Endless Debt

A woman with fire opal eyes.

Cinderella knew this woman because, as a reader of Irving, she often saw this character in his books.

Irwin's description of her is extremely limited. In Irwin's writing, she has no name, no specific age, no clear appearance and clothing, only her eyes like fire opal.

It is a ghost-like character, an unknowable mystery, and an unsolvable problem. It is interspersed in the context of the story, watching the characters' departure and return.

Cinderella rubbed her face vigorously, her ears almost stood up, and she listened carefully to every next sentence of Irwin, for fear of missing something.

"Let me think about it..."

Irwin twisted his stiff neck. The wet rain was not friendly to his old body.

"That was actually a long time later," Irwin said. "After I woke up from the beach, I had no idea where I was, but it wasn't the first time this happened. I was surviving in the jungle. Get up, hunt hares every day, get some berries, and look for places with people while maintaining your life."

It was definitely a terrible experience, but Irwin told it with a smile, as if he missed those days.

"The process was a bit bumpy, but I still found the next city. I prefer big cities to small towns. There are often many opportunities in big cities, and they don't refuse anyone who comes."

Irwin flicked his left arm, the deadly dagger strapped under his sleeve.

"I met some gang members, and I've seen a lot of them in Freeport, and I knew exactly what they were going to do to me."

Irwin's words revealed the aura of killing.

"Obviously, they underestimated me. After going through so much, I am not a kid who can be frightened by threats. I beat them up and took some money from them as compensation for my mental damage. .”

His tone was smiling again, "I temporarily established myself in the city, and then started to think of ways to make money... Regarding this part, I am very glad that I did not go down that dark road. I know that I have the opportunity to take it. of them, but I refused.”

Irwin felt that the plot of this film did not need to be told in detail to Cinderella. It was a story derived from his own dark side.

Affected by the red nose, Irwin wanted to be like him, giving his kindness to others and healing the scars on everyone's soul as much as possible.

But this does not mean that Irwin is an overly kind person.

Irwin has seen the dark side of the world, and he knows who to show kindness to and who to use violence against.

Cinderella nodded slightly without disturbing Irwin's self-narration, and Irwin continued.

"I lived in that city for a while. In order to make money, I worked several jobs. I tried various professions for a while, such as waiter, doorman, maintenance worker, assembly line worker, and yes, I even worked as a waiter, doorman, maintenance worker, and assembly line worker. The kind that requires you to take off your clothes when you are a wine escort..."

"ah?"

Cinderella felt like her head was broken. Before she could clear her thoughts, Irwin continued, "That was a really pleasant experience!"

When this was mentioned, Irwin was unexpectedly excited, as if it was some kind of glorious history.

He clenched his fists at Cinderella, showing off his muscular arms.

"I was short of money at the time, and I tried every job for money. I saw that the store was recruiting people with high salaries, so I went there with the mentality of giving it a try."

Irwin recalled the words of the manager at the time, "We are a high-end club, and everything must be the best. Even the service staff, in addition to their beautiful appearance, must also have a knowledgeable heart."

"I thought it was over. I was as exposed as a savage and had never been to school, let alone any knowledge. The manager asked me to talk about my experience, so I told the story of my life after leaving home. I told the manager and he started screaming and jumping like a monkey."

Irwin repeated what he said at the time, "Our guests are tired of hearing about history and philosophy. Your novel genre will definitely sell well!"

"Huh...hell, he already treats me as a commodity before I sign the contract."

Irwin shook his head and said helplessly, "I can't help it, they gave me too much money."

"So this is where you met that woman!"

Cinderella has given up trying to understand Irwin's wonderful adventure. She just wants to know when the mysterious woman will appear.

Could it be that this is where Irwin met that woman, and the difference in status separated the two?

"I haven't been working for a long time, and I haven't even had many drinks. As soon as those customers heard that I was such a new type, they came over to order me. They looked like they had tasted too much and wanted to have some food in the wilderness. s things.

