The front door slammed hard a few seconds later, rattling the whole house.
With distress on her face, Celia smiled sheepishly at Simon, "That girl and her temper. Simon, you know she didn't really mean..."
"Of course, Ma. Don't worry about it." Simon said as he went to grab the broom to clean up the mess on the floor.
Mandy had meant everything she said. Just as she had meant it, the first day she declared to him that he was an unwanted baby her family pitied. And that was how Simon had learnt that he was adopted.
They said he had memory loss and that was how he couldn't remember his parents who had died, but the memory of the torture he had had at the hands of Mandy while growing up was ever-fresh in his mind.
"How was the farm? Were you able to finish the weeding?"
"Huh?" Celia's words jerked Simon out of his thoughts and he remembered his bigger problem. "Yes, yes, everything is just fine. Actually, I couldn't complete the weeding today. So, I will just go very early tomorrow to complete it."
Celia nodded absentmindedly as she wiped her hand on her calico dress. "I wish Mandy would be as sensible as you. Maybe now that she is back, she will also help with the farming. At least, until I can find someone to help employ her despite her grades."
Mandy on the farm? Simon can't see that happening. Still, he nodded, and Celia moved towards the door.
"Is that your friend's shirt? Remember to return it as good as you collected it, okay? It looks very expensive, and you know we can't afford any expenses now. I think I will just lie down for a while and talk some sense to that girl when she comes back. Please take your food and check on your Pa later, okay?"
"Yes, Ma," Simon nodded with a smile and watched the woman leave the kitchen.
Celia was just fifty years old, yet stress and farm work made her look older. There were wrinkles on her ruggedly beautiful face and her brown hair seemed to have more grey in it than the last time Simon noticed.
"I really need to find a way to make money soon, so Ma can rest, and we can get a caregiver for Pa," he muttered.
"You better sort out this issue first, or they might die of a heart attack first when they know," whispered his inner voice.
"Oh God," Simon whispered as he dropped the dustpan.
He could only think of one way to get the money for enough labourers who could quickly help him till the land.
Getting money from a loan shark had never appealed to him before, but at that moment he didn't care.
At least he could sort this out first, and then, after harvest, he could pay back.
"If Theo allowed it," his inner voice reared its head again, but Simon shook that feeling off. He just needed to replant first before Ma would go to the farm. After that, he would deal with how to keep Theo's men away.
He quickly moved out of the kitchen and looked towards their parent's bedroom to be sure his Ma had settled down, then he headed towards the door under the watchful gaze of his Pa.
He thought of talking to Hans first so he could help him plead with his dad to urgently lend him the money.
"Maybe if I went with Hans, he might not really collect much interest?" he thought, hopefully.
But then he shook his head. He didn't really like taking advantage of his friendship with Hans.
Hans' dad knew him and if he was going to cut him any slack, then he would do it without dragging his son along.
Wishing he had changed Han's shirt, he came around the corner and was shocked to see Hans and Theo laughing like two best friends.
"What?!"
Simon quickly hid behind a nearby kiosk and watched as Hans said to the massive man, "I can't believe that idiot really thought I was his friend. As if I would stoop so low to be friends with someone that poor! He even took my new shirt too! Bastard!"
Theo laughed and tipped back his massive hat before making a signal to one of his men standing behind him with a suitcase.
He took a wad of cash out and said to Hans, "Don't bother yourself. I will get you another shirt, just like the one I got before. Also, take this as compensation for giving me the tip. Now you just need to make sure he knows that selling that land to me is the best option for him. If not, next time might be more painful," he finished with a laugh.
Hans joined in the laughter before saying, "Right. We all know getting that land for your pig farm is the best, but that idiot is too stubborn. Even if you wanted to get the land only for the fresh air, shouldn't that idiot be grateful and give it to you with open hands? Who doesn't know how much his poverty-stricken family needed the money? Now he had to suffer. I think you should go for his mother next. He likes that old hag too much to let...
Rage got Simon out of his hiding place, and he rushed towards the scene, "Don't you dare talk about my Ma like that, you..."
The shock had him getting past Theo's men before they reacted.
His first punch tossed Hans into Theo so hard that they both went down.
Before Simon could pounce on his fake friend, Theo's men had pounced on him.
They pinned his hand and dragged him back while a few of them struggled to carry the massive bulk of their boss upright.
Theo swiped his wheat-coloured hair away from his sweaty brow as he jerked his gold cane at Simon, "Are you seeking death?! How dare you hit me?!"
"I will hit you once again if you talk about my family that way!" Simon snapped before turning to Hans, who was swiping at his bloodied mouth, "How dare you?! How could you?!"
With a smirk, Hans strutted forward, "How could I? I think the main question is: how could you, a useless poor orphan, think that I would be your friend? You think I became friends with you because I like you?! It was Mandy I liked and when she left for school, I wanted to discard you but then Theo came to me with a juicy deal. I only needed to make sure you and your damn family sold the land to him and I would get more money than my father even has. Hell, I would become his partner and even travel with him to the city for deals. Who wouldn't take that over being friends with a wretched fool like you?!" He spat that last word out as he came to eye level with Simon.
Simon reared his head back and gave him a headbutt that had him hitting his butt on the ground with a loud yell.
Theo rolled his eyes. "Why did you get so close to him? Just tell him to sell his damn land!"
With embarrassment, Hans scrambled up and said to Theo's men, "Hold him well."
Simon grunted with pain as Han kicked him over and over in his stomach until he spit blood.
Then Hans grabbed Simon's hair and pulled his head back before saying, "Tell your Ma to sell the land for Mr. Theo now or things will get uglier."
With a blood-stained mouth, Simon said, "Tell these bastards to let go of me, and then repeat that nonsense you just said."
His tone made fear show in Hans' eyes for a second, then he moved back and said, "There, that is my shirt on his body. Strip the bastard and throw him away from here."
"Since when do you order my men around?" Theo said with a frown.
Hans quickly rushed to his side and said in a lowered tone, "We need to show this bastard that we are one, Mr. Theo. That way, he would know not to cause trouble."
Theo nodded to his men, and they stripped Hans' shirt away from Simon, then removed his trousers and shoes before dragging him farther away from Han's house.
Simon hit the ground with a grunt as they let go of him.
He held on to consciousness as tightly as he could.
"Ma must not see me like this. It would only make her more anxious," he said as he struggled to stay upright.
He jerked as a hand suddenly came around him.
He thought it was Theo's man again, and he tried to lash out.
"Sssh, don't fight me," said a soothing voice. "Let me help you."