Chapter 2 - The Cold Reality
Arthur quietly motioned to the elderly waitress, slipping a hundred-dollar bill onto the tray.
"Take whatever they want, and box up a hot meal for the mother," Arthur instructed softly. "Tell them it's compliments of the house."
The waitress nodded, her eyes shining with understanding. She brought over a towering plate of turkey, potatoes, and warm pie. When the mother tried to protest, saying she hadn't ordered it, the waitress simply smiled and said it was a holiday gift from a regular customer.
As the little girl eagerly ate, Arthur watched the mother. Her eyes weren't just tired; they were hollow with a deep, crushing terror. She kept glancing at her cracked smartphone, her hands trembling.
An hour later, the diner emptied out. Arthur lingered, reading the same page of a newspaper.
The mother paid for her original pancake plate with her exact pile of quarters and dimes, then bundled her daughter into her frayed coat. They stepped out into the biting Christmas Eve wind.
Arthur paid his bill and followed them outside, driven by a strange, unexplainable instinct.
He watched them walk down the slick pavement toward a run-down apartment complex two blocks away. He kept his distance, his breath pluming white in the freezing air.
When they reached the building, Arthur froze in his tracks. Standing on the icy front porch was a large, angry man holding a cardboard box filled with clothes and toys.
May you like
It was the landlord.
👉 What cruel act is the landlord committing against the mother and her child in the middle of a freezing Christmas Eve?
