"Mike, wait. I need your help with something later." After dinner, Georgie, who was leaving with Mike and the others, called out to Mike.
"Okay." As a friend, Mike didn't hesitate and agreed to his request.
Then, he watched Georgie and Mandy head to the basement, said goodbye to Connie and Paige, and then walked to the yard gate to wait for Georgie.
Not long after, Georgie, having settled his girlfriend, also arrived at the yard gate.
"Why don't you two move back home?" Mike looked in the direction of the Cooper family basement and asked curiously.
Earlier at the dinner table, the Coopers discussed Georgie and Mandy's accommodation. However, in the end, the two still chose to live in the basement.
However, for a pregnant woman, a living environment with a bathroom and toilet is definitely more comfortable than a basement with nothing.
Even if the basement is large, the lack of living facilities alone makes it worth passing on.
"Mainly, Mandy and I want some independent living space, and we'll have our own house very soon." Georgie smiled as he explained the reason, indicating that he already had plans to buy a house.
As a future father, Georgie should indeed have a plan for his future small family.
"Alright, if that's the case, I suggest you two can rent a house first." Mike reminded him.
Although Medford is a remote town, buying a house here would cost at least a hundred thousand dollars.
Given Georgie's current financial situation, it would take at least a year to achieve his goal of buying a house.
He could wait, but a pregnant Mandy might not be able to.
So, considering everything, renting a house first was Georgie's best option.
"Let's talk about that later…" Poor people have short ambitions. Georgie, who had just bought the arcade, was still burdened with huge foreign debts and had no energy to make more trouble.
"If it's about money, I can help. The kind where you don't have to pay interest." Still, as a friend, Mike didn't mind giving Georgie a hand.
"Thank you for your kindness, but it's not necessary. Mandy's and my life, I can handle it myself." Georgie, who still owed Mike two thousand dollars, was too embarrassed to bring up borrowing money again.
Moreover, with an arcade in his hands, he was confident that he could make his life better through his own efforts.
"It's good that you have a plan…" Mike, who had already expressed his attitude and didn't want to force help, didn't interfere with the other party's choice.
"So, tell me, what do you need me for this time?" Mike brought the conversation back.
"Actually, it's Mandy. Some of her daily necessities were left in the house she rented before. I want you to drive me there to get them back." Georgie explained his intention.
So, it was a simple errand of being a driver.
A small matter—
Subsequently, Mike drove his Dodge Pickup, carrying Georgie, towards Third street.
Mandy's previous residence was in the city, in a formal residential area.
Soon, guided by Georgie, the pickup truck stopped beneath a multi-purpose building. Looking at the environment here, it was somewhat similar to the slum Mia used to live in.
"Let's go, I'll go with you to get the things from the landlord." After turning off the car, Mike prepared to go upstairs to help carry things.
"No, no need. You can just wait in the car." Georgie stammered, "Actually, Mandy doesn't have much luggage, just some clothes for changing and cosmetics. And there's the rent issue…"
Alright, after Georgie's explanation, Mike finally understood the problem.
Because she had no money, Mandy had lived here for more than two months and owed the landlord more than a month's rent.
This time, she came to Georgie because she was evicted by the landlord for owing rent.
It could be said that all of this was due to a lack of money.
"I hear you saying that Mandy paid a month's deposit here, which should just about balance the accounts. So, there's no need for us to be sneaky, right?" Mike said speechlessly, looking at Georgie acting like a thief.
In truth, Mandy, who had paid a month's deposit, didn't owe the landlord anything. At most, she stayed a few extra days, and she could just make up the money.
Moreover, the rent here wasn't expensive, only a little over 200 dollars a month. There was no need to resort to shady tactics for this small amount of money.
"It's not about money…" Georgie, who had no money, mumbled a bit and then said, "Forget it, I can handle things here. You just stay in the car and wait."
After Georgie finished speaking, he didn't give Mike a chance to refute. He quickly went downstairs, found a place with an external bracket, and began to climb upstairs.
This kind of old residential building had no more than six floors. And because of residents' unauthorized modifications, climbing was not difficult.
It was also evening, and Georgie, dressed in a gray suit, had natural camouflage.
Mike, on his end, got out of the car to check the situation. To avoid attracting the attention of the residents here, he didn't voice any further objections to Georgie.
On the other side, Georgie, who had been out adventuring for half a year, had developed good physical fitness.
In a short while, he deftly climbed to the third floor and then slipped in through a half-open window.
"Click, click…"
As soon as he entered the room, before he even had time to turn his head, Georgie, relying on his experience, judged that it was the sound of a firearm.
"Wait, I'm not a thief, and I have no ill intentions…" Georgie, instantly breaking out in a cold sweat, timidly raised his arms, indicating that he was not a threat.
