pjbooks Chapter 39 Life is like a box of chocolates
Chapter 39 Life is like a box of chocolates
"real?"
Sava Holmes immediately perked up, but just as he was about to begin his explanation, a middle-aged woman wearing a women's work hat walked straight toward the dining table.
"Mommy!" Little Joey excitedly rushed over and was hugged tightly in the woman's arms.
"Hi Mary, I'm sorry to have bothered you, but I've encountered a bit of a special situation, it's..."
The Italian man quickly stood up, his face full of guilt and helplessness.
"Shut up!" his wife Mary roared angrily, interrupting him from what he was about to say, drawing stares from the other diners in the restaurant.
Then, pointing his finger at me, he started yelling: "Do you know what Sawa is? The stupidest decision I've ever made in my life was marrying you against my family's wishes. Because of one phone call from you, I had to quit my job and come here to take care of my homeless son. My supervisor warned me before I left that this was the last time, the last time, you understand? Do you have to drive me to unemployment before you're satisfied?"
"I... calm down, Mary. I really didn't mean it. A few unreasonable black men kicked me out of the shelter. I can sleep on the street, but Joey..."
Upon hearing the words "shelter," the woman angrily pounded her forehead and roared like a madwoman, "Fuck you! Do you think you're filming an inspirational movie? Ever since you became that damn fighting agent, have you brought home a single penny? You're so pathetic that you're living in the slums, why can't you find a decent job? I've never seen a man run away from reality like you."
"Oh, darling, I'm not running away from reality." Despite being publicly scolded by his wife, Sawa still chose to patiently explain, "Working won't change your fate. I'm doing this to fight for our future. Give me another six months, and I guarantee I'll make lots and lots of money. Then you won't have to go out and do those tiring jobs anymore. Didn't you want to open a flower shop? I've already picked out the location for you, in an alley not far from here."
As she listened to his empty rhetoric, the anger on Mary's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a rapidly dropping chill and a bitter smile on her lips.
She picked up the can of cola and splashed it on her husband's face. Then, carrying little Joey, she turned and left. The child, clinging to her mother's shoulder, looked small and helpless.
The strange looks from the surrounding diners felt like piercing needles; anyone in that situation would likely experience agony.
"Are you alright, buddy?" MaJack pulled him down to sit, while Jimmy handed him a napkin.
He took the tissue and wiped his face, his voice sounding a little choked up: "I'm so sorry, Sir, I made you laugh at me."
"If this is a joke, then I live in a joke every day."
Ma Jieke sighed and said, "But if I were your wife, what I'd throw in your face might not be Coke. As a husband, making your wife suffer, as a father, letting your son go hungry—that's not how a man should behave. Since you can't make money in this job, why don't you think about changing careers?"
"Change careers?" Sava said with a wry smile, "I'm already 45 years old. What industry would want me? Besides, I've been struggling in this industry for 15 years. I will never quit before I succeed."
"Fifteen years?" Ma Jieke asked, puzzled. "Is it really that exaggerated?"
"Don't get me wrong," Sava explained. "What I said earlier about lying to you is both true and false. Five years ago, I really was a sports agent. I mean, the kind with professional certifications and qualifications. I studied sports management in college, and I got my master's degree in law. I was well-versed in contract law and sports-related regulations and policies, and I also had some experience in marketing and finance."
"Unfortunately, after a UFC open event, my fighter tested positive for steroids, also known as doping. When I tried to communicate with him, he actually told reporters that I had asked him to inject beforehand, and afterwards he submitted a syringe with my fingerprints to the organizers."
"Just like that, he was banned for two years, and I was stripped of my professional license. I fought the case like a madman, spending a lot of money to hire the most expensive legal team. In the end, the judge told me that my behavior should not be forgiven, while the boxer who framed me moved into a sea-view villa in the Bay Area six months later."
"It was only then that I realized I had been set up. More than one sponsor had approached me before, asking me to persuade my fighters to use illegal drugs, but I refused."
"As a result, we lost that crucial game, angering a force I couldn't afford to mess with. What's even more ridiculous is that, to this day, I still don't know exactly who did it."
After hearing his story, Ma Jie looked at him with a half-smile: "You're too naive, buddy. The reason you can't find the mastermind is because you've offended everyone."
Sava remained silent. Finding the truth was easy, but facing it required a bit of courage.
"You should do something for your wife. She's a good woman; anyone else would have left you long ago."
"Hmm." Sava's eyes reddened slightly. "Mary and I went to the same high school. After graduation, I went to university, while she stayed in the countryside to work as a milkmaid. I originally thought that we would never cross paths again in this life, but she married me without hesitation after I fell on hard times. Maybe that's life. You never know what the next chocolate will taste like."
"Phew, what an enviable love story."
Ma Jie sighed for a moment before getting to the point: "Let's get to know each other formally. My name is Jack, and this is Jimmy. As you can see, we're three unemployed people who can't make any money."
"Don't be so pessimistic, buddy." Sava, on the contrary, seemed to think there was always a way out: "Didn't you just say you wanted to learn about underground fighting competitions? Based on my more than ten years of experience and judgment, you have extremely high fighting talent. As long as you undergo systematic training, you can immediately achieve results."
"Oh, come on." Hearing this, Jimmy said to Jack Ma in fright, "There are tons of those underground boxing videos online. To me, it's just two wild beasts tearing each other apart. The little money they make isn't even enough to pay for medical bills. You absolutely mustn't do that. With your intelligence, you can make a fortune in anything."
"Dude, that's just a stereotype." Hearing Jimmy's objection, Sava quickly explained, "The underground fighting scene these days isn't as exaggerated as the internet makes it out to be. The participants aren't limited to amateur enthusiasts anymore. I know several professional fighters who fought in the UFC but struggled to achieve results, but after going underground, they ranked quite high and earned several times, even dozens of times, their previous winnings. It's just a new experiment; why completely dismiss it before you understand it at all?"
Jimmy was speechless after being rebuked, but he was also very worried about Ma Jack's safety: "Anyway...anyway, I don't recommend you go. If you really want to go, you can consult Max first and hear what she has to say. At least she's one of us, while this guy, we've only just met."