American Fame and Fortune

Chapter 2 You can make a lot of money

The man in the jacket took a few steps forward and stood in front of the half-meter-high barbed wire fence. After confirming that he had recognized the right person, he said, "I am Bruce, boss Vincent's subordinate."

 Martin was recalling the details of the loan shark and asked, "Is something wrong?"

Bruce pressed his hands on the old barbed wire: "I heard that old **** Jack Davis ran away. The boss asked me to inform you, don't forget the debt you borrowed. You have to pay the first installment next week."

 The debt was borrowed by his predecessor, Martin Davis, and Martin could only deal with it: "It's not overdue yet."

 “A friendly reminder, be prepared.” Bruce took back his hand, wiped off the rust, grabbed the belt and pulled up his trousers, his jacket was parted to both sides, revealing the pistol under his armpits.

 He said with a naive smile: "Don't worry, we are all civilized people in the Beast House, and the boss has always taught us to abide by the law."

 Martin glanced at the pistol, and the first thought that came to his mind was to run away.

The normal operation when you can't repay your debt is not to sell yourself, but to run away.

 But how can you run away without money?

 Martin recalled what Elena had said and asked, "Man, do the gigolos at Beast House make a lot of money?"

 He remembered that gigolo was a legal profession and he could make money to support himself, which was not a shabby job.

 “I’m lucky, I can collect a lot of tips every night.” Bruce looked at Martin carefully. He was well-proportioned and had an outstanding appearance. He smiled more honestly: "The House of Beasts has just opened and is short of people. The local people know it. If you want to be a gigolo, just go there. You are in good condition. Middle-aged women who are crazy about hunger and thirst like you best. Man, can you Make a lot of money."

 Can it be used as an alternative? Martin said vaguely: "I'll think about it."

 Bruce got in the car and left.

There were sounds from the yard next door. Elena’s brother Hall was still digging a hole.

 Martin is going to find a house repairman to collect his salary and solve the imminent problem of food. Although soft rice is delicious, if it takes a long time, he will not be able to eat it in the future.

Recalling it carefully, the office of Max, the home repairman, is a bit far away from the Clayton community. It takes a long time to walk there. His leg injury has not healed and he cannot walk for a long time continuously. If the injury worsens, it will cost more money. .

 You can only choose buses.

Public transportation in Atlanta is terrible, but there is a bus from the Clayton neighborhood to the street where Max's office is located, and the one-way ticket costs fifty cents.

 Martin took out his wallet, which was empty. With the little money left, Harris bought him some medicine.

Doctor Bill only prescribes veterinary drugs, and Martin wouldn’t dare to take them even if they were given to him for free.

Looking at the next door, Martin gave up the idea of ​​robbing the kid and went back to the house to search, only to find a quarter.

Martin remembered that Elena's father, Scott, opened a grocery store and collected stolen goods and scraps. He couldn't help but look at the wooden house.

There are only the most basic old sofas, low wooden tables and broken wooden beds. The slightly valuable furniture and appliances have long been moved away by the Carter family in exchange for money.

The remaining items are not only broken, but also dead.

Martin had an injury on his leg, and it was unrealistic to carry the sofa and table to sell. He took out a pair of pliers with damaged insulation from the drawer of the low wooden table, went to the side of the yard close to Carter's house, and cut off the rusty wire mesh fence. , rolled up.

The barbed wire had many sharp ends, making it inconvenient to pick up. Martin returned to the house, rummaged around for a while, and found a rope from under the bed.

“Is it possible to sell the Carter family’s barbed wire fence to Scott Carter?” Martin doesn’t think it’s a big problem. Many houses in the community have similar fences.

Suddenly, a scream sounded next door, and the voice sounded like Harris.

 Martin hurried out and walked quickly towards Carter's house.

In the yard of the Carter family, a bicycle lay crooked on the ground. There was a pit next to the front wheel, and fine soil was falling into the pit along the collapsed cardboard.

 Harris sat on the ground, covering one arm, and tears of pain flowed out.

Hall Carter, who was only ten years old, stood in front of him and taunted: "Trash, get up, don't be such a wimp!"

