1 A man

It was a bright and sunny day. The sun shone brilliantly in the clear, causing discomfort for the people moving under it. But making everything look vibrant and alive.

Arlo was frustrated and bittered as he forcefully dragged his leg home. He hung his suit on his shoulder, his laptop bag in his hand, as he walked home disappointed. But he had hope.

On getting home, Arlo met a different case. His pregnant wife is sitting on the floor with a paper in her hand. He paused as he entered, looked at the pregnant wife before him, softly dropped the bag and the suit on his shoulder, then went to know what the problem was.

"The doctor gave me this and said a lot of things. I don't think your salary would be enough to handle all these," Peggy, Arlo's wife, said without welcoming her husband. Arlo's face looked disturbed, but the wife didn't pay attention to that because she was also undergoing pain and frustration.

Arlo softly took the book from her and sat on the floor. He glanced at the paper, which had so many things written about Peggy's pregnancy. He took a heavy breath, in and out, and looked at his wife.

She gently placed her head on Arlo's shoulder. "The doctor said I could only give birth through surgery to avoid all the complications. I am afraid because the money here is too much for us, and our financial situation is ridiculous at this point. Even your job won't be able to handle this in a year, and we need this in three months. What do we do?" Peggy asked Arlo, who had been quiet after going through the paper.

Arlo was so tired of the moment, which he never anticipated, causing him to think otherwise. He turned his head, looked at his wife, and threw his face to the other side. "I lost my job."

Peggy shockingly exclaimed, "What!!? That can't be true; you are joking, right?" He was waiting for Arlo to respond, but he kept quiet for some time.

"The company finances are not doing well; they had to lay off some highly paid staff, and I am one of them." As Arlo spoke, his voice was overwhelmed with the situation on the ground, the pressure of everything pressing on his shoulder, and he couldn't even speak up.

Peggy stood there, looking at him discussed fully. "You must do something about this. Only if you want the child to die, and I might also die with the child. I can't be living with nothing; this wasn't what I signed up for." She protested and walked away.

The next day, Arlo, with a dead spirit, went to search for a job. The first place he went, he was rejected because he requested a high wage. He tried three other companies, but unknowingly, his CV had a mistake that made the companies look at him and reject his application.

Arlo stood under a tree, thinking of what to do because he didn't want to go home. He knew the pressure and trouble he would get from his wife. He waited for hours and didn't come up with any idea that would solve the problem at hand. He went home.

Getting home, it was a different atmosphere. The aroma of the food from inside his house, he never perceived that for a long time. His face changed; he was surprised and wondered what was happening in his house as he slowly stepped in one step at a time.

"Hey darling. You look so tired." Peggy rushed to welcome Arlo, but he wasn't safe with the sudden change. He found it very difficult to blend in with the sudden romantic treatment from his wife, as she took his bed from him and his suit. "I made something very great for you. I knew you would be returning soon, so I took my time to surprise you." Peggy said.

Arlo shockingly asked, "Surprise? What is going on?"

"You don't need this now. All you require is to have a proper rest. Go to the bathroom, take your bath, and join me in the dining, my love." Peggy said that and kissed his chest.

As Arlo walked him to the bathroom, his eyes were at the back, checking if his wife was coming against him. The last time Peggy treated him in such a manner was when he got his new job, which she made a private family party. So, Arlo was expecting to see his in-laws again.

As he stepped out of the bathroom, his body was dripping wet. His hair coiled, but his heart wasn't at peace. He dressed up and sat on the bed, going through some online applications to see if they had invited him for an interview, but none had responded. He angrily threw the phone on the other side of the bed and bent his head.

Peggy opened the door with force and said, "You are here while I am waiting for you. It's not fair. Are you not happy that I made something for you?" Peggy questioned him. Arlo hesitated before raising his head. Peggy tried to playfully drag Arlo up, but she couldn't lift the heavy-bodied man. Arlo smiled and followed her.

"Is your family here?" Arlo asked before they got to the dining room.

"Yes! Everyone is here." Peggy's answer raised Arlo's curiosity because her family's presence always made him uncomfortable. The complaints and playful threats.

As Arlo got to the dining room, he stood and looked at his wife. "No one is here."

Peggy pulled the chair back as ND asked Arlo to sit. "I was kidding. I have a surprise for you," she reviewed as she served the food. Arlo couldn't wait to hear what she had to say.

Arlo paused with his cutlery inside the food. "What is the surprise about?"

"Eat while I go inside to bring what I have for you." Peggy said, and Arlo slowly took one spoon and stopped as Peggy went inside. He was feeling safe and overwhelmed by the thought of losing his life because his in-laws had said something similar in the past.

Peggy came out with an envelope wrapped in a red ribbon. It seemed like a special invitation.

Peggy handed it over to Arlo with a wide smile on her face. "Open it."

Arlo looked at the envelope, looked at his wife, and asked, "What is inside?"

"Open it. It's not a time bomb, just a harmless paper." Peggy playfully said as her face was filled with overpayment.

Arlo's face enlightened, and he smiled as he saw the heading of the paper: "A job invitation?"