Chapter 2

Mason walks away from their house with the intention of begging as Stella suggests. He will beg from anyone in the neighborhood and hopes they help him. 

Everyone looks down on him knowing he is poor and tattered and wants nothing to do with him. They avoid him like a plaque and warn their children to get away from him. Mason wonders how he offends them. 

The only offense he committed is to be poor, to be born poor. He has been living well but when that witch and her mother got into his life, they destroyed it and any hope he had laid for himself was destroyed. He feels worthless. 

He is bruised and offended by them. Mason stands and stares at the houses beside them. The neighborhood houses their neighbors who treat him like trash. Will they help? He hopes they help. 

He hopes they take pity on him and spare him a few dollars. If no one does, he will die. He has to try. He has to keep aside his pride and beg them. He hopes they listen. 

If they don't, then he will beg on the street, but the money he will accumulate from begging on the street won't be enough to treat him. Before he gathers up the money that will be enough to treat him, he would have been dead. 

He walks over to the first house and knocks expectantly. He rings the bell for some time waiting for a reply. He is patient but his stomach isn't. His stomach feels like it will pull out with his intestine. Why did sickness have to attack him today of all days? 

Today, when he has no money on him. Yes, he never has money on him but it should have arrived when he just received his salary. He will have manage to spend it on the sickness and face his wife torture later on. 

"Who's there?" A little voice said and opened the door. A red head girl appeared and stared at him with a confused expression. 

"Hey little girl." Mason managed to say with a smile plastered on his face. 

The little girl's expression turned to horror as she looked at Mason with fright. What is wrong? Mason wonders. 

"Honey, who's there?" Her mom asks her. 

"A mad person. What's a mad person doing here?" She screamed out in fright and closed the door immediately. 

"What?" His mom screams out just like Mason whose eyes shot out in disbelief. 

Do I really look like a mad person? Mason looked at his tattered cloth and sighed sadly. 

He was about to leave when the door opened once again. "See, he's the man you said he is mad and we shouldn't mingle with him." The little girl pointed at Mason and rushed inside in fright. 

"What are you doing at our house?" Her mom asks, boring holes at him. 

"Please Ma'am. I need your help. I'm sick and need some money to go to the hospital." Mason pleaded. 

"I can't believe you are so wretched to the extent you can't take yourself to the hospital." The woman said sarcastically. Mason hears a hint of mockery in her tone but he ignores it immediately. He has to try and get some money to save himself. 

"Please Ma'am. Spare me some dollars. I'm in real pain." Mason pleaded. He is in pain, in real pain. 

"And do I look like I care? Can't you see how you frighten my daughter? If I help you, what will I be teaching my daughter?" Gratitude! You will be teaching her gratitude. 

"Now, get your filthy self out of here. My money would never get to you." She spat out at him with disgust and bangs the door in his face. 

Mason steps back in defeat. It wasn't like she was that rich but because they weren't in his position, they felt like a God. They feel like he is beneath them and he knows he is but all he asks for was some dollars to get himself treated. Why can't they take pity on him? 

Mason walks on and on and begs each of his neighbors for money but they chase him out like he was a virus they detest. He knocks at the sixth person door and hopes he comes out to help. If he doesn't, he will try to beg his boss to give him his salary in advance but he knows he isn't going to budge. His boss, Mr John won't give him. He will think he wants to run away from there. His boss has always treated him with indifference and hated him so much just because he is different from them in status. 

The man opens the door and their faces meet. The man looks like he was in his early Thirties. He is the only neighbor who Mason knows doesn't give a damn about him and anyone. He goes on with his business and acts like Mason isn't there which prevents bullying or insults from him. The others bullies him and insults him and makes sure seeing him doesn't pass with an insult but this man doesn't care at all. And that is why Mason has a high hope in sparing him. 

"Sir, will you please spare me some dollars? I'm sick and I have no money to go to the hospital." Mason cracked. He feels he is going to be wiped off the earth in a minute. The pain in his stomach is so painful that he doesn't want to lay down on the floor and wriggle in pain because it won't help. He has to be strong and get some money to help himself. 

The man eyes him tiredly and wants to close the door. Mason hastily stops the door with his hands and looks at the man with a pleading eye. 

"Sir, please help me. I feel like I will die in a minute. I've looked for help from the neighbors but everyone refuses to help me." Mason said in a haste. 

"And what makes you think I will help you." The man asked with tired eyes. That would be the first time Mason will hear him talk. It seems Mason woke him from his sleep and he is displeased about it. Mason feels  sorry for it but he has no choice than to beg for his life. 

"Sir, please help me." Mason said again ignoring his question. He has no answer to his question as there is no reason why he should help him. Mason is of no use to him and can't help him back if required so Mason definitely has no reason to tell him. 

The Man's face lit up after some time and nodded at him. "I will help you." He said. Mason's face brightened and he felt on top of the world. 

"Thank you sir." He thanked him. 

"Wait here. I'm coming." The Man said and walked inside to get his wallet. At last, heaven smiled at me. 

The man came back and counted some money for him. "Take, that's 300 dollars." He said handing it over to him. 

"Thank you so much. This will be more than enough." Mason said and is about to collect it when the man pulls his outstretched hand away. 

"Wait! This will be enough to cover up the bills and get you some drugs but I'm not handing it to you for free. It's a loan." The man said with a smirk on his lips. 

Mason gulped down and looked at the money back to the man. "And how much will I pay back sir." 

"380 Dollars." The man replied immediately. 

"Sir?" 

"If you don't want to, I can just." The man was about to say when Mason stopped him.

"No, wait." Mason stopped him. He is the only one that helps him when the others don't. Will he let him go, just like that? He feels like dying and he doesn't have the strength to talk much or to batter words with anyone. He can't let him go just like that or he will die. He will die and his death will be in vain. 

"But if you don't repay the money in a month, then you will have to work for me as my servant till you pay off your money." Mason hears a loud bang in his head and staggers back due to the pain that comes after it. He thought this man was his savior but is he? How will he pay back the money when all what his wife and mother does is to suck him dry. 

"Will you?" The man asks once again indicating that time is ticking away. 

"I will." He whispers after some time of thinking about it.