The morning was going well and after that chat with Mr. Gudman. I was unsure what he meant. Maybe I will ask about that to him later.
"It is already noon. I think I am done for today sister." I replied to sister and asked to be guided back to the room.
"Hey, sister what will be there for lunch today? Anything spicy or heavy? I want to try something really spicy." I said to the sister while she monitored me to be able to walk all the way to the room.
"I don't know, Mark. But if you want to eat anything spicy you can order it from the canteen." She replied while staying by my side.
"Huh, I didn't know that. Will the canteen have fried rice?" I asked with a large smile on my face.
"Yeah, they do have. But not for patients." The voice came from the front, and very specifically Servana was the one to say them.
"Hey Sis, Good morning or maybe I should say Good afternoon." I said to her.
"You have changed." She looked towards my face with an expression of curiosity and uncertainty.
"What do you mean, I am the same old me. I haven't changed." I replied while having a heavy tense building in my chest.
"Your Eye colours, were they always Greenish?" She asked me, while keeping her face straight.
"No, I don't think so. I think they were brown." Dylan had brown eyes, maybe the soul switch did something or the accident?
"Don't worry, just rest up. You will b okay. I need to check up on Mr. Gudman." She was about to head to Mr. Gudman's room.
I asked her, "Hey Sis, today morning Mr. Gudman and I were having a chat and he said that he is completely fine. What is a completely fine man doing in the hospital?"
"Yeah, same question. Let's ask him common." She smiled like she was about to do some mischievous activity.
"Huh? What?" She took me with her to Mr. Gudman's room.
"Mr. Gudman. How are you doing?" Servana asked with complete confidence.
"Well, I am doing great Doc. Oh is that, Ma…"
"This is my brother, Dylan. He is staying next door and was curious about your condition."
Before, Mr. Gudman could have said my name as Mark. Servana introduced me as Dylan. His face was a little confused, but he accepted that.
"So, Mr. Gudman. If you are completely fine than why are you here?" Servana asked with a mocking sound and face.
"Huh, you know it doctor." Mr. Gudman was also smiling.
"Huh?" What is going on here? "Hey, sis maybe I should leave."
"Relax and wait, Mr. Gudman, he's family. If he tells anyone, I'll just break his legs myself. Give the young man a few tips on the merchant's business expense. He isn't the one to spill tea, you can trust that." Servana said that, and handed Mr. Gudman a piece of prescription with a lot of test and medicines written all over the page.
"I should head out, Dylan. Be sure to properly rest, I have other patients to look for. I will take my leave." Servana left as she spoke these words.
"Sorry, Mr Gudman. You should rest as well. My sister just pulled me when I was curious about your case. I should go to my room." As I was about to leave.
"Wait, young Mark. Or should is say Dylan?" Mr. Gudman stopped me.
"Mark is good. Dylan is more of a like family name."
"Oh, I see. Mark, so the thing with Merchants, specifically Travel Merchants have a very good salary if working in a company or firm."
"Yeah, I heard about the merchant business."
"Yeah, so between us. The thing is with Travelling Merchant Business. Is that a certain percentage of our money that is already meant to be our salary. Is reserved for medical expenses only."
"Wait what?" I was genuinely curious how this works.
"So, if we are given salary. How do I explain it? Can you grab me that plate and sugar box?"
"Yeah sure."
"So let this sugar box be the full salary of a merchant in CTC."
"Okay. What is a CTC?"
"CTC is cost to company. So, this one table spoon is salary for one month. But after twelve months." He pours 12 spoons of Sugar on the plate to demonstrate me his salary system.
"So, as you can see, the box is still half full. But I can't get anymore amount of sugar. As I am already at 12 months. But if the company feels generous, they might give me 2 more spoons. Right? Still almost 10 spoons are left right?"
"So, the salary they promise isn't the one you actually get? That's like buying a whole loaf of bread and being told you can only eat the crust." I grasped for a second.
"Now, here is the thing. Out of these 10 spoons. 4 are for the government as taxes. So, the remaining balance is 6 Spoons. Right?"
"Why the government take 4 spoons?"
"As a registered citizen and a law abiding one, we need to pay a certain about of our payment to the government. To make sure the city is functioning properly. Now, these 6 spoons have a little condition know to be in the signed contract as 'Emergency Aid Finance'." Mr. Gudman made the quotation symbol using is finger and hands.
"Emergency Aid Finance? What is that?"
"Let me Explain. So, these 6 spoons of sugar are rightfully yours, on paper that is. In reality it belongs to the company, and they will refuse to give you this amount of money without a plausible reason. And the plausible reason needs to be a medical condition, of yours or your blood-family."
"Wait, so the 6 spoons of sugar are yours but not yours?"
"Exactly. I cannot get them. Unless I am admitted in hospital or have a medical emergency. So, this is where the hospital comes into play. I struck a deal with the owner of this hospital, and he gives me a fake prescription, test reports and lab reports, for one table spoon of the sugar."
"Oh, so the rest of the 5 table spoons of sugar goes into your plate."
"Yup Dylan. Gudman's just explaining how to steal sugar with extra steps." Servana was leaned against the frame halfway through the sugar talk, smirking.
"I prefer to call it creative survival." Gudman shot back, wagging the spoon like a weapon. "In the world of merchants. Everyone is a thief."
Strange. For someone breaking rules, he seemed more honest than me.
Everyone is a thief. Maybe he was right. Gudman stole from his company. Servana stole from the system. And me? I was stealing Dylan's life.
"Everyone's a thief, son. Some steal coins, some steal sugar, some steal time. The smart ones? They just don't get caught."
*****