Page 4
Raph nodded. Then, seeming agitated, he told Tonia, “Aren’t you done yet?” You’ve already made Sammy wait for two hours.
Tonia said, “He can keep waiting if he wants.”
Sammy knocked on the door of the toilet and asked, “Are you going to stay in there forever?”
Tonia took a long breath and glanced at the hickey and marks all over her body. She wanted to bite him so badly. “Wait outside.”
Sammy laughed and said, “Okay.” We’ll go out. “There’s no need to hurry.”
He clapped Raph on the shoulder and said, “Come on, let’s go to the living room.”
Tonia stepped out of the bathroom and raced to her room, where she changed into a simple attire of jeans and a T-shirt. Then, before she left, she blew her hair half-dry.
Raph arched an eyebrow. “You still haven’t thrown this outfit away?”
It was a dress that Tonia had worn a lot in college. It was simple and plain, but very comfortable. In the past, she would put on a lot of makeup and dress nicely to match her identity as Raph’s wife.
But now that she had given up on him, she would wear whatever was comfortable. “I didn’t throw you away, did I?” she murmured. I’ve had you for a lot longer than this outfit.
Raph’s face got darker. “Whatever.” Let’s go.
“Go dry your hair all the way before we leave,” Sammy remarked with a frown. “It’s windy outside.”
Tonia responded, “It’s not needed.” The breeze will help it dry faster.
“Go dry it,” said Sammy.
“I won’t.”
Raph stared at her, and her hair fell over her shoulders and her face was bare. “You look better like this,” he remarked, and his voice softened a little.
Tonia looked angry. “Mr. Blunt, it’s all your fault that you’re such a successful businessman.” If I left the house looking like this every day, the news would undoubtedly say that you are a cheap man who won’t buy his wife good clothes.
He rubbed his nose and didn’t say anything.
Tonia and Raph’s love story was a lot like a romance drama. She was a good girl and he was a bad boy at school. After they graduated, they were the perfect couple who helped each other through the hard times of beginning a business.
Raph and a handful of his college friends made a game when he graduated. How many new graduates had money? Raph and Tonia had to rent the basement of a house in the suburbs of Busta City because they didn’t have any other options.
Tonia acquired a used gas stove and went to a faraway Market to get supplies because food in the city was too expensive. She also filled up the gas tank herself by carrying it to the gas station. Then she cooked different meals for Raph.
She knew all the prices at the Market by heart. She knew which booth had sales that day and which one would give her a little extra if she spent more than a particular amount.
Fresh fish cost $5 a pound, so she would wait there until one of the fish died. Then, she would buy it right away for $1 a pound, which was the price for dead fish.
Tonia had worn the outfit she had on for three years. She had washed it when it got dirty, and the jeans had faded from all the washing. The material of the T-shirt was even thinner now.
Raph also seemed to recall the hard times they had while he was trying to start his business. He touched Sammy on the shoulder and said, “I’ll always remember the help you gave us at the time, Sammy.”
Three years after starting their business, Raph and his friends made their first game. Because they were new to the business, someone stole their source code.
For the second game, they learnt from their mistakes and didn’t let anyone steal their source code. However, a well-known gaming company released a game that was similar to the one they had made. In the end, their small company couldn’t compete with the well-known one, and their game failed.
They had finally found an investor for the third game, but the gentleman ran away halfway through. The other game had failed.
Raph had pretty almost given up on his dream. He threw his arms around Tonia as they lay on the bed in their freezing basement and whispered, “I called my cousin, Ton.” I want you to go with him when he gets here.
Tonia was about to blow up with wrath. “What do you mean by that?”
“Sammy is good-looking and has a successful career. Once you go with him… “Things won’t be so hard for you anymore.”
Tonia had hit him in anger. “What do you think I am?”
Raph had suddenly started crying and held her tightly. “I know I’m a failure, Ton. You are extremely pretty and smart. I shouldn’t be taking up your time. But the thought of not seeing you again makes me want to die.
“So you believed we could continue see each other after you told me about your cousin? What? Is it more fun to sleep with your cousin’s girlfriend? ”
Raph grinned through his tears and held her tighter. “Ton, let’s have ravioli for lunch.”
They were short of money and food at the time. Where would the ravioli come from?
Sammy came later. He had been on a business trip to Busta City. When he saw the basement where they lived, he grimaced severely.
Then he saw Tonia moving around the kitchen in her T-shirt and shorts, with her hair loosely tied up. The basement didn’t have any windows, so her face and hands were smeared with grease. But she still smiled at him.
“Sammy, please sit down. While you two drink, I’ll make a few meals.
Tonia made two easy meals: spicy fried peanuts and veggie stir-fry. She made the best food with the simplest ingredients and spices.
Sammy drank some of the cheap wine they had and didn’t like the taste. But when he said, “I’m really jealous of you, Raph,” he was being entirely honest.
Raph had had a few drinks and didn’t get what he meant. He smiled and said, “What do you have to be jealous of? The fact that I live in a basement or that I haven’t done anything with my life?”
Sammy hadn’t said anything.
After that, Raph never mentioned wanting to introduce Tonia to Sammy again.
Sammy had given Tonia a bank card before he left. Inside was $100,000.
They lived on that money for a little over a year. Finally, angel investors were interested in the fourth game that Raph and his friends had made. The first round of funding brought in more than ten million dollars, and the game was a big success.
