Momo inserted her key into the key lock but noticed that it was opened already. She held the doorknob and turned it, opening the door.
"Why is my door not locked"?.
"Did I forget to lock it"?
She recapped back to this morning and remembered that she actually forgot to lock her door cause she was in a rush.
"Aaaah, that's right, I actually did forgot to lock it. That's not ok, I shouldn't be forgetting to do something as important as this".
Stepping inside, banging the door behind her and switching on the lights, she was shocked to her bones by what awaited her. Five hefty men were all in her apartment. She recognized them as one of the notorious loan sharks her dad had borrowed money from. One was seated while the remaining four stood..
This wasn't the first time they'd harassed her but they've never forced their way into her home. Well she was at fault here for leaving her door wide-opened. She knew she wasn't gonna like what was going to happen or what she was going to hear.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Momo. You kept us waiting for so long. Where you've been all day long"? The leader spoke.
"It's none of your Goddamn business. Can you please get out of my house"?.
"No,no,no, not so fast dear. You shouldn't be like this towards us. We have a long history together, you know".
"I don't care nor give a f*ck, just GET OUT".
"I'm here for business Momo. Where's your father"?.
"I don't f*cking know. Shouldn't that be your job to find him"..
"Well your father is really good at hiding".
"If you can't find him, how will I know where he is"?.
"I don't care either. According to the papers your father signed, if we can't find him to pay his debt, his family members are gonna bear the burden and can be accountable for his debt, and you're his daughter".
"Did my father really signed such papers"?.
She knew her father was a monster capable of doing anything but it still hurts knowing that he doesn't even care if she got hurt.
"Oh yes he did, that's why we're here.So is our money ready"?.
"I don't have such amount you're asking of and next time don't give out such amount of money if you're not sure the person is capable of paying it back. You're no different from a fool".
His expression changed upon hearing her call him a fool. He took a step forward towards her while she took a step backwards. Holding her by the hair he gave her a resounding slap making her stagger and fall.
"Look I'm not your friend or acquaintance if you think that's what our relationship is. You're a debtor and I'm just here to collect my money".
"Point of correction, my dad's the debtor not me".
"Does it look like I care? Look, I'm gonna give you three days to provide the money or better still you bring your dad to me. If none of these options is done, I'm taking your fingers with me".
"What? What do you mean you're taking my fingers with you"?.
He crouched down and spoke directly to her face "I'm cutting all of your fingers, all ten of them and selling them. I won't just stop there. If you can't provide the money within another three days, you probably won't be alive again".
A cold shiver ran through her spine. She knew he wasn't joking and he meant every word he said.
He smirked and patted her head.
"Don't worry, all this can be prevented if you just do as I've said. Three days is all you have, Understood"?.
She rapidly Shaked her head up and down to show she concurred...
"We'll be on our way now, Boys let's go".
They all snickered at her and left.
Momo took a deep breath and stood up. She could feel her eyes getting teary. Her life was finally ruined all thanks to her dad. How was she going to get such amount of money they were asking within a short period of time?
Momo crouched and cried to her hearts satisfaction. Her life was really in danger and she knew it.
'Should I just ask Shan Shan for help'? she thought.
'But I don't want to trouble her. Who could i ask for help? What can I do'?.
Momo slept away in her thoughts and tears....
The birds were chirping and the weather was neither cloudy nor sunny. It was actually a great weather. It was so warm. Momo would have loved to savour all this but yesterday's event kept replaying in her head. She was so drowned in her thoughts that she didn't notice when the bus arrived. A kind stranger tapped her shoulders waking her from her thoughts and asked if she was boarding this bus.. Momo replied with a yes and boarded the bus, sitting near a window. She was on her way to one of her part time job. Momo was in such a disarray that she got most of the customers order wrong, making her boss annoyed at her. He pulled her to a corner and scolded her.
"What's wrong with you today? Do you know how many customers laid a complaint about you today? You got almost everybody's order wrong".
"I'm so sorry Sir".
"It's not a matter of apologizing if you're still going to keep doing the same thing. A customer order for a pork and you gave her beef".
"I'm really sorry" She held both hands and bowed her head in apology.
"This is not like you Momo, you are always diligent and good at your work. What's really going on? You don't seem yourself".
"It's just a family matter, nothing much"
"Are you sure? I could help you if you want".
Momo was really tempted to accept his help but she was not shameless enough to do so. She didn't want to bring just anyone into her problems.
"It's okay sir, I can handle it, it's not a big deal".
"Ok if you say so. I think I'll let you off early today. Resolve whatever your problem is, gather your thoughts back, and then resume, ok"?.
"Ok sir, thank you".
"No problem".
On her way home, she stopped at a children's playground and sat on the swing. She wanted to clear her head for some minutes. Momo contemplated whether to tell Shan Shan about her issues and she really didn't want to weigh her with her problems but she had the right to know, as she would be really annoyed if she found out from someone else.
She dialed her number and she picked up immediately.
"Hello Momo, what's up"?.
"How come you're always fast to pick my call? Are you always less busy"? Momo asked.
"I'm always with my phone 24/7 so as not to miss any important calls like yours. Or don't you like that I always pick your call fast"?.
"No, it's not like that, I'm just asking".
"So why did you call"?.
"Well, Shan Shan, I'm in deep shit".
"What? How deep is this shit you're in"?.
"Very deep, to the point I could lose my life".
"Oh my gosh, it's that serious? What's going on Momo? What happened"?.
"A loan shark that my dad owes came to my apartment asking me to pay his debt or I bring him to them. According to them my dad signed a paper that says that if he can't pay his debt, his family member is complied to pay and I'm his only daughter".
"Oh my God, Momo, this is serious".
"That's not even the end Shan Shan. Now it's a must I repay them or all ten of my fingers will be gone within three days. Within another three days, if I can't still repay I might not be alive again".
"WHAT? Are they crazy? How dare they threaten you like that"?.
"Shan Shan, I'm really scared, I don't know what to do. I don't know where to get such amount of money they're asking for".
Momo was already crying profusely. She's been holding her tears for a while, but talking to Shan Shan brought it all out.
"Calm down Momo. How much are they asking for"?.
"Up to 150,000 Yuan".
"What? 150,000 Yuan? That's too much".
"I know, that's why I'm going crazy".
"How many days left do you have now to pay them".
"Two days".
"Look, I don't have such amount at all, but I could try to ask my dad. It could take two or more days for him to succumb to my plea and that's my worry".
"I might be dead by then".
"C'mon Momo, don't joke like that, it's breaking my heart. Don't worry, I'll try my best. I'm really glad you told me".
"Me too, I'm glad I told you. You're really my saviour".
"Anything for you".
Momo went home with a relieved heart. Although her problem wasn't fully solved, she was still relieved a little bit knowing that she had hope of a solution...