In My Desperate Time

It is David Gibbs gives to me last time when I ask him for the address of Frances Louis.
I look at this name, like a drowning man grabbing a piece of driftwood.
Maybe only Frances Louis can help me now.
I have my pride, my self-esteem. But now, neither pride nor self-esteem can help me live in this city.
Shaking my hands, I dial the phone, the phone rings for a long time, and no one answers.
For me, even one minute and one second are very painful.
I am afraid that he doesn’t answer.
But I am also afraid that he picks up.
Finally, Frances Louis doesn’t pick up.
But I don’t have the courage to call him.
I stand in the cold wind. I think I might really have to sleep on the street tonight.
Dragging my suitcase, I walk slowly under the dim lamps.
After two minutes, my phone rings.
I am so nervous that my heart stops beating.
But different from what I think, it is not Frances Louis.
It is Steven Song.
“Hello? Jane Noyes?”
He is obviously drunk by the sound of his voice, and his tongue is knotted.
“What’s the matter, President Song?” I ask.
“You come to my house. I will send you the address.”

Then, Steven Song hangs up the phone.
I don't know what he asks me for, but I go there anyway.
First, he is the boss and I am the employee. Second, I really have nowhere to go. If Steven Song doesn’t call me, I might have to
go to Frances Louis’s house.
I find Steven Song’s home according to the address he gives me.
It is a luxury apartment.
It can tell from the appearance that there is only one person lives here. He seems not living in Song Family.
Steven Song open the door, his body is full of the smell of alcohol. When he sees me, he collapses and falls on me.
“What happened?”
I hold him up and try to take him in.
To be honest, Steven Song seems very thin, but he definitely has muscles. He presses on me and he is so heavy.
I am exhausted to put him on the couch.
“Make me some sober-up soup. I have to stay awake. By the way, make something delicious. I'm so hungry.”
Then he lies on the couch and rolls over restlessly.
By the light of the living room, I realize that he seems to have cried. At least, his eyes are red.
It is embarrassed to ask private questions about the boss, so I go to the kitchen silently and make a bowl of sober-up soup, and
then fried two dishes with the ingredients in his refrigerator.
“Wake up.” I slap him, but he has no reaction.
Would he sleep to die? I come so far away to cook for him, if he sleeps, that would be a waste of my labor!
I guess I have got rocks in my head, or maybe I have a long backlog of resentment that makes me kick him straightly.

Being kicked, Steven Song suddenly wakes up from the sofa. He touches his ass and says, “You are the first who dare to kick
my ass!”
He is a little angry at first, but he is soon attracted by the smell of the food. After drinking a bowl of sober-up soup, he begins to
eat.
“Jane Noyes, you make delicious food. You can cook for me every day in the future.” When he looks at me, his eyes sparkle like
a child for candy.
I curl my lips, “I am not a free nanny.”
“Then I'll pay you.” He looks at the suitcase I put in the corner and says, “meals and accommodation included.”
I think Steven Song know about my embarrassment, but he doesn’t ask me why. He just helps me in a very light way without
putting any pressure on me.
It is at this time that my attitude towards Steven Song changes. I always thin he is a playboy, but now he's at least a gentleman.
I have no other choice, so I agree to Steven Song’s request.
Steven Song’s apartment has three rows, so there is a room for me. I simply tidy up and go to bed. As for the salary, I don’t talk
to Steven Song. After all, I am homeless now and it is good to have a place to stay.
I sleep well this night.
Early in the next morning, Steven Song throws me some money.