Chapter 2

Daniel was perplexed after being humiliated by the sales attendant and the store security, he sat on the bench that was in front of the store as he thought about how to get this product so that Jordan’s mum wouldn’t be angry. Passerby kept staring at him and murmuring but that was the least of his problems.

Daniel sighs and shakes his head when the third person he approached to help him get the item looked at him like he was a maniac and walked away quickly from him. No one was willing to help him, the other two that he approached said they will call the cops on him for stealing and trying to implicate them so he had to run away from them to avoid trouble.

Some people that knew him said a few jokes about him and some would throw dirt at him as they pass in front of him. Some warned him that if he tried to steal from the executive store he was sitting in front, they will call the cops on him. Daniel lowered his head at how strong the insults were getting and how badly people treat him due to his situation.

“If only I was a rich man too, maybe I will get the respect that Jordan and his family get” he said to himself then looked at the store once more before standing to his feet to head home. He does hope that they will reason with what happened to him at the store.

As he made his way home, he begins to think about how his life had been, from when he was on the street to how he met with Jordan and his family who made him a constant subject of ridicule wherever he goes or who he meets with.

He had nothing to do to defend himself but all he can hope for is that he can be able to finish university with good grades so that he can start his investment business and get out of the shackles of disappointments, mockery and poverty.

When he was in the area of where he stayed at, a paper was thrown at him, when he looked at the person who did that, the person had a smile he tried to conceal as he gestured that he opens the crumbled paper.

‘Losers end up losers, Jordan was right about you being a failure and nothing good coming out of you’ the content of the paper said and it brought more hurt to Daniel’s already hurting heart.

Daniel had always wished that something good will happen for him at least once, where he can celebrate his little success but nothing exciting for him to boast about, he just hung his head and went to the front door with the paper in his hand.

He rang the bell and waited but no one answered so he rang it again and tried to open the door but it was locked so he knocked on the door and called out to Jordan. 

After a moment, he heard footsteps approaching and that made him tremble in fear. He hadn’t gotten what was asked of him and knows that the worse they could do to him was let him be without food for days, so he prepared himself for that.

Jordan opened the door and Daniel took a step back, Jordan looked at him then called out to his mum.

“Mum, the loser is here but he doesn’t have your request with him” he said.

Daniel began to explain what went wrong that made him unable to get it.

“Actually, I would have gotten it if onl-” he was interrupted when Jordan’s mum came into view. He looked at the angry look her face held towards him, it only made him scared of what she would do to him if she hears of what happened from him.

The words were stuck in his throat and he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“You disobeyed me” she said rather calmly but the venom could be noticed in her tone.

“I… I…” Daniel couldn’t voice out any words.

“Well, I will let you in if you get me what I requested” she said then turned to enter the house but Daniel stopped her.

“Ma’am, I wasn’t allowed to get in because of how I looked, if only you can let me change my attire so that I can be well presentable to the people in the store and they can let me buy what you requested.” he asked and that made Jordan and his mum even angry.

She rushed out of the house and came closer to Daniel then slapped him, removed her shoe and began hitting him wherever she could and he tried to defend himself but Jordan joined in beating him up and gave him hard blows and kicks which left him injured.4

They beat him for sometime then pushed him away from the front of the house.

“If you don’t bring me what I asked, I will deal mercilessly with you, stupid pauper” Jordan’s mum said. 

Jordan laughed at how Daniel was limping from the beating he got. He even looked less presentable with how badly he was beaten.

Daniel winced in pain and agony then thought about what he could do to get what was required of him to get so on his way to the store that kicked him out, he came across on low end store and saw a similar bowtie that Jordan’s mum wanted, he felt a little hope that she would be happy that he got what she required of him so he entered the shop to get it.

The attendant looked at him weirdly because of how unkept he was but he didn’t mind, as long as he got what Jordan’s mum wanted and they weren’t kicking him out or shame-talking him. Looks definitely don’t kill.

Daniel proceeds to get the bowtie that looked just like the one the expensive store had then he walked to the receptionist to pay. He brought out some money and handed it to her and she looked at him in disgust as she held her nose, indicating that he stunk.

After he was done paying, he realized that he had more money left to enter a cab back home than to trek there. As he made his way outside the store, the attendant said after him.

“We don’t attend to homeless people especially the ones who steals and thinks he can flaunt his stolen money to us,” he turned to look at her “I’ll call the cops if you step here again” she told him and that made him feel sad.

Even those who don’t know him, saw him as worthless and it saddens him.

He was so deep in thought and the hurt feeling that he walked instead of entering cab like he intended to, he was home in not time and he rang the bell as he waited for them to open the door for him.

After a moment, Jordan and his mum opened the door and looked at him expectantly, he stretched forth the bag that held the bowtie and Jordan yanked it from his hold. Jordan looked at the what was inside and looked up at him in annoyance.

His mother took the bag from him and let out a loud scream then threw the bag at Daniel which smacked him on the face. Her screams attracted the neighbors who came outside their house to see the drama unfolding.

Jordan’s mum screamed then went to grab Daniel as she slapped him on both cheeks continually. When she left him, Jordan took him by the collar and delivered a heavy blow to his stomach which knocked out the air from him.

“Everybody, look at this miserable boy I took in to help, he is robbing me of my money,” she turned to an embarrassed, pained looking Daniel then asked “Why have you always want o prove how much of a loser you are? Why can’t you for once try to be reasonable and do what you are asked instead of showing how unfortunate you are?”

“My mum asked for just one thing and you ruined your chance of ever being respected, you fool” Jordan smacked his face then pushed him to the floor.

Daniel couldn’t muster words because he was in so much pain, all he could think about was that the ground should open and swallow him due to how pained and embarrassed he was, they never ceased to tell him how unwanted and foolish he was and it hurts him that now the neighborhood will continue to mock him than they did in the past.

‘They should be taught a lesson’ he said to himself ‘But how? I don’t have money, no one will listen to me’ he cried within then received one more kick to his back before hearing the voice of Jordan’s mother.

“Don’t come back to this house except you bring back what I asked you to buy, if you don’t, you’ll not survive the next day” she said then entered the house and slammed the door hard.

Daniel still lay on the floor sad, embarrassed and in pain, he could hear the muttering and laugher that came from some of the neighbors and all he could do at that moment was lament and ask that he had money to at least get respect and validation.