The Belittled Delivery Guy

Humiliation

Matthias sat on the floor in one of the quietest corners of the street. His bicycle was parked beside him, and his head was bowed, drenched in shame and humiliation.

It was getting dark, already past 7 pm, but he was too broken to ride back to the dorm.

The pain of finding his girlfriend Paula moaning under another man tore at him, especially when he realized it was all because he had no money.

As he sat there, he replayed her words in his head:

"How could you ever, in your wildest dreams, think a girl as beautiful and expensive as me would be with a miserable beggar from the slums like you?"

He raised his head in anger and sorrow, his heart bitter to know that someone he loved with everything had called him a beggar.

"I'm not a beggar, have never been, and I'm not a nobody," Matthias murmured to himself, trying to believe in himself despite being talked down by Paula a few hours ago.

He picked a stone and cast it in the distance...

"I never knew she was deceiving me all this time, using me to run errands," he murmured to himself.

Then Rafael Vicenzo's words hit him the hardest:

"You’re right, Matthias. You’re not a beggar; you’re a worker. That explains how you delivered condoms to me to use on the girl you call your girlfriend, just to earn two dollars."

With those words replaying in his head, Matthias yelled in anger, getting up and rushing toward his bicycle.

"You stupid delivery bicycle," he shouted, kicking it as he felt worse about himself.

He grabbed the bicycle and flung it against the wall. Standing there with his fists tightened, his chest pumping in anger.

"I can't keep surviving as a delivery guy..." he whispered to himself.

"Maybe if I worked harder, I could take better care of myself," he muttered.

"Maybe Paula wouldn't have left me for money if I was rich." But then, he threw a punch at the wall behind him, realizing it would be tough to get a better job as a student.

Walking back towards his bicycle, he concluded, "I need to rush back to the dorm and sleep. Tomorrow, after my 8:00 class, I’ll try to get a better job." He picked up his bicycle and hopped on it.

As he rode back to the dorm, his mind raced with thoughts of what he could do to change his situation.

He knew he needed a plan, something more substantial than just delivering small packages for a few dollars.

Upon reaching the dorm, Matthias parked his bicycle and trudged inside. The hallway was quiet, and he slipped into his room without drawing any attention.

Luckily, his roommates, Fred and Garry, were not around, giving him a moment of peace. He lay on his bunk, staring at the ceiling, the events of the day playing over and over in his mind, specifically the scene where he found Paula entangled with Rafael Vicenzo in bed.

Thinking about changing his life, he pulled out his worn notebook and began jotting down ideas.

He needed a better job, one that paid more and offered stability. He considered his skills and the opportunities available in town.

"How many local stores are there in town that would accept a student?" He murmured, heaving a sigh of worry.

Matthias knew it wouldn’t be easy, but he was ready to work harder than ever before. The betrayal and humiliation had ignited a fire in him.

Suddenly, Matthias heard the door to his room open. He dropped his pen and turned around to face the door.

He sat up immediately and got down from the bunk when he saw who entered.

It was the porter of the dormitory and another man in a black suit. The porter pointed at Matthias, indicating to the man in the black suit. The man nodded.

"Good evening sir," Matthias said, bowing slightly and humbly.

"Do you know who I am?" the man asked. Matthias nodded, recognizing him. "You're Mr. Rogers, the head of the Student's Welfare Department."

"Good," Mr. Rogers replied. "Then you know I ensure all students are safe and healthy. That includes addressing situations like this."

Matthias was confused by what he meant. Before he could speak, Mr. Rogers continued, "Are you Matthias Kane?"

Matthias nodded, unsure of where this was leading. Mr. Rogers pulled out a typed letter on white paper and handed it to Matthias.

"What's this, Sir?" Matthias asked curiosity as he stretched his hand to receive the letter.

Matthias' hands trembled as he accepted the letter. As he read the first paragraph, his heart pounded faster.

The letter stated that he needed to evacuate his space in the dormitory within ten minutes of receiving it, signed by a higher authority within the school.

"I don't understand," Matthias said, raising his head in shock. "The letter says I need to evacuate my space and leave the dorm?"

Mr. Rogers cleared his throat. "What's there to understand? You need to pack your things and leave. This place is no longer meant for people like you. The school is withdrawing it's support for your acomodation."

Matthias stammered, trying to comprehend the situation.

"W-What did I do to deserve this? The school gave me free accommodation because I'm a student in need, as an orphan. I'm only in my third year. How can they ask me to leave now?"

Mr. Rogers looked at him with a stern expression. "That’s none of my business and not the school’s business. You should have considered your status as a poor orphan before picking a fight with a wealthy student."

