"Mom, you love me the most. Please, you, Dad, Clay and Agnes help me. I said I had three hundred thousand in savings because of my pride. I've always been very vain and just wanted to show off in front of family and relatives," I said.
I continued my act, "In truth, I haven't had a job in the city for the past few years. I like buying luxury goods and living in nice places. All these expenses were covered by borrowing money."
"I've maxed out all my credit cards and when I couldn't pay them off, I started taking out high-interest loans. Now I owe more than three millions outside. Please help me. The loan sharks said they'll give me one last month to pay up. If I can't, they'll kill me!"
"Dad, Mom, Clay, Agnes, I don't want to die!" I broke down in tears, crying and repenting, "If you help me this once, I'll dedicate every penny I earn from now on to the Portman Family, no matter how hard I have to work."
My mom was so angry that she was shaking all over and nearly fainted, "This is ridiculous! What bad luck for this family! How could I have raised such a useless daughter?"
By then, my brother had already dragged Agnes and their son back to the dining table to eat. He calmly spoke up, "Then what's with the three hundred thousand balance on your account?"
My eyes were red and swollen from crying, "That's the high-interest loan I took out before returning home. The interest is five hundred a day. It's just for appearances."
My brother slammed his fork on the table, "Natasha, are you joking? Repay three million? This family doesn't even have three hundred thousand! I might have a way, but I'm not sure if you'd agree. If you do, not only can your debts be solved, but I can clear mine as well."
I responded anxiously, "Tell me, Clay."
He lit a cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke before finally speaking, "I know a manager at a nightclub. You look decent. Go work there. The pay is high. How much you make in a night depends on your performance."
I instantly lost all hope, collapsing to the floor in despair.
Agnes, chewing on braised chicken, looked at me with disdain, "Who told you to be so vain? Coming from a modest family but acting like some rich girl. I think your brother's suggestion is good. Go and be a 'star' at the nightclub."
I turned back and grabbed my mom's hand, "Mom …"
She violently shook me off, "Your brother and sister-in-law are right. We don't even have money to spare right now. You created this mess, so you deal with it yourself. Since you can't find work, a nightclub isn't a bad option."
My heart sank to the depths. My parents had worked hard their entire lives and had pensions worth at least hundreds of thousands. Yet, they poured everything into covering Clay's gambling debts and left nothing for me.
I tried probing further, "Dad, Mom, what about our house …"
Before I could finish, my dad threw his cup of liquor in my face, "You dare think about the house? If I'd known you'd turn out like this, I'd rather you'd died out there!"
The sharp sting of the liquor burned my eyes and mouth. I staggered to my feet, "Fine. Then I'll leave and not disturb this family reunion dinner."
But my legs were numb from kneeling too long and I fell back to the ground, making my nephew burst out laughing, "Stupid! Idiot! Is your leg broken?" His words made everyone at the table laugh.
They continued eating and laughing as the cheerful music from the New Year's Eve played in the background.
I finally stood up. It took a long time before my legs could move properly, but my mom grabbed me, "Where are you planning to go now? Sit down and seriously consider your brother's suggestion. After we're done eating, you can clean up the table."
