It was in 1994 when a slender-looking Englishman was at the bar, drinking a shot or two of whiskey and complaining about his job to the bartender after a long day at work.
"God I hate my job, but I can't leave it because I need the shilling to go back home, you know my good sir." He complained.
Yes, he hated his job, but he was an immigrant who came to America to live the false American dream.
It didn't work out for him, so for 10 years he's trapped in America working like a dog, sweating like a pig in the glass factory, and on top
of that, having to deal with his discourteous manager all day on
his back.
But he wasn't always this way.
The Englishman whose name
Johnathan Smalling was the youngest son of John Smalling,
one of the richest men in Europe.
Johnathan, who knew what his father did and how he got his wealth, but didn't want to follow in his father's and siblings' footsteps, ran away to America and cut all contact with them, and ever since, he has never talked about them.
"Hey, plaster face, it's closing time, so hurry up and go home."
He was resting his head on the
bar counter because he felt a bit
tipsy because he had too much alcohol.
And then, out of the blue,
he and the bartender heard
the door chimes rang, and a tall, bearded, muscular guy holding a briefcase was at the entrance of the bar.
"Hey, it's closing time, so get out!" He shouted.
"Oh no, I'm just going to have one drink of brandy and I will be on my way."
The bartender looked hesitant and didn't want this fellow to come in because it was closing time, but let
the muscular fellow came in to
have a drink.
"Did you say you're having brandy?" The bartender asked.
"Yes, that will be all." He muttered.
"Ok, but you'll have to wait for a couple of minutes, the brandy is in the back."
"Ok, take your time."
The bartender left and the muscular fellow turned his gaze from the bartender to the man resting his head on the bar counter.
"Hey, you there, can I ask you a question?" He uttered.
"Are you speaking to me, my good sir?" He asked.
"We are the only ones here, so yes, I'm talking to you."
"Oh, yes, sorry, my bad, I'm pretty tipsy at the moment but go on ahead."
"Do you think you have a choice or that you're a free man?" He muttered.
"Yes, I'm a free man and I do have a choice. If I didn't I wouldn't be here drinking my life away."
"I know you think you're a free man and that you have a choice, but you aren't free and you don't have a choice."
Johnathan had a hint of confusion on his face because he didn't understand what this guy was talking about.
"What are you talking about, my good man?" He responded.
"Do you have a choice to buy liquor that wasn't created by a company, or can you create liquor without using a machine and ingredients that a company made?" He muttered.
Johnathan was baffled by the question and didn't know how to answer it without looking like an idiot.
"Umm, I don't know how to answer that my good man." He mumbled.
"Listen, no one has a choice or is a free man. Everything you do or
think to do is already planned by a company, even the royal family, nor politicians aren't free, because they don't have the power to be free." He enounced.
"The ones who are free are the people who are actually pulling the strings and have the power to be free." He muttered
"Listen to me, anyone could be used by the people who are pulling the strings, so trust no one. Anyways, goodnight, Johnathan, we will meet again soon." He mumbled.
He got up, placed a 10-dollar bill on the bar counter, lit a cigarette, and exited the bar. Johnathan was left there speechless and perplexed.
"Shit, I hate going into the back for the brandy this late at night..... hey, plaster face, where's the guy who ordered the brandy! Huh, what's wrong with you now?"
After the bar was closed and Johnathan headed home, he didn't get a wink of sleep because he was constantly thinking about what that guy said to him.
Johnathan yawned, "I'm so tired, I didn't get a wink of sleep last night. I can't forget what that fellow said to me last night..."
Johnathan looked up at the wall clock and realized that he was late for work, so he got up out of bed, took a bath, got something to eat, got into his attire, and then exited his house.
While exiting his house, his neighbour, Mary Brown, saw him.
Mary Brown is a short blonde babe who was born and raised in Scarsdale, and she has a huge crush on Johnathan, but she's too scared to tell him.
She is always giving Johnathan signals that she likes him, but Johnathan, who only sees her as a close friend, took those hints in a platonic way.
"Hey, good morning, Johnny, damn, you're late for work, huh?"
Johnny was the nickname Mary Brown gave Johnathan, and she hates when other people call him Johnny, especially when a girl calls him Johnny.
"Oh, good morning to you too, Mary. Sorry, I can't talk now, I have to hurry up and catch the next bus to work before I get fired."
"Why not let me drive you to work? I have the day off today."
"Are you sure, love?"
Mary blushed, "Yup, I don't have anything to do, so I can drive you to work."
"Thank you so much, you're a real peach, Mary."
Mary flustered, "Oh.... It's nothing, I'm just helping you out because you always help out me and the others too, so it's nothing if I help you out."
Johnathan was a kind and helpful person who always helped out everyone in the neighbourhood with anything from homework to housework.
