Debt Payments

Seven days later.

Adoora was already discharged from the hospital based on the go signal of her attending physician who was amazed by her speedy recovery. After the surgery, there was no complication, making Irene and the entire family happy and deeply relieved.

The mother and daughter duo can be seen in the kitchen preparing the ingredients for the chicken curry, their special dish for lunch.

"Daughter, let's just go home. I want to go back to the ancestral house within this month so that we don't have to continue renting this place any longer. Besides, I don't want to wait anymore. I'm eager to go back there even if there's renovation going on. I miss that place so much!" Adoora said, misty-eyed.

Irene processed her mother's suggestion slowly.

Silence fell upon them for a few seconds.

Adoora looked at her daughter. "Why are you hesitating? The men can make repairs all over the house, the children and I will make sure we stay out of their way so that the workers can finish their job quickly..."

"Mother, why are you in a hurry? You can continue staying here for a few months until the renovation is finally completed. I'm sure that you won't like the noise when the men start tearing apart those crumbling structures," Irene said, worrying about her mother's health. A noisy place is not good for her mother's complete recovery from her surgery.

Adoora released a deep sigh. "I don't like staying here anymore..." she said, biting her lip in agitation.

Irene saw the lines of worry on her mother's forehead, she asked, "What is it, Mother? Tell me? Is there someone pestering you while I'm not here?"

Adoora took a deep breath. "Those people still come here every other day to collect the payments of debts left by your stepfather. Every time they come to our doorsteps, I feel guilty and terrified as well," she explained.

Irene groaned. She smacked her head with her hand. Damn! Why did she have forgotten that those people collecting payments of debts made by her stepfather will never stop unless they will get their money back? "I'm sorry, Mother. I almost forgot about them," she said.

"You don't have to worry about me and the children, we can always stay in the basement while the men will perform repairs around the house. The basement is the most convenient place for us to stay while the repair is underway," Adoora explained, trying to convince her daughter that leaving this rented place is good for them, especially for the state of her mind.

Irene looked at her mother. "Alright, just give me two weeks so that I can hire the men who will make immediate repairs to the room on the second floor. Is that okay with you, Mother?"

Adoora's eyes lit up. "Fine with me. Two weeks then," she said.

"You and the children will occupy the rooms upstairs on the second floor while I'm going to stay in the basement. That will be my place from now on," Irene said. She needs to keep the basement safe, off-limits from other people's interference including her mother and siblings.

Adoora's brows furrowed. "Why would you like staying in the basement? Why not on the second floor?" she asked, confused.

Irene smiled. "I just like staying in the basement, Mother. Please don't ask me anymore, I just like that place and I want it to be my room and my private space," she elaborated further.

Adoora picked up the chicken cutlets and put them in the drainer. She washed the chicken under the running water in the sink. "Okay, as you wish. I will no longer ask you about the basement. Go now, watch TV with your siblings while I cook the chicken curry."

"I don't like watching TV. I would rather stay with you in the kitchen. I like watching you while you're busy cooking our meals, Mother," Irene stated.

Adoora smiled and went to her daughter's side, she planted a kiss on her forehead. "Thank you, daughter, for everything," she said and resumed her cooking.

Irene looked at her mother lovingly. "Thank you for always being a wonderful mother to me and to my siblings. I love you, Mom!" she said, her heart was bursting of love for her mother.

Adoora looked at her firstborn, tears shimmered in her eyes. "I love you more, daughter!"

The mother and daughter smiled at each other, their hearts filled with gladness and happiness.

Adoora saute the herbs and spices on the frying fan then added the chicken cutlets.

The delicious aroma of the herbs and spices filled the tiny kitchen.

Irene gathered the dirty utensils and washed them in the sink. She looked at her mother. "Mom, can you make a list of those people who keep coming here to collect debts payment and the corresponding amount that my stepfather owed them," she said.

"Why?" Adoora asked.

"I want to pay the money that my stepfather owned them. Some of these people are not even rich, to begin with. I want to return the money to them so that they can finally move on with their lives instead of repeatedly coming here to collect debts despite the debtor is already dead. Which means one thing, they really do need the money. If they're rich enough they won't come back here to collect payments," Irene explained.

Adoora was silent for a moment. "Do we really have to pay them?" she asked.

"Of course! I want to settle our debts and everything before we leave this place," Irene said. "Now that we already have lots of money there is no reason not to pay our debts," she added.

