Chapter 7 Debt Collector

Emma rubbed the back of her head, which still felt sore from being repeatedly hit by Sally yesterday. When Andrew's figure disappeared, Sally became hysterical.

"What's wrong with you, Emma? Are you crazy?! That's Andrew Jonas!" Sally smacked Emma's head again.

"Aww... aww..." Emma screamed while rubbing her head. The cinema manager could only shake his head, witnessing Emma and Sally's antics, and decided to leave the two employees and go back to his office.

"Yeah, so what if it's Andrew Jonas?" Emma asked irritably.

"Mr. Andrew, you haven't paid for your drink," Sally mimicked Emma's words. "Are you serious about what you said? Have you even thought before you speak? Not to mention that cold chocolate milk, this cinema is his. Ah, the whole mall belongs to him! And yet, you dared to reject his invitation!"

Emma scratched her head repeatedly, watching her friend's antics. "I don't want to watch or do anything with him!"

"Anything else?" Sally was shocked again. "Are you crazy or something? Every girl in this city would queue up just to get close to him, but you... you..."

"Isn't that the weird part? He can invite any girl to watch a movie with him. Why me?" Emma retorted.

Sally seemed surprised by Emma's words. "Oh, right. That's true. As far as I know, Andrew has a girlfriend. Wait a moment." Sally took out her smartphone from her long skirt pocket and started searching. "There, it's true. Andrew's girlfriend is a top model named Rose."

Sally showed Emma a photo of Andrew and a very beautiful girl at a fancy restaurant. Emma stared at the photo that Sally found on the internet, raising many questions in her mind.

"If he already has a girlfriend, why doesn't he just marry her?" Emma murmured. That morning, she was getting ready in her room for work. Her house was very close to the mall. Emma's house was located in a densely populated settlement behind the mall.

Emma massaged her temples. Should she just skip work today? She didn't want to meet Andrew again. She didn't want to consider Uncle Tom's offer, even though he kept asking.

"Please give me another chance." Emma was startled from her daydream by her mother's voice, accompanied by a commotion outside her room. She hurried out.

Emma's steps halted at the bedroom door when she saw three big and intimidating-looking men rummaging through their belongings in the house.

"No matter how many times we search, there's nothing valuable to take from this house!" one of them exclaimed.

"Hey, Woman! I told you to sell this house. Even though the proceeds won't be much, at least half of your husband's debt can be settled!" another one added.

Mona knelt at the feet of one of the debt collectors, but the man kicked her down.

"Mama!" Emma shouted. She approached her mother and helped her up.

"Please give us another chance," Mona pleaded.

"What chance? We've given you a reprieve for almost five years. Don't you know that the longer you delay, the more the debt piles up!"

"Wait, sir," Emma interrupted. She rushed into her room and took an envelope from her bag. Her salary for the month. She approached one of the debt collectors and handed him the envelope. "Please, give us an extension again."

"Em, that's for your tuition fees." Mona was shocked by what Emma did.

"It's fine, Ma. The important thing is for them to leave first," Emma whispered.

"This amount can only cover two months' interest arrears," one of the debt collectors said after counting the money in the envelope. "Our patience has limits. This is your final warning. If you can't settle it next month, just leave this house! Let's go!"

When the three debt collectors disappeared, Mona continued to sob. "His presence was a burden when he was alive, and even after his death, he's still causing problems!"

"Enough, Ma." Emma patted her mother's back to calm her.

Emma knew exactly what her mother was talking about; it was her own father. During his lifetime, he never had a stable job. Sometimes, he would go on fishing trips for days and return with very little money. At other times, he worked as a laborer on mall construction projects, but most of his earnings were spent on gambling and drinking.

Mona was good at managing money, so no matter how much her husband gave her, it was enough to support their family. Mona also ran a small catering business, through which she managed to make partial payments for the house they currently lived in. This house was their only asset. How could they sell it to pay off the debt?

Her father passed away when Emma just graduated from high school. A week after his death, debt collectors came to their house to demand a large sum of money from Mona. Two hundred thousand dollar. For three years, Mona and Emma worked hard to pay off the debt, but instead of decreasing, it only increased. Her father had lost at gambling and borrowed money from loan sharks long before he fell sick and passed away.

In the last years of her husband's life, Mona suspected that he started selling their valuable possessions, such as the car, television, and Mona's meager jewelry. However, she had no idea that he had such a huge debt.

Since then, the arrival of debt collectors had become a routine in Emma's life. She had grown accustomed to the sight: debt collectors coming, ransacking their house, and her mother begging on her knees. At first, Emma couldn't bear to see it all, but now she was used to it.

"What are we going to do? Where will we live if they take this house? Ed's high school graduation exam is coming up. What will happen to him?" Mona's sobs still hadn't stopped.

"Ed doesn't need to know about this, Ma. So as not to disturb his concentration for the exam. After Ed graduates from high school, he can start looking for a job. We'll find a way to pay off Dad's debt."

"What kind of mother am I? Letting my children live just to work hard to pay off debts."

"Even without the debt, we still have to work hard, right?" Emma got up. "I have to leave for work now, Ma. I'm almost late."

"Em, forgive me, okay?"

"For what? You did nothing wrong."

"Your tuition fees. You said you've been overdue for one semester."

"Don't worry about it, Ma. I can borrow from Uncle for now."

Emma quickly left her house to go to the cinema where she worked. Along the way, Uncle Tom's voice echoed in her head.

"Please consider this, Emma. Don't be selfish! Do it for your mother and brother too. Andrew Jonas is a good young man. He'll treat you with respect.