บท 3: Past - 1

Winter raged throughout the City. The snow sprinkled on the streets. A Christmas tree stood in the living room, and a string of white lights had been wrapped around it. The pine smell from the tree really brought the holidays to life but it also left pine needles all over the floor and it was difficult to manage, but it was still worth it.

Regina had always been alone, she had spent her childhood in a foster home and her adulthood in the club dancing in front of people for money during this time of year, so Christmas was difficult for her to understand. She had never truly understood what its significance was or why people celebrated it with so excitement.

But she was hoping this year to different than her past as now she had Jason, the love of her life. The man she had decided to celebrate all the upcoming Christmas with, the man she was waiting to return while looking outside at the white snow.

"Someone here?" A knock came from the door and someone called. A man in a black leather jacket standing at door. His long black hair was dyed with grease, and his bushy eyebrows made him look like a formidable foe. The leather boots he wore was covered in snow from the sidewalk. As if he owned the place, he stepped inside."Where is Jason?"

"Whoa, hold on." She placed his palm against his chest and pushed him back.

"Who the hell are you? I did not invite you inside. Get your ass hell out of my house." She tapped her feet against the floor.

His eyebrows furrowed.

"How can I help you?" She didn't know this guy, but she was sure he knew Jason.

"Where is Jason?"

"He is not here right now. Who are you?"

"He is not here?!" His accent was thick. "I know he is here. Tell him to come out, or I will make him come out."

"He is really not here," she snapped. "He is at the club. What is this about?"

"It's none of your concern." He shot her a menacing look before he stepped away and leave. "He better pay up. He can't run forever."

"Pay up for what?" She went to the door so that she could watch him walk away.

"Just tell him to pay what he owes, or he will pay with his life. It's that simple." He kept walking, not saying that not even looking back.

She closed the door and walked back into the apartment.

She didn't know why Jason owed money or from whom? She knew he had taken a loan for the club? But that was way back. And he had told her that, he paid them off a while ago. Unless he lied to her.

After an hour Jason came back. He glanced at the tree but didn't say anything, not a single word. He tossed his overcoat covered in snow on the counter and grabbed a beer from the fridge.

To Regina, it seemed like he didn't even look at her, "Uh, hi?"

Without saying anything or maybe without even listening to her, he downed half the beer in a single gulp.

Jason and Regina were going through a rough week, they had not talked much for an entire week, they had not even had sex that entire week. Nowadays he didn't even kiss her when he used to come home from work like in the past when they married. While they lived together, it seemed to her that he was never really there. Every time she used to question him, he told her everything was fine.

"HI!!." She shouted at him, "I'm getting sick of your bullshit." She was losing her patience now, someone had just rudely knocked at her door and left after giving life threat and he was just drinking ignoring her."Jason, what's your problem?"

In response to her, he took another drink of his beer.

"You're like a zombie around here. I didn't have a lot of patience with people when it came to bad attitudes. You need to get over whatever bothering you and move on. Whatever hardship you think you're going through, I have gone through worse, you know that. So just talk to me and tell…"

"I sold the club today." He finished the beer before he dropped the empty bottle in the sink. It clanked loudly as it spun around until it came to a stop in the drain.