Not Again Mr Whitney novel Chapter 1

Outside the ICU in the Chelston General Hospital, Calvin Whitney was clutching a doctor’s legs on his knees, begging, “Doctor, please, please don’t give up on my mother! She’s not even 50! She’s too young to die like this!”

The doctor eyed him up and down in disgust. He had seen a lot of people like him begging and nagging him to save their loved ones’ lives. But when it came to the medical fees, they started changing the topic and just wouldn’t pay.

This was a hospital, not a charity.

“Get up. Don’t think that you can get away with the medical fees by doing this. The hospital has already done everything for you and you still owe us more than two thousand dollars. And if you don’t pay the fees, we’ll cut off the meds.”

“My advice for you is, instead of nagging me like this, go and get a loan. If you fail to get the money, just take your mother home and stop wasting money. She’s already reached the terminal stage of cancer. It’s like pouring money down the drain.”

The doctor’s words were like a knife that cut Calvin to the bones.

Calvin knew that his mother might not be able to make it this time.

But he just couldn’t give up on her because he had owed his foster mother too much.

Back then, he was abandoned in a pile of garbage at a rainy night. And at that very night, his mother Shirley Whitney was thrown out of her husband’s house because she was sterile. When she passed by that pile of garbage, she heard Calvin crying and took him with her.

All these years, these two had been supporting each other through the roughest days but they were still happy because they got each other.

Shirley finally raised him to be a wonderful young man and didn’t have to lead such a wearisome life.

But then something hit them hard. Shirley fell ill and got cancer.

That year, Calvin had just graduated and hadn’t landed on a good job. He kept doing part-time jobs and taking care of Shirley at the same time. Life had been harder for them.

Consequently, he had to marry into the Houston family and become a live-in son-in-law.

And the Houston family bought him for merely twenty grand, which was all gone now.

Two thousand dollars was only the cost of a casual meal for some people.

But it was impossible for Calvin to get because he couldn’t even afford a piece of bread right now.

Calvin was devastated but wouldn’t give up so easily.

“Doctor, please give me more time. I’ll find a way to borrow some money.”

The doctor snorted and didn’t say anything. But he thought to himself, “This kind of disease will only cost more and more money. Your relatives and friends won’t even wanna talk to you right now because of all the money you had borrowed from them before.”

Calvin dragged himself to his feet and went to Shirley’s brother Donald Whitney’s house.

He knocked on the door and then heard his aunt Mindy shouting, “Piss off! Your whole family is like a parasite. You always come here for money. You think I’m a bank or something? Stay away from us!”

Calvin begged desperately, “Aunt Mindy, Uncle Donald got sick last year and you borrowed two thousand dollars from my mom. We need that money now, please give it back to us.”

“What money? Why would we borrow money from slum dogs like you? You got any proof? If you don’t, keep your mouth shut or I’ll sue you!”

Calvin was incredibly disappointed. Even though he had seen this coming, he thought Mindy wouldn’t go this far because his mother’s life depended on it. Judging from her words, he had thought too good of human nature.

So he had no choices but said, “Maybe I got it wrong. Aunt Mindy, can you at least lend me some money? Five hundred would be fine.”

“I won’t give you a dime. How are you gonna repay me if I loan you the money? You have a car, a house or something? I thought you are the son-in-law of the Houston family. You can ask them to give you the money. They are loaded. Why bother to knock on our door? We’re done and you weren’t part of our family years ago.”

Calvin tried hard to contain himself and proceeded, “Aunt Mindy, I have no one to turn to anymore. I can’t just let her die. Please help us and I’ll do anything you want me to do.”

No one responded. Just as Calvin was about to leave despondently, two pieces of bread were tossed out of the window.

“Take the bread and piss off. If you come to my house one more time, I won’t go easy on you.”

The dried and rock-hard bread was soaked in the dirty puddle.

Calvin stared at that bread and then picked it up.

“Calvin, you can’t give up. You mother’s life depends on you. Eat it and always remember the shame. Go on and strive for a better life.”

