Chapter 1

"Constantly!"

"You are just an unappreciative child!"

"You always have excuses." 

"Stop thinking that you know better than us!"

"Forget your dreams, you'll just end up like most youngsters nowadays."

"Just face reality, young man" 

I looked at them absentmindedly. That's how my day always ended.  

The only thing I could do was to glance at them and bob my head as a way of acknowledging what they are explaining to me.

I kept on hearing the same thing over and over. It was similar to hearing a radio constantly repeating the exact song numerous times. 

There wasn't any need to argue with them if I spoke against them, things would escalate.

I just had to accept that I'm perpetually mistaken. 

My parents assumed that only the adults are right and the younger ones are not.

They always made all of us live in unpleasant conditions although they were both working and getting paid well.

My household included my parents, my elder brother Aaron, my sister Lucy and I was the youngest amongst the siblings. 

My sister was the nicest and most sympathetic person in my family. After school, I always ensured to spend some time with her. She never got involved in my quarrels with our parents. Lucy remained on my side, stood and defended me when there were some quarrels. However, things altered drastically when she started dating Nick. 

They both had met when they first joined college. My sister has been studying there for 2 years. It was reasonably far from our house, it took approximately 3 hours to reach there.  It would have been a hassle for her to go back and forth daily. Thus, she stayed with Nick in an apartment near their university. 

As strict as my parents are, they authorized her to live with her boyfriend. Hence, I was left on my own, the only time I got the opportunity to come across my sister was during summer vacation. Lucy had a hectic schedule, she had to work after classes to earn a few bucks to pay for her daily expenses. My parents only sent her the bare minimum for her studies and living costs. She worked as a waitress every night in a nearby bistro.  

My brother Michael, was just a presumptuous person. Both Lucy and I didn't adore the way he conversed with others or his behaviours. However, my parents expressed their affection and compassion in abundance to Michael. 

Lucy and I were both pretty much envious, we were constantly treated as foreigners that didn't pertain there. Not only us who assumed as such, on numerous occasions our uncle advised my parents to treat every child the samely. 

There was a small living room, where usually my parents would sit there and exchange with visitors. Perhaps it was the most startling part of our house. My parents always preferred showing off in front of any guests. The curtains were in golden colour with an enormous crystal clear chandelier. We also had a painting of a seaside landscape. The contrasting colour gave the masterpiece a remarkable look. It was a scene of our hometown back in the 17th century. The stage was set, everything had to be in place, clean and tidy. 

Our John, accompanied by his wife and his eight-year-old boy, showed up at my parent's house every Saturday. They came at around 11a.m and usually would leave at 5 p.m. Uncle John always dawdled patiently until everyone had finally taken seats. Dad and Uncle John would secretly rush to their car and grab a box. 

Indeed, it appeared just like a typical box, nor did it contain groceries. 

However, eventually, after a few times, we got to realize that it was a liquor bottle that they were hiding from all of us people who even gossiped about liquors. Thus, he ought not to get caught liquoring up alcohol.  

From time to time, they would drink some alcohol on days they would come across. Their strategy was quite thoughtful and ingenious, they would take their drink and go for a drive in my father's car after having lunch. 

Though, everyone thought they are just going to visit another friend of theirs who lived down that road. They also made sure to return home without being intoxicated or having a foul smell.

I'm convinced that, when they both returned from their " drink meeting", my dad would forthwith become a sympathetic and caring father. My uncle was perhaps, a credible person. 

Uncle John always took notice of what we were letting out. He was cognizant about the way my parents treated us, particularly to me. He first believed that my parents were being overprotective with both of us as we were the childish ones. As the years went by, he gradually discerned the mistreatment towards us.

Both Lucy and I reckoned of informing our uncle John if he could let both we stay at his place. However, it wasn't that easy, Uncle John's financial situation was rather problematic if he had to augment 2 more members to his household.  Aunty Ana was Uncle John's spouse. She was rather kind towards us when she did visit us, though, she was conscious about her household's income. She didn't relish it when people visited her home. All of this happened due to their current monetary situation. However, she never treated someone with contempt, she is an adorable person in her presence. 