Tonia said, “He can keep waiting if he wants.”
Sammy knocked on the door of the toilet and asked, “Are you going to stay in there forever?”
Tonia took a long breath and glanced at the hickey and marks all over her body. She wanted to bite him so badly. “Wait outside.”
Sammy laughed and said, “Okay.” We’ll go out. “There’s no need to hurry.”
He clapped Raph on the shoulder and said, “Come on, let’s go to the living room.”
Tonia stepped out of the bathroom and raced to her room, where she changed into a simple attire of jeans and a T-shirt. Then, before she left, she blew her hair half-dry.
Raph arched an eyebrow. “You still haven’t thrown this outfit away?”
It was a dress that Tonia had worn a lot in college. It was simple and plain, but very comfortable. In the past, she would put on a lot of makeup and dress nicely to match her identity as Raph’s wife.
But now that she had given up on him, she would wear whatever was comfortable. “I didn’t throw you away, did I?” she murmured. I’ve had you for a lot longer than this outfit.
Raph’s face got darker. “Whatever.” Let’s go.
“Go dry your hair all the way before we leave,” Sammy remarked with a frown. “It’s windy outside.”
Tonia responded, “It’s not needed.” The breeze will help it dry faster.
“Go dry it,” said Sammy.
“I won’t.”
Raph stared at her, and her hair fell over her shoulders and her face was bare. “You look better like this,” he remarked, and his voice softened a little.
Tonia looked angry. “Mr. Blunt, it’s all your fault that you’re such a successful businessman.” If I left the house looking like this every day, the news would undoubtedly say that you are a cheap man who won’t buy his wife good clothes.
He rubbed his nose and didn’t say anything.
Tonia and Raph’s love story was a lot like a romance drama. She was a good girl and he was a bad boy at school. After they graduated, they were the perfect couple who helped each other through the hard times of beginning a business.
Raph and a handful of his college friends made a game when he graduated. How many new graduates had money? Raph and Tonia had to rent the basement of a house in the suburbs of Busta City because they didn’t have any other options.
Tonia acquired a used gas stove and went to a faraway Market to get supplies because food in the city was too expensive. She also filled up the gas tank herself by carrying it to the gas station. Then she cooked different meals for Raph.
She knew all the prices at the Market by heart. She knew which booth had sales that day and which one would give her a little extra if she spent more than a particular amount.
Fresh fish cost $5 a pound, so she would wait there until one of the fish died. Then, she would buy it right away for $1 a pound, which was the price for dead fish.
Tonia had worn the outfit she had on for three years. She had washed it when it got dirty, and the jeans had faded from all the washing. The material of the T-shirt was even thinner now.
Raph also seemed to recall the hard times they had while he was trying to start his business. He touched Sammy on the shoulder and said, “I’ll always remember the help you gave us at the time, Sammy.”
Three years after starting their business, Raph and his friends made their first game. Because they were new to the business, someone stole their source code.
For the second game, they learnt from their mistakes and didn’t let anyone steal their source code. However, a well-known gaming company released a game that was similar to the one they had made. In the end, their small company couldn’t compete with the well-known one, and their game failed.
They had finally found an investor for the third game, but the gentleman ran away halfway through. The other game had failed.
Raph had pretty almost given up on his dream. He threw his arms around Tonia as they lay on the bed in their freezing basement and whispered, “I called my cousin, Ton.” I want you to go with him when he gets here.
Tonia was about to blow up with wrath. “What do you mean by that?”
“Sammy is good-looking and has a successful career. Once you go with him… “Things won’t be so hard for you anymore.”
Tonia had hit him in anger. “What do you think I am?”
Raph had suddenly started crying and held her tightly. “I know I’m a failure, Ton. You are extremely pretty and smart. I shouldn’t be taking up your time. But the thought of not seeing you again makes me want to die.
“So you believed we could continue see each other after you told me about your cousin? What? Is it more fun to sleep with your cousin’s girlfriend? ”
Raph grinned through his tears and held her tighter. “Ton, let’s have ravioli for lunch.”
They were short of money and food at the time. Where would the ravioli come from?
Sammy came later. He had been on a business trip to Busta City. When he saw the basement where they lived, he grimaced severely.
Then he saw Tonia moving around the kitchen in her T-shirt and shorts, with her hair loosely tied up. The basement didn’t have any windows, so her face and hands were smeared with grease. But she still smiled at him.
“Sammy, please sit down. While you two drink, I’ll make a few meals.
Tonia made two easy meals: spicy fried peanuts and veggie stir-fry. She made the best food with the simplest ingredients and spices.
Sammy drank some of the cheap wine they had and didn’t like the taste. But when he said, “I’m really jealous of you, Raph,” he was being entirely honest.
Raph had had a few drinks and didn’t get what he meant. He smiled and said, “What do you have to be jealous of? The fact that I live in a basement or that I haven’t done anything with my life?”
Sammy hadn’t said anything.
After that, Raph never mentioned wanting to introduce Tonia to Sammy again.
Sammy had given Tonia a bank card before he left. Inside was $100,000.
They lived on that money for a little over a year. Finally, angel investors were interested in the fourth game that Raph and his friends had made. The first round of funding brought in more than ten million dollars, and the game was a big success.