“Yuval and I might break up at any moment.” As Yuval was introduced to me by her friend, I should inform her about our current condition.
Natalie was startled and asked anxiously, “Why? You are in a stable relationship with him at the moment, aren’t you? Why did you talk about breakup all of a sudden?”
“I have told him about my family condition. Since I’m planning to get married to him, I mustn’t keep it from him. He will know about it sooner or later too,” I explained to Natalie the reason I told Yuval everything.
If Yuval and I ended up having a breakup because of my family conditions, it would be quite a disappointment. Nevertheless, he had the right to make his choice. It would be inappropriate to drag him down by being secretive to him.
“Anna, why are you so impulsive? You shouldn’t have told him about that now!” Natalie looked at me disapprovingly.
“Well, he will get to know about it sooner or later. I can’t hide it from him forever too. If I didn’t choose to tell him earlier, it’s still kind of deceiving too. It’s unfair for him if he only found out after we got married. After all, he has the right to make a decision.” I smiled bitterly.
Natalie was apparently feeling desperate on behalf of me. Even so, it was undeniable that I had a problematic family. There was no way for me to sweep it under the table.
“I didn’t mean that you have to hide it from him forever. Yet, it’s still not the right timing to tell him about it. You should have held it till your relationship with him stabilizes. When your feelings toward each other are nurtured over time and better developed, I’m sure he will be able to accept it better by then.” Natalie let out a deep sigh and shook her head.
“Anyway, there’s no point to cry over spilled milk. The decision lies in his hands now. It’s up to him whether he still intends to continue seeing me.”
Undeniably, Natalie had a point. Nonetheless, there was no turning back for me at the moment. On top of that, I did not wish to be deceitful in a relationship.
“Anyway, I just hope that he won’t disappoint us by making the decision to break up with you. If he does that because of your family condition, it implies that he’s not worthy for you.” Natalie patted my shoulder gently and comforted me.
We decided to drop the subject and put the frustrating matter out of our minds. After having dinner with Natalie, I went to bed right away.
I neither met Yuval nor received any calls from him in the following two days. It convinced me even more that my instinct was right. Our relationship was really coming to an end. Unexpectedly, I was feeling more relieved despite the disappointment of losing an ideal candidate as my future spouse.
In the evening, my phone rang again when I stepped out of the office building after work. I glanced at the name blinking on my phone screen instinctively. To my dismay, it was a call from my mom.
At the sight of her name, it crossed my mind that she must be calling me again regarding Steven’s debt. Even though I was reluctant to answer the call, I felt that I should grab the chance to talk it out with her so she would not rely solely on me again. I did not feel like helping Steven anymore after sacrificing for him numerous times. In addition, I really could not afford to pay off such a large sum of debt.
“Hello, Mom.” I answered the call and greeted placidly.
“Anna, no matter what, you must come to your brother’s rescue this round. This morning, the debt collectors were here again. They threatened to break Steven’s leg if we fail to settle the debt by tomorrow night. I really don’t know what to do now! We can’t let Steven end up having a broken leg! Anna, can you please try to help your brother again?” On the other end of the line, my Mom wailed as she pleaded with me.
My heart ached as she pleaded with me anxiously. After all, blood was thicker than water. I could not just turn a deaf ear to her, even if she tended to favor Steven, who was the apple of her eye.
“Mom, I’m not able to help Steven this round. I’m troubled by financial problems too…”
Even if I felt like helping him, I could not afford it. I am almost broke and did not have much money left. Where can I get such a large sum of money?
“Anna, can you please try to help Steven? He doesn’t even dare to come home now. After all, he’s still the only son in our family. If anything happens to him, how am I supposed to survive with your dad?” My mom broke into tears.
A wave of mixed emotions crept into my heart when I heard her sobbing. How could I have the heart to reject her? It’s sort of unfilial for me to do that.
“Let me try to look for a solution. How much are you still short of at the moment?” I softened and asked her.
Even if I myself was short of money at the moment, I did not have the heart to see my parents endure the stress. Dad still has heart disease. What if he has a heart attack because of this? I can’t take the risk and let it happen!
Needless to say, Steven would not learn his lesson easily. I would not be surprised if history repeated itself later. Even then, I could not ignore him because of my parents.
I could hear my Mom heave a sigh of relief upon hearing my reply. “We are still short of one hundred and ten thousand. Anna, no matter what, you have to transfer the money to us by tomorrow night. We are in need of the money to save your brother,” she reminded me desperately.
My mom’s mind was occupied by Steven all the time. She did not even spare any thoughts on my current situation and how I obtained money to settle the debt.
I hung up the phone in exasperation and started to scratch my head. At the moment, I only had about less than one hundred with me. I could not think of any wealthy friends who could lend me the sum of money.
Scrolling the contact list on my phone, I almost called Natalie to try my luck and check if she had any ideas on the solution. Finally, I changed my mind not to trouble her again.
Natalie had helped me a lot all this while, so I should not make her life difficult again. Moreover, she was just a common wage-earner like me, and most probably could not afford to lend me the sum too.
I put my phone back into my handbag and took a cab back to Natalie’s place. One hundred and ten thousand was indeed an overwhelming figure for me. My head started to throb again at how I could obtain the sum.
Back in Natalie’s place, I spent time calling my ex-classmates one by one to borrow money from them. Nevertheless, after leaving school and started working, I seldom kept in touch with those close friends during my school days all this while. The moment they sensed my purpose of giving them a call, all of them gave excuses that they could not help me. It was highly challenging to look for someone who would be willing to lend me money at this critical time.
After making several phone calls, I grumbled and tossed my phone hopelessly on the bed. I was discouraged as I did not expect that none of my ex-schoolmates would be willing to lend me money. As another wave of helplessness swept over me, I was becoming more anxious.
All of a sudden, my phone rang again. In an instant, my eyes sparkled with anticipation, hoping that it would be a call from an old friend who offered to lend me money. However, my heart sank when I saw Michael’s name blinking on the screen of the phone.
What again? Right that instant, I did not have any mood and lacked the energy to deal with him. Fearing that the domineering man would put me in a tight spot in the office the next day, I answered the call reluctantly.
“Mr. Shaw, are you aware what time it is now? Is there anything urgent at this hour?” I could not resist but ask sarcastically. To me, he was my mightiest foe at the moment.