Adoora smiled. "I got your point. Thank you, daughter!"

Irene planted a kiss on her mother's forehead. "No need to thank me, Mother dear."

One hour later.

The dishes were finally cooked to perfection. The family gathered around the table to eat their delicious meals.

After lunch was over.

"Mother, I'll go out of the house today to sell more golden nuggets. When I return here I want to know how much the total debts that we have to settle so that we can begin paying the neighbors, for our peace of mind," Irene said.

"Okay. Do I have to include those who already stop coming here?" Adoora asked.

"Yes, please include them on the list. We need to pay them as well," Irene responded.

"Alright, I'll make a list. There will be a total of twenty people here in our neighborhood, and the big one is a gang leader claiming that your stepfather owed them half a million dollars. I'm not sure if it's truth or not," Adoora said, feeling ashamed of what her late partner has done.

Shocked, Irene's eyes grew saucer like. "Huh? That's too big amount? Why didn't I know about it?" she asked, feeling horrified.

Adoora sighed and looked at the window. "I didn't tell you about it because I don't want you to worry about that issue. Besides, it's Arnold's debt, it has nothing to do with you."

Irene shook her head. True, it has nothing to do with her but her mother was already suffering emotionally and psychologically because of it, even before her stepfather passed away. She hugged her mother, comforting her. She knew that until now her mother was still suffering internally because of her late partner's gambling addiction that left them mountain of debts to settle.

Adoora looked at her daughter lovingly. "You are such a good daughter to me! You are my greatest blessing in life," she said. Her unconditional love for her firstborn shone brightly in her eyes.

Irene smiled. "I love you, Mom!" she beamed. "I'll go to my room to take a shower and then sell more golden nuggets," she said in a low voice.

Adoora nodded her head. "OK."

Half an hour later.

Irene can be seen leaving the house and boarding a taxi on the way to the heart of the Evergreen City to find another store to sell the golden nuggets.

She brought a total of 15 golden nuggets with her, the smaller ones. She left the rest of the pouch in her mother's care, just in case pickpockets will snatch her bag the rest of the gold nuggets are safe.

She will find a store that will transact online banking payments as well cash. She needs lots of cash to settle all the debts of her stepfather.

Settling the debts will bring closure to all those people who trusted her stepfather's lies only to realize in the end that their hard-earned money was used in gambling.

Although her stepfather was a gambler and a drunkard, he never mistreated her. He considered her one of his biological children, he was always treated her kindly. He tried hard to become a second father figure to her.

But his addiction to gambling and drinking put an end to his life prematurely.

A painful tragedy for her mother and siblings.

Then there's the issue between her mother and her grandmother...

"Miss, we're here!" the driver of the taxi informed her.

Irene's trip to memory lane was cut short by the driver's interruption.

Irene handed her fare to the driver and said, "Keep the change."

"Thank you so much, Miss!" the driver replied happily.

Irene left the taxicab and strolled on the sidewalk. She looked at the establishments lining up the streets.

Multitude of stores selling and buying gold and jewelry can be seen lining up a few meters away.

Irene entered one of them to sell the gold nuggets.

Inside the store.

In front of Irene, the appraiser ran a series of tests to verify the authenticity of the stones

"Congratulations, your gold nuggets are real, Miss!" the appraiser said.

"Of course they are!" Irene grinned. "How much?" she asked excitedly.

"You will get a total of $900k for the 15 pieces of gold nuggets," the appraiser answered.

Irene's eyes widened in surprise, her heart leaped with joy. "That's good!" she gushes in delight.

"How do you want the payment to be made?" the appraiser inquired.

Irene was silent for a moment. "Okay... I want each of the $200k to be deposited in my two online bank accounts and the remaining $500k will be in cash. Can you do that?"

"Sure!" the appraiser responded with a smile. "Give me your online banking details and I will send the payment in a short while."

Irene was given a piece of blank paper, she wrote her bank details on it.

Half an hour later.

Irene left the jewelry store carrying the paper bills in her large shoulder bag. She immediately flagged a taxi outside the store and went home.

When she arrived home. She and her mother holed up in the bedroom and went through the list. Afterward, they put the money inside the brown envelope labeled with names. It will be easier to distribute the payments that way.

The next day, in broad daylight, they will distribute the payments to the people on the list.