A Tragic Life

Anthony Martinez knelt at the graveyard, overwhelmed with sorrow. He dropped the white lilies he came with on his mom's grave and took a deep breath.

His mom was a single mother; she was a social worker who fell in love with a soldier that came over to Seattle for vacation.

She had gotten pregnant, however Sean, the good soldier, gave her an engagement ring, promising to marry her once his mission was over.

Only for her to hear that Sean (Anthony's father) was dead, while she was in the delivery room.

She had called him because they needed his consent for surgery since she was having prolonged labor, just for the colleague who picked up the phone to tell her that her lover died in a bomb explosion, while saving a little boy in the war zone.

The sorrow worsened her condition, but she finally managed to give birth to Anthony.

However, her body got weak.

Worse, she was not eligible for the monetary compensation which the government was meant to pay out to Sean's child because she was not legally married to him. It rather went to Sean's evil stepmother who kicked him out of the family.

He had joined the military after being saved by a colonel who enlisted him into the army.

Who would have expected that Anthony's father, Sean, would die young?

And now, his mother had also left him.

“You're still owing the funeral house, ensure that you pay up tomorrow,” the young man from the funeral house who helped him arrange his mother's meager burial whispered, as gently as he could.

Anthony nodded.

He looked up at the sky, and noticed that it was almost dark.

Immediately the people from the funeral house left, the flood of emotions which Anthony was holding back overwhelmed him, and tears stung his eyes.

He quickly shut his eyes, biting his lips as he made efforts to hold the damn tears back.

All his life he only had his mother, she was his pillar who encouraged him in the midst of his difficult life.

When she fell sick, Anthony didn't know what to do with himself.

It was the determination to save his mom that made him pick himself up and start working hard.

She was his only friend till he met Clara, his current girlfriend.

And that animal of a doctor had the heart to remove her oxygen and life support system, as if she was a common mongrel, instead of an important human.

Poverty is a damn bastard, it makes everyone look down on you while viciously stepping all over you.

Presently, he needed all the support he could get to prevent an emotional breakdown.

“Mom, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. If only I had money, I would have kept you alive and strong. If only I were rich and powerful, the doctor wouldn't dare to remove the life support just because I stepped out for a while,” he whispered in sorrow, lying on his mom's grave.

He reached for his phone, checking if Clara had called to look for him. But there was no call.

Where's his girlfriend?

He had called her the moment his mother died.

However, it's been nearly a day, yet she's still not there to accompany him.

Anthony smiled wryly.

It seemed that the universe was conniving against him.

He wouldn't have lost his mother if he had money, and now he had been left to grieve alone.

Anthony went out to see if he could borrow money, but he returned empty-handed, hoping to plead for more grace.

However, he had met his mother's corpse instead.

His phone rang, jolting him out of his thoughts.

“Where are you? Have you forgotten about our quiz and practicals? If our group fails this practical because of your useless bum, I will make this school hell for you. Idiot! Useless son of a useless father!” Their class representative shouted, immediately, Anthony picked up the phone.

Anthony sighed, he had totally forgotten about the practicals.

Anyone in his shoes would have done the same.

He felt offended when the class representative made cynical remarks about his heroic father.

However, poor men have no right to bemoan their fate.

The loser is always the thief.

He bit his lips in frustration.

“I'm not coming to school, sort yourselves out. I just lost my mom, I'm not in the mood to help any of you with your practicals,” Anthony said calmly, maintaining his rationality.

“It's forty marks, and the lecturer said that no one will write the final exams without passing the practicals. You already lost your mother, do you also want to lose a chance to graduate from college after already spending four years at the university? Even your mother will be disappointed in you, so get your ass over here.” The class representative said calmly and cut the call.

He already hated the fact that he had to bend backwards and comfort Anthony in his bid to lure him to school.

Anthony sighed and stood up, forty marks was a big deal to him.

His class representative wouldn't have called him if not for the fact that Anthony was the brain behind their group's success. They were a bunch of blockheads who only had money, and nothing else. Anthony was the only scholarship student in their prestigious faculty.

If not for the fact that they can't do anything without his help, no one will give a hoot about him.

However, Anthony's absence also meant that they would fail too, which was a scenario the arrogant heirs did not want to see.

*****

Anthony smiled happily, looking at the score on the screen of his old itel phone.

The screen was cracked and weathered with age. However, he doesn't mind it one bit.

He thought about rushing to the hospital to share the good news with his mother, only for him to realize that she was already dead.

Anthony sighed, his Jolly mood turning sour.

The reality of living without his mom was finally sinking in, making him realize that he no longer had anyone in the world to call his own.

In the future, there will be no one to share good news with, nor will there be someone to console him when he's sad.

"No, let's not be pessimistic. I still have Clara," Anthony whispered, comforting himself while forcing a smile that looked uglier than crying on his face.

He called his girlfriend again, frowning when she refused to pick up. All his earnings from his part-time jobs went to her.

However, he didn't expect that she would spend it all without his knowledge.

He had gone to her to get money for his mom's treatment, only to realize she already spent the money without his knowledge. He had felt furious, but later forced himself to calm down and look for an alternative way to get the money.

His bank account had an issue due to an invalid address, making the KYC section of his form to cause a loophole that affected his transactions.

His girlfriend offered her bank account for his salary payment, claiming she will be saving it for him since his mother lived in the hospital due to her weak health.

Who would have expected that her condition would suddenly worsen, making her slip into a coma and eventually die?

Life was unfair.

“Wow, the girl is so lucky. We must not miss this show. They're even streaming it online!” A girl exclaimed, bumping into him in her haste as she dragged her friend along.

Anthony rolled his eyes and slipped the phone into his pocket.

However, the throng of people rushing towards a particular direction made him wonder what the commotion was all about.

“Who would have thought that the prestigious playboy, Kelvin Garcia, will one day go after a girl with such passion?” Another said in excitement.

“It's because she's pretty. However, many people didn't know her because she's not a celebrity or a popular young mistress. She's even as beautiful as Hailey, our celebrity dancer.” Another said.

Anthony was immediately interested and perked up his ear, temporarily forgetting his sorrows.

“How come we never heard of such a beautiful woman?” Another asked.

“Well, I heard her parents are second-tier corporate workers working in SC group, making her not to be in the limelight. Who would notice a middle-class beauty in the midst of pretty billionaires? However, her beauty and virtue seems to have caught Kelvin's eyes. She's said to be intelligent and quiet. She has a lot of potential if nurtured properly. Furthermore, she can become a well-known figure in the corporate world with Kelvin's help. She's in the faculty of business management and marketing,” a beautiful and aloof socialite said calmly, raising her fancy umbrella to protect herself from a non-existent hot sun.

Anthony's interest was further piqued.

'How come I don't know such a popular person in my faculty? Is she a fresher?' he wondered.

He decided it was none of his business and hastened up his steps towards the dormitory. After the terrible day he experienced, a good sleep is what he needs to regain his sanity.

“Wow! The girl's name just appeared in our school's w******p group. Her name is Clara Jones. A final year student of product marketing!” someone exclaimed.

Anthony's legs froze, and he immediately turned around, changing his direction.

“Please can you repeat her name?” He whispered in shock, grabbing the girl's arm.