the circus life | ot8 au

1

"But sir if you just listen to me-"

"I don't want to hear it. Clearly you aren't qualified for the job."

That was the fifth employee that has refused to hire Chan due to his lack of education from dropping out of high school.

It wasn't his choice though.

When Chan was 16, his Mother made him drop out to watch his little siblings while she worked to make ends meet after their Father left them for another women.

Well one night, Chan took a night off while his Mother was home and went to the circus with some friends. He didn't know that his Mother and siblings would be there too and she happened to spot him making out with a boy from their friend group.

She disowned him and forbid him from seeing his siblings. She kicked him out while he had nothing and no one to turn too. He lived on the streets for awhile till he found work in a big mansion that provided him shelter if he worked almost his whole life away.

Chan thought life was okay till something came up missing from his bosses wife's room and he was falsely accused.

He was lucky they just kicked him out and not called the cops since the items wasn't too expensive and they just used the rest of his pay as compensation.

Chan just wasn't a lucky guy. Every time things seem to be going good, life would kick him in the butt and reminded him that not everything was peaches and cream.

He exits the big building and pulls out a newspaper with ads for jobs, circled in marker. He had crossed almost all of them off. This last place being his final one.

Chan balls up the newspaper and tosses it aside in anger. If he didn't find somewhere to work, he wouldn't be able to survive the next few days.

Specially since the weather was supposed to be getting bad due to the seasons changing.

He spent one night out in the rain when he was younger and was sick for weeks with the flu. He could barely move and every time he coughed, it felt like his lungs were giving out.

Chan looked around for any new 'for hire' signs on any buildings and sighs. Nothing was new in the small town. Everyone knew each other and everything about everyone.

He made his way down the town square towards a local diner and entered the store with a smile.

"Hiya Channie." A young person waves. They were behind the counter of the quiet diner. It was late at night on a Tuesday so it wasn't shocking to see it empty.

"Hey Kay." He sits at the counter and they turns their back to him to make a drink.

The younger was the only one who accepted Chan for who he was and tried to help him meet ends meet. Even when they were struggling on their own, they did the best they could.

"No luck finding anything?" They turn back to him with a cup of coffee.

"I'm afraid not. Everyone said no because I didn't graduate." He nods and takes the mug.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You know I would hire you here but the boss..." They trail off and Chan nods again. The owner of the diner knew Chan's Mother when he was younger and she told him what Chan did.

Every since then, Chan hasn't been allowed in the diner but Kay always allowed him in when he wasn't there and helped him escaped if he made a mysterious appearance.

"I know. It's okay. Maybe I need to leave town and try elsewhere." He sips his coffee.

"How about this? For tonight, you relax. You've been out all day and you need a break. The circus is in town, a little past the town hall. Why don't you go watch and enjoy yourself?" They hand him a ticket they were going to use before they were told to work tonight.