Tony was quite happy with Alex's proposal that he and Don guard the residential building and he agreed immediately.
He thought it was possible that Alex had some connection to the Clifton family, so he didn't dare to object.
Alex's job was now to alternate between spending some of his time patrolling the Johns Hopkins university campus by car and standing guard in front of the residential building of the rest of the time.
The work of guard duty was, of course, very simple. In fact, most of the time, they sat in the duty room. They just had to stay alert and be ready to solve any problem as soon as it arose.
That night, Alex changed into his uniform and walked around in it, trying to get comfortable.
When Debbie found him, she smiled at the sight of him.
"You look so handsome in your security guard uniform," she told him.
When she finished class at nine o'clock, she walked around the campus looking for Alex, but couldn't find him anywhere. Just as she was starting to give up, she had found him inside the residential building.
"Why are you back so late? Have you eaten yet?" he asked with concern.
He had expected her to finish her classes much earlier on her first day.
"Yes, I've only just finished. My new teacher is awesome; he taught me so much on my first day that I spent the evening in the study room reviewing what he said. All the students here are really hardworking, so I need to work hard to make sure I keep up," Debbie replied excitedly.
Alex listened to her explanation and felt a little concerned for her. She was so sensible, but was taking on a lot of work. He was desperate to stay with her and take care of her. However, the Clifton family had explained that his task was now to protect Debbie in secret, and that it would put her in danger if her true identity was exposed.
He knew that he had to accept the situation for what it was.
"You look so tired that you're struggling to stay awake. You should go home and get some sleep," he told her.
"You too," Debbie said. She smiled, and the turned and walked toward the residential building.
Don had been watching their interaction. He walked up to Alex and said, "Alex, I think that girl's interested in you. She stood there for five minutes and her eyes were focused only on you. I'm much more handsome and she didn't give me a second glance."
Don's eyes were twinkling.
"Don, don't be ridiculous. I've already got a wife." Alex held up his left hand and showed Don his wedding ring.
"Besides, although Debbie and I are friends, she's a student of Johns Hopkins, and she has a really bright future ahead of her. She would never want to settle down with a security guard."
"I know you're right. Everyone knows that security guards don't earn much money or have much in the way of career prospects. Girls like her wouldn't be interested in us."
Don sighed. He took out a box of cheap cigarettes. He took two out of the packet, handed one to Alex, and said, "These cigarettes are cheap and taste bad. You're probably used to something better."
"What are you talking about? I'm the same as you. Why would I be used to anything better?" Alex said with a smile. He didn't usually smoke but in this situation, he felt that he couldn't refuse.
He took the cigarette and let Don light it for him.
They walked around the perimeter of the building together. It was nearly ten o'clock and everything was quiet on the campus, so they sat down on the curb to finish their cigarettes.
Don told Alex, "I've lived in Baltimore for more than thirty years and have been ridiculed and pitied my whole life. When I was a young man, I had so much ambition. I was sure I was going to make something of my life, but here I am, a security guard on a university campus. I can't even find someone who wants to marry me. My life's a joke."
He laughed at himself, but his smile was tinged with regret.
"Buddy, don't give up. You're only thirty-two, you're still a young man with most of your life ahead of you. As long as you don't give up on your ambitions, I'm sure that God won't let you down," Alex advised. He was sad to see his friend looking so depressed by life at such a young age.
Don smiled sadly. He looked at the sky, and his eyes twinkled like the stars.
"Forget it, I have no expectations for my life. Even if I stay alone and pitied for the rest of my life, only one thing really matters to me, and that's my sister. As long as she has a peaceful and happy life then I'll be happy."
When he finished speaking, Don noticed that he's also finished his cigarette, so he put it out on the concrete and threw the stub onto the grass. As he stood up, he wiped the ash off his pants and said, "I've enjoyed our chat. I'll go and get some sleep, and I'll take over from you at midnight."
Then he turned and walked toward the house. He headed for the guards' rest room.
Watching Don walking away, Alex became thoughtful. Don's just a security guard and yet he has so much stress and responsibility on him. It seems that there are very few people in the world who are truly without any burdens.
Alex took a puff of his cigarette, closed his eyes, and tasted the nicotine. The cigarette was helping him relax.
**
The next day, Alex got up early and went for a two-mile run around the campus ring road. Then he went to the canteen and had a quick breakfast. By half past seven, he was already standing guard outside the door of the residential building. He beckoned to Debbie when he saw her walk out.
"I've got three classes today, all of which are very important. I want to get to the classroom early to get a seat at the front," she told him. She was thriving in the studious atmosphere of Johns Hopkins and fully immersed in her studies. She was overwhelmed by her thirst for knowledge.
At four p.m., as he stood in the guard box, he saw Debbie returning from class carrying a notebook. She looked a little confused.