The bread was soaked in sewage and it tasted like vomit

He had paid visits to all these relatives and they all saw him as a big trouble that they would rather run away from.

During this whole day, he was faced with the most vicious curses from his relatives.

He put the twenty dollars that he begged from them in his pocket and wandered towards his last hope like a ghost.

The Houston family.

He knew the Houston family wouldn’t give him any money and would humiliate him like everyone else. But he didn’t want to give up like this.

“You rat, I finally got you.”

Calvin looked up and found himself cornered in an alley. It was Scott Terry, the loan shark.

“Shit, I’ve been searching for you everywhere. I thought you were dead somewhere. Give me the money!”

Calvin subconsciously held on to the 20 bucks in his pocket and said, “Mr. Terry, I don’t have it...”

Scott saw what he was doing and yelled, “Then what’s that in your pocket? Tryna play fool with me? You ask for it!”

He waved his hand and his men came at Calvin. They held him down and Calvin was struggling hard, “Don’t take this from me, it’s life-saving.”

“Yeah, it’s gonna save your life. Mr. Terry, it’s only 20 bucks.”

Scott glared at him coldly, “I’ve been looking for you for all these days and all I got is 20 dollars? Kick his ass!”

Calvin wrapped his head with his arms and just let them hit him silently.

“You filthy slum dog! My hands got dirty just by hitting you! Phew!”

Someone spat on him and his hair got sticky with some yellow phlegm that had the smell of tobacco. Calvin wanted to wipe it off but his whole body was aching like hell.

After a while, Calvin opened his eyes and shook his dizzy head. His phone was buzzing in his pocket. He mustered all his strength and took it out. Its screen was broken, but he could still vaguely see the name of the caller.

It was Rita Houston.

His nominal wife.

Calvin opened his mouth and stretch his facial muscles. His voice was trembling.

“Hello?”

“What took you so long to pick up the phone?” Rita sounded a little annoyed.

“It’s broken and it didn’t ring.”

“I thought I gave you the money to buy a new one before, right? Why haven’t you changed it? Why can’t you just do what I say and not annoy me for once?”

Calvin answered carefully, “I know. It won’t happen again. Did you have fun in Oakshire?”

“Anywhere is fun without you.”

“...”

“Okay, I’m gonna go.”

“Wait, can you lend me some money? My mom...”

All he could hear was the disconnect tone.

She hung up without any hesitation, just as he expected.

Calvin struggled and got on his feet. He leaned on the wall and took a look at his dirty clothes.

They were the only nice clothes he had.

He looked around and made sure no one was passing by. He quickly took off his clothes and wore them inside out. And then he walked ahead with his body injured and bruised.

The pain on the inside was much worse than the pain on his body.

What to do? What to do?

He couldn’t just watch and let his foster mother pass away.

At the end of the road, he looked up and found himself on the University Avenue.

He suddenly thought of somebody.

His first love, Mary Smith.

Mary had a very popular karaoke bar on this avenue. Since it was close to Chelston University, a lot of hot girls would come to this karaoke bar, which attracted a bunch of rich men to come here to pick up girls. So the business was booming.

The investor of this place was John, who was not only the home wrecker who stole Mary from him but also his classmate in college.

Calvin was standing at the junction. He mustered all his courage and went towards the karaoke bar.

He believed that Mary was kind enough to lend him 2000 dollars.

After all, he gave her his everything when they were still together.

Their past was worth 2000 dollars, right?

Thinking of this, Calvin quickened his pace.

During the daytime, there were few people in the karaoke bar and only two tables were drinking and talking.

Calvin walked in, which drew all the people’s attention in the lobby.

Mary and John were, of course, one of them.

“Isn’t it the gifted boy of Chelston University? How did you come to this?”

“The Houston family must be over the line. How could they treat a genius like this?”

“Hahaha, he’s nothing but a live-in son-in-law. Who’s gonna take him seriously?”

Their sarcasm and mocking were like rubbing salt in his wounds. Although Calvin had got used to this, but he was still hurt by the disgust and hatred in Mary’s eyes.

“How dare you come here?”