Jack and his father left a few minutes before Kate arrived.
Jack felt like the whole world was against him for the mistake he made. He has to pay for the loss he caused for Mr. Roland and also lose the work he was thinking would be the source of income tomorrow.
Everything has changed in just a second.
Jack and his father got home looking moody. Mrs. John was in the kitchen preparing lunch for herself when she heard the house bell. She stepped out of the kitchen and headed to the door. She opened the door and who she saw shocked her because she wasn't expecting them to come back home this early.
"Hey, why are you coming back this early together and at the same time? And you are even looking moody. What's happening?" Mrs. Elizabeth asked as she let them in.
Jack and his father sat speechlessly on the sofa, which makes Mrs. John look confused about the whole thing.
What shocked her the more was why they came back home so early.
Mrs. Elizabeth sat beside her husband, Mr. John, to ask him all these questions to cure her curiosity. She raised her eyebrows to look at Mr. John. What she saw made her turn her gaze immediately. Mr. John was intensively staring at something. He was staring at the television that was placed on the wall, which was directly facing them.
Mrs. Elizabeth, Mr. John, and Jack were both staring at the television now.
News was being broadcast on a television station. Showing the incident that happened in Mr. Roland's shop.
Journalists also went to the scene to witness the accident.
"This just came in now. Which says, Mr. Roland Walker's interior workshop has burnt to ash a few hours ago. The case confirmed that the incident happened accidentally, which involved an electric explosion when one of his workers was trying to use one of the sockets installed in the workshop. The CEO in the person of Mr. Roland Walker said that was the only source of his income and the income he uses for feeding his family. So, he demanded 1 million for compensation.
What a loss!
For this reason, the public is being advised to be careful when using electric utensils to avoid accidents like this and to save lives and properties. Please, stay with us as we go for a short break." The broadcaster said from the television.
Before the broadcaster could finish the news, Mr. John's tears were already flowing down his cheeks. Fear gripped Mrs. Elizabeth immediately after she saw Mr. Roland's picture attached to the new details. Jack, on the other side, sat quietly staring at his mother who was looking confused and never knew what was happening.
Although, the News was given without unleashing the victim's picture, which brought confusion to Mrs. Elizabeth's mind.
Mrs. Elizabeth turned to ask Jack what really happened, but Jack immediately turned his gaze away to avoid their eye contact. She got confused and turned back to her husband, Mr. John, and she saw him sobbing silently.
"What's happening? Why are you both behaving like this?" Mrs. Elizabeth yelled at them.
Although, she knew that it was something to be worried about which she also did, but Mr. John and Jack's own was too much, and it sent her a signal that there was something more to hear from the news.
"What are you both hiding from me?
For crying out loud, what makes you dumb that you can no longer talk?" She angrily asked.
"Mom, I…hmph" Jack sighed and let out tears to have their way through his eyes. This has been what he and his father have been thinking of, "how to tell her and how she will react to the news" was their problem. Now, it was time to tell her the whole thing, but who was really going to tell her? Another issue.
"Jack… Jack… calm down, relax and tell me what happened." Mrs. Elizabeth pleaded and encouraged him to speak up.
"He did it." Mr. John uttered.
"What do you mean by that statement?" Mrs. Elizabeth asked paying attention to hear the answer.
"The fire accident," Jack answered from the other side.
"Who did it?" She asked as she adjusted her seating position.
The room remained silent for a few minutes before she broke the silence.
"You guys should stop confusing me and go straight to the point for goodness's sake!" Mrs. Elizabeth said.
"Mom, I was the person responsible for the accident. But it wasn't intentional." Jack answered and bend his head.
"Tell me that you are joking." Mrs. Elizabeth said as she tried to smile to take it as a joke.
She stared at Jack and then at Mr. John and then back to Jack again. She immediately knew that Jack was serious about what he said.
But it sounds weird to her ears. She wasn't thinking that such a thing can't happen, but the money they were demanded to pay for the compensation.
She felt like she was dreaming, but it wasn't a dream. Life was about to turn it back at them, leaving them shattered.
"Do you mean, Mr. Roland is demanding $1 million from us?" She asked with a frowned face.
Mr. John nodded, indicating 'yes'.
Mr. John was bending his head, and the same thing applied to Jack. They weren't ready to see her reaction because they believe that women are more emotional than men. If a man like Mr. John and his son Jack are already crying, then they should expect an explosive scream from her.
Mrs. Elizabeth's eyes became heavy and suddenly went dark. Mr. John and Jack were not aware of what was happening, but were surprised that she was quiet and didn't utter any word after confirming that Jack was responsible for the fire accident.
Mr. John decided to raise his head to look at his wife, and what his eyes saw made him to went cold.
"No…." Mr. John screamed, which calls Jack's attention. Jack also raised his head to see why his dad screamed.
"Mrs. Elizabeth has fainted"
"No!" John screamed and jumped down from the sofa and motioned to where his parents were sitting down.
"Please, get water from the tap. And be fast about that." Mr. John said to Jack, and he immediately left for the water.
Mr. John and Jack knew that something was definitely going to happen, and it finally happened, which brought more depression to Mr. John and Jack.
Their only prayer now, was for her to wake up because the money problem has become a minor thing, which can't be compared to her life. Passing away in this critical situation will be a big challenge for them.