- 4.
Everyone in the office was stunned, trying to
process the news. Mr. Jones looked at me
with concern, hesitant to speak.
It was Sarah who finally broke the silence, her
eyes still wet with tears, but a smile playing
on her lips. “Mr. Jones, so does that mean the
‘Employee of the Month‘ award goes to me?”
John stared at me, lips pressed together, his
eyes filled with anxiety and regret.
<
I didn’t meet his gaze. Now that he’d said
those words, his remorse, or lack thereof,
was irrelevant.
I addressed Mr. Jones. “If there’s nothing
else, I’ll be going now.”
By the time Mr. Jones reacted, I was already
at the door. He suddenly called out, “No! You
deserve this award, Amy!”
I stopped, turning back to see tears in his
eyes.
He continued, “Amy, we didn’t know what you
went through. Knowing now doesn’t change
our respect for you. Married or not, your
performance at the factory is undeniable!”
L
Everyone knew what child brides endured.
Neglect, indifference, abuse–I had
experienced it all. My birth had been a
transaction.
I couldn’t forget the suffocating despair of
being sent to live with a man thirty years my
senior, paralyzed and cruel.
It took me a year to escape.
I ran to a place where no one knew my past,
hoping for a fresh start.
I had told John my secret because he was the
only one who had been kind to me. I hadn’t
known that in my past life he would betray my
trust and reveal it to everyone.
“It’s okay, Mr. Jones. Let her have it. And
please approve my resignation as soon as
possible.”
Without a second glance, I turned to leave.
John followed me out, his expression.
hesitant. “Amy, I’m sorry,” he stammered. “I
said it in the heat of the moment.”
Seeing my indifference seemed to prick his
conscience.
I scoffed, finding him pathetic. “Don’t
apologize. She’s the one you love, after all.
We never really had anything between us, so
it was only right that you’d do that to me.”
John’s jaw tightened. “Don’t say that,” he
muttered. “She’s just a good friend.”
L
“How can we not have anything between us?
We’re husband and wife. Everyone knows
that.”
Ten minutes ago, he was disavowing our
relationship for Sarah’s sake, and now he was
trying to salvage his meager guilt.
I responded coldly, “Don’t bother with these
empty words.” Then, addressing Mr. Jones,
“I’ll be going now.”
John followed me a few steps. “Where are
you going?”
“None of your business.” I brushed past him.
without looking back.
John stood there, stunned. After a moment,
he shouted after me, “Come home soon. I’ll
be waiting.”
I hurried to the city and boarded the train to
Miami.
I had checked my savings before leaving. I
had $15,000, nearly ten years‘ worth.
In Miami, I rented a small room.
Based on my past life, the textile factory
would downsize within five years.
The electronics industry, manufacturing TVs
and refrigerators, was booming.
Miami had the largest pool of talent and was
closest to the raw materials.
<
….
he shouted after me, “Come home soon. I’ll
be waiting.”
I hurried to the city and boarded the train to
Miami.
I had checked my savings before leaving. I
had $15,000, nearly ten years‘ worth.
In Miami, I rented a small room.
Based on my past life, the textile factory
would downsize within five years.
The electronics industry, manufacturing TVs
and refrigerators, was booming.
Miami had the largest pool of talent and was
closest to the raw materials.
<
I didn’t have enough capital to start a factory,
so I opened a breakfast stall with my savings.
It was tiring, but seeing my money grow was
satisfying.
Two weeks later, I received a letter from my old town, somehow they’d found my address.
It was from Chloe, the only person who had supported my decision to leave.
She was in a similar situation, married to a
man who didn’t love her, constantly worrying
and waiting for him to come home.
In her letter, she admired my courage, asked
what I was doing, and wished me well.
She mentioned that the ‘Employee of the
L
Month‘ award was still mine. Mr. Jones hadn’t
given it to Sarah. Instead, he’d accused Sarah of bribing the judges and disqualified her from being considered for the award for five
years.
She also wrote that John had become
withdrawn since I left, standing outside our house every day after work. When people asked why he didn’t go inside, he said he was
waiting for me to come back.
I wrote back, telling her to come find me if
things got tough.
I went back to my routine, pushing my cart
and selling breakfast from dawn till dusk. It
was tiring, but compared to life with John, it
was bliss.
At least I didn’t have to worry or wonder if he
would abandon me.
A week later, Chloe showed up at my
doorstep with a bag.
I had just returned from my shift. I smiled at
her. “Made up your mind?”
Chloe smiled back, helping me push the cart
into the yard. “Yes.”
She rented the room next to mine. Together,
we doubled our earnings from the breakfast
stall.
A month later, we had saved $40,000.
Immediately, we went to the market looking
for electronics components.
L
It took several days of searching before Chloe
told me, “I found a small workshop that
manufactures electronics. The owner’s from
out of town and wants to sell.”
“Let’s go check it out tomorrow. If it’s
suitable, we can take it over.”
The next day, we met the owner, Mr. Xu, and
he showed us the workshop.
The location was good, the size manageable,
and within our budget.
“Mr. Xu, what’s your asking price?” I asked,
satisfied with what I’d seen.
Mr. Xu looked between Chloe and me, then
asked a seemingly unrelated question, “Do
you have skilled technicians? Do you
understand this industry?”
That question stumped us. We’d jumped in
headfirst, knowing nothing about electronics
manufacturing.
He saw us exchange glances and understood.
Mr. Xu sighed, looking around the workshop.
“This is my life’s work. I wouldn’t sell if it
weren’t for a family emergency back home.”
An idea sparked in my mind. “Mr. Xu,” I
ventured, “what if we don’t buy the workshop
outright? What if we invest in it, and your
remain the owner, handling the technical
side?”
“We become shareholders, responsible for
sales.”
く
Mr. Xu considered it for a long time, his eyes
distant, then agreed.
Chloe and I were ecstatic. We celebrated with
a dinner at a restaurant.
Our joy lasted until we saw John and Chloe’s
husband standing outside our building.
