The Accidental Son in Law

Jaxon walked into his apartment tired and famished. It had been a long day at work he wouldn't want to remember. His job took a lot out of him, but he needed to survive — especially when he had a family to take care of back in the province.

He fell on his bed tiredly and exhaled. Working two shifts in a day drained him completely, and he would be leaving for work again the next morning.

“Can my life ever go right again?” he questioned, staring up at the ceiling.

He had nothing to eat except the small donut he had bought on his way back home. That would have to fend for itself. He sat up, brought out the donut, and began to eat it hungrily, finishing it in seconds. But it did nothing to help.

“This is so little,” he complained, tossing the empty box aside.

His phone rang, drawing his attention. It was his mother calling. He hesitated to answer because he already knew what she would ask for. Even though he had tried to send a little money home, she was never satisfied.

Taking a deep breath, he finally picked up the call.

“Hello, Mom.”

“Jax, what kind of peanut did you send us? How will that feed the family? Do you want us to die of starvation?”

“Mom, that’s the little I can afford right now.”

He could hear the annoyance in her voice as she snapped, “Then you should work harder! How can a man send such a small amount to his mother? Or are you spending it lavishly over there?”

Jaxon looked around his tiny apartment and almost laughed. Lavishly? He wished it were so. He had eaten nothing but a donut for dinner just to be able to send a bit of money home. That was his reality.

“Mom, I’ll send more money when I can. For now, please use part of it for Father’s drugs and the rest for meals. Good night, Mom. Love you.”

He quickly ended the call before she could say anything else that might upset him. Falling back on the bed, his thoughts drifted to how his struggles had begun.

It was the day his father got into a terrible accident that nearly claimed his life. Although he survived, nothing was ever the same again — his father couldn’t work anymore. As the first child, Jaxon was forced to take responsibility for the entire family while still trying to keep up with school.

He worked countless jobs to earn whatever money he could. His mother had been against him going to the university, insisting he should work full-time to feed the family. But he didn’t listen, which created a huge rift between them.

No matter what he did, he could never please her. He wished their relationship could be different, better than what it was. He was lonely, with no one to cheer him up or share his burdens with.

He had been taught that men must never complain — that they had to carry their troubles alone. Because of that, and his many jobs, Jaxon hardly had friends. The isolation made his loneliness worse.

Letting out a deep sigh, he closed his eyes and allowed sleep to take him.

The next morning, Jaxon woke with a sharp pain in his back due to the awkward way he had slept. He stood up with a groan, stretching to ease his body. After brushing his teeth and taking a quick bath, he left the house without breakfast — there was nothing to eat anyway.

Maybe he’d be lucky enough to find a cheap snack or leftovers from the restaurant where he worked. He hurried down the street; the restaurant wasn’t far from his apartment. As usual, he was early, even though he had to walk. No matter the job, Jaxon was always punctual.

He began cleaning up the place before the other staff arrived. Soon, customers started filling the restaurant, and Jaxon had no time to eat or rest. At one point, he felt dizzy but steadied himself and kept working.

“Are you all right, Mr. Jaxon?” the manager asked.

“Yes, sir,” Jaxon replied with a nod.

“You better be, because there are more customers to serve and more money to make,” the man said with a grin before strutting away.

One of the waiters snorted. “All he thinks about is money. He’s such a Mr. Krabs, and SpongeBob must be his teacher.”

The others laughed. Jaxon forced a small smile and went to take the next customer’s order.

Back in the kitchen, he announced, “The customer looks like a blogger. I think I’ve seen his face before.”

“Then we’d better make his meal the best,” one of the chefs replied, focusing on the dish.

Jaxon returned to serve the food.

As soon as the young man saw it, he scrunched his nose. “What is this?” he asked, waving his hand in disgust.

“Your meal, sir,” Jaxon said calmly. There was nothing wrong with it.

“Is this what I ordered?” the man barked, his accent thick. “I said spicy sauce, not chicken curry! Are you deaf?”

“No, sir. You ordered chicken curry — I wrote it exactly as you said. You never mentioned spicy sauce.”

The young man slammed his palm on the table and stood up angrily. “How dare you call me a liar! You didn’t even listen properly!” he roared.