Both uncle John and aunty Ana, were once affluent persons. They both were using up to date appliances and were being driven around in pretty much lavish vehicles. Unfortunately, their business did not remain to make considerable incomes. They ultimately shifted to our locality, as it was significantly cheaper from where they lived at. Presently, only Uncle John is working whilst aunty Ana is still rummaging for employment.  

They had their time, I frequently visited them. Uncle John adored me to bits.

Uncle John, constantly warned my parents, to be kind towards us however, nothing changed.

By that moment, I was 20 years old. On a particular day, I reached home at around 6 p.m.on a Saturday. I had started working at a restaurant as a waiter. I earned a few hundred dollars, which I usually kept for my upcoming higher studies. It was a small inexpensive restaurant. So it often got hectic there. I worked there 4 times a week, some of my shifts were in the forenoon or at night. I had no option but to work there. I appreciated when customers gave me tips because those tips enabled me to have recreation activities with my comrades and purchase gadgets. I tended not to remain at home as much as possible, it would only end with a dispute with my parents. I had enough of that, I wanted to earn as much money as possible so that I can stay on my own far from them. I have a desire to evolve as a financial advisor for a  company. I'm fully conscious that it will require funds to be able to study such courses, my parents would never pay my tuition fees. Thus, I had to work during my free time and borrow money from places to fulfil my wish.

Most of my friend's parents funded parts of their children's studies. If some parents are wealthy enough, they pay the whole tuition fees and if they are not well-off. My debts were already plenty.

"Today is the day!"

I kept repeating this sentence numerous times in my head. "Just act calmly!"

I made my mind up, it was 6 a.m on a Saturday. I was awake before everyone else. It felt odd, however, today, I must confess that I shall be leaving this house for good. I had to be prepared for the consequences, taunts I would receive.

It was me "against" my parents and my brother. My sister wasn't there on that day, things would eventually heat up. But what else am I even supposed to accomplish?

Both my parents and my brother have continuously behaved with us unfairly. Fortunately, she managed to "circumvent" that household. I remained alone there by myself.  The only emotional support I got there was my puppy when my sister was absent. My puppy had a greater impact on my current life.

I came down the stairs without making a slight fuss. Weirdly the weather took a massive turn, it went from sunny to rainy and slightly misty. Well, the weather wouldn't make a difference nor it change somebody's intention or character. 

I kept on wandering around in the living room then proceeding to the kitchen making a few laps and returning to the starting point until it would be 8 a.m. That was the time everyone would be up.

I glared at every corner of the room, the living room was rather vast, with walls covered in white followed by some patterns behind our television. It was a red-and-green illustration of butterflies. There was a certain spot I couldn't avoid gazing, it was our family picture. It was supported by our television, it was on an antique wooden table from our ancestor's generation. We kept our framed pictures, our small tv on it. The tv mostly remained undercovered with a white cloth. We would barely even watch anything on it. Although I didn't relish my moment there, I would still miss the whole house. By that time, I had barely the money to last for 7 days, still nothing in mind on where I would stay, what would I eat. Several questions were flickering in my mind, I couldn't answer any of them, however, I had no option but to leave that place promptly. The more I would dwell there, the more dilemmas I would have to face.  I had enough staying there, I was suffocating day by day. I still didn't realize how I should approach them.

They had their trademark response, an evil sarcastic laugh.

The moment arrived, they somewhat all were sat together in our living room, just in front of a Cristiano Ronaldo poster in a Real Madrid shirt during a certain final. My father and I, both adored watching football, although we both supported rival teams. We never got along when watching football either. I enjoyed collecting posters of football players and clenching them all over the walls.  

My father turned the tv, watching some worldwide news, my mother on the other side was reading a romantic novel about love and my brother was using his mobile phone meanwhile.

