Just For A Perfect Life

Chapter 13

PHOTO ON THE RIGHT: JASON 

RECAP:  

My only support, my mom herself needed me. After thinking all night that night I finally remembered an offer and though I did not even want to think about it but for mom I considered the worst ever. 

"But I can give you everything. You would not need to work. It is as simple". 

 

"I'll pay you whatever amount of money you want or maybe a shopping trip, gold, whatever you like". 

 

JASON. 

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I had not slept all night. I had, by now paced the corridor outside my mom's room a million times in deep thoughts and helpless tears. Although the nurse had insisted that I get some sleep but how could I? My mom's life depended on me. Every time that I considered contacting Jason I felt sick at the thought but then would see my mom, sleeping peacefully, in a room full of machines and the beeps of her heart beats coming from them made me forget all the possibilities. This beeping was keeping me alive and it was never to stop. So at around 5 am I told the nurse to call me as soon as she wakes up and I left for home.  

I had made up my mind and it was final, I will give rather sell myself to Jason but the question was that how would I contact him? Then I remembered the small piece of paper which had his number on it. As soon as I reached home, I ran to my room and started searching for it. I was sure I had tossed it somewhere in my old room in anger and since we had done rushed packing, it must have come in with my books and papers. I started with the bookshelf which was topped with all kinds of stuff. I went through each and everyone one of them. It took me hours before I found it, a crumpled yellow note lying in the corner of the lower shelf, in between two folders. I sighed in relief and opened it:  

My cell no. is 033----------7. Call me. Don't worry I know it's your first time. I'll go easy on you. I will await your call. 

Love Jason 

Call it irony or call it fate but I had not, the slightest idea that one day I would be making this decision. I had, long ago, stopped believing in fairy tales and started believing in reality. I knew that people will talk about this one day or the other; they always do and say that she could have come to us for help, money but I knew that not even a single one of them would have helped me that day. I knew it because life had taught me this when my mother was left alone to fight the hardships of life, everyone left us, relatives and friends; she gave everything up for me and not once showed any weakness. So I knew that I had to be strong for her. She had kept everything inside of her. She had never shared with me her feelings, however much I encouraged her she would only recall the good times spent with my dad and my brother. She never had anything bad to say for them but I knew from when we talked that deep down she had her feelings that she would not share. That's what had caused the heart attack. It was the mixture of pain and hardships of all these years. 

With this thought I was determined to face anything to come. I sighed and dialed his number. My heart was beating faster as the phone went beep beep... beep... beep...beep... beep 

''Hello' I heard his deep voice. The voice I had loathed and I still did. 

''Hi'' I managed. I had figured that he might have forgotten me by then but that was not true. 

''Oh my dear Anne! I have missed our late night meetings and you changed your house just so I would not get in your way but sweetheart you didn't lose me, all my eyes were on you, I just couldn't contact as I had stuff going on the fucking police! Now that you have called it seems like all my worries are over, tell me when am I going to see my dear?''  

My mind was numb by now; I didn't know what to say to him. I stood there in shock thinking that I had made the wrong choice but then my eyes fell upon a photo of my mother on my bedside table. She was smiling back at me, looking young and healthy and most importantly happy. Six years old me, was peeking from behind her apparently in a laughing fit, I remember dad was taking the photo and he always made me laugh because of his jokes. The photo brought my numb mind back into the conversation. 

"Anytime t-today if you can, where ever you want''. I did not have enough time and energy to decide all this, just that the sooner the better.  

"I wonder what has brought this change but I won't question, not now but I will send a car to your apartment in an hour which will bring you to my house, don't be afraid, my house is perfectly safe and I tend to respect my guests, they are special after all." He said.  

There was nothing more to be said, I uttered a barely audible, fine and with that I cut the call. It was all very depressing and I was in no mood to get ready for him, but I had to, just like all the other times that I did not have any choice.  

That hour passed very quickly, quicker than any normal hour, time is a strange phenomenon which plays with us, sometimes an hour seems longer than years, when someone close to you is between life and death, the wait never ends but when you are throwing yourself into hell just so to save your heaven it does not even give you a second.  

I checked myself in the mirror, even though I had applied enough make up, there were still very much visible bags under my eyes. I was tired, already. It had been five minutes since I had heard the bell ring. I hurried downstairs and into his large black car. It was the same one that he and his friends had come in that night.  

It took us almost an hour to reach his house. I was a huge one on the outskirts of town, with big lawn and tall walls but It seemed old from outside. I was led inside and into a very modern style drawing room with sleek furniture. A combination of maroon and black with white neon lights and a glass fireplace, that probably a gas fire but with fake coal sp it gave an illusion of a real coal fire. All was good except for the smell of liquor that hung in the air. I drinks a lot was all I could think.  

The door opened and revealed him, I was startled and turned around to see the same face, the face I had forgotten but just one look, brought it all back. I had decided that I would explain my situation plainly and then see his response but before that I saw him standing there longer, examining me the way he had done before. I wanted to vanish, disappear from there but I could not and I had yet worse to face.  

He smiled, shook my hand, gently and then sat on a one of its kind black chair in the room. I was very nervous by now; his mere presence had made my legs go trembling.  

"uh, Jason, I...I have a favor to ask you of, I need money, lots of it, my mother needs an open heart surgery and well she has no one but me and the private hospitals are asking for a huge sum! I have no one to go to and I will return it as soon as I can" I blurted out, just like that.  

He looked amused for a second, probably at my nervousness and the other very much pleased that I had asked him of a favor and now he could have his way with me.  

"My dear dear Anne! Do not worry yourself over it I will fully support you financially in this and I know you would not be able to return it so I would not ask for it" I sighed in relief, "but instead..." this as if took the life out of me, I knew what was coming, I knew he would want no less than me in return, "...you will remain here with me!"  

Even though I was prepared the very sentence and the way he said it, had made his intentions clear. I had worn my mother's scarf around me, just in case that I would forget my purpose. It had her scent. I had it twirled around my finger tightly by now. I looked up in his eyes that twinkled with clear victory and with all the dignity that I could, I smiled.  

Just then someone entered from the door after a brief knock and I turned around just in time to meet an unexpected pair of eyes I knew well but of course I was in a headquarter of a gang who else would I find here but Jake.  

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Well I have tried to change my writing style hope you like this chapter :)comment and vote!