KARMA

It was a warm evening. Everyone was immaculately dressed, and John West kept beaming with joy. He had helped himself to several rounds of dessert, and his loud belch subtly reminded him that the metabolism of the ice-cream in his stomach wasn't over, and he would do well to stop the intake. John ignored the warning and went for more, who could resist strawberry flavor? His Dad, Oliver West was sitting at the dining table along with the rest of his family as they celebrated. He could hear their laughter and metallic cling of clashing glassware.

He did not know what they were celebrating, neither did he care. He had all the ice-cream he wanted, and that was all that mattered. Nana, his maid should have been watching him, but she was too busy cooking.

With his parents outside welcoming guests, his maid in the kitchen and the butler putting the finishing touches around the house, there was no one to watch him, and he roamed free.

Three minutes of a ninja-like walk brought him to the kitchen, his favorite spot in the house. A mild groan from his stomach reiterated the warning that his body had had enough of ice-cream, but he went on undeterred. He was fantasizing about the yummy, gelatinous goodness about to grace his mouth when a deep voice from behind him disrupted his reverie.

"Hmm, hmm. John, don't you think you've had enough ice-cream?"

John looked back and looked into the deep blue eyes of their butler. He started to explain, but the butler cut him short with a finger to his mouth.

"Yes, I know you love ice-cream, but you have to take it easy so you don't get sick. OK?" A nod from John sufficed for him.

"Good. Just take one more, and....." His words were drowned by a barrage of fireworks (or so it seemed) and a loud explosion. His ice-cream tumbled in slow motion and everything suddenly went dark.

He woke up with a start and a mild headache. He had had that dream that haunted him almost every night without warning. He could not decode what the dream meant, but it always made him feel like he had lost something so precious to him. He took one look at the figure sleeping peacefully beside him, and he smiled. When he remembered that the beauty beside him could soon be taken away from him, his smile turned into a frown.

Sarah Lance was his two month old wife. He had promised her many things while they were dating, but sadly their lives had been filled with the opposite of his promises. He had promised her a life of joy and happiness, but their marriage was constantly plagued by sadness and despair.

It was not really his fault, but that of his in-laws. Sarah – in their opinion – had made the mistake of marrying a pauper when she could have married a much wealthier man whose investments could have kept the declining family business afloat. It didn't help that Peter Lance, her father had been embarrassed many times as Sarah had obviously decided to keep insulting the men her father had tried to matchmake her with. It didn't help that their family business – Lance industries – had been severely affected by unfavorable government policies, an hostile market and ever-increasing competitors and greatly needed a large injection of funds if it would stay afloat. Peter Lance had tried in vain to get his daughter to marry one of the many billionaires around him.

Sarah was blonde, had a lovely figure and was exceptionally beautiful. He had watched her grow and mature with joy, knowing that she would prove to be a useful pawn in future business negotiations. Little did he know that his daughter had her eyes fixed on someone else.

John West was the adopted son cum mechanic cum cleaner cum all-purpose handyman of the Lances, and had lived with them since he was a boy. He was slightly older than Sarah, but had grown fond of her, and she of him over the years.

She was the only daughter of the Lances who didn't treat him like a maid. Peter Lance had noted the growing fondness between the two, but had dismissed it as just child-like affection, until he had asked his daughter one day the type of man she would like to marry.

To his consternation, her blunt reply was, "someone like John." Alarmed, Peter Lance decided to take no chances and separate the two of them, sending Sarah overseas to study but they had somehow managed to stay in touch and their love had blossomed. Sarah had rejected five suitors in one month, all of whom were multimillionaires and had promised to invest heavily in Lance industries and had ended up marrying John.

John looked at his beloved again with a heavy heart. he had brought her into a life of penury since their marriage as he was jobless and Sarah had been disowned and cut off from the family funds by her father. Not that Sarah cared though, all she wanted was to be with the man she loved.

John quickly forced a smile as he saw Sarah turning. He didn't want to trouble her, but his efforts were futile.

"Good morn....." Suddenly Sarah stopped. "John, are you okay?"

John managed to squeeze out a chuckle. "No dear, something got into my eye."

Sarah sighed. "Don't lie to me John, did you have that dream again?"

John looked into the eyes of the woman he loved. "Yes, I did. I cannot explain what the dream means, but it always makes me feel like I have lost something precious, like I have lost people really close to me, and I may never get it back. Whenever I look at you, that is how I feel too. I feel like I will lose you, like it is just a matter of time before your dad turns up at the door and take you away from me permanently.