 Harris shouted angrily: "Shut up, idiot! There is a 90% chance that my left hand is broken!"

Hall's tone was a little weaker: "I just made a joke with you and made a little trap. You are too soft..."

Martin saw someone with a broken forearm when he was a substitute. When he arrived, he took a closer look and said, "Unlucky guy, you hit the jackpot. Your left arm is broken."

 “Damn it!” Harris’ head was so painful that he was covered in sweat.

Hall felt guilty, stepped back, and sat down on the ground. Seeing that Harris had no other injuries, Martin said, "You need treatment. I'll take you to Dr. Bill. You said he has excellent medical skills."

Harris had a look of horror on his face: "Bill can't heal broken bones, so the chance of me becoming disabled if I seek treatment from him is as high as 100%."

"The Carter family will receive an additional subsidy for the disabled!" Martin added the blow at the right time and reminded: "Don't move your left arm."

hurried footsteps sounded, the door creaked open, and fourteen-year-old Lily Carter ran out and asked: "What did you two idiots do? Hall, how did this **** pit come about?"

 Martin interrupted her: "Go and tell your sister that Harris broke his arm."

“I’m going to borrow the cell phone from Mrs. Wood.” Lily ran diagonally across the street.

Martin deliberately spoke to distract Harris: "Come back so soon?"

Harris gritted his teeth and said, "Sister Cole has something to do and is not at home."

 A few minutes later, Lily ran back with a cell phone and said, "Elena borrowed the car and is on her way back."

Hall heard Elena's name, put his hands on the ground, and rubbed his **** back little by little, trying to get away.

The place where Elena works part-time is not far away, and she will drive back soon.

I came back in such a hurry that I didn’t even change the pants I was wearing as a teddy bear doll.

After discovering Harris' situation, Elena took out her wallet and looked at the money first, and took out a few 1-dollar bills, 5-dollar bills, and 20-dollar bills. She was so anxious that she said, "Don't worry, I'll think of a way, I can think of a way!" There must be a way!"

 Martin had just had free meals for a week and patted her shoulder: "Give me the car keys."

Elena subconsciously handed over the car keys.

"You guys wait a minute, I'll go ask for the money." Martin took the keys and walked towards the car.

Lily Carter suddenly caught up and handed the borrowed mobile phone to Martin: "Take it, if we can't pay back the money, you can find Elena at any time..."

Her longest finger reached out, back, and out again.

 Martin pressed Lily's forehead and pushed her away.

Getting in the car, he got a little familiar with the gears, recalled something, started the car and drove out of the Clayton community, running towards the south.

Max's office is located on the edge of Marietta's business district. A section of road in the neighborhood where Clayton is located is in disrepair, full of potholes, and the speed of the car cannot be increased.

　　It took half an hour for Martin to arrive in front of a four-story office building. He parked his car and entered the building. He went up to the second floor and found the office with the Max Maintenance Company sign.

 Knocking on the door, a burly Latin man asked: "What's wrong with you?"

 Martin replied: "I am Mr. Max's worker. I asked him about work."

 The shutters of the inner office were opened, and someone said: "Martin, come in."

Martin entered the inner office and glanced quickly. There were multiple teddy bears of different sizes placed on the display windows, shelves and desks.

Even the two family photos placed on the desk have large teddy bears as the background.

 In the photo, there is a family of four standing with happy smiles.

 A warm, harmonious and happy family, and a family that also loves teddy bears.

 Those who are good at digging into camps have keen observation skills. Martin also discovered something else.

There are a few bits of white powder scattered around the pile of documents on the wooden desk. Max, who is middle-aged, likes to twitch his nose. The few nose hairs that grow out of his nostrils are stained with almost undetectable white. The eyes above his big nose are red. Congestion.

 Martin Davis, who comes from a lower class background, has seen too many similar people, such as Scott Carter and Emma Carter.

Max was a little excited and asked: "Is the injury healed?"

  Martin said: “My head feels heavy all the time, it hurts from time to time, and my legs also hurt.”

"You're here to ask for a salary, I understand." Max opened the big drawer in the middle, took out a cash check, and pushed it to Martin: "This is yours."

 (End of this chapter)