It should be known that in the free country of America, if one trespasses and gets shot, they can only blame themselves for their bad luck.
"Kid, slowly turn your body around. Don't let me see any unnecessary movements from you." A hoarse voice sounded in the room.
Only after Georgie cautiously turned around did he see clearly: in the unlit room, a white-haired old man was lying in a recliner, with a gaudy cartoon blanket covering his legs.
Of course, none of that was the main point. The main point was that the old man's face was extremely grim at this moment, and he was holding a large-caliber, long-barreled hunting rifle.
Unsurprisingly, this kind of shotgun could be fatal with one shot at close range.
"Kid, who are you? What is your purpose for being here?" Similarly, the old man, seeing that the person was a mere boy, softened his attitude a bit.
However, his aged face, with a hideous scar, still gave off a strong sense of oppression.
"I'm Georgie Cooper, and I'm here to help my girlfriend get her luggage…" Georgie, inwardly cursing his bad luck, explained the situation truthfully.
"You're the kid who got Mandy pregnant?" Understanding Georgie's reply, the old man lowered the hunting rifle he was holding and said, "Mandy is a good girl. She shouldn't be let down."
Judging from the old man's reaction, Mandy must have had a good relationship with her neighbors when she lived here.
"I'm Mandy's boyfriend, and of course, I'll take good care of her." Georgie nervously made his promise.
At this moment, he just wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
"Good kid!
But you've come to the wrong place. Mandy doesn't live here; her rented room is upstairs." The old man carefully looked at Georgie before reminding him.
It turned out that in the dim light of the evening, Georgie, with a guilty conscience, went to the wrong floor. This led to the whole misunderstanding.
"This…" Georgie, realizing his mistake, awkwardly asked, "Um, can I leave now?"
"Go on, kid. Next time, don't come to the wrong place." The old man waved his hand casually.
"Thank you—!" Georgie, feeling as if he had been granted a great pardon, politely thanked him and quickly slipped back out through the window.
Breaking out in a cold sweat, he felt a chill all over when the evening breeze blew. And having been startled, his limbs felt like noodles at the moment.
"Why are you sweating so much? And where's the luggage you got?" Mike, who was waiting, asked as he watched Georgie slide down the trash chute.
"It's nothing, just a bit hot after exercising." Georgie, his face pale and looking unwell, pretended to be calm and said, "I just thought about it, and what you said earlier is right. We shouldn't sneak around to get things. So, I've decided to come back and get Mandy's luggage when I have another chance."
Evidently, Georgie, who had been badly frightened by the previous unexpected situation, did not venture into Mandy's rented room for another "adventure."
Mike noticed his abnormality and continued to ask, "Which room does Mandy live in?"
"Fourth floor, Unit Two, why?" Georgie blurted out.
At this point, Mike understood. If he remembered correctly, Georgie had just entered Unit Two on the third floor.
And judging by his appearance, he must have encountered something unpleasant inside.
Of course, Mike couldn't comment on such a misunderstanding.
He only knew that since they had already come all this way, there was no reason not to handle Mandy's luggage matter completely.
"You rest in the car for a bit, I'll go upstairs and check the situation." Having made his decision, Mike arranged their next course of action.
This time, Mike also didn't give Georgie much chance to refute. After stating his plan, he walked towards the unit door.
Ten minutes later, under Georgie's astonished gaze, Mike, carrying two suitcases, was escorted downstairs by a landlady in her thirties.
If he remembered correctly, Georgie had also seen that landlady before.
More than two months ago, when he accompanied Mandy to rent the house, her attitude was not nearly as good.
When Mike put the suitcases in the back of the truck and sat in the driver's seat, Georgie finally couldn't help but ask, "How did you do that?"
"Probably charm!" Mike, seeing Georgie looking deflated, replied playfully.
"I'm serious. Did you pay Mandy's overdue rent? If so, I'll pay you back later." Georgie guessed.
Georgie, who had never received special treatment from an unfamiliar woman, couldn't figure out how Mike had handled the landlady.
"That landlady was very easy to talk to. I just explained Mandy's situation, and she agreed to the checkout. She didn't ask for any extra money…" Mike said, "If you and Mandy still need to rent a place, I suggest you continue to rent here."
Mike had also paid special attention when he went upstairs. Although the room Mandy rented for two hundred dollars a month was not large, it was complete with all the necessary facilities.
There was a washroom, kitchen, and everything else. It was barely adequate for a temporary transition.
"Is that so?" Hearing Mike's assessment of the landlady, Georgie wondered if he had misheard. Then, he shook his head and said, "Forget it, the environment here isn't very good. Even if I were to rent, I wouldn't choose this place."
Clearly, the "fierce" old man living there had left a psychological shadow on Georgie.