Sarah looked at the love of her life "I have told you many times that it will never happen. I am not a little girl, I am a fully grown adult who can make her own decisions. I have made my choice, and it is you. Never forget that." Sarah gave John a smile that lighted up his world. "Get dressed dear, I have good news for you, but first, let me make breakfast."

After breakfast, Sarah looked at her husband and sighed. She didn't want to do this, but she had no choice.

"Darling, our electricity bill is due, and we need to get groceries. We do not have any more food in the kitchen. Also, the......."

John let out a groan. "How do you expect me to pay all these bills? I feel like you want to hear it. Fine, I have no job! I'm jobless and broke! There it is, you've heard what you wanted to hear."

John felt a bomb going off inside him, but as he looked at his wife and saw a tear stream down her cheeks, he realized he had overreacted. It wasn't her fault.

"I'm sorry love. It's just, it's just........."

Sarah cut in. "I understand love, we're in this together. I will not stop repeating it until you get it into your thick head. You are not alone, we are in this together. I have an idea that can solve our problems, but I am not sure you would like it."

John chuckled. "I like any idea that can solve our problems dear. I don't need to like it."

Sarah was rubbing her hands over each other, a sign John knew from experience meant she was nervous.

"I spoke to my father last week and asked him to give you a job, he said he didn't have any opening, but he could employ you as a cleaner in the company." At the sight of her husband's scowl she quickly continued. "Look, I know it's small, but it can pay our bills, and that is all that matters. However, he said there was one condition but he refused to tell me. He said he would tell you if you went to see him today."

Silence ensued for a while. Sarah was muttering words of encouragement, but John wasn't hearing anything. He knew it was a trap, but he could not tell his wife. He was certain Mr Lance was just looking for an opportunity to embarrass him and tell him to leave his daughter.

He could not bring himself to tell her that he had been to the Lance mansion - the home he grew up in - multiple times to beg for a job, but he had met with varying degrees of insults ranging from mild to wild insults and then to becoming the recipient of cold water seasoned with loud cries for him to leave their daughter. He had lied to her that he was drenched while passing by a car wash. He looked into her eyes again and decided he would go to his father in law.

In the worst case scenario, he could not experience worse than what he had previously endured, and who knew, maybe Mr Lance had finally come around and would actually offer him a job.

He looked at his wife and shrugged. "Fine, I will go see him today."

The smile on Sarah's face was one of the few things that convinced him that life was worth living. He was wondering what made him agree to visit hell when Sarah's inquisitive eyes met his.

"What? I've agreed to go." Sarah took his hands and whispered her reply. "Yes, but you know my father always fixes his meetings in the evenings."

John raised his left eyebrow, his characteristic trait when he was amused. "So?"

Sarah smiled. "Go now, so he doesn't reschedule your appointment for tomorrow. Please."

John started to protest, but he found that he could not. "Fine, I will get dressed."

Sarah smiled even more, revealing her dimples as she did so. "I love you babe. When you come back, we will celebrate. I have good news for you." With that, she left the room, leaving John to brood on what he had just agreed to do.

John began his thirty-minute walk to the Lance mansion. He could have taken the bus, but he needed to think. He knew he was paying a visit to hell, and he was not happy about it. He wished he did not have to go, but he had no choice. He had searched in vain for a job for over a month. It was both surprising and frustrating that he had been unable to get a job, because on more than one occasion he could swear he was among the most qualified, if not the most qualified applicant for the job.

On one occasion, he had applied for a job in a company that had twenty openings. The company had been quite tight-lipped about the vacancy, but he had been told by a manager in one of the companies he had previously applied for a job in. He was very disappointed not to have gotten the job, as he had been told during the interview that he was the most qualified applicant for that particular position.

He had been very optimistic about his chances but had been utterly disappointed to find out that the job was given to someone without a college degree, whereas he had two. He broke down when he was told, but one of his interviewers had run after him to console him. He admitted that he had lobbied for him to be employed, since he was the most qualified, but the matter was 'out of his hands' as there were 'higher powers' involved.

However, the manager told him about the top-secret vacancy in the other company, and said he was certain he would be employed, since the company had over ten openings. He had gotten there with much optimism, and was even more optimistic when he found out that they had twenty openings. He made a quick count and found out that there were twenty applicants aside himself, but he liked his chances. Four hours later, he found out that he was the only one who was not accepted, despite the fact that he boasted of more credentials than any of the other applicants. He was heartbroken and miserable. One of the other applicants pitied him and offered to decline the appointment, since he had another job and only applied because he thought the new position offered more financial incentives. He concluded that the difference was not much and would gladly decline the appointment so John could be employed.

John had fallen at his feet in gratitude and was thanking him profusely, only for the supervisor to come and 'apologize on behalf of the company' for their mistake. Apparently, they had nineteen openings and not twenty, and despite the good intentions of the man who rejected the appointment, they would still not be able to hire John.

