Chapter 3

Adam speedily drove into his parents' duplex.

It was located in a small, quiet neighborhood where a lot trees could be seen in every yard. The people who lived around there really loved nature a lot.

His father was currently checking one of the companies he owned.

Though Adam was a multi billionaire, his father still had his own money to fall back on. He didn't like asking things from his eldest son every time, even though Adam had protested vehemently about his dad not letting him spoil him with his money.

Adam parked around the corner and dashed towards the building.

He threw open the door without much ado.

"Mum! Mum!!" he called wildly as he entered.

"Mummy! My bro's here!" Anna announced as she scooped up her cereal from the ceramic bowl.

 "Hey squirt." He ruffled Anna's dark hair.

 "Bro..." she huffed as she blew her hair out of her face.

It had taken her a good amount of time to fix it up and now Adam just had to go ahead and ruin it!

She groaned and fled up the stairs, leaving her unfinished cereal on the dining table.

Anna wanted to go and fix her hair again.

Adam chuckled.

Just then his mum came downstairs.

"Adam!" she exclaimed happily and they hugged briefly.

Truly Adam was the only child she had had biologically, but Anna had been adopted many years later.

She was already fourteen while Adam was thirty-six.

"Mum...Mrs. Mann told me you wanted to see me," Adam stated.

"Yes, yes," she said as she patted his cheeks affectionately.

"Well?" he questioned searching her face, a bit worried.

"Honey, do you have...do...do you really want to marry Vanessa?" she asked as she pursed her lips.

Adam sighed in relief.

"That's it?" he asked.

She frowned as she looked up at him. "What do mean 'That's it?'" she asked.

Adam gave a low chuckle. "Oh mum..."

Right from the time Vanessa had become his girlfriend, his mother had not really approved of her that much because Vanessa didn't believe in having children.

It upset her so much that Adam and Vanessa had both decided that they didn't want any kid in their marriage. Adam managed to pacify her but she was still skeptical about the whole issue.

"Really Adam, children are a gift...how can't you see that?" his mother asked him wistfully.

Adam shook his head. "I didn't say they aren't a gift, mum, but there are some gifts you don't just want."

"Just imagine how it would be if your father and I didn't have you. Having a family is what makes the marriage sweeter," his mum stated.

She added distastefully. "I'm sure Vanessa's just trying to keep her figure."

Adam sighed inwardly. They've been through this a lot of time.

His mum had even used scriptural verses to back herself up. Highlighting out the place where God had told Abraham about having numerous descendants and the part where God had told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply the earth.

"Now mum," he looked away slyly. "If I remember correctly, even Jesus didn't have kids."

"That's Jesus. You're Adam!" his mum said sharply. "And Jesus cannot be compared to any mere man, okay?" she said in a stern note.

"Yes mum," Adam replied meekly.

A girly chuckle came from the foot of the stair. Anna had re-appeared with her bag slung over her shoulder, a big grin was plastered on her face.

"And besides," Anna started saying while she made for the door. "Jesus never married," she said cheekily and dashed out yelling her goodbyes.

Adam's face flushed red. The nerve of that squirt.

"That's right," his mum was saying. Adam sighed as he turned back to her. And, no thanks to Anna, his mother had found new grounds to continue with her arguments.

"And also Jesus loved children," his mum added as she eyed him skeptically.

Adam glanced at his wristwatch.

He kissed his mother's forehead.

"I also love children Mum, and I love you, dad and Anna," he added.

His mother smiled.

"I've gotta go now mum; I'm running late for a meeting," he informed her as he grabbed his suit jacket and wore it.

"Think about it honey," his mum told him in a soft tone as she lightly squeezed his hands.

He smiled but shook his head.

"I love you, mom," was all he said before leaving.

"This conversation is not over, Adam William J. Hunt!" his mum yelled after as he walked briskly out of the front yard.

He laughed as he turned back to wave at her.

She smiled back at her son. 'Lord, touch his heart'. She prayed softly in her mind as she watched him take the corner away from her view.

Adam laughed as he rounded off the corner heading towards where he had earlier parked his car but because he wasn't paying much attention to where he was going, he bumped into a little boy who was counting some few amount of money with a cookie box which was not really properly balanced on his left hand.

