Three months ago, Mark had a big fight with his father, the head of the Hanson Family, at work. He declared he wanted to pursue his pure artistic ideals independently, without using a single cent of his family’s money.
At that time, Mr. Hanson just asked me one thing, "Are you coming with him?"
I just nodded.
Mr. Hanson just smirked. "You're so young. Okay, we'll see. Well. Good luck."
Throughout it all, Mr. Hanson remained calm and collected, as if he were certain Mark’s act of rebellion would amount to nothing.
After I realized the truth, I stopped wasting my time and money to send out those resumes. I started to take various part-time jobs to support us.
I was so busy to the point that I was always in a state of exhaustion.
As I rubbed my throbbing temples, I looked again at the gift box that made me unable to afford the rent.
It seemed it always happened all the time. Young Master Hanson never saw how much I had to suffer to support both of us. All he cared about was treating his childhood sweetheart like she was the most precious thing in the world.
Even now, he spoke to me with a sour expression. “Finally, he’s gone. It’s just four hundred and fifty dollars, does he need to come knocking? It’s not like we won’t pay him! What’s for dinner?”
Without waiting for my response, he continued, “Let’s have sashimi! I’m sick of eating plain porridge and vegetables. We have been eating them lately.”
I pressed my lips together before I managed to speak calmly, "Mark, we are broke. We don't have any money left."
"How much can some sashimi cost," he replied while rubbing off the paint from his fingers. "I know. I'll eat less today."
Huh! Is that really the real issue here? Young Master Hanson, the problem is everything you eat is too expensive!
Before I could say anything, Mark suddenly grabbed my hand. "This is the last time, okay? I’ve been staying up late and working diligently on my paintings. Things have been hard for me."
I looked down at my hand, trapped in his grip and against my better judgment, I relented. "Alright."
After a moment, I added, "However, I need you to be careful with the money from now on. Things aren't like they used to be. We are broke and you should remember that rent money can't be used. It’s unnegotiable."
"Okay … okay. I know. You don't have to nag me about it." After he said that, he turned and walked away.