He stood in the middle of the lush, sprawling garden his father had tenderly cared for through the years. The air was thick with the scent of bloomed flowers, further sweetened by the echoing laughter and chatter of his family. Life had always been good to the Holts. Being the middle child in a brood of three, Johnson had grown up in comfort and love. His father, Richard Holt, was a well-established entrepreneur who had built a prosperous enterprise from the very scratch. His mother, Elaine, was the heartbeat of the home, ensuring that it was always filled with love and joy.
But as he stood here, observing his younger sister Lily chasing after butterflies, he could not get rid of this foreboding feeling that had grown inside him. It was a feeling that Johnson just could not explain; a sense that this perfect life was going to change.
That evening, gathered at the dinner table, Richard wore a sour expression. The man who was always smiling and ready with a joke across his face now was carrying an unseen weight in his thoughts. Johnson noticed it straight away and exchanged glances with his older brother, Matthew.
"Is everything all right, Dad?" finally asked Matthew, breaking the tense silence.
Richard exhaled a long sigh and ran his hand over his thinning hair. "I have been meaning to bring this up with you all," he started, concern etched in his voice. "The business. it's not doing well. We have reached this rough patch, and I fear it might get worse."
The room was quieted by the weight of his words. Elaine leaned forward, placing a comforting hand on Richard's arm. "We'll get through this, Richard. We always do."
Johnson looked up at his father in agony and saw his lifelong hero looking vulnerable. He wanted to reassure him with optimistic words, but that gnawing fear had rendered him speechless.
The following days were characterised by tension. The business that had seen them lead a life of affluence was on unsteady ground. Johnson watched his father work late into the night, pouring over financial statements and making frantic phone calls. The jolly man he had known all his life seemed to be slipping away, replaced by someone weighed down with concern.
One evening, when their dad sat in the study all by himself in front of the family photos plastered on the walls, Johnson asked him in a concerned voice, "Dad, is there anything that I can do to help?"
Richard looked up, a tired smile showing on his lips. "I appreciate it, son, but this is something I need to handle. Just focus on your studies and take care of your siblings."
Johnson nodded, but somehow knew that more changes were coming. As weeks passed, then months, the financial situation in the family continued to deteriorate. They would need to tighten their belts by cutting expenses and getting rid of the little luxuries they had grown accustomed to.
The lavish vacations were history, and so was frequent dining out. Johnson watched his mother clip coupons and make careful lists to stretch the budget. His siblings were affected too: Matthew took on a part-time job to help with household expenses while Lily was subdued -perpetually happy as she was.
Things took to a head when Richard's health began deteriorating. The stress of trying to save the business had taken its toll on him, and he started complaining of pain that would not go away. Johnson's mother insisted he go to the doctor, and the diagnosis which came next was a blow to them all: Richard had cancer.
It came as a blow to the family, like being hit by a runaway freight train. Treatment was extremely expensive, and without the business to support them, their savings ran out in no time. Johnson could only watch helplessly as his father, once strong, weakened day by day. The jolly man who had been the heart and soul of the family lay in the hospital bed, fighting a battle he could never win.
"I am sorry, Dad," said Johnson, in the evening, sitting beside his father's bed in the hospital. "I wish there was more I could have done."
Richard fixed his eyes on his son, filled with so much love and pride. "You've done enough, Johnson. You've shown strength and resilience. Remember, it isn't about the life we had but the love we shared."
Words that would remain with Johnson long after his father had died. The loss devastated the family, but it lit a fire in him. He purposed in his heart he was going to make sure that his memory served him well; his family had to be above poverty and their lives rebuilt.
He was determined to find a way, threw himself into the job hunt, scoured the classifieds, applied for every position he could find, and spent countless hours pounding the pavement, handing out resumes. But the job market was tough, and opportunities were few and far between.
He did odd jobs everywhere just to make ends meet. He was a cashier, a delivery boy, and even tried his hand at manual labor. Each job was humbling in its own right, a world of difference from the life he knew. But it was never good enough.
One day, as he was making deliveries to a high-rise office, Johnson happened upon a conversation that piqued his interest. Two businessmen were talking about Forex trading, how much profit there could be, and the risks involved. And with this, Johnson's interest was raised, making a mental note to search for it.
Later that night, after he had made his final rounds of deliveries, Johnson sat down in front of the family's old computer and began to research. The world of Forex was intimidatingly complex yet offered, in return, financial rewards. From novices' articles down to professionals advising, Johnson simply read about all he could find.
He then opened a demo account and, with some virtual money in his pockets, began to get a feeling for the mechanical analysis of trading currencies. The feel of making profits through hypothetical means drove him further to plunge into the real world of Forex trading.
With the few coins he had managed to save from his different jobs, Johnson opened a real trading account. His initial trades seemed very promising, and with each small profit he felt high. The market was unmoving, and his luck as a beginner soon ran out. He incurred some major losses, and just how volatile Forex trading could get hit him right in the face.
Undeterred, he looked at ways of honing his craft. He joined online courses and webinars, quite literally sopping up all the knowledge he could get. He learned about technical analysis, risk management, and trading psychology. Slowly but surely, his trades began to yield consistent, albeit modest, profits.
As Johnson gained more confidence in trade, the technology segment sparked his interest in programming, so he signed up for some free online code learning classes, balancing his time between the trade and learning how to code. This was rather difficult, but his urge to make a difference in his family's life took the better of him.