Chapter 10

Allan looked at who was calling and answered.

"Yes?"

"Hey Allan, It's Jake"

"What's up?"

"How cold! Even though I am who you always call me when you need something. So, you were using me!!!"

"I'm going to hang"

"Waitwaitwait, it was a joke, don't be so fired up man. That is why you don't have a girlfriend"

Allan hung up the phone.

After finishing that matter, Allan decided that he was going out for a walk to see if he could get new ideas, and maybe fill the fridge.

RING, RING, RING, RING, RI..

As Allan was debating answering the call, he finally decided to do it.

"What do you want?"

"You really did it! You hung me!"

"Do you want me to do it again?"

"I am sorry! please don't"

"One last time, what do you want?"

"You see … I-I need a favor"

"I know, I'm not surprised. What is it?"

"I need some money. Don't hang me!!! I'll explain it to you"

Just as Allan was to turn off the phone, he decided to listen to the end.

The problem is the next. Allan's friend Jake is a friendly guy, he's a social butterfly and likes to be with people so he always goes to sites when he can get to know them. Jake's not ugly, he's even above average, and overall is a good guy.

Sadly, contrary to his friendly relationships, Jake has no luck with women, no matter what he always ends up going out with troublesome women (even though they don't seem to be at first sight). 

Most of Jake's trouble comes from women. It reached the point where his friend tried to make him become an eternal bachelor, but he always refused, insisting that he will eventually find "the one".

Jake's last girlfriend was a gold digger. Unfortunately (for her) Jake was not rich, yet she tried to exploit him all she could before she left for another man, but Jake is not an idiot (not completely). Even he could see her intentions and he broke up with her before she could cause more damage.

This time the problem is the following when she left Jake's parent's house, Jake noticed that one of her mother's rings was missing.

Jake was terrified, he called the police and started searching for his ex everywhere. After three hours, he found her but she hadn't the jewel with her, in his place she had a lot of bags of clothes of expensive brands.

One doesn't need to be a genius to figure out what happened.

She didn't even try to hide what she did and told him openly that all was his fault for breaking up with her.

All the bystanders attracted by the ruckus could hear how she enjoyed every moment, and … could film it too. We are in the middle of the era of information, everyone has a mobile phone with them all time.

When the police came out, they took the woman in custody along with the recordings.

Still, that didn't solve Jake's problem, he didn't know where the ring was.

After searching for a while where she could have exchanged the ring for the money, she used to buy the clothes, he found the ring in a pawn shop.

The case was closed, he would recover the money her ex spent in a few weeks at most, but he needed the ring now. 

Jake has been calling all his friends to ask them for money to retrieve the ring. 

"So? How much?"

"I have collected almost enough, I only need a little more to be able to get the ring for my mother so she do-"

"How. Much?"

"… Four hundred"

When Allan heard the amount, he was surprised. 

Jake knows a lot of people, collecting the necessary money should not be a problem if they gave each a bit, no matter how little.

Jake also knows that Allan doesn't have any money, even so, if Jake asks him if he has four hundred dollars to spare, that tell how desperate the situation truly is.

Jake is searching at the bottom of the barrel.

"Okay. I'll give you the money"

"WHAT? R-Really? But do you have enough money? Even though you just bought that old antique that is a miracle that is still worki-"

"Thinking about it, I don´t have any money to lend to guys like you"

"I AM SORRY!!! Please, lend me the money!"

"I remember you that you were the guy that told me about that old antique that is a miracle that is still working," said Allan.

"I know, I´m sorry, so please Sir Allan grant you grace to this lowly being and b-"

"Like I thought I shouldn't lend you one cent"

"WHY!!!!"

After bickering for a while, they decided to meet in front of a pub in which they go often.

Allam hung up the phone and stood up, after dressing in some casual clothes he took his laptop and went outside.

Allan really was low on funds after buying the capsule and he really couldn´t afford to lend Jake the money, but that wasn´t going to stop him from helping a friend in need.

Jake was a very open guy and became friendly really quickly. When they meet for the first time Allan though that Jake was a superficial guy, the reason is that he had a lot of friends.

Allan thought that Jake would not take his friendship seriously, after all, one can be everywhere and nobody can be in two places at the same time.

In Allan´s opinion, he would be another number in Jake´s phone which would never be used. He was wrong.

Jake treated him like a real friend, he asked about his problems and they played games sometimes in his home, Jake even recalled that Allan wanted a capsule when he was browsing the internet and found him a really cheap one. 

They weren´t best friends but Allan considered him a good friend, so he went to a pawn shop (not the same one that had Jake´s mother's ring, he checked) and sold his laptop, he doesn´t have class in months and he had passed all his important files to his mail, so it didn´t matter if he can´t use it in a few weeks. Every time he needs to look for something on the internet, he can use his phone.

Even in the case that Jake doesn´t give him back the money Allan prefers to discover now that he can´t rely on him than when he really needs him.

After collecting the money, he went towards the pub and met Jake waiting for him.

Jake was a mess, he had hair disheveled, his clothes were mismatched and he looked like he hadn´t slept in days. After Jake saw Allan, it seemed like all the stress left his body and he had a look of relief in his eyes.

"Hey, thank you for coming"

"It´s nothing. How are you? You look terrible"

"I´m fine, I´ve sleet bad tonight, do you want something to eat?"

"No, I am busy, I have to do something later, here´s the money"

After Jake took the money from Allan it seemed like a few tears were to fall from his eyes, it seems like he had rough days.

"Thank you"

"Nothing. I am going back, tell me when you can give it back" Allan wasn´t the most sociable person in the pub, but after he did what he came to do he went back home, not before stopping in the supermarket to fill the fridge with the rest of the money from the laptop.

After arriving home and with the fridge full, he went to eat something and went back to the capsule.