Matt looked on in horror as the box of cookies went crashing on the ground and the cookies he had barely started to sell all spilled out onto the sidewalk. Some rolled off onto the road while most of them crumbled once they came in contact with the ground.

Matt adjusted his glasses and gave the man who had bumped into him a rather horrified look.

Matt knew that he wasn't going to eat if he didn't sell those cookies and now...

Now they were all gone!

"Mister...!"  It was a wail of horror.

"Oh no..." Adam muttered under his breath. The boy looked like he was going to burst any moment as he looked up shockingly at Adam.

"Hey, kid listen..." Adam started after glancing at his wristwatch again.

"Oh no..." Matt went down on his knees as he tried to salvage what could be helped.

"No... no... no... this can't be happening...They're all gone...I've barely started selling them...' Matt sobbed as he groped about on the ground.

Adam felt a tinge of guilt as he watched the young lad. "Hey, get up now, kid...hey kid..." He yanked Matt off the ground.

Matt's eyes were filled with tears.

"They aren't going to feed me for three days...I'm going to be locked in the dark room, mister, please..." The tears burst out again.

Adam cursed his ill luck for running into the four-eyed kid. He glanced at his wristwatch again.

The warning bells started ringing off.

7:25am!

Adam shook the sobbing boy again to get his attention.

"Look kid, I'm really in a hurry here," he started.

"But...but ...but...Mister!" Matt sobbed harder.

Adam took in a deep breath. He pulled something out of his wallet and handed it to the wailing boy. "Look, here...here's my card, okay? My address and contact is all there. And it's endorsed, see. You can come over to my house if you like. I'll see you there okay?" Adam said placatingly.

Matt blinked.

"Really? You...you don't mind?"

"No, I don't!" Adam replied hastily as he headed for his car. "Listen, my house keeper will be around okay? Just tell her that I said you to be let in. We'll sort things out from there...I really have to go now. I'm sorry for the mess by the way," he said hastily.

Adam hurriedly entered his nearby car and zoomed off.

Matt's eyes became widened.

Oh my gosh, he's really serious. Matt thought.

He glanced at the card in his hands and looked around. Just then Adam's father's car drove in. He had left his documents back at home and had come back to retrieve them. He saw the little one as he got out of his car.

"Why are you standing out there, little boy?" he asked Matt in a kind voice.

Matt hesitated before walking up to the older man.

"Good day sir. Could...could you please take me to this address?" he asked politely as he showed him the card which Adam had given him moments earlier.

Adam's dad collected the card Matt held out to him. He chuckled when he saw his son's address and glanced at Matt again.

Take him.

That was the Holy Spirit no doubt.

"Hop in the car, sonny. But first I'll have to get some files, and probably breakfast too," Adam's dad replied cheerfully. "Why don't you come in and eat breakfast with me?" He invited the now hungry and drooling Matt.

Matt hesitated again, but the thought of eating a nice well-prepared home-made meal made his stomach to churn.

"Um....okay sir," he nodded finally as he smiled his appreciation.

