Searching For A Job.

The landlord didn't end up taking any of our properties even though he truly wanted to. We had to beg him for minutes before he changed his mind.

He left telling us that the next time he'd be coming back here, he wouldn't listen to any kind of begging.

Either we'd provide the remaining house rent, or he'd take some of our properties and return them when we'd completed the payment of the house rent.

After the landlord left, I handed the little money my mum added to my pocket money over to her and told her to collect it and add it to the money she'd use in completing the payment of the house rent.

But you know what? She didn't collect it. She told me not to worry about it, that she'd find another way to complete the payment of the house rent...

I was heading to school right now, and I was already late. Apart from that, my mood had plummeted as expected.

It was just as I thought. My mood would have most likely plummeted by the time we were done with the landlord, and that was exactly what happened.

As I was remembering how we had to beg the landlord to change his mind, my mood was plummeting more.

Remembering how my mum had to kneel on the ground and start begging the landlord was breaking my heart, including the times when she'd done so in the past.

'How long would we keep living like this?'. I thought to myself while still heading to school.

I knew I'd need to take a bus to school since I was already late, and that was exactly what I did...

I'd arrived at school by now, and arriving in my classroom, a teacher was already in it teaching them. The first teacher that was supposed to step foot into our classroom today according to our teaching curriculum.

"Lucas, you're late". The teacher said to me with his gaze focused on me.

"I'm sorry sir. Something came up, that's why I'm arriving at this time". I uttered.

The teacher took his gaze off me the moment I said that and continued with what he was doing before, which was teaching the students.

Many of the students glancing at me took their gazes off me as well the moment I made that utterance. Then I walked toward my seat and balanced on it.

I was sitting in my seat and glancing at the teacher in front of our classroom teaching us and writing some things on the board as well, but I wasn't exactly listening.

Yes, my mind was filled up, I was thinking about the things that happened this morning before I started coming to school. The fact that my mum had to kneel on the ground to beg the landlord again, and the fact that we had to join her.

I was tired of seeing my mum having to beg most of the time when it comes to paying the house rent. As said, it does break my heart.

So as I was sitting in my seat and watching the teacher doing his thing, I was contemplating something...

'Seems like I'd have to get a job behind my mum's back so I can be supporting her financially'. I thought to myself.

..It was only a contemplation, I hadn't decided yet.

But there was a very high chance I'd do it because I was so eager to begin supporting my mum. But getting the job behind her back would be of no use because she'd most likely later find out.

How? She'd be so curious to know where I was getting the money I was giving to her. And I know my mum, if I lie to her, she'd do her own investigation and find out that I was working a part-time job after school.

And as known, my mum didn't want any of that from us. She wanted us to focus on our studies, and working a part-time job wouldn't let us do that properly.

Discovering this would make her furious at me, and I didn't want my mum to be furious at me. Thinking about this was making me erase that thought from my head that I'd get a job behind her back.

"Lucas, are you here with us? Are you listening?". The teacher in front of our classroom inquired of me, he'd already noticed that my attention wasn't in the classroom, my mind was somehow filled up.

"Oh! Yes sir, I'm with you guys". I responded with my eyes widening a little.

A few students glanced at me after those words flowed out of the teacher's mouth. But the moment I was done talking, they took their gazes off me...

'I better clear my head of every thought and listen'. I thought to myself after responding to the teacher's question.

And that was exactly what I did, I began listening to the teacher's teachings until he was done teaching us and had left our classroom.

After he left our classroom, the closest friend I had at school, Eric, approached me and wanted to know the reason why I came late to school today.

He was like, "Sup, Lucas, why did you arrive at school late today? Anything wrong?".

Eric was now a full-grown boy as well, and he was 17-years-old as well. We've been friends for a long time, before we became 6 years old.

That only shows how tight our friendship was...

He asked that question, and I didn't want to answer it. I wasn't in the mood to answer questions at all.

But I can't leave him hanging like that without answering his question. And of course, I can't tell him the real reason why I came to school late today, it would be too shameful.

Not like Eric would try to mock me or something when I told him that. He was my very good friend, he'd never do something like that. I mean, he was also from a poor family, so he knew how it felt.

But I don't like telling him about these kinds of things, I'd never told him about them. So this was my response to his question,

"Something came up, something that delayed me. That was the reason why I arrived late".

"Something like what?". He inquired once again.

"Umm...I don't want to talk about it".

"Okay, if you say so".

And with that, he walked away. I sighed a little after he walked away not because he was like a disturbance to me, but because I didn't really like the way I responded to his question.

But there was nothing that could be done about it, I had to respond in that manner for my own sake.

******

It hadn't been that long since the school bell rang to signify closing hour. I basically left the school environment without Eric for a particular reason.

We were supposed to head home together, maybe along with other friends, but I couldn't head home with them for a reason. And what was the reason? I needed to get a job.

And I didn't want them to know I was getting a job. Once I succeeded in getting a job, I'd do everything in my possible best so they wouldn't find out about it as well.

I don't care whether my mum would find out about it later in the future and become furious at me, I needed to get a job to support her.

I'd contemplated it over and over again at school, and I finally decided to get a part-time job, not minding what the future outcome would be.

'I think I'd be able to be working a part-time job and still be able to focus on my studies at the same time'. I thought to myself.

I was walking on the road right now in search of a part-time job. And there was something that was bothering me while I was searching, would anyone agree to employ me seeing that I was a student?

You know, some people always try their best to stay away from employing students due to some important reasons which I was aware of.

Well, I just needed to try and see how it would go...I needed to support my mum. I was still walking on the road when a Bentley drove past me.

According to the look of things, it was a student of the private school that was close to my school that was inside the car. I stood there staring at the car with envy.

I was looking for a job to support my mum, while a student from a private school was sitting comfortably in a Bentley car and was being driven home by a driver. Life was unfair.

Realizing that I didn't have time for this, I took my gaze off the car then thought to myself,

'There's no time for this, I need to focus on what is more important right now'.

..And after that thought ran through my mind, I resumed walking in search of a job.