Mary instinctively touched the bruise on her cheek and turned away. "Ah, I hit the cabinet door. It's nothing important we should talk about right now."
"Okay, fair enough," Jake replied quickly, reminding himself that the woman in front of him wasn't anyone special to him. "So, why are you looking for me, Miss?"
Mary reached into her bag and pulled out a thin brown envelope, handing it to Jake. "I wanted to repay you for saving me last night. If it weren't for you, I might have…"
"Don't say it. It doesn't need to be remembered. I did it out of basic human decency. You don't owe me anything, Miss," Jake said firmly, without opening the envelope.
"It's okay. Please, just take a look and accept it. I'll feel worse if I don't do something in return," Mary insisted, making it hard for Jake to refuse.
Jake raised an eyebrow as he peeked into the envelope. 'A check?' he thought. But when he saw the amount written on it, his eyes widened in shock.
"Fifteen million? What is this, Miss?"
"That's my way of saying thank you. Is it not enough? I can increase it. Here, I'll tear this one up and write a new one," Mary offered, completely serious.
Jake pinched the bridge of his nose before answering. "That's not the point, Miss. I can't accept this. I helped you out of sincerity. Even if I'm poor, I won't take advantage of the situation. Please, take this back. Do whatever you want with it, but I won't accept it."
Jake's pride wouldn't let him say yes—even though he desperately needed money to buy breast milk for his daughter, Elsa. But Mary also couldn't bear the idea of doing nothing for the man who had saved her.
"But I still need to repay you somehow. If you won't take money, then tell me what I can do for you, Mr...?"
"Jake Porter. Just call me Jake. And once again, there's nothing you need to repay," he said firmly. "If that's all, I'll take my leave. My shift's starting."
He stood up, gave her a small bow, and turned to leave. Mary scrambled to think of something—anything.
"What about the fact that you got fired by that bald jerk? I asked the ER nurse about you. She said you left the hospital because of your daughter. Isn't there anything I can do, Mr. Jake? Please, don't make me feel useless."
"I don't like being in debt," Mary said again, eyes determined. "So how about I repay you... by helping your baby instead?"
Jake froze, hearing her mention the very things he was struggling with—losing his job, and needing money for Elsa. But then he gave a small, bitter smile and looked at Mary once more.
"Thank you for caring, but I'll be okay, Miss. Good night."
He turned and disappeared into the kitchen of the fried chicken shop.
Mary could hardly believe there was still someone like Jake in this messed-up world—a man who helped others without expecting anything in return. But she couldn't accept doing nothing, especially when Jake had lost his job because of helping her.
She decided to wait a bit longer to talk to him—but he never came back. That's because Jake was already out delivering chicken orders, both raw bulk orders and individual deliveries via an app.
"Excuse me, Miss," said a man in the shop's uniform, approaching Mary. It was Stu. "Are you still waiting for Jake?"
Mary looked at him. "Yes. I haven't finished speaking with him. Why?"
Stu scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. He seemed unsure how to say what was on his mind.
"Well, Miss, I don't mean to interfere, but…" Stu glanced at the line of customers waiting at the cashier. "I just wanted to ask… would you mind ordering something while you wait?"
Mary raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"
"Well… those people over there are waiting for a table, and… you've been sitting here without ordering anything. I'm really sorry if that sounds rude, but I didn't know how else to put it…"
"It's alright. I understand. Sorry for the trouble—I'll go now," Mary replied immediately and stood to leave. But Stu quickly stopped her.
"Wait, Miss. My break is in thirty minutes. I can tell you more about Jake. I think you really mean to help him, and I want to help you do that. Don't worry—I don't want anything in return. I just want my friend to get the help he deserves," Stu said with a kind smile.
***
Meanwhile, in a different part of the city, Jake was making his delivery rounds, balancing fried chicken orders and app-based customers. He pulled his motorcycle over to the side of a quiet road and sat next to a large bougainvillea plant lining the sidewalk. Sipping on a canned coffee, he couldn't stop thinking about Mary's offer.
'Fifteen million is a lot of money. That could cover me and Elsa's needs for at least three months. I could use it to buy the hospital breast milk while I look for a new job...'
'But if I take it… wouldn't I be the same as those jerks who preyed on her? What makes me any different from that bald scumbag?'
Jake sighed heavily and looked at the passing cars. When his coffee was empty, he stood up.
"I need to pick up Elsa. I don't want to be late and burden Mrs. Katty. My daughter needs me," he muttered as he started the engine and rode off toward the daycare.
After thanking Mrs. Katty and securing the baby carrier properly, Jake brought Elsa home. His role shifted once more—from delivery man to full-time, caring father.
Elsa's condition had improved—her fever was gone. Following the doctor's advice, Jake had bought breast milk from the hospital, and it worked. The little girl seemed more content and slept soundly with a full stomach.
That night, Jake finally got a decent rest, waking only now and then to feed Elsa again. By morning, he was refreshed and ready to take her back to daycare before heading out to job hunt.
But as he was packing Elsa's things, there came a repeated knock at the door—annoying enough to interrupt his routine.
He opened it and froze.
"W-what are you doing here?"
"I told you—I don't like being in debt," Mary said calmly. "You helped me, and now I'll help your baby. I know you need me."