"What's wrong, Debbie?" he asked.
"It's nothing. The teacher gave us so much information today, I don't think I digested everything. I need to go back over it all tonight," she replied with a small smile. She didn't want Alex to worry about her.
"Well, you're so smart that I'm sure you've taken in and understood more than you think you have. It's also important that you rest and don't work too hard," Alex said in a reassuring voice.
Debbie nodded and went into the residential building.
After ten minutes, Don came and took over from Alex at his post.
It was at that moment that a black BMW X7 approached slowly on the campus ring road. The driver seemed to spot the residential building and head toward it.
Alex frowned slightly as he watched the car approach.
It stopped beside Alex and the window slid down. A young man looked at him and said, "Hey, raise the barrier." Alex was surprised by his arrogant attitude.
The young man's name was Julian Duvant and he was a famous playboy in Baltimore. That particular day, he and his cousin, Chris Steadman were cruising around the university campus.
Alex noticed that there were two young men in the car, both in their early twenties, and that the man in the passenger's seat was absorbed by his cell phone.
Both the young men were handsome and fashionably dressed. It was obvious that they were rich.
Don had told Alex that only the residents of the Johns Hopkins residential building were allowed to drive in. No other cars were permitted past the security gate.
"Are you a resident here?" he asked the driver.
He knew that he had to ask because it was obvious that the two young men were neither staff nor students at the university.
"What are you talking about? Didn't you hear me telling you to raise the gate?" Julian said angrily. He couldn't believe that a security guard had the audacity to question him.
Alex felt angry. This guy's a bully, he thought.
Hearing Julian's angry rebuke of Alex, Don rushed over, thinking, Alex is too inexperienced to know how to deal with situations like this. It needs to be handled carefully so it doesn't flare up.
He stepped in front of Alex, looked at Julian, and asked, "What's going on?"
With an appeasing smile.
When Julian complained that Alex was refusing to let him pass, Don said, "I'm afraid that no one except staff and students are allowed into the residential building. Please try to understand that my colleague is just following the rules."
"Why, you're as bad as he is. How dare you question my right to drive where I want?" Julian shouted.
He opened the car door and stepped out of the car. Without saying another word, he walked over and slapped Don in the face. Don was stunned.
As with most men, the most important thing to Don was his dignity, and this young man was treating him with contempt.
"You're just some jumped up security guard. In my eyes, you're no better than the cleaners on the street," Julian said dismissively. He enjoyed making other people feel small. It always gave him a buzz.
Of course, it would have been better if there had been more people around to watch. A few students and teachers were passing but they didn't want to get involved so they hurried away.
Julian turned back and focused on Alex. His fists were already raised as he walked over to him and threatened, "What made you think you could refuse me?"
By this time his blood was boiling, and he decided to hit Alex.
However, a moment later, the man lying on the ground wasn't Alex, but Julian.
Everyone watching was astounded. They saw Julian about to punch Alex, but in the blink of an eye, Alex's hand shot out like a cannon ball, hit Julian in the face, and knocked him to the ground.
Julian's lips were bleeding profusely, and he spat two white teeth onto the ground beside him. As he lay on the ground, he looked at Alex with eyes full of shock and resentment. He gnashed his teeth and growled, "How dare you hit me?"
Alex was confident in his own abilities. He had fought and beaten many more fearsome opponents, and he had no fear of this rich, spoiled young man.
Usually, Alex refused to act on impulse, but Julian has gone too far. He had trampled on Don's dignity and Alex had no intention of letting him get away with it.
"Only residents can pass through the barrier. Please get back in your car and drive away immediately. Your car is blocking other vehicles from entering," he said calmly as he looked down at Julian who was still lying on the ground.
Don was frantic with worry. The young man from the car was obviously from a powerful family and he knew that it wasn't wise to upset people like that. He decided to apologize to Julian on Alex's behalf. "It was our mistake, sir," he said. "My colleague is new to the job. Please accept our apologies. I'm going to lift the barrier for you now."
"Don, don't." Alex touched Don's arm and shook his head slightly. The young man was clearly at fault, and it was him who should apologize.
"You two are going to regret how you've treated me today," Julian said as he got up from the ground. He'd been humiliated in public, and he was going to make sure that someone paid for it. He was determined not to let two lowly security guards get the better of him.
"Come on, let's go," Chris urged his cousin from inside the car.
"I can't just let it go," Julian replied. He just couldn't accept defeat. Since childhood, he had never let anyone as inferior as a security guard get the better of him. He felt totally humiliated.
"Just get in the car. Let's go," Chris repeated. Julian had no other option. But before he left, he looked at Alex and Don with hatred, and said, "You wait. You'll regret what happened here today."
With another glare at the security guards, he got in the car and drove away.