"Argh!!!" He looked down to see that he had kicked a stone. He shrugged it off, because the pain in his heart was more than the one in his leg. The past one month had been filled with countless disappointments in his search for a job, and sometimes he really did feel he was cursed. He had no choice than to accept the offer of his father-in-law. He took a sharp right and continued to think.

He was surprised that the Lance family treated him with so much disdain and hate, especially since he had grown up in their home. They greatly resented him marrying their daughter. At one point he wanted to break up with Sarah, but he had stayed, partly because of his love for her and partly because he thought she deserved better, and she did. The Lance family only saw her as a pawn to negotiate with in their with to bring in investors to aid their dying business, and most of Sarah's suitors only saw her as a prize to be won, a commodity to be purchased, and a trophy wife who would make them look good at events.

Peter Lance claimed that he would do anything to save his business, even if it meant selling his daughter to the highest bidder. Ironically, it was his fault the business was failing. He had a gambling addiction, as well as an unhealthy craving for a flashy lifestyle, one characterized by spending company funds on women and flashy cars. These two vices had punctured holes in the finances of the company and drive the company close and closer to bankruptcy. A few friends had warned him, but he had refused.

He had earned himself his first slap from Mr Lance when he questioned the sense in buying a very expensive new car when he had a fleet of cars at home, most of which he had only driven twice. The company had certainly been on its way to extinction for a few years, but a quadruplet of factors like unfavorable government policies, a changing market structure, the rise of new competitors and the exit of investors and skilled workers who had foreseen the impending doom of the company had ultimately hastened the decline of the company.

Sadly, the company was beyond salvaging despite the best efforts of hired economic experts, and only a major yet foolish investment into a company well on its way to extinction could save it. John had concluded that no one would be foolish enough to invest so much money into a doomed company, however as it turned out, a lot of male investors would do anything for a beautiful blonde.

The mounting pressure on Mr Lance, coupled with the never ending barrage of suitors for Sarah was the source of the hate he had received from the family. Peter Lance had married off his first two daughters to 'business partners', but even then the financial hole could not be plugged.

None of them however, were as pretty, shapely or well-mannered as Sarah, and Peter Lance was sure she would fetch him a mammoth investment. His hopes were dashed when Sarah walked up to him one day and informed him of her decision to marry John. Peter Lance was so angry that he nearly convulsed, and he had sent them both out of the mansion.

He had hoped Sarah was only joking, and that he could get her to leave John with a series of pleas and incentives. When that failed, he decided to make him leave his daughter instead. Peter Lance offered him money, a senior role in his company, an all expense paid trip to anywhere in the world he wanted, but he had refused, saying that all he wanted was his daughter. Mr Lance grew increasingly desperate as his company neared bankruptcy and resorted to threats, but John remained firm.

He and his wife had tried everything save murder, to get him to leave their daughter, but he was steadfast in his love.

Eventually, he had married Sarah in a church with only the pastor and the two of them present, yet the Lance family kept up the pressure. Evelyn Lance, Sarah's mother was more vicious than her husband. She had once sent thugs to beat him up, and was the one who poured water on him during his last visit to the Lance mansion to plead for a job.

On another occasion, she had let loose the bloodthirsty dogs at him, but they were used to him already and they loved him. Evelyn Lance broke into a fit when she saw the dogs wagging their tails and licking his legs instead of biting him. It was she, not her husband that he was afraid of. She was the very devil in hell he was scared to go and meet, but he had no choice.

As he approached the Lance mansion, he let out a sigh and muttered prayers. He pressed the buzzer and was surprised to see the security guard welcome him with a smile. He knew it, it was a trap! He began to take suspicious glances around, but he saw no sign of the dogs. Perhaps Mrs Lance had gotten new dogs who didn't know him and had cunningly invited him to be mutilated by the dogs. Unconsciously, he mentally began to assess his chances of scaling his fence. Between his speed and the rush of adrenaline that was certain to emanate from his body if the dogs were let loose, he was certain he would scale the fence.

He looked up and saw Peter Lance smiling at him from the balcony. He pinched himself to be sure he was not dreaming. Perhaps he had already been killed by the new dogs and was already dreaming of the afterlife.

"Ah John! My son! Come inside, I have been waiting for you. It's been a long time, you should visit more. After all, you grew up here."

John opened his mouth wide in unbelief. If he had known what awaited him inside the house, he would have fainted. As he stepped inside the house, a wave of nostalgia hit him. He took in the air of the house he had grew up in, and he really wished he had come under better circumstances.