"What?!" Matthias exclaimed. Realization dawned on him. "This is all because of Rafael Vicenzo and Paula, isn’t it? Just because I had an argument with a rich kid, I'm being thrown out of my space in the dorm?"

He was total ignored by Mr. Rogers who seemed indifferent to Matthias' inquiry.

"This is what you do for money? Is this how corrupt the system is now?" I asked, my eyes begging to understand.

Mr. Rogers frowned at my words. "Watch your tone, young man."

Matthias, filled with disbelief, said, "So you're siding with Rafael without even hearing my side of the story? You're going to throw me out like garbage?"

Mr. Rogers cleared his throat again, glancing at his watch.

"You have two minutes left. If you don't pack your things, school security will escort you out. And if you try anything stupid, your admission to this university could be withdrawn."

Matthias felt a sharp pain move through his chest. He had nowhere to go. If he left the dorm, he would be homeless, sleeping on the streets.

But there was no reasoning with Mr. Rogers. He realized he had no choice. He started gathering his belongings, stuffing them into his worn-out backpack.

With his bag packed, he slung it over his shoulder and turned to Mr. Rogers. "I hope you're happy with this decision," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

Mr. Rogers didn’t respond, merely gesturing to the door.

"Leave..."

Matthias walked out, the porter and Mr. Rogers following him.

Suddenly, Matthias heard laughter spilling into the corridor he walked. It was Fred and Gary in a distance.

"He took our advice to move into the street," Gary said and they both chuckled.

Matthias left the dormitory in anger, ignoring their talks.

Out on the street, Matthias paused, looking back at the dormitory one last time.

Knowing he couldn't change anything, he turned around and started moving again. He couldn't believe what he was going through. How would he finish school without accommodation?

He still had over a year left, and he had no friends to turn to, as everyone disliked him for being poor and classless. He walked aimlessly, having no idea where he would drop his bag and stay for the night and he didn't even take his bicycle, because he wasn't in a frame of mind to ride.

Looking up at the sky on the quiet street, he felt like the world was crashing down on him.

He recalled the events of the day...

"Mistreated by my roommates because of money, discovering my girlfriend cheated on me for being poor, and now, I just lost my free accomodation because I punched a rich student," Matthias sighed frustratingly.

Just as he found a nice corner and began to approach there, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

"The only one who calls me is now in another man's arms. Paula left me, so any calling now must have dialed a wrong number," he muttered.

The phone kept ringing. When it rang three more times, he growled in frustration, pulling it out of his pocket.

"Who could it be?"

He saw the unfamiliar digits on the screen. Picking the call, he placed the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" he said to the phone with a strained voice.

"Hello, is this Matthias Kane, a student of Harribug University?" asked the voice on the other end, breaking up due to network issues.

Matthias fell silent, his heartbeat quickening. It could only be more trouble. He stammered, "I don't want any trouble. Please, I—"

The voice on the phone interrupted, sounding confused.

"Trouble? I don't understand. There is no trouble here. I just want to know if you are the 22-year-old student of Harribug University, known as Matthias Kane?"

Matthias hesitated as the man asked one more time, then he replied, "Yes, I am Matthias Kane."

Just then, Matthias heard the screech of car wheels behind him. He turned around, started only to see a car halting in front of him.

It wasn't just any car, it was a Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, something he had never dreamt of seeing I'm such a close range.

He was about to run, thinking it was trouble, but then he was shocked when the car window rolled down, revealing the man in the driver’s seat.

Matthias slowly took the phone from his ear, realizing it was the same man he was speaking to on the phone moments ago, since he also had a phone on his ear.

Suddenly, two other men rushed out of the car. One had a jacket, and the other was empty-handed.

The empty-handed man approached Matthias quickly and grabbed his backpack humbly.

"It's a privilege to finally meet you, boss," he said to Matthias, bowing slightly.

Matthias was taken aback, shocked by the gesture. He was dumfounded and couldn't say a word at first, his brows drawn together in shock.

"Who would want to take my dirty bag?" he thought, "and what did he just call me?"

He didn't even have an answer to those questions, yet man with the jacket walked up to him and said, "The night is cold, Sir," and placed the jacket over Matthias' shoulders.

Matthias recognized the label of the jacket immediately; it was a Frank Ramirez jacket, worth over $8,000. He was stunned.

"What is going on? Who are you people?"

The man in the driver's seat finally stepped out and walked towards Matthias.

He bowed slightly and said, "Young Master, we finally found you."

Matthias' heart jumped to his throat in shock. He was dumbfounded, having no clue what this was about.

"Young Master? What are you talking about?" He asked, still unable to comprehend anything.

"My name is Ernest Darwin, and we are here to tell you that it is time to come home.”