'So what's your name?' Adam's dad asked Matt as they both headed into the house.

~~~

A kick landed in his stomach.

Caleb groaned out in pain as he opened his eyes. He sat up painfully on his make shift bed which was made up of a heap of cartons which had been torn and flattened out in a mat styled formation.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes awake and the figures of the older five mean-looking hooligans became clearer.

"Get up, waste land." One of them sneered and the rest burst into mocking laughter.

Caleb got up, anger brimming in his eyes but he tried not to show it. In this part of the uncompleted buildings these guys ran the place.

'Squatters' paid them a couple of money to rent a space in the uncompleted building to spend the night.

 Sleeping under the bridge or any other open place was way tougher because there was no security guaranteed there, unlike in the uncompleted buildings, where the 'mafia' lords of the street urchins provided security of sorts to those in their 'territory' for a token from those who had come to seek shelter under them.

One, thugs roamed around and bullet shots rang out every night. It wasn't safe to stay out, especially when gangsters were up and about, shooting like maniacs. One could even get killed if care was not taken.

But in the uncompleted buildings, Spencer, the leader of the group that rented the spaces, was the son of a ruthless gangster hence, their protection was sure.

But Spencer was really a jackass.

Whatever he and his no good friends wanted from one's property, they must have it or such a person would get beaten up and thrown out to the streets, banned from the 'kingdom'. Most times they asked for extra money aside the rent fee.

The squandered it all on girls, alcoholic drinks and cigarettes.

They could even ask one in a mean way to treat them to lunch and woe to such who should fail to fulfill their wanton desires.

In two simple words,

You're dead.

Caleb stood straight.

"What?" he asked.

Spencer shoved him backwards rather roughly.

"I ask the questions here, got that waste land?!" he sneered.

Caleb groaned and stayed down on the coarse ground. He didn't bother to check his knee that had already scraped and must be bleeding by then.

"What?" he asked again.

Spencer turned red. "I said I ask the questions here! Didn't you hear me?!"

Caleb managed to scoff as he looked up at him in derision. "You're all just a bunch of losers."

Spencer and his four friends started kicking and punching Caleb as he lay on the ground. Caleb didn't give them the satisfaction of seeing him look hurt or cry out. He just kept quiet and bore the pain, grunting every now and then as the kicks landed on his body.

The nearby people just went about their daily activities, ignoring the scene of the five boys ganging up against one defenseless 'squatter'.

They knew that if they interfered they would surely get in Spencer's bad book and they would be kicked out, and none of them wanted that. They could only pity Caleb.

However, by a twist of irony, Spencer refused to kick Caleb out yet, even though Caleb was like the only person that faced Spencer head on.

Spencer was a little sadist and wanted to make Caleb miserable. But somehow Caleb had a way of bouncing back and looking more cheerful than ever, that attitude of Caleb's irked Spencer the most.

Everyone feared Spencer; but not Caleb. He was the only headstrong one who defied him. And that always got Spencer mad.

"Where's the money, Jeff?" Spencer asked one of his boys once they were done with beating up Caleb.

Jeff, who had turned Caleb's little corner upside down as he ransacked it, shook his head.

"He's as poor as a filthy alley rat," Jeff sneered, mocking Caleb with his reply. Caleb looked at him and gave him a mocking grin.

"If I'm that poor and I try to hustle for a living, what do you call yourselves that just lurk around doing nothing?!"

Caleb's mocking grin grew wider.

"Poor shit disturbers?"

Spencer and his friends gave Caleb another round of beating.

"Let's go guys!" Spencer spat on Caleb as he turned. His friends too did the same.

"Hey...Spencer!" Caleb called as he struggled to get up. Spencer stopped and gave him a malicious look.

"It is 'Lord Spencer' to you," he said arrogantly as he gave Caleb a look of disdain.

"Right." Caleb rolled his eyes as he leaned on the nearby wall for support. "Some lord you are, hiding behind your daddy's name to bully others," he said in mockery.

Spencer turned red.

He walked back briskly towards Caleb and struck him down with one blow.

"Leave at once! And don't ever come back here! Until you come crawling back to me, begging for mercy like a real slave should!" Spencer screamed at him, landing more blows on him.

Jeff got Spencer off the bleeding Caleb.

"Let's go man! C'mon, this waste land ain't worth our time. Let's go have some fun somewhere else," Jeff pulled the angry Spencer away from the spot.

They all left after Spencer threw Caleb a hateful look.

Caleb cursed his ill luck. Maybe I went too far. He thought as he went to lie down again on the cartons. Nah, Spencer deserved every word I said to him. He thought to himself.

He then stood up after a while and washed his injuries away. He had bathed earlier on before returning to sleep. Caleb grabbed his spray can and pail.

It was time to try and get more money. He was going to need it since he couldn't return to the hideout anymore.

He sighed, wishing he hadn't survived the ghastly accident that took both his parents' life and throwing him into the streets.

There was no breakfast for Caleb as Spencer and his gang had collected all the money he had made the previous day.

His stomach grumbled loudly as he made his way out to see if he could clean any of the cars stuck in the traffic jam and get a small monetary token of reward.

"I hear ya." he said as he patted his empty stomach pitifully and walked out of the building.

There was no going back now.