Chapter 9
Meanwhile, Alan walked down the street in a daze, holding Lola’s hand.
“Let’s go grab something to eat,” he said.
He’d always been a big spender, but now he only had a few thousand dollars left, and his credit cards-which he used to swipe freely-had long been canceled. After thinking it over, he decided to enter a small diner on the street.
Lola frowned. “I don’t want to eat here.”
“What would you like then?” Alan asked.
“That seafood restaurant you mentioned taking me to last time,” Lola said.
In the past, he would have taken her there without hesitation, but now he couldn’t afford such expenses. Just thinking about returning to that cramped apartment-so different from his previous lifestyle-made his chest tighten with an unprecedented sense of suffocation.
“I’m a bit tight on cash right now. How about we go another day?” he said.
Lola remained silent for a long time, then suddenly answered a phone call. Afterward, she said, “My mom just called asking me
to come home for dinner. I won’t be staying with you.”
“Want me to take you there?” Alan asked.
Lola’s tone carried a hint of disdain. “They repossessed your car. How exactly would you take me?”
“I’ll call you a cab then.” He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Lola’s tone seemed harsh just now, which inexplicably filled him with panic.
He hugged Lola tightly. “You’re all I have left now. You won’t leave me, right? Once I get settled in my new place in a few days, let’s get married, okay?”
Lola didn’t hug him back. After a long pause, she said softly, “Alan, I’ve actually been wanting to ask you—do you really have what it takes to get married right now?”
“I’m twenty-five years old. Of course I can get married,” Alan
continued.
“I’m not talking about your age. I’m asking if you have a house, a car? Do you even have money for a basic wedding?” Lola said.
“Lola, I remember you weren’t this materialistic,” Alan said, feeling like the Lola before him was disturbingly unfamiliar. Just a few days ago, she’d been pestering him about when he could take her home to meet his parents.
Lola said, “I’m sorry, Alan. I just feel that you’re already
struggling so much. If I married you now, I’d just be adding to your burden. I don’t want to become a drag on you. Anyway, I should go.”
So she was saying this out of concern for him. If it were Evelyn, she probably would have torn him apart by now.
With this thought, he called several friends he was usually close with, hoping to borrow some money. But they were either too busy to answer or simply didn’t pick up at all. Yet in the past, they’d all competed to invite him out.
He walked dejectedly down the street. He didn’t want to go home, but couldn’t afford to stay in a hotel. Eventually, he took an old, bumpy bus and reluctantly returned home.
When he got off, he was coughing so hard he felt like his lungs might come out.
But as soon as he stepped through the door, Tate and Hazel approached him. “You’re back! The refrigerator’s been around for ten years, and we’re thinking of getting a new one. What do you think?”
“If you want to buy one, just buy it. Why ask me?” Alan said.
“But this refrigerator is a bit expensive. We’re still two thousand dollars short. So…” Tale said.
Alan felt speechless. He’d just gotten home, and they were already asking for money.
“I don’t have any money.” He tossed down five hundred dollars with an ugly expression and went straight to his room.
The bed was impossibly hard. No matter how he lay, he couldn’t get comfortable, tossing and turning all night without sleep.
He spent the next few days at home in a daze, doing nothing but ordering takeout and playing on his phone. His modest savings quickly dropped from four digits to three.
He opened WhatsApp to find no new messages, and Lola hadn’t contacted him either. Finally, he couldn’t help but call her. “Why haven’t you been in touch lately?”
But Lola said coolly, “Alan, let’s not see each other for a while. My mom won’t let me see you.”
“Why?” Alan shot up in bed as if struck by lightning.
“My mom says if you want to marry me, forget about a house, car, and wedding—you can’t even come up with eighty-eight thousand dollars. She’s forbidden me from going out to see you and wants me to break up with you,” Lola said.
The last time he’d visited Lola’s house, Freya had pulled him aside saying how lucky Lola was to find a boyfriend like him, treating him with such warmth.
Chapter
Alan quickly said, “I’ll find a way to get the money. Lola, just wait for me. I promise I won’t let you…”
Lola said coldly, “I understand. My mom’s coming. I have to hang up.”
The call was abruptly ended, and Alan frantically ran his hands through his hair.
But he had no money now, and just thinking about having to work gave him a headache. He’d submitted quite a few resumes online these past few days, but barely got any responses. Besides, those meager salaries were beneath him. He used to spend more on a single meal than most people made in a month.
