger sister, Miranda. She stared at her from head to toe, amazed by the dress she was wearing.

"Hey, Miranda, how're you doing?" She asked, pulling a smile,not really happy to see her sister.

"I'm good and…" Miranda paused when a guy walked up behind her and waved at Ainslie. "Um, Ainslie, meet my boyfriend, Chris," she introduced.

"Hello," Ainslie said and scanned the guy from head to toe.

"Nice to meet you, Ainslie," Chris said and she nodded, still checking him out. Her sister faked a cough, snapping her out.

"Hey, sister, I know your husband, Bryson, had never looked this dashing as Chris here but it's okay. After all, you know he's worthless but you married him." Miranda shrugged. Ainslie couldn't utter a word.

"Oh, she's the one you told me about who got married to a pauper, right, babe?" Chris asked and Miranda nodded, pouting at Ainslie.

Ainslie adjusted in her seat, getting upset and feeling uncomfortable. She couldn't believe that her sister would talk about her ill luck to her boyfriend.

"I told her back then, you see, but, Chris z she didn't listen. What could we have done? What could I have even done? She was blinded by love and she went on to marry him, believing all his cheap lies."

"But that's bad. Ainslie, you look good but not as great as I think you were before you got married. And if I was you, Miranda, I wouldn't let my elder sister get married to a pauper. I'm sure you'll be greatly humiliated."

"Yes. Most places I go, people identify me easily and say -'That's her. Her brother-in-law is a pauper and that's why I don't go out without sunglasses so I can't be recognized. It's so unfortunate that I'm tagged to a pauper because my sister stupidly married him. It's done, nothing else can be done about it." Miranda shrugged.

Ainslie hung her head, avoiding their gazes in shame. She begged God that the 

ground should open and swallow her for the humiliation she was receiving from her younger sister was unbearable for her but her request wasn't answered by God.

"Look, people are starting to look at us. I bet they've realized that Ainslie is connected to me. Let's leave for a better restaurant now, Chris. I wouldn't even have a sip of water here."

"Alright. See you some other time, Ainslie," Chris said. Miranda took a step to leave but stopped and beckoned at the waiter.

"You are having lunch here, right?" She asked Ainslie who only nodded. "Oh, alright. I'll just pay for it…"

"No," Ainslie said, standing up. She glanced at the waiter who had stretched out his hand to collect the bills from Miranda and he quickly dropped his hand.

"What do you mean, Ainslie? I want to do you a favor. The least you can do now is accept favors."

"No. I've not stooped to that level. I'll pay for my food," Ainslie said and her sister watched her as she took out a thousand dollar note and shoved it into the hand of the waiter. "Keep the change." She took her purse on the table and turned to face her sister with a stiff jaw.

"I'm sure you would like to have some light food at the restaurant you're heading to next. You can have this." She gave her sister another thousand dollars note. "Get something nice there. Trust me, Miranda, this note isn't as fake as your new nose."

Miranda gasped and Ainslie smirked. She waved at Chris and left the restaurant without having the meal already served to her.

When she arrived home, she slumped on the couch and checked her purse. She frowned upon knowing that she had less than a thousand dollars in her purse. She regretted not having the meal when she imagined her stomach grumbling but the feeling went away the very next minute when she recalled the humiliation her younger sister gave her.

"I better starve than get so humiliated. It's all because of Bryson that I had to tolerate her before standing up after I couldn't take it anymore."

She thought of going over to the restaurant to get her change because she knew the five hundred dollars would come in handy for her but she shoved the thought when she thought of how embarrassing it would be to go there and asked for her change after leaving with pride.

A lot of things went on in her head for a moment until her phone rang. It was a call from her mother and she didn't hesitate to answer it.

"Hello Mom."

"How're you doing, Ainslie?"

"Um…I…"

"I know you're not doing good. I have no expectations of that lowlife husband of yours. I just called to invite you for a party we're hosting tonight at the house. You can clear your head a bit if you come. Will you come?"

"I would love to, but …father is…"

"Don't worry. He's not against you coming."

"Really? I'll come then. Time?"

"The party starts by 7 pm."

"Okay. I'll be there."

"Bye." Ainslie shrieked when her mother ended the call. She thought about Bryson and her excitement vanished. She wondered if he would agree to come with her but after a while of pondering, she came up with an idea and promised herself to get him to follow her to the party.