"Susa plis", Jacob had his hand extended with his palm up uttering those words with sincerity in his eyes. His palms were semi-grimed and the clothes he wore were partially tattered. A woman grips her toddler by the hand and passes him without a word. He stood outside the boundaries of Vision City near the main security entrance, begging to any passerby. Some passed without even acknowledging his presence, others gave him a disgusted look and proceeded past. "Oi asshole! Kilia nambaut nambaut!", a stubby security officer bellows out to him pretending to search for something to hurl at him. Jacob dashes over to a sere spot some meters away. He quickly looks back just to ensure that he was not pursued. The heat was relentlessly unforgiving and the air was so dry that he took to the cool comforts of the constructed canopy of the bus stop. A mama lay comfortably on the nearby bench reveling in the cool breeze. "You know, with that amount of sugar intake, I won't be surprised if you catch diabetes soon", Kay sarcastically commented and bursts out into a hyena-like laugh. "Oh shut your face! You look like an upgraded version of the Hulk, only ten times shorter and uglier than Smegals", Gerryson strikes back. They both burst out laughing as they walked on the pathway leading to a side gate exit leaving Vision City. "Hul yu, Smegals em husat?", Kay inquires. "Na cousin blo yu ya lo Lord of The Rings? Samting ya sa holim ring na tok, 'ooh precious' eh?" Gerryson replies, mimicking the creature, giggling. "Ah yu holim blo em!" Kay scoffs back in a cackle as they both made exit. Jacob immediately catches their attention from afar. "Ating mi gat sampla coins", Kay instinctively blurts out under her breath as she feels both her pockets. Gerryson peers at Kay, remaining quiet as they descend seven steps down. "Aiyo mi nogat ya, Gerryson...?", "Uh! Yu askim mi lo wanem? Mi gat coins t'sol lo baim buai", Gerryson interrupts. "Kiau yu, mi gat Somare t'sol. I know you have smaller change. Givim mi na bai mi bekim taim mipla baim buai na sumuk lo Apo market", Kay jabs in with a smirk. "Na tok olsem hahaha!", Gerryson gives out a hearty laugh. He puts his hand in his left pocket and pulls out a K5.00. He was about to put it back in when Kay quickly pinches it out of his hand. "That'll do tentu", she says with a light chortle. "Oi!", Gerryson pipes with a dubious smile. "Chillex your tu. Bai mi bekim, yu bloody money-face!", she chuckles as she walks over to Jacob with a laughing Gerryson trailing behind. "Em ya", Kay gently taps Jacob on his shoulder. Jacob turns to see Kay with her hand held out with the K5.00. Jacob's heart skip. "Aiyo tenkiu sis", he humbly replies. "No worries", Kay replies in a modulated tone and with a smile, walks off. Gerryson smiles at Jacob and follows Kay. "You owe me bitch". "Hariap money-face, nogud mi sensim mind blo me". The colleagues crack up laughing in unison as they walked on. Jacob stood watching them as they walk off. He was thankful. He had been without luck for some time so this was heaven-sent. He could hear his tummy growl viciously demanding to be fed. He now had just enough money to buy him 2 packets of Snax cracker biscuits - one for now and the other, for dinner. The K3.00 would be saved for tomorrow. He quickly shoves the note into his pocket and dashes down to the nearby makeshift stalls where a band of ladies sell home-cooked kaikai and the usual tuckshop stuff. The walk home to ATS is quite a distance, but it is one that he has frequently traversed. The sun was setting by the time he reached the comforts of his familiar surroundings. Rows of random plants grew on both sides paving a path in the middle. It led to a brown low covenant house that incommodiously stood in the center. "Yu stap where na nau t'sol yu kamap ah?!", Gala screeched in a nasal tone. Gala is Jacob's step-mother. She is married to Francis who is a driller with Barrick Niugini. She is unemployed and has 2 kids; Mathew who is 7 and Eddie, 5. It has been 2 years since his biological mother passed. He was 6 then. The current life he lived was seasonally grueling. Seasonally, because the treatment he received when Francis was around was caring yet firm and in his absence, cold as ice and brutal. Jacob froze. As much as he wanted to run, his feet kept their place. "Mi wok lo painim yu lo olgeta hap na yu go where?!", she roared at him. No word parted from his lips. "Yu harim mi oh nogat? Yu mas pikinini blo dok ya!" She stormed down the stairs and quickly over to him. Jacob placed his arms by his side slowly but shakingly, clenched his fists. He braced himself expecting the worst. She pinched his ear and twisted with such force that he felt as if his ear tore. "Yu mas kamap lo hul blo ston ya!", she repugnantly blurts. Gala mercilessly pulls him to the house as Jacob hobbles after. "Aiya aiya aiya! Iau blo mi oh!", he yelped agonizingly. Mathew and Eddie watched on, perplexed. "Blari useless! Raun go go na kam lo kain taim olsem? Lek blo yu no save pen ah?!" she yelled, bringing him to the rearward of the house where she flung him to a tall outdoor faucet. Jacob's foot connected with the coiled garden hose, he stumbled and plummeted to the ground, the skin on his knee ripped off, and blood began to trickle. Even then, the fear that gripped him overpowered the sharp burning pain. An unopened packet of Snax cracker biscuit slid out of his pocket as he sat breathing heavily. "Em wanem samtin? Yu kisim disla lo where Jacob?!", she angrily probed. "Aiyo, nogat moni blo yu na how yu kisim disla?!" she added. The many questions confused Jacob even more. Which should he answer first? "Em blo mi ya", he lowly quivered. Those four words sent her into a confused rage. She reached for him grabbing him by the collar, roughly frisking his pockets and pulling out a K2.00 note and two 50 toea coins. "Em wanem?!", she gasps in disbelief. "Aiyo Anutu, nau yu save stil tu ah?". "Nogat ya, em blo mi eh", he said in a somewhat mumble. "Eddie! Karim hanger stap klostu lo dua kam!", she ordered. "Okay mama", Edward replied. "No plis mama,..." "Husat mama blo yu?!", she barked back now holding Jacob down as he attempted to break free. "Mama em ya", Edward innocently squeaked as he handed over the iron coathanger. She grabs it and brings it down hard on Jacob's waist. "Aiyo!" he screamed and quickly leaned towards the strucked area with his arms raised to block her swings. "Yu laik kamap raskol nau ah? Onest, bikpla blo ol raskol ya! Yu blari waste product!" she tightly scoffed as another whip smacked his left forearm. "Aiyo han blo mi oh!", he cried out loud. He managed to take hold of the hanger and flung it far to a little flower patch. "Aiya! Yu blari bastard!", she grunted. Gala grabbed Jacob by his hair, tilting his head to the side and giving him a powerful slap! Whack! His cheek exploded into an excruciating burning sensation. She picked up the nearby hose that had a plastic nozzle to it and whipped him some more. Each hard blow gradually numbed his aching little body. It was as if, his whole body was attacked by a million fire ants. She left him thoroughly beaten, broken, confused and filled with rage. "Yu ting bai yu kaikai ah? Hehe sorry, ol raskol nonap kaikai!", she frowned raising only one needle-like eyebrow. Bloody ungrateful bastard. She thought to herself. Gala felt she did a really good job disciplining this good-for-nothing. He sat curled as a ball, rocking to and fro dolorously, glaring as she left. Yu weit, mi bikpla pastem. He thought to himself. Bai yu save lo mi eh. princess ball styled gown of wedding