“I will pay you back all that I owe, so give me one week, sir,” an elderly man was begging at Tyler’s feet. He was seventy years old, and his hair was all white and messy.Tyler the Collection King was eating roasted chicken legs, with half-a-dozen men in his back. His wife was also massaging his shoulders and putting chicken pieces in his mouth.“If I give you one week, then some other idiot will take you as an example and ask for a one month extension next time,” Tyler slapped the old man’s face with his foot.“Honey, elder abuse isn’t a good thing,” Tyler’s wife tried to control him.“Sorry babe, but I hate these losers,” Tyler blurted, “who take money with a big smile on their faces and then cry a river when they are asked to pay it with interest.”“Yes, but Elder Tom is an upright man,” Tyler’s wife reasoned. “If he can’t pay within one week, he’ll definitely let us take his tuition home.”“Oh…” Tyler’s gaze shifted to Tom. “Will you, Tom? You don’t make much from your math tuiti
Viola was chatting random things to Elora until the maid Rekha left. Afterward, she started asking some personal questions.“Mom, you haven’t told me how you met Dad,” Viola asked. “Please tell me.”Elora pursed her lips. Viola generally called her Aunt, but when she wanted a favor, she would call her Mom. “I’m not your Mom, though.”“Yes, but my Mom isn’t Brother Russell’s mom either, but he still calls her Mom, doesn’t he?”“You sure have a glib tongue,” Elora sighed. “Alright. I’ll tell you, but don’t spread it to others.”“I promise I won’t tell anyone, even Brother Russell.”“Good. It was actually a little special, our first meeting,” Elora thought back to the time when she first came to this country. “A couple of local men started talking to me and were trying to take me to their place. They were very polite, and I believed them, but then Arnold came and told those men to leave. I didn’t understand what was going on until he told me that they were actually planning on doing bad
After Tyler kicked him, Tom fell on the floor and bruised the base of his palm. Still, he was glad that his wrist wasn’t broken because he couldn’t afford the treatment costs let alone pay for his wife’s treatment.“Mr. Tyler!” Russell raised his voice, surprising Tyler. “He’s old enough to be your dad. How can you slap and kick someone like him?”“He cost me 100 dollars,” Tyler retorted. “What I did is too little, Brother.”“Tsk,” Russell shook his head and then helped Tom get up. He also picked up the album and walked together with Tom.“Brother, where are you going?” Tyler couldn’t help but ask.“By hurting this old man whom I have given a chance, you indirectly mocked me,” Russell replied. “How can I stay in a place where I get mocked?”Tyler’s heart skipped a beat. He scuttled over and grabbed Russell’s bicep. “Please stop. I made a mistake. I acted without thinking. I will never repeat something like this. I’m sorry.”“You should apologize to him,” Russell uttered.Tyler’s expre
“All professional sports are rigged?” Russell didn’t believe it. “Don’t you think you’re exaggerating things?”“Actually, I only touched the tip of the iceberg,” Tom confidently replied. “Sports and other entertainment exist to keep the masses occupied and divided. The government doesn't want the people to focus on it, after all. That’s why they keep pressing our shoulders down, burdening us with our jobs and ever-increasing prices of products and services.”Russell and Tyler still looked the same.“It’s not just sports. Most elections are rigged as well,” Tom added. “There’s too much at stake for those in power to lose control, which is why they give the illusion of freedom to the people so they won’t bare their claws at the elites and the government and work like obedient citizens. They make the public believe that the professional games are genuine when they’re not. They are the reason why the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. It’s unfortunate, but the world has long t
“What type of girls do you like?”Tyler knew straight away that this was a question that didn’t come out of Nancy’s mind. It was probably Julien who sent her up and told her to ask Russell a few questions. Now, Tyler looked at Russell with wide eyes, wondering how he’d respond. In the worst case, he might find Nancy’s words offensive. Tyler would then have more to lose, having already invested so much on the Bennett family.“I…” Russell looked up at Nancy who was smiling softly. “I’m married, and my wife is the only woman I love.”His response strengthened her smile, and she left.Tyler breathed a sigh of relief. (Whew… I’m glad nothing happened.)Tom, on the other hand, looked at Russell in a bit of a different light. He wasn’t expecting such an answer from this young man. (He’s loyal to his wife. I hope she is also like him.)The soccer match continued. Both sides had almost equal amounts of possession of the ball and made attempts to goal. However, no side managed to score a goal.
Even though Tyler collapsed, neither Russell nor Tyler cared to wake him up right now for different reasons.Russell was overjoyed. He ended up hugging Tom. “You did it! You really did it!”“I told you that I would,” Tom was casual about it.“You did, but I honestly didn’t think it’s possible,” Russell’s face was glowing. “I don’t know exactly how you did it, but I don’t care. We won 25,000 dollars. I need 11,000 only. You should also take 11,000, and I’ll give the remaining 3000 to Tyler.”Tom was surprised. “I don’t need it.”“But you’re the reason I earned this much, so if I don’t pay you anything, I can’t take this money, either,” Russell retorted, making Tom frown. “How much money do you have to pay Tyler?”“More than 40,000 dollars with interest,” Tom bitterly said.Russell went silent. (He just made 25,000 from just 20 dollars. If he wanted, he could have earned 40,000 dollars easily, but he must have his reasons for not doing it.) “So, Mr. Tom, you can pay that 11,000 to Tyler
“Amanda and I took the influenza vaccine about a week before that incident happened,” Tom explained in a bitter tone.“Are you sure about this?” Russell asked, still looking shocked.“She got Alzheimer’s shortly after she took a flu shot,” Tom stressed his words. “I fought the company that made the vaccine, but they have legal immunity, so even if I file a case against them in the court, I will lose. Forget about the court, even my own son kicked us out because his wife couldn’t bear to have an Alzheimer's patient in the house.”“Legal immunity?”“Yes. It turns out that most of these vaccine manufacturing companies have that.”“Huh? That doesn’t make sense.”“It will if you know that there’s a hidden agenda behind it,” Tom clenched his fist.“Hidden agenda?” Russell was intrigued. “What are you talking about?”Tom exhaled audibly before patting Russell’s shoulder. “Even if I tell you everything, you might not believe it. However, just listen to this one advice I have for you. Don’t bl
Viola harshly slapped Russell on the back and ran away, giggling.Russell smiled angrily. It was obvious that she wanted him to chase her, but he just wasn’t in the mood. He came and sat by his mother’s bed.“Mom, how are you feeling now?” Russell gently touched Elora’s forearm. There was swelling underneath the arm, both due to inflammation as well as water accumulation.“So-so. Viola is making me talk too much,” Elora softly said, while resting on the bed. “Too much talking is stressing my heart.”Russell’s heart ached when he sensed the pain his mother’s voice. He knew that his mother would feel pain in the heart if she were to just bend her body a little. Even living a normal life was not proving possible for her, which frustrated him more than anything as all he wanted for her was to live a healthy, happy life. There were many nights when he suddenly woke up because he had the nasty dream of his mother dying from a heart attack. “I can’t tell her to leave. She’ll cry.”“So, you’r