As soon as I started uttering, they already started exchanging looks between the three, it triggered me glancing their evil smile. I checked on my watch, I mumbled for at least a solid 5 minutes, I got absolutely no replies. Were they disrespecting what I was saying or did they agree with what I said?  I was doubtful, I didn't know if I should continue speaking or not. Perhaps, I should have just acknowledged their silence as a " yes, do what you wish!". They have always underestimated me for most things, they constantly told me I won't succeed in life.

I began exchanging looks with my mother, she was a drama queen, chatterbox, gossip queen you name it. She adores talking about others and consistently criticising others. No wonder why most of the family members didn't like her at all.

She loves adding fuel to fire any small arguments even if it's not concerning her.

There you go, the dispute began. My mother prepared her lecture,  whilst Aaron and my father were just nodding their heads in a discontented manner. My Father on the other side prepared another summary of the lecture with his twist to it. Aaron commenced murmuring absurdity.

My mother started her emotional weeping, continuously blaming me for everything. In the background, my brother was there just smiling with his evil smile throughout the whole discussion. Then my parents began their interview.

" As you have already made up your mind, where are you going to stay at?"

" So, you will just leave all of us here, after all, we did for you since you were born."

" Is that how we raised you?"

I was barely given a second to even comprehend what they were saying.

They proceeded with their infinite questions and speeches.  I just stepped back from this suffocating argument and went back to my room.

I began to throw my clothes and other equipment all in a bag. Although I still didn't think where I would stay, eat and work. My only bet was on some of my pals. Financial wise, I once again counted I had was barely enough for 5 days. I was worried, neither of my parents would even give me some money nor my family members. I phoned a few of my friends, as expected, they all refused to let me stay at their place. It was obvious, who would want to keep a burden at their home, especially in this situation.

Boom!

I heard a sudden slam, both my parents and my brother are out. I have the house for myself. I peeped out of the window, I could confirm, they were all out. I was with my dog. That must be the moment I should disappear from there. I panicked, most of my good friends declined my request. Although, I told them that it would only be for a few days until I can find a job and a place to stay that is near to my university. Only one person was left on my contacts, it was Frederick. I barely know him, we first met at a nearby shopping mall, since then we spoke on occasions.

I explained to him my problems, my upcoming plans and furthermore. Surprisingly, he didn't hesitate to host me at his home. The foremost issue was the bus fare to his hometown. One-quarter of my savings would go towards the bus fare.

I didn't oversee, I accepted the situation and went. I brought my dog along with me and my backpack. On my way out, I avoided glaring at our house. I looked left and right, no one was to be seen. I seized the opportunity of leaving that place without getting noticed by someone else. I had mixed sentiments, I felt delighted for " fleeing" from my close ones and grim to an extent because I didn't know if I will manage to survive in such circumstances.  I was told by my uncle that to succeed in life you must once suffer to reach your goals.

I kept those words secured in my heart when I was feeling anxious, I made sure to recall that quote my uncle conveyed to me.

It was a three hours drive from my house.

I held my dog on my lap throughout the whole journey.

Argh!

My body aches!

I instantly dozed off on the bus.

Even my head was aching severely!

The stress, the hassle just continued piling up. The pressure intensified. I felt like carrying an enormous mountain on my back. The first thing I did when arriving at Frederick's town, I immediately rushed to a local bar. I ate a dish that was rather famous in that region. With the remaining change from my meal, I bought some dog food for my puppy from a convenience store.

Arghh!

The town was so expensive, at this point, I will be broke in just a few days. I had no option but to dwell there. Luckily, I had already paid the tuition fees for my studies. The course I was doing, was just a few hours a day. The majority of the time, I was available. That's the moment I should seize and commence to earn a living whilst studying.

Once I arrived there, well the house looked rather abandoned and filthy. It wasn't in the best state either. As soon as I entered I remember that Frederick had a grin on his face. He greeted and welcomed me with a warm heart. 

I was completely depleted, I went into one of the rooms and completely fell asleep. I

Couldn't remember a thing on the room state or whatsoever. My dog was also kept under a roof somewhere warm enough.