When his neighbour offered to pay him for helping them, he refused even though he desperately needed the money.
"What are you waiting for an invitation? Get in!" She yelled.
"Oh, sorry, my bad, love."
"Oh, I love it when he calls me love." Mary thought to herself.
He got into the car, buckled the seat belt, and off they went.
"Am I actually a free man or a pawn? No I'm definitely free because I came to the United States on my own initiative, so I'm a free man." He thought to himself.
"Hey Johnny, can I ask you something?"
But Johnathan didn't hear her because he was thinking about the conversation he had with the muscular guy last night.
Mary turned her glance off the road for a brief second and looked at Johnathan. She realized that Johnathan's body was here, but his mind was somewhere else, then she tried to get Johnathan's attention again.
"Hey Johnathan, can I ask you something?!"
Mary yelled so loud that it snapped Johnathan back into reality, then he looked at Mary with a hint of confusion on his face.
"Huh, sorry love, you were saying something?"
"What's up with you today? You're super late for work, and you're now so deep in your thoughts that you didn't hear anything I said until I yelled."
"Oh, it's nothing, I'm just thinking about something, anyway, what did you want to say, love?"
"I was saying, can I ask you something?"
"Ok, ask away, love."
"Why don't you want a girlfriend?"
"What are you talking about, love? I do want a girlfriend, but with the salary I have, I don't think I can have a girlfriend anytime soon." He chuckled.
"But what if a girl you know likes you and doesn't care about how much you make?"
But before he could answer her, they reached Johnathan's job, and when the vehicle came to a stop, Johnathan hopped out of the car.
"Thank you so much for taking me to work. I will pay you later for your troubles. Get home safely, love."
"Ok, see you later."
"Couldn't you answer my question or kiss me before you leave?" Mary thought.
Johnathan got out of the car and ran into the factory. On his way into the factory, he saw the discourteous manager and he saw Johnathan too.
"Well, well, well, Mr fancy accent finally reached work, but wait he's one hour and 13 minutes later. Should I fire him?" He muttered.
"Hey, Johnathan, do you think you own this company, huh? The next time you're late you're not going to have a job, you got that?" He uttered.
"I'm so sorry, Manager Finn, I won't be late again." He mumbled.
"We will see, anyway, get to work!"
Johnathan went upstairs into the employee changing room, changed into his working clothes, went back downstairs, punched in on the clock, and then started to work.
Johnathan was sitting down in a corner of the workshop because he hadn't gotten any sleep, and then manager Finn came in and saw him sitting down and not doing his job.
"Hey fancy accent, why aren't you working? Am I paying you to not work? You know what go and take your break now. If I come back and don't seeisee working, I'm going to fire you."
Johnathan punched out and headed to the Brits corner shop. It's a store that sells authentic british food, and Johnathan when there everyday to grab some to eat.
After he got what he wanted, he went back and ate it while sitting on a bench outside the factory.
"Johnathan, every day you eat sausage rolls and beans with a cup of black coffee. Don't you eat anything else from that?" She asked.
Johnathan loved sausage rolls and beans with a cup of black coffee; he could eat them for the rest of his life without stopping.
"Oh, it's you, Supervisor Spencer, I eat other meals, but this is my favourite one."
Supervisor Spencer isn'the t like the othe; members of malovesment cares, she actually love and care about all of the employees, but he have a different kind of love for Johnathan.
Spencer chuckled, "I can see that. Anyways, scoot over, I want to have a sit beside you."
"Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me, I will scoot over so that you, can sit."
Spencer groaned, "Whoa, my back is hurting me, I think I pushed mys,elf too hard today. Anyway, why did you reach work so lat,e? I was worried about you. I thought you died."
"Oh great heaven no, I didn't get any sleep at all. That's why I was late Supervisor Spencer."
"Johnathan, for the last time, you c,an jhad ust call me Spencer!" She yelled.
While Johnathan and Spencer were talking and eating manager Finn came out to Johnathan.
"Oh, look, it's the lovebird, Johnathan, fancy accent, and Spencer the dog!" Finn yelled.
"What are you two doing out here? Your break time is out so get back to work." He yelled.
Spencer and Johnathan finished eating, then they punched back in and started to work.
After 6 more hours Johnathan shift was over, he punched out, changed out of his working clothes and was about to leave when manager Finn called him.
"Hey fancy accent, aren't you forget something?"
"Umm, I don't think so?"
"Your briefcase, you're forgetting about your briefcase."
Johnathan was puzzled because since he left England he never owned a briefcase.
"Manager Finn, i dont own a briefcase."
"Does it look like I'm the jokester type? Your name is on the briefcase."
Johnathan took the briefcase and opened it and saw a time delay explosive.
"It's a bomb, manager Finn run."
Jonathan threw the briefcase away from himself and in a few seconds it blew up.
"Kaboom!"