The Hero

Chapter 265 Can't Take It

Before Javier came home from work at night, he managed to get Graham's address. After leaving the restaurant, he took a taxi and left.

Graham's neighborhood looked pretty old. It had rough pebble concrete walls, a broken, perforated storefront, and a pile of trash.

The people who could afford it had all moved on. Those who stayed were parents, poor families waiting for the place to be demolished or tenants. Graham Rowland falls into the latter category.

When Graham opened the door and saw Javier, he frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Javier raised all his fingers and said, “I am a guest, and I came empty-handed. Aren't you going to let me in?

Graham was silent. He had no choice but to turn around and return home. If Javier comes with a gift, he won't let him in.

He refused to accept any gifts when he became the factory manager. Obviously, he would never do it now.

Javier realized that Graham's house was quite simple when he entered the house. Even the TV is a big and big one.

It had two bedrooms - one for the couple and the other for their son, who was still sitting in High School.

His son may still be in school and not yet home. Meanwhile, Graham's ailing wife is sometimes heard coughing from the bedroom as she lies in bed.

He sounded so sick, so sick that he didn't even have the strength to cough.

Javier went to greet Graham's wife. After a short chat, he returned to the living room.

“Rowland, you're so stubborn. Your wife is seriously ill, can't you just compromise?”

Graham glared at him. “How should I compromise? Should I get involved with them? Take money from people and let them rule me? Taking company property for personal use? When I became a factory manager, I earned that position with my expertise, not by engaging in interpersonal relationships and that chaotic gift.

“That's exactly why I hate receiving gifts and accepting bribes. I make money with my skills, and it makes me feel safe every time I spend or save!”

Javier asks, “What about your wife and child?”

Graham seemed overwhelmed with guilt when Javier mentioned his wife and son. Still, he replied without hesitation, “They have no choice because they are my family. I know I have a problem. I will never take money from anyone else, and I don't want any extra money. I could go out and get a part-time job in the evening to make a few bucks. I'd rather do that than take dirty money!”

Javier was so admiring how stubborn Graham was. Although his stubbornness can be a weakness, it shows how noble his character is.

Javier thought that if he had to put himself in Graham's shoes, he wouldn't be able to do what Graham did, but that didn't stop him from having a deep admiration for someone like him.

Since he already had a clear picture of Graham's character, he did not address the topic further. He casually directed the topic to Graham's past trips because he wanted to find out where his position was in terms of production management.

When Javier brought it up, Graham spoke openly. It felt like he was talking about the best years of his life. Remembering the past made him feel very proud.

“At that time, I was focused on production. Our car manufacturing facilities have the best production quality and efficiency. Although everyone was tired, our salaries were high, and everyone was happy. You know, the whole company agrees that the quality is the best and the production efficiency is the highest!

“There was a longtime chairman at the company, and before he retired, he assigned me to prepare a report for the entire company. I should have reported my work experience so the company could promote it. But after the new deputy general manager took over, the presentation of the report was canceled. I was told that production was busy and would be delayed.

“I know for sure that it is not delayed. He was just waiting for me to knock on his door with a present. Shit no, I would never do that. Why should I?"

As he had expected, Graham had fallen into an abyss and was beginning to be demoted, one level at a time. All because he had chosen not to leave.

It felt like someone was deliberately bothering him until he apologized.

Graham had been demoted to shift manager, but he still refused to give up. He always lived by the principle that he would make a living for himself with his skills, not his connections!

Javier learned a lot over the last 30 minutes that Graham had spoken.

Old Man Rowland was indeed an old skilled worker. He had worked hard, step by step, starting from the grassroots level. He knew almost everything about production, from factory electric power, equipment maintenance, planned production, to all the other things.

“My education level is not high, but I have started working here since I was 16 years old, and this will be my 30th year of the year. I know every corner of the factory like the back of my hand. How do I explain it? Like me in my element? Something like that."

“By the way, that's how I felt for two years when I became a factory manager. I feel everything is going smoothly.”

Javier nodded and really believed it.

He said solemnly, “Given your skills, you must be good enough to be a production manager. You can focus on managing production only.”

Graham was serious. “I know, I feel the same way. But I wouldn't be able to do it if I had to work with an assistant production manager. I was confident in controlling production and improving quality, but I had poor interpersonal skills. I guess it's my emotional intelligence.

“However, I never understood why it was so difficult to do honest work. Isn't that what we're supposed to do? I don't know if society is chaotic or me.”

Javier shook his head with a smile and said nothing.

The right or wrong of society is something economists and sociologists often argue about. He can't say much about it.

But he could definitely talk about Graham. In fact, he could even change his life.

When the car he was researching was produced, Graham would become a production manager. He just has to be a production manager!

Graham's wife started coughing again in the bedroom, and it sounded serious. Graham hurried to take care of her.

Javier sees it as an excuse to leave the Rowlands family home. He left after telling Graham's wife to be careful.

He asked about her condition and found out that she was not seriously ill. He didn't get enough care all year, and they didn't have money for surgery.

After leaving the house, Javier secretly devises a plan. He was thinking of treating Graham's wife's illness first.

As he devised his plan while walking down the street after leaving the neighborhood, a group of high school students caught his eye.

High school students are clearly divided into two groups. There were five of them in one group, while the others only had one.

Just then, the five students surrounded that one student and mocked him.

“Noah, you are trash. You're like your father, Graham Rowland!”

"That's fine. What else do you know besides studying? There's nothing. Do you know anything about League of Legends and PUBG?”

“He knows nothing. He was probably the only person in our school who didn't have a cell phone. He didn't even have one of those old phones that could only make phone calls. Do you think he'll know all that? All he knew was to complain to us and tell the teacher that we were playing games on our phones during class!”

As a group of students mocked him, Noah explained, “We'll be taking our SAT right away. Can you grow up? You can play with your phone at any time. You can play everything you want when we're done with our SAT. Can't you focus on your studies now?

“SAT will be an important turning point in our lives. As the head of your class, I am also responsible for you guys!” Noah seems a good boy, and Javier feels very happy for Graham. Naturally, he would never just sit and watch as Graham's son was bullied!