I woke up with a severe headache. My stomach was rumbling because of hunger. I glanced around the room, well it wasn't remarkable. Just an old beaten down bed with a mattress full of stains. Fortunately, there was a bedsheet covering those stains. The room was rather small, just one bulb hanging in the ceiling.

"Hmm, yeah I think that's it! There's nothing more I can describe the room."

At that moment, I realised that was the beginning of my adventure. Not to forget that there will be numerous downfalls and rises. I certainly acknowledged having a roof and a bed to sleep at. I appreciated the huge efforts that Frederick did for me and my puppy.

The day began, I was starving. Apart from a banana, there was nothing else to eat. No protein shakes or cereals and milk.

Frederick's financial situation did not look that great either, I instantly noticed the worries and the way he had to cope with the bills and for food.

Sighs!

It was worrying, both of us were not financially competent.

It was around noon, throughout the whole morning I was roaming around the town, with no plans in mind. I didn't have classes to attend on that day. I felt guilty of doing simply nothing.

"I must search for a well-paying job, I just can't be strolling down the streets for mo purpose."

I returned to Frederick's place, I noticed that there was nothing to eat for lunch only those bananas that appeared to be slowly decaying. Anyone could see despair through Frederick's eyes. 

Sighs!

"Well, I think that's life for us!" I told Frederick with agony.

Frederick replied by bobbing his head.

I didn't hesitate, I went to my room, I checked how much money I had in my wallet. It was frightening, I had barely a few bucks. I took a few bucks and brought along Frederick for a lunch at an inexpensive bar. On our way there, we exchanged quite a bit, we discussed the past. Hearing Fred's past was agonizing and fascinating at the same time. He came from a long way, his work-life flourished at the start however it's slowly fading away, which can be noticed through his current situation. He had to sell most of his personal belongings to reimburse previous debts. He was a knowledgeable person and quite coherent as well. Fred was rather omniscient in the world of business. It's a good asset to have. We ordered the cheapest item on the menu.

We sat by a window seat,  we took our time while eating, we had nothing planned afterwards so we just munched small bites.

A man was sitting all by himself. The man looked to be in his 40s with a tidy beard. He was there, snacking on some fries whilst drinking some beer. He eventually lit a cigarette, indeed I saw the brand it was a Malboro pack. He approached us holding his glass of beer with one hand and with the other hand holding his cigarette.

" Afternoon youngmen, can I seat with you guys?"

" Yes, sure, Have a seat," said Frederick without any hesitation.

The man instantly turned off his cigarette and kept it away.

"Wow, what a courtesy! " I murmured to Frederick's ear.

He just smiled as an acknowledgement.

The man was a certain Richard.

Yeah, I never heard of him.

We exchanged for a while, the person was rather friendly. He mostly talked about business, jobs and the general economic situation of the country. However, it seemed to me that he perceived that we were in some difficult periods.

He was an angel sent by the Almighty.

He gave us visitor's cards to both of us.

Our first question,

"What are we going to do with it?"

He explained to us that's a company that at that needed two part-time employees.

Apparently, the owner was a close relative of Richard.

We also exchanged phone numbers, in case we would ever need him.

Well, at first we were baffled.

It was all of a sudden. We didn't expect to have a job that soon either. We thanked him for this great help. Suddenly he left the table with a smile. We looked at each other, we couldn't believe what had happened to us. Eventually, we returned home. Whilst walking on our way home, none of us talked, we were stunned about our new job. We were given an interview for tomorrow at 10 am. It wasn't far from the place we stayed at. Throughout the whole evening and night, we were anxious for our interview. We didn't want to blow out the chance of getting a job. Our financial crisis was getting heftier day by day. Our ambitions united, our goal was to become prosperous. Although being a worker wouldn't be a high paying job. However, it would help us to satisfy our needs, pay the basic bills and to be able to flourish well at university knowing that we've got food to eat at home and a place to stay at.  We needed to build that momentum and assemble our attributes so that we could evolve into wealthy people. It's a step by step cycle, though, it wouldn't be that 'easy' to attain wealth and success.

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