Made The Right Choice

"I'm sorry, but you are sacked from duty today onwards," Those were the words Jackson heard as he was handed the rest of the month's pay.

He just couldn't believe it and stood there, his feet stuck to the ground as the captain went back to going through the documents on his desk.

"Why," He asked, his brain still trying to comprehend what was going on. Jackson had been a faithful worker and a guard and for him to be fired out of nowhere just didn't make sense to him. This was the best job that he had ever had and the pay was huge as well, he just couldn't lose it like that.

"Why?" The captain glanced up at him and chuckled. Without saying anything, he reached for his laptop and pressed a few keys and the next thing Jackson knew, he turned the laptop to him and he saw the video of himself.

Jackson could remember that day clearly, he had been so pressed that he asked his partner to take his place and left to fulfill the call of nature.

"Wait a minute, you are firing me because I left to take a leak?" He couldn't believe it.

"Because you left to take a leak at the wrong time," The captain corrected him sternly.

However, Jackson couldn't accept that he had been sacked just like that and defended himself, "But I asked my partner to take my place and nothing happened while I was away."

"But It could have happened while you were away," He pointed out a possibility that didn't happen and wouldn't happen.

The captain went on, "I don't know what you think of the young master Gabriel's safety, but mistakes would not be tolerated and you have been dismissed."

"But captain -" He tried to complain but the man gave him a cutting look and he held back his words immediately.

"Thank you then," Jackson gave up when it became obvious to him that nothing he said today would change his mind. He had to accept that he was sacked from duty.

But even as he left the Alistair residence, Jackson still felt wronged. Although it was just three years since he began to work, he had literally devoted his life to guarding Gabriel Alistair and his home.

He worked harder than the others even while it was unnecessary just to be noticed and be promoted. But what did he get in return? He was sacked from his work just because he didn't pee during pee time. It sounded utterly ridiculous.

God, what was he going to tell his mother and younger siblings that depended on his money to survive? They were the reason why he worked hard to be noticed to get the promotion he deserved. While other guards observed their leaves, he never took them unless it was necessary. He worked hard just to get noticed. Well, he indeed got noticed for peeing at the wrong time and got fired for it.

The other guards were going to laugh at him once they heard this, but he wouldn't know that since he was leaving. But Jackson could already imagine their laughing faces, they had always been jealous of him because he was a hard worker. They assumed his hard work was snobbery and just didn't understand why he needed that work so much. Well, it didn't matter anymore, did it?

Jackson couldn't avoid his family forever, and he had enough time to think on the bus to his place. For now, he couldn't tell his family that he was sacked and would think of an alternative to provide for the family. So he returned to his apartment where he lived alone and laid down. Now that he thought about it, he wasted three years of his life working for someone that didn't appreciate him, he didn't even have a girlfriend; Jackson was bitter.

After washing up and calming his head, he decided that it was time to go see his family that he didn't have time for because of his job. Since his mother lived in the same city as him, all it took him was a taxi and almost an hour to get to their place thanks to rush hour.

His family lived in a fairly decent neighborhood, at least, it was a better achievement than his father's when compared to the slums they lived in in the past. His father was a drunkard who did nothing but merely donate the sperm that created him. His upbringing and that of his siblings were none of his business. Everything that Jackson was today was a result of his hard work - and his mother's as well.

The woman worked hard to give him a comfortable life amid the abuse she went through at the hands of her husband. So when his father died, no one shed a tear for him, except perhaps his mother - he couldn't understand why she would love a man like that. To Jackson, all he could think was good riddance! Everyone in the family could finally breathe, but at the same time, that automatically made him the breadwinner as the first son and child. So yes, they were the reason he worked so hard.

Standing at the entrance, Jackson knocked on the door twice before it was opened by a pretty curvaceous woman who let out a joyful scream as soon as she laid eyes on him.

"Mother!"

"Jackson, my boy!" The woman pulled him into a warm embrace, smoldering him with her affection.

"What a surprise!" His mother couldn't believe her eyes. It had been a long time since she laid her eyes and Jackson felt a bit guilty. Merely sending money for their upkeep was not enough, they were his family.

"Brother!" His younger sister was the first to notice him before the others and he quickly came inside else they tackled him to the ground. The porch was the last place he desired to fall because it would hurt like a bitch.

His family was a big one considering he had five siblings, plus himself, bringing them to a total of six. Getting drunk was the only habit his old man had as well, but knocking up his wife was his hobby too. He never cared about the number of children and the availability of resources to give them a better future. No, his late father didn't. And if he were to think further, Jackson suspected the old man might have forcibly had his way with their mother at a point. But then, it was all in the past.

"I have to thank the God who finally brought you to our doorstep today," His mother said to him.

"Don't worry, you'd see more of me these days," Jackson hinted at the fact that he had been sacked. But then, they didn't need to know. He would find another job as soon as possible and continue to cover their expenses.

"You came right on time child because we were about to have dinner,"

His mother told him right before his siblings circled and bugged him for more stories on the masked CEO. His siblings knew that he worked for Gabriel Alistair and they had an obsession with him, wanting to know if he was human at all or a monster like the others described him.

Unfortunately, Jackson had just been fired by the same CEO that they were obsessed with - although not directly, but still yet - and he was not in the mood to give positive reviews about him. If anything, he was in the mood to confirm that he was a monster like the others claimed. However, he was saved by his mother inviting him to the table.

"You know I was thinking of you the other day and how nice it would be for you to settle down," His mother brought up the issue of marriage at the table and one should see the way his face went pale. Perhaps, this was the other reason he dreaded home.

What lady in this present age and sophisticated world would settle down with a jobless man like him with family problems? Unfortunately, this was not a movie where he could fall in love with the president's daughter and his problems are over. No, this was reality and his reality is full of responsibility.

"Settling down is not exactly on my radar at this moment." He answered grumbly.

His mother reached out and touched his hand, saying, "I married when I was twenty,"

"Yeah, and ended up with a drunkard who left you with six kids and no establishment." Jackson sassed in his mind because he didn't want to hurt her feelings. But the truth is that he indirectly blamed her for their situation. And that was why he was not going to marry and put his wife through the stress of poverty.

"I'm not thirty yet, mother, I'm barely Twenty-five and marriage is the last thing on my mind. I need to take care of you guys first," He smiled at her.

"Aww, that's my sweet pie." She patted his back proudly.

The supper went well and after a handful of advice from his mother, Jackson went back home. Although, he did stop at a store to purchase bottles of beer. Tonight, he planned to get himself drunk and drown his sorrows - it was his own way of relieving the stress. And when tomorrow comes, he will go find a job.

Things were going well for Jackson until he entered his room and was about to reach for the light switch when he stopped. Something was not right, he could feel it in the air. He was not alone, someone was here with him. Jackson had to think quickly knowing that the intruder already knows he was back home and delaying the inevitable would only give him reason to suspect that he was already aware of his presence and that was not good.

The intruder probably thought he had the element of surprise and knowing that it had been taken away from him might seem lethal for Jackson who had nothing to defend himself with except for the bottle of beer in hand. Well, good point.

Hence, the moment Jackson turned on the light, he was prepared to hurl one of the bottles at the target only for him to halt his plans at the last minute, his jaw dropping to the ground as he took in the intruder.

What the hell?

No, what in the name of God was Gabriel Alistair doing in the middle of his living room by this time of the night? He must be dreaming or something. But when Jackson pinched his thighs, the pain was real.

What was Gabriel Alistair doing in his home?

"I thought you were never going to turn on the light," Gabriel said to him with his familiar low voice, "I knew I made the right choice."