I always turn the drinking experience into a storytelling session. I sit in the middle and tell my story about my past, while a group of ladies listen to the stories and drink. They say I'm good at telling stories. "

Irwin seems to really miss that time, "I feel like I am not like a bartender, but like an adult telling bedtime stories, trying to coax these little children who spend money to relieve their loneliness to sleep.

Later, I started hosting storytelling sessions. Not only was I telling stories, but the guests were also telling their own stories, telling each other their inner troubles and traumas, and then everyone comforted each other with alcohol. "

Cinderella's expression gradually became strange, and so did the way she looked at Irwin.

What is Irwin doing? Did he turn his orgy club into a trauma support group? Will they make a goal plan together and conduct rehabilitation training next?

Irwin lamented, "It's a pity that such good days did not last long."

"what happened?"

"I went to work as usual that day, and an old client suddenly found me. She looked panicked and said to me, 'Irwin, I love you.'"

Irwin smiled bitterly, "I was completely stunned. She said again, 'Take me away' and 'Take me to the wilderness.'"

"I just thought my client was drunk and talking drunkenly, which is very common, but then I found her suitcase full of money and she was really thinking about running away with me... But this is just a job to me.”

Irwin said, "I am very clear about this. I am here to make money, not to seek forbidden love. My job is to coax the guests and become their entertainment.

I have absolutely nothing to do with them outside of work. My colleagues accompany them to the guests’ homes, and I am the only one who gets off work on time.

They said that I was an indifferent guy, and I liked this kind of evaluation, because this way my private time would be much cleaner. However, as if there was something wrong with me, they said that they liked my temperament best, and instead pursued me fiercely. "

Irwin smiled and couldn't stop laughing, "Her husband came to the door. He was a rich man in the local area. As expected, those people smashed up my home, beat me up, and then Dying, I was thrown into the wilderness outside the city."

"What a bad luck," Irwin sighed, "I just want to make some money."

Although this part was ignored by Irwin in an understatement, Cinderella could feel the sadness in Irwin's words. For Irwin at that time, it must have been a big blow, and his wandering life finally got better. , and the result is back to the original point.

“I told myself, this isn’t the first time I’ve started from scratch, and it’s not the first time I’ve started in the wilderness.

Unfortunately it was already winter.

I found an abandoned station and spent the night there. I was cold, hungry, and bruised. I felt like I was really going to die here. "

Irwin's eyes brightened as he spoke.

"At this time, a train broke through the wind and snow and stopped at the abandoned platform... I didn't have a ticket, and I didn't know where the train was going, but I vaguely felt that it was coming for me."

Cinderella said, "You boarded that train."

"On that train, I met the woman with fire opal eyes."

Irwin showed a sincere smile, "She found me a warm blanket, food, and treated my wounds..."

"I spent sixteen hours with her, and then I never saw her again."

Irwin was silent for a long time this time. He stared at Cinderella beside him. As the memories of the past gradually became clearer, Irwin realized where the familiar feeling in Cinderella came from.

"You look like her, but you're not her."

A smile gradually appeared on Cinderella's calm face, and she raised her hands as if to tease Irving.

"You're in love with her?"

Irwin remained silent and did not respond.

Cinderella knew that Irwin was immersed in the afterglow of the past, and she wanted to say something more, when Irwin interrupted her.

"It's your turn, your secret."

Facing Irwin's questioning, Cinderella hesitated, but she still mustered up the courage and prepared to tell Irwin about her past.

A roaring explosion sounded from the inside of the ship, and the rolling airflow smashed the glass along the way. The Paradise shook violently, and at the same time, strong winds hit the two of them.

Cinderella felt like she was being lifted up into the air, and the world in her eyes was spinning. Then the cold and wet deck appeared in front of her, and the distance between the two kept getting closer.

Then stop.

"Hurry up!"

A roar came from above, and Irwin reached half of his body into the air, stretched out his hand with all his strength, and caught the falling Cinderella.

Her burgundy eyes stared at Irwin, and the next second the blazing fire was reflected in her eyes, engulfing the world.