Next Step

The voice note's intended message for Max couldn't be any clearer. The message could be understood from the voice note's final few words alone.

Max's girlfriend, Alice, wanted to end their relationship, but she wasn't just saying it; she had already done so and was just telling him.

Since the voice note he just listened to was recorded several minutes before the message Max sent to his ex-girlfriend on Facebook, it is obvious that their breakup was not caused by the fact that Max informed her of his dismissal from his job.

This was sufficient for him to understand that the decision to break up with him had been considered before. What then led to his ex breaking up with him if the news of his dismissal wasn't the reason?

The voice note from his ex did include the explanations for the decision to end the relationship, but Max thought they were complete BS.

One of the main factors that contributed to the breakup was a lack of attention. According to Max's ex, he has been so preoccupied with his life that he was unable to give her the time and attention she required.

But in a relationship that had been going on for five years, what kind of attention was she still seeking? As if that wasn't enough, Max could just about make out a man's voice near the end of the voice note.

The fact that Alice's home was close to an airport meant that by the time she sent him this message, she was still at home, and based on the way things were going, she was at home with another man. It's possible that Max was being overly paranoid, but he would never mistake the familiar plane sound that he usually hears in his Alice home.

Max wasn't so stupid as to not understand what was going on there if he was right in his assumptions.

Max furiously slammed his fist on the desk next to him when his train of thought got to this point, but he was met with pain from hitting the wood with bare hands.

"F*ck!" Max swore while holding the injured hand he had used to strike the table. It was a little swollen but Max was able to control his rage thanks to the pain in his hand.

Max had goals for the future with his ex-girlfriend, Alice, because he genuinely liked, no, loved her. He wouldn't have maintained the relationship for five years if he hadn't truly loved her.

After all, he was in the United States. Even though there was always that someone available nearby, he insisted on remaining loyal to a fault.

Max sighed and sank deeper into the wooden chair he was sitting on as he reflected on his breakup with Alice and some of the memories he had shared with her over the previous five years. At this point, his hand's pain has subsided.

Max loved his ex-girlfriend Alice, but even though they broke up, even though it was unintentional, it wasn't enough to make him hurt himself.

His life was miserable today, to put it simply. A petty person caused him to lose his job, which was his only means of support up until that point. He also had to spend all the money he had on him to have his car towed when it broke down on the road, and his girlfriend of five years had just dumped him. The fact that they all took place on the same day was a feature of all of these events.

It was okay though as Max was not the type to worry too much about the past, so after writing his ex-girlfriend Alice an "I hope you enjoy life" message and deleting her number from his phone, Max got up from his chair and went downstairs to the kitchen after plugging his phone back in.

Even though Max's decision to delete his ex-girlfriend Alice's number from his phone might appear hasty given the possibility that she wasn't acting as he thought she was, the fact is, what was he even going to talk about with someone who is now his ex?

Nothing, so why bother keeping her number when it will only make him feel worse?

Over a plate of hot noodles that he had just made, Max reflected on the direction his life was taking. He could already picture the outcome of having to sell his possessions to survive.

It could be his accessories, electronics, or even the house. At this point, Max's back was almost up against the wall.

Poverty was truly not a good situation to live in.

Max ate his meal to satisfy his hunger, then went to the kitchen to wash his plate. Once that was done, he returned to the room to work on his computer.

It was better to say he was going to look for job offers online than to say he was going to work on his computer. He had expectations of being able to see something as this was how he obtained his previous job.

Max graduated from college, so he should have had a lot of job options. However, his second-class grades made it unlikely that he would find employment.

Given that he barely passed it, the second class was even on the lower end.

It wasn't his fault and he wasn't stupid, but during the challenging period of his life, Max didn't really have the time to concentrate on school once more but rather on how to thrive.

Many first-class graduates, in contrast to him, were out on the streets looking for work, and if they were having trouble getting a job, who was he to claim he could do better?

His options were therefore limited to odd jobs or positions in the private sector, just like his previous position.

Even after spending several hours until it got dark outside looking for a job offer online, Max was sadly destined to be met with disappointment.

The job offers he saw either paid too little to support him and meet his needs, or they were too high level for him.

In any case, since it was only his first attempt, Max wasn't too disappointed that he couldn't find a job offer for him. The best outcome would be if he could find someone willing to listen to him, but if not, he would have to ask for help for his friends—something he had never wanted to do in his life despite all of his difficulties. He would keep looking until tomorrow morning.

Max was not a proud person to ask for help and apart from having the fear of rejection and fear of appearing incompetent, Max was a person who had difficulties expressing his needs to another person.[1]

This is one of the reasons he hasn't asked any of his friends for assistance since being fired and deciding to handle things on his own first, but Max was aware that at this point, the likelihood of him doing so was high.

Simply put, there were too many people in the world and not enough jobs for them to take.

Max turned to check the time on his computer after closing the tab he had just opened and saw that it was twenty minutes after nine, which was already quite late. However, Max wasn't even in the mood for his daily runs, so it didn't matter.

Right now, Max just wanted a drink to calm his nerves and stop thinking, period.

Fortunately for him, he still had a few bottles at home, so he didn't have to go out and buy one when the money he had in his hands was already so little. Max made his way downstairs after turning off his computer's internet connection and making sure his phone was still charging. After selecting a bottle of Bacard's Superior White Rum which cost only $10 in the area he was in, Max went to the living room and turned the television on while turning up the volume to the loudest.

He wasn't paying attention to what was happening and just wanted some background noise in his home while he drowned his sorrows in alcohol.

*******

[1]Fear of rejection: Asking for help can make people feel vulnerable and exposed. They worry that their friends will say no, or that they will be judged for needing help in the first place. This fear of rejection can prevent people from reaching out to their friends for support.

Pride: Some people have a hard time asking for help because they see it as a sign of weakness. They may feel that they should be able to handle their problems on their own, or that asking for help is a sign of failure. This pride can prevent people from seeking the assistance they need.

Fear of appearing incompetent: People may be hesitant to ask for help because they fear that doing so will make them appear incompetent or incapable. They worry that their friends will view them as less capable or intelligent if they need assistance with something.

Difficulty expressing needs: Asking for help requires a certain level of communication and vulnerability. Some people may struggle with expressing their needs and emotions, making it difficult for them to ask for help when they need it.