\u201cOh! Chris, I can\u2019t imagine finding a job is really so difficult.\u00a0 What a tough world\u2026,\u201d he looked at me desperately. \u00a0His voice was weak and hopeless. \u00a0Looking at his red-rimmed eyes, I knew that he really sank to the very depth of despair.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul, every cloud has a silver lining. \u00a0You\u2019re going to find a job, and everything will be alright,\u201d I tried to comfort him even though I believed that he would continue to remain jobless. \u00a0He was never a practical man.\u00a0 He was always grumbling about the low salary and the poor working conditions of different workplaces, not willing to accept the reality that everybody needed to start at a lower level while beginning to work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Time flies, we had the conversation about three years ago. \u00a0We had not seen each other since then.\u00a0 Last Sunday, I accidentally bumped into my brother, Paul, who had left home for three whole years without any news sent home.\u00a0 I was really shocked when seeing him again.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a sunny day. \u00a0The burning sun drove all of us crazy. \u00a0When I was walking on the street next to the Peninsula Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, I spotted a familiar face. \u00a0I nearly screamed in excitement. It was my missing brother, Paul. \u00a0He had changed tremendously.\u00a0 He was not exactly good-looking but definitely more attractive than the last time I saw him.\u00a0 I figured out why I had this feeling after looking at him from a distance for a few seconds.\u00a0 He was in expensive brand-name clothes and driving a luxurious sports car. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul, is it you?\u201d \u00a0I ran towards him, trying to confirm his mysterious identity. \u00a0He noticed me and got out of his limousine.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cChris?\u00a0 How long have we not seen each other!\u00a0 How\u2019s everything these days?\u201d\u00a0 He gave me a hug, trying to show his delight seeing me again, which, on the contrary, showed how unnatural he was.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine, but \u2026 how did you get this Mercedes Benz?\u00a0 It means a fortune!\u201d \u00a0The last time I spoke to him, he was still anxious of looking for a job.\u00a0 I was wondering what had happened to him in these few years.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I found a job just after I met you last time.\u00a0 And I\u2019ve got an incredibly smart boss, who takes care of me and trusts me with important jobs. \u00a0Being his assistant, we do great business together with\u2026 with some people\u2026\u201d he ended speaking with a little hesitation as if he was hiding something.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of people are you doing business with?\u201d \u00a0His strangeness really aroused my curiosity. \u00a0I tried to ask him more questions about his \u201cjob\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody might be listening. \u00a0Let\u2019s get in the Peninsula Hotel and have a drink,\u201d he stopped me from asking further questions.\u00a0 Things were getting weird.\u00a0 I could sense it.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
We got into the Peninsula Hotel and a hotel manager courteously brought us to a dining table on which many delicate cakes and snacks were served. \u00a0I couldn\u2019t believe my eyes. \u00a0I had never seen so many beautiful desserts. \u00a0I wondered how a sumptuous life my brother was leading now. \u00a0It seemed that I was having high tea with a prince!<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026 I\u2019m actually engaging in the logistics industry,\u201d he tried to avoid having eye contact with me.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what kind of products does your company deal with?\u201d I put down my cup of lemonade waiting for his answer.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe transport ivories by sea secretly\u2026\u201d he whispered in his low voice which could hardly be heard.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you\u2019re not transporting goods.\u00a0 You\u2019re smuggling! \u00a0It\u2019s unlawful to transport ivories. \u00a0How can you do that?\u201d\u00a0 I stared at him angrily. \u00a0I thought he must be mad.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cChris, people need to do whatever they have to in times of adversity. \u00a0Unlike you, I didn\u2019t study well. \u00a0And I couldn\u2019t even find a job after I\u2019d graduated from high school for a year. \u00a0I need food and I need a place to live in. \u00a0Dealing with \u2018dirty business\u2019 is the only way for me to survive, to gain money and to dine in this hotel! \u00a0Do you understand my situation?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he talked about the past, he couldn\u2019t help raising his voice and clenching his fist. I regretted not having offered help a hand at the time when he was desperately looking for a job.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSmuggling ivories gets me rich, so that I can do whatever I like.\u00a0 Rolex watches, Dunhill shirts, Mercedes Benz\u2026.\u00a0 These are what I gain from my work. \u00a0Without my business, I\u2019m nobody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow can you be so superficial? \u00a0Your desire has already driven you mad! \u00a0Where\u2019s your moral compass? \u00a0It\u2019s not ethical to fulfill your dirty wants at the expense of the wild lives,\u201d I stood up, scolding him. \u201cShame on you! \u00a0Your vanity will ruin your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
To my surprise, instead of looking angry as I expected, his eyes showed sadness and helplessness. \u201cMy brother, once you\u2019ve enter this business, there\u2019s no return. \u00a0No matter how regretful you feel, you can\u2019t quit the job. \u00a0Since the day you joined the \u2018club\u2019, you can\u2019t leave it. \u00a0They can always find you no matter where you are.\u201d \u00a0He took my hands. \u00a0I was so confused that I couldn\u2019t utter a word. \u00a0On one hand, I was so angry with what he was doing. \u00a0I sympathized with his difficult situation at the same time. \u00a0I only wanted to leave the hotel room and tried to have some time to calm myself down.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going on the boat this evening. \u00a0I don\u2019t know whether I can come back safe this time. \u00a0Please tell mum and dad that I love them.\u201d \u00a0These were the last words I heard from him before I stepped out of the room.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I did not bring my brother\u2019s crime to light as blood is thicker than water. What I could do was just pretending that I knew nothing about his job. But crime doesn\u2019t pay\u2026<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood evening, it\u2019s Cindy Wong for TVB News. \u00a0Today the police carried out a raid along the eastern coast of the New Territories and arrested three men suspected of smuggling ivories. \u00a0One man jumped into the sea trying to escape from the police and was drown in the rough sea. \u00a0He was rescued by the police about 30 minutes later but was certified dead\u2026\u201d the voice of the new reporter echoed in the air of the small living room of my family.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I saw a familiar face on the TV screen. \u00a0I turned off the television, wondering how to break this devastating news to my parents. \u00a0But when I turned around, I saw my mum weeping at the door of the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sometimes people get lost when pursuing their lusts. \u00a0The more money they get, for a short period of time, the happier they are. \u00a0However, it usually comes along with the huge cost you need to pay one day.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cOh! Chris, I can\u2019t imagine finding a job is really so difficult.\u00a0 What a tough world\u2026,\u201d he looked at me desperately. \u00a0His voice was weak and hopeless. \u00a0Looking at his red-rimmed eyes, I knew that he really sank to the very depth of despair.<\/p> <\/p>