Chapter 5 Beholden


    “Why? Is it painful? Just bear with it for a moment and you’ll be fine.” Hannah was startled by Johnny’s


    yell andforted him.


    “No, it’s alright, go ahead with it.” Johnny ground his teeth and endured.


    “It’s done. Just remember that this arm should note in contact with water for the next few days.


    You should change the dressing and reapply betadine on it daily. You will be fine in a few days.”


    Hannah reminded Johnny after bandaging his arm.


    “Have you eaten? Hannah, get him a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks.” Jasmine said.


    “Why? Do you feel guilty? Are you trying to relieve my hatred for you with these little favors? No way!


    As the saying goes, a warrior would not eat with the enemy and shouldn’t ept any pity from


    strangers. Let me tell you, I won’t eat anything thates from your home!” Johnny said stoutly.


    “Hannah, have your meal and return to your room to rest. I have something to discuss with him.”


    Jasmine said to her maid as she ignored Johnny.


    “Yes, Missus,” Hannah answered and returned to her room.


    “You really don’t want to eat?” Thedy turned to look at Johnny.


    “No, I won’t take pity from you. I’m here for some justice today. How can I continue to vent my anger if I


    were to eat at your table?” Johnny persisted but his temper had already waned since he barged in.


    “Up to you, if you won’t eat, I’ll have Hannah throw them away.” Thedy calmly said.


    “Don’t, how wasteful is that. What a sin it is to waste.” Johnny said and started to eat. He was really


    hungry and started to salivate when he saw the table of dishes. He only had breakfast in the morning


    and was busy the entire day. He didn’t even have the time to eat lunch. He only ate two buns and drank


    a bottle of water for the entire day. He was famished.


    “I just want to ask you. Why did you have to get me fired? Why should you be so mean? What good is


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    it for you that I’m fired? Although I was not so polite to you back then, that doesn’t mean that you


    needed to get me dismissed. There wasn’t any grudge between us at all.” Johnny grumbled as he ate.


    “Was this job so important to you?” Thedy had already finished eating. She sat opposite Johnny and


    calmly asked him.


    “Isn''t this nonsense? Whose job isn’t important? There is no sry without a job. How will I eat without


    money? Do you think that everyone is like you with luxury cars and a house? You have enough money


    to spend all your life without even working!”


    “Are you short of money?” Thedy asked.


    “Can you stop asking stupid questions? Who on earth wouldn’t want more money?”


    “How much do you earn a month?”


    “Why do you want to know?” Johnny became cautious as he looked at Jasmine.


    “Why? Are you worried that I have intentions on what little money that you have?”


    “Five thousand plus. I may touch six thousand when I’m busy. You shouldn’t be impressed with this


    amount!”


    “Are you married?”


    “No, single.”


    “How old are you?”


    “Are you conducting a census?” Johnny almost lost his temper.


    “Why? Are you so secretive about your age?”


    “I’m a man, twenty-eight this year. Do you have to ask so much just because I used some of your


    ointments and ate your food?” Johnny said with annoyance.


    “How about this? It was wrong of me to cause you to lose your job and I apologize. I happen to be


    looking for someone to work for me. You may start tomorrow. What do you think?” Thedy asked.


    “Work for you?”


    “Yes!” Thedy nodded.


    “Not on your wildest dreams. Why would I want to work for a woman like you? Anyone who works for


    you would die early from your antics. I can’t afford to work for a person like you.”


    “Your sry at the courier agency is five thousand. I’ll pay you ten thousand a month. You’ll only work


    one or two days a week. It’s up to you if you ept this. If you don’t, leave after you’ve finished your


    meal.” Thedy didn’t get angry with what Johnny said.


    “How much did you say? Ten thousand a month?” Johnny red with his eyes wide open.


    “Yes, as long as you do a good job, we can negotiate again in the future.”


    “Work two days a week?”


    “It’s a day per week for now. To be precise, you’ll only need to work for three hours a week.”


    “Are you kidding me? How can there be such a good job?”


    “Are you willing to ept it?” Thedy started to get impatient.


    “Don’t tell me that you want me to print counterfeit money for you? Let me tell you. I won’t do anything


    illegal regardless of how much you pay me.”


    Thedy finally couldn’t endure it any further, who red at Johnny and said, “Do I look like a


    criminal?”


    “Who knows? You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Johnny said directly.


    “You… fine. Get lost if you’re not willing to. Otherwise, I’ll call the security guards to drive you out.” The


    “Wait, wait! I’ll do it. I didn’t say that I won’t do it. But you need to at least tell me what you want me to


    do.”


    “You’ll know when the timees.”


    “No, but you don’t even tell me what you want me to do. How can I be assured?” Johnny became


    flustered.


    “Didn’t I tell you that the job is not illegal? You only need to help me settle some personal matters. But


    you need to guarantee several terms. Firstly, you muste whenever I call for you. You must arrive


    immediately after I call you.” Jasmine said.


    “I have toe even at midnight?”


    “Of course! Listen carefully, you muste right away whenever I need you to handle something.


    Secondly, you must keep it a secret. No one can know about this apart from you and I. Thirdly, you


    cannot have any other job. You can only serve me.” Jasmine told Johnny her three terms.


    Johnny stared at Jasmine with his eyes wide open as he listened to her terms. He then stood up and


    remarked, “You… woman! I’m a stand-up guy with my pride and dignity. I will not be your gigolo!”


    Jasmine was stunned when she heard Johnny and was digesting what he had said. After a moment,


    she pointed her finger at Johnny as it trembled and yelled, “Get lost, get the hell out!”


    Johnny was taken aback when he saw that Jasmine was furious. He scratched his head and asked,


    “So you’re not asking me to be your gigolo?”


    “Are you that handsome?” Jasmine said furiously.


    “No, except… except… perhaps some people have some fetish and somehow like my type,” Johnny


    mumbled.


    “I won’t waste my time with you any further. If you are willing to do it, then wait for me at eight-thirty


    tomorrow morning at the entrance of thisplex. If not, I’ll look for someone else to do it. Okay, you


    can leave now.” Jasmine said angrily.


    “Wait a minute.”


    “What’s wrong?”


    “Can I have another bowl of rice?”


    “Eat as much as you want,” Jasmine said, got up, and went upstairs.


    Johnny didn’t stand on ceremony and filled his bowl with rice and ate his fill. He took a napkin to wipe


    his mouth and then picked his teeth with a toothpick before swaggering out of Jasmine’s house.


    As he was riding his rickety bike home, he became puzzled with what had just happened. Wasn’t he


    there to look for trouble and seek justice from Jasmine? How did it turn out to him eating at her house


    and now he was hired by her? Johnny didn’t take it seriously that Jasmine’s job offer was real. He


    always believed that there was no free lunch in this world.


    He only had to work several hours a week and he would be paid ten thousand a month? Where on


    earth could anyone find such a good deal? Either it was illegal or it was just a joke. But Johnny didn’t


    reject it. Regardless, he would be there the next morning to see if it was real because he really needed


    the money and could not afford to be jobless.