"Yeah, seriously. I'm here to complete the payment of our house rent, and I'd be paying it by cash". My voice resounded again.
The landlord was caught by surprise because he didn't expect that I was here to complete the payment at all. He thought my mum sent me to come tell him to be patient just as he said earlier.
"Y...You'd be p...paying it by cash?". The landlord voiced out once again stuttering a little, he was truly caught by surprise.
"Yes, I'd be paying it by cash. The amount we are owing is $2,300, right?". I inquired.
"Yes". He responded.
I took out the $2,300 cash from my pocket and handed it over to him while glancing directly into his eyes. I liked the surprised expression I was seeing on his face.
He collected the money from me with that surprised expression still plastered on his face. Then I voiced out,
"So, that is it. We've paid up".
"Yes, you guys have paid up". He uttered, glancing at the cash I had just given to him.
After glancing at it for a few seconds, he took his gaze off it and focused on me. Then my voice resounded again,
"So, no threats would be coming from you anymore for the whole of this year since we've paid up. No more banging on our door".
I just had to say that to him 'cause it was always so annoying whenever he bangs on our door because of house rent issue...
He didn't say anything in response to what I just said now, he was only staring at me.
"I'd be leaving now". I uttered again before I turned around to begin walking away.
But before I could begin walking away, his voice resounded,
"Yeah, you guys have been able to complete the payment of your house rent after a few months of owing. I hope that won't be the case next year, I hope you guys will be able to pay up your house rent once without owing a dime,
But I shouldn't be too hopeful because there's a high chance you guys would still owe next year as well. There have been only a few times when you guys paid up your house rent for the year without owing a dime,
Out of all the tenants living in this building, you guys' cases are always different".
I felt anger in my heart after the landlord was done talking, this is what lack of money causes.
After standing there for a few seconds without glancing at him, I finally turned around and focused my gaze on him. The anger I was feeling was evident on my face.
He noticed the anger on my face and was like, "What? What do you want to do?".
I sighed before saying, "Nothing".
And after saying that, I turned around once again and began walking away. I'd received a system that could change me and my family's lives for the better, so the landlord was wrong.
Next year would be different...I would have made so much money by then that the house rent would be too easy to pay up.
Who knows whether we wouldn't have moved out of this building by then? There's a very high chance we'd have moved out considering the amount of money that would have been made.
The anger I was feeling was subsiding as I was walking. And by the time I'd gotten close to our apartment, I wasn't feeling any kind of anger anymore.
..Now that I'd gotten close to our apartment, I was expecting some things to happen the moment I step foot into it.
I'm sure my mum and sister would have been eagerly waiting for me to arrive home, especially my mum, so they can question me.
Definitely, they'd want to know where I got the money to complete the payment of our house rent. And apart from that, they'd be fully aware the money I used in completing the payment of our house rent wasn't the only money I made.
I made more than that...so the rest should either be in my bank account or somewhere else.
And I'm sure they're also aware the money I used in purchasing those new clothes and shoes came from the same means I got the money to complete the payment of our house rent.
So they must be ready to bombard me with questions the moment I step foot into the house. And you know what? I was ready to answer their questions.
But there'd be no truth in the answers I'd give to them because I can't tell them the truth...
I saw my mum standing and my sister sitting on a chair the moment I entered the house.
"So, have you paid the money to him?". My mum inquired of me after I stepped foot into the house.
"Yes mum, I've paid the money to him". I responded.
"What did he say after you handed the money to him?". She threw another question at me.
I wouldn't be able to tell her what he said after I handed the money to him and wanted to walk away because it was somehow hurtful. So I voiced out,
"He didn't say much. Nothing serious".
"Okay. Let me go straight to the question, where did you see the money you used in completing the payment of our house rent?".
Julia stood up from the chair she was sitting on the moment our mum asked that question. She stood up so she'd be able to hear my answer properly...
"I got the money by engaging in a particular thing. Trust me mum, the thing isn't illegal". I responded.
"What particular thing is that? I want to know what that thing is". My mum's voice resounded again.
"It's like a competition with prize money for the winners. Knowing that we need money for the completion of our house rent and other things, I decided to engage in the competition since it's completely legal,
And luckily for me, I emerged as one of the winners of the competition and received my own share of the prize money. So it's part of the money I used in completing the payment of our house rent".
My mum was glancing at me with a kind of doubt on her face after I was done explaining...she wasn't convinced enough. But as for my sister, Julia, she believed everything I said.
She was a hundred percent convinced, it was evident on her face.
"Are you sure you didn't get a job behind my back all this while and have been stacking up your salaries?". My mum uttered with her gaze focused on me.
"No, mum, I didn't get a job behind your back. Why would I get a job behind your back when you've told us never to do something like that, and I'm fully aware of how furious you'd be when you find out?". I answered.
She nodded her head a little after those words were done flowing out of my mouth, she seemed to be getting convinced now.
Then Julia's voice resounded, "So, is it with part of that money you won from the competition you used in buying those new clothes and shoes for yourself?".
"Exactly". I responded with my gaze focused on her.
She nodded her head to my response before saying, "That makes sense".
There was silence for a few seconds after she was done saying that before our mum broke the silence by asking me a question,
"By buying those clothes and shoes for yourself, and completing the payment of our house rent, have the money you won from the competition finished?".
"No, it hasn't, it still remains a little. The little would be going into buying foodstuff in this house and handling some other bills, then I'd make use of the rest to be fending for myself in the meantime so you wouldn't be giving me pocket money anymore,
If the need arrives for you to resume giving me pocket money in the future, then you can resume doing so, mum". I answered.
I didn't want to tell them about the ones in my bank account for reasons best known to me...
A smile appeared on my mum's face after I was done talking, then she walked toward me and caressed my hair a little before saying,
"Wow! You're so wise, my son, look at how you're talking like an adult".
A little smile appeared on my face after she said that, then I voiced out,
"I'm just trying to make life easier for you, mum. Hopefully, there'll be more to come in the future".
The smile on my mum's face broadened more after I was done saying that, then she stated again,
"That's so nice to hear. You amaze me, son".
..All I did was to nod my head to her utterance.