01. Unknown Caller.

Jason Paul Decker was seated in front of a man that seemed just within his age bracket. He was the CEO of the company he had submitted his application and Jason was having a good feeling about this one.

"Your application was quite impressive," the man started and somehow Jason knew there was a 'but' coming. "...but I'm sorry to inform you that…"

There it was.

The rest of the lines grew inordinate to his ears. The subject matter was that his application was rejected. Again!

He glanced up at the ceiling, his light brown eyes filling with tears. Frustration tightened his lungs, making it difficult for him to breath. His lips pursed, rage building up in his eyes.

He went back home, with slouched shoulders and a head that didn't look up, not even once. He felt useless, a feeling that he was accustomed to. He lived a useless and pathetic life! He was such a disappointment.

Lauren, his beautiful and ever supporting wife, she was blessed with all the features a successful woman had. She was intelligent, beautiful, generous and she was rich. But he? He was a failure, as a man and as a husband.

He had tried on so many occasions to improve his situation but he was still as poor as being poor went. There was almost no company in New York that didn't know who he was. He had submitted his application in each and every one of them but, for some unfortunate reasons known to them, they had all declined him.

When he got home, his wife attended to him with a warm smile on her beautiful face. "Hey darling."

He was nowhere near a smiling mood though. "I didn't get the job, again." The pain in his voice was evident. He could feel his voice croaking as he choked on his tears. Lauren didn't say anything, instead she just pulled him close and hugged him tight.

She was always telling him that it didn't matter if he was rich or poor, that as long as they loved each other, their relationship would never falter. Jason had never agreed with that logic.

Money was very important as well, while it shouldn't be the foundation of a relationship or marriage, it was still an essential part of it. Since they got married, Lauren had been the one catering for their needs and he was grateful for her but, how long was he going to keep living shamelessly off his wife's money?

"I love you, Jason Decker." She smiled at him and he couldn't help but to return the gesture.

"I love you too, honey."

Lauren loved her husband, either he had a job or not but even she couldn't deny the fact that they would both be happier if he did have a job, a good job. She decided to offer a suggestion that might be the answer to their problems. But she knew he wasn't going to like it.

"Hey Jason," she paused to asses the look on her husband's face amd when she was able to conclude that he was calm, she went on. "I was thinking, maybe you could try talking to my mother about this."

As soon as she said that, she noticed a slight frown that appeared on his face.

"Honey, I know you don't like her but don't you think it would be beneficial to us if you were to swallow your pride just this once?

Mother is well connected and I'm sure she'll be able to fix you up somewhere. I've talked to her about it and I'm sure she's willing to help, I just think it would be more respectful if you asked her personally."

Everything his wife said was utterly true, even he couldn't deny that, but it still didn't change the fact that asking his mother in law was a no-go area. He had already asked her for help, and the results were sad and hurtful, but he couldn't tell her that so he just smiled. "Okay, I'll go see her."

"Thank you." She sighed in a breath of relief. "I promise, something good is going to come out of this." She didn't tell him about the part where her mother had promised to find her a rich suitor if Jason didn't get a job soon. Hopefully it wouldn't get to that.

~•~><~•~

It was late afternoon, and the sun had started to set, giving the sky an orange glow with tints of blue. The weather was cool, perfect for a walk and Jason decided to make use of the pleasant time of day.

He needed some time to think, to clear his head, and so he left their apartment, treading into the streets that was just about free of people.

He headed straight towards the park, a place that would be void of people at such hours. He needed a quiet place to think, a place where shops amd bars didn't dominate the vicinity. Where there wouldn't be any noise or disturbance.

The cool evening breeze prickled his skin, carrying the fresh scent of the fragrance of nature.

He was married to a wonderful woman, the only problem he had was his in laws.

When Jason met Lauren, he had hoped he would get along well with her family but it was the complete opposite.

They despised him for being poor, and the fact that he had a secret wedding with their daughter didn't make things better.

Jason had swallowed his pride as Lauren suggested and asked his mother in law for a job, and her reply was still fresh in his mind.

He could remember the way she laughed at him, along with her son, Marcus. They mocked him for being broke and called him pathetic.

"You have some nerves coming to me. Did you really think I would help you? After what you did?"

Her son joined in as well, cursing him and calling him all sorts of names. When they were satisfied, they had asked the security to escort him out in a not-so friendly manner.

The entire family despised him because of his financial status, making him feel more pathetic.

He felt his phone vibrate and he retrieved it from his pants pocket to find it ringing. It was with a private number so he was unable to identify the caller. He let the phone ring for a while before returning it to his pocket.

He didn't know who it was so there was no use answering it, and so he went on with his stroll.