Short Story: Sam

By Jui-Wei Yang

It has been almost two and a half years. Sam looked at the letter and sighted. With anger and disappointment he sat down heavily on the couch and threw the letter down heavily. He never thought he would have come to this, never.

Once he was a successful businessman. Now, he is nobody. His beautiful wife Carol looks at the letter, fold it up and place it upon the table.

“Carol…if it isn’t for her, we probably can not even be able to pay the bills anymore.” Sam thought, at this time, Sam felt shame all over his body.

When they first got married, they said models like Carol are most likely to abandon their men at time like this. Sam doesn’t know about other girls in the modeling industry, but that is definitely not Carol. She sticks by him at the time of his need.

Sam sighed there must be something he could do. He is not going to spend the rest of his life depending on his wife. That is for certain.

“What is the point of keeping it? It is just more disappointment.” Sam said, as Carol placed the letter down onto the table.

“More debt?” Carol said

Sam nodded. When they first got married Sam promise to give Carol happiness, but now they are in so much debt, that it took up just about every single inch of their income. Sam couldn’t get a job anymore. Nobody dares to hire him. He managed to get a job working in a pub, two nights a week. It was a good thing that he worked in a bar when he was still in collage, but this is barely enough to solve their money problem.

“I still got that swim suit photo shoot this afternoon. I’ll probably be home late. Can you pick the kids up from school?” Carol asked

Sam nodded. “Sure”

Carol quickly kissed her husband on the lips, changed her cloth and rushed out of the house.

At the age of twenty-one, Sam was already a total hot shot. He made it to become a CEO of a company, at the age of twenty-two. The following year he married Carol and had their twin girls, Jessica and Elizabeth. Four years later, there was serious problem with the food product of Sam’s company. Fifty-six people ended up in hospital. The company compensated the victim of course, but soon the sales went down hill and the company went broke. Sam was out of job. The worse of all, Sam was the one in charge of this project and now his reputation is ruin. The following year, under the introducing of a friend, Sam got a new job working, as a manager is another company. Sam holds share and invested in the company, but soon the company’s owner ran off with all of the company’s access. The cops cannot find the owner of the company and now, Sam who is the only other shareholder of the company and has to pay for all of the company’s debt.

Originally, both Carol and Sam make plenty of money and they live a luxury life, but now they have to sale everything, they’re two BMW, furniture, and their large house by the beach. All of these only pay for a third of the debt. The rest of the debt is likely to take another five years to be paid off, slowly.

Right now, they live in a small apartment that is leased, sleep on the floor and drive a second hand car that is at least forty years old. The only decent piece of furniture they have left is this couch. Sam’s mother left this couch for him, before she died and it means a lot to Sam and he wouldn’t sale it.

Sam looked at the time, there was a clock hanging on the wall. It is almost time to go pick up the kids. Carol took the car, so Sam had to walk. Sam putted on his jacket and was about to go pick up the kids.

The phone was ringing. Sam decided not to answer it, let the answering machine answer the phone.

“This is Sam and Carol, we are not able to come to the phone now, please leave a message after the beep.” Carol’s voice passed out of the answering machine.

“Hey, Sam it is Jack. Just to let you now, I’ll be running half an hour late to come baby sit the kids tonight. You should be able to still make it to your bar job tonight. Give me a call if there is any problem, mates. Cheers mate” Jack’s voice passed out of the answering machine.

Jack. He is a true friend. It is only at time like these Sam can finally see who his real friends are. Sam had a lot of friends, but they abandon him, the second he become broke. Only Jack is willing to help him, but he still has his own family to take care of, of course.

Sam’s two brothers are the first people to abandon him, when he becomes broke. “Tomas and Richard, some brothers they are” Sam thought. Back when Sam was still rich, Tomas and Richard were always around and their families meet up for BBQ, camping, Christmas…everything. Now that he is broke, it will be a miracle if those brothers of his will even give him a phone call. When Sam and Carol were forced to sell their house and their family had no place to stay, Tomas and Richard found all sort of excuse to reject them.

“I mean, I am not try to be rude, I mean, currently my house’s fan sway is pretty good, when only four people live here, but if eight people live here, well…the fan sway will be totally the ruin.” Tomas said.

In the end, it was Jack, who allowed Sam and his family to sleep over for a few nights, until they found their own apartment.

Both of Sam’s parents are dead, so they can’t help. Carol’s parents can’t help either. Carol grew up in a poor family, her father was a bricklayer and her mother was a maid, but it doesn’t really matter for Sam anyway. Sam doesn’t like the idea of needing his in law’s help.

Sometime, Sam wonders why Carol didn’t just simply take the kids and leave him. Carol is only twenty-eight years old. She still makes plenty of money, if she leaves him, Carol and the kids can start living the same luxury life that they once have. But Carol was not planning to do so. Carol took an oath on her wedding day “till death do us part” and Carol is keeping it.

Sam walked out of the apartment and walked onto the street. The kids’ school is only four or five blocks away. Normally, on their way home, the Jessica and Elizabeth will be bagging their parents to go to McDonalds and gather the newest Happy Meal toy. Occasionally, Sam and Carol will give in, but most of the time, they will say no. But the kids are not bagging Sam for McDonalds today. The kids know that their favor Uncle Jack is coming and he always bring them some goodies to eat. Jack is a five star chef, working in a big restaurant and the kids love him. Sam doesn’t think it is nice to let the kids to take too much free meals from a friend, but Jack say he doesn’t mind, he said those are left over French cushiness that nobody order and if nobody eat it, they are just going to be fed to the pigs anyway. “My own kids are sick of eating French food anyway.” Jack joked.

Sam waited for the kids out side the school gate. The girls were happy to see their father and ran towards him. Sam gave both of his daughters a big hug. Before going home, Sam had to make a quick stop to the supermarket that is two blocks away. Sam and his daughters walked into the super market. The two girls were running around their father.

Sam looked at the prices of the products that the supermarket sales. “Everything is so expensive these days, especially, with the raising patrol prices and everything.” Sam thought. Sam quickly chose few of the cheapest products and placed them into the trolley, all together, it still cost Sam almost seventy dollars. Unhappily, Sam paid for the groceries, picked up the bags and started walking the girls back home. Both girls took one grocery bag and Sam took the other three.

Once they got home, the girls ran into their rooms. Sam quickly putted the groceries into the fridge. Then, he went to change his cloth for his job in the pub tonight. There were two messages on the answering machine. Sam quickly pressed the play button to hear what it is. The first message was from Jack, it was the same message that he left on the answering machine when Sam was leaving the house. The second message was something else.

“Hello Sam, this is Victoria from GCT Food Corporation. I am calling you for that middle management position you are applying for. Just want to let you, you got the job and we want you to start working for us on Monday. Give me a call to confirm that you want the job. My number is 0431 444 567. Thanks” the voice passed out of the answering machine.

Sam smiled, GCT Food Corporation that is a promising company. Maybe this is god’s way of giving him a second chance.

“I guess there is a god, after all.” Sam thought.