Revenge or Revolution?

17.

While Sandra was wondering how to bring up this sensitive topic with Brian, Steve laid in his bed. He didn't have much to do for the next 4 days. All he could do was remember everything which leaded him to this point in his life, where he had no relative, no friends and no money. He had envisioned his future so differently. He was supposed to be doing Masters in Business Administration with Accounting at Harvard University. But he laid here in a cheap motel, scared that he would die any day now.

Steve had not played Basketball since the heart attack incident. He missed that the most. He could have lived without Sandra or Ivy leagues. But he couldn't live without Basketball. It was everything for him. Basketball was the one thing he used to play to release stress and now he couldn't play it because he can't stress his brain at all. Any amount of strain on his muscles will put a strain on his brain. This was the reason; Steve had lost his good physique. He wasn't fat now because he had to take a controlled diet but he wouldn't be categorized as fit either. He hadn't run in so many years.

After he was diagnosed with Subdural Hematoma, for a year, he could hardly walk. The doctor was kind enough to treat him for free seeing his condition. When he could slowly walk and think properly, he took a job of a cashier at a small drive-thru fast food restaurant. All he had to do at the restaurant was take the orders and then the respective payment for the same. Seeing Steve's grades in schools and college first 3 years, the owner gladly took him as a cashier. Besides, he didn't even have to pay Steve much. Steve slept at the restaurant and got enough money to buy food and normal clothes. It was bad for Steve.

He still remembered the day an order came for 3 hamburgers and 4 cokes. The total came of 233 bucks. But it was difficult for Steve to calculate even such small amount and he got the total wrong and he told the customer that it came at 250 bucks. The customers had become angry and complained to the owner. The owner knew about Steve's condition and he apologized to the customer and gave them the food at the price of 230 bucks giving a discount of 3 bucks. The owner never told Steve anything. He was an understanding fellow and he knew that Steve didn't want to steal anything and it was a legit mistake. But Steve couldn't let it go.

There was a time that Steve could do complicated trigonometric calculations in his mind in fraction of seconds. He was not this guy. He had lost all respect for himself and when one loses respect for oneself, they give up. Steve wanted to give up too. He couldn't live like this for years till one day he died haplessly. He decided that he should just kill himself when he still had control of his life.

One night, he decided that today was the night he would end his life. He had gone to the nearest railway station to lie there and get ran over by an oncoming train. He saw no other way out of this misery. He had left a note for the owner thanking him for not being hard on him for being so clumsy and being so supportive. He had left all of his left out money he had to the owner as a parting gift. The note went like:

"Thank you, Mr.Patrickson. You have been like a father for me since last few months. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have survived. I was diagnosed with subdural hematoma and I thought that it was a major disease but wouldn't make my life so ugly. I had huge dreams of helping people and making money so that I can have the other orphans in the world have a better place. I wanted to be a role model to everyone but in my college days, it was made clear to me that life is not fair and the bad people actually wins in real life as opposed to in the movies and books.

I don't want to live like this anymore. I couldn't calculate simple numbers and it makes me feel ashamed more than anything. And now I am nothing but a load on you. You have helped me so much and now it is my time to help you. I have left all the money I had on my bed. I know it's not much but it was all I had. You always asked what had happened to me that made me have this conditions and I never gave you a proper explanation. I owe you an explanation and here it is.