That night, Jiro and Uncle Jack stood outside the burned down building with a group of fire fighters. Cyndi had been taken home by Danson and Gui Gui and Calvin loitered around the wreckage of the ice cream parlour.

"This whole situation would have been avoided if you had installed smoke detectors and fire alarms," the chief fire fighter scolded Jiro who then turned to Uncle Jack.
"Why didn't you?" he hissed in a low voice.
Uncle Jack chuckled sheepishly, "How would I have known that an ICE cream parlour would set on fire? Also, when I first started the business, it wasn't earning enough money to afford...." Uncle Jack trailed off after receiving daggers in the glares from the fire fighter.

"Installing safety measures is one of the first things you must do when you own a building!" he yelled, "People could have died due to your carelessness!" he exclaimed before turning to Jiro, "And you, young man, as the new owner, it was your responsibility to check that everything was okay and that you had safety measures in place. What would you have done if you had customers inside? What would you have done if they died?" he questioned, making Jiro look down at his feet in shame.

Uncle Jack sighed and put a hand on Jiro's shoulder, turning to face the fire fighter. "Okay, okay, that's enough. He's just a child, and besides this is my fault. Don't put the blame on him," he countered but Jiro shook his head.
"Uncle Jack, you're both right. This is my fault and I am just a child," Jiro retorted, "If I can't be responsible enough to look after a business, how can I be responsible enough to support a family?" he questioned himself in a low and deflated voice.
"No, Jiro. Don't think like that," Uncle Jack exclaimed, "Little friend, this was just an accident. No one could have expected this," he tried to comfort him but Jiro shook him and then just tried to smile.
"I'm okay," he reassured him, before turning back to the firefighter, "The insurance should cover the damage right?"

Uncle Jack quickly fell silent before stuttering, "About that..." he began, nervously meeting Jiro's eyes.
As if they had telepathic communication, Jiro exhaled and let out a light groan, "Uncle Jack.... don't tell me you never got insurance...." He kissed his teeth and sighed - clearly his day was getting better.
"I'm sorry! I just didn't feel it was necessary!" he explained, "But now I know that it was!"
"That doesn't help at all," Jiro muttered, feeling disappointed. After all, Jiro had finally been able to earn a solid amount of money and have the ability to support his loved ones... and now it was gone. How would he support his family now? No one was really aware of how devastated he was.

...

"You're going to have to find another job," Calvin told Jiro as he drove his best friend home.
"We might have to postpone the wedding too," Jiro added glumly with a sigh.
Calvin glanced over at his friend with a frown, "I'm sorry for what happened today," he replied, "Everything was going so well, who knew it would all go up in flames? Pun not intended."

Jiro cracked a small but dead smile through his tired demeanour, "It's not your fault, it's mine. I guess I shouldn't have rushed straight into proposing; I was just too happy so didn't really think everything through," he explained, "Uncle Jack is right, I'm still just a child... an irresponsible one."
"Don't put yourself down like that, man," Calvin scolded, "It won't do you any good. This was no one's fault. Try to think positively: maybe something better will come out of this. This window may have closed but that just means you need find the handle of the door that will offer you something much better than an ice cream parlour."

A scoff escaped Jiro's lips, "What would have been better than the ice cream parlour? What other job will allow me to provide for a family better than the parlour would have done?" he questioned bitterly as he leaned his head against the window.
"Managing an ice cream parlour isn't the only job in the world, Jiro! There are thousands of other jobs out there," Calvin replied, trying to make his brother feel better.
"Yeah, jobs I can get with the qualifications I definitely have," he remarked sarcastically, staring out of the window.

Sighing, Calvin turned his eyes back onto the road. He knew his friend was right - having Uncle Jack pass on his business to Jiro was just luck and without the parlour, Jiro had less of a chance to earn good money because he had quit school. But Calvin was Jiro's best friend so there was no way he'd leave his friend like that. "I'll help you find a solution," he announced, breaking the silence, "But for now, stop worrying and get some rest. You can go job hunting tomorrow."

...

"You were so happy to resign and now you want to come back?" Jiro's previous boss in retail laughed at him, mockingly.
"Please, I really need a job right now," he pleaded desperately.
"Well you won't get one here!"

And then he was kicked out.

The next few days were stressful for Jiro as he failed to secure employment. With not even a single qualification, no one was willing to take Jiro and give him even a part time job. Perhaps he may have been more successful if he hadn't looked so distressed and as though he had lived in a bin for the past few days. His hair was scruffy, his face was worn away by sleepless nights and his facial hair was growing unkemptly. His dishevelled appearance was a big factor that had caused many employers to turn him down.

The moments he had spent with Miss Melody ten years ago replayed in his mind; her words that discouraged him from quitting school resounded within his ears, making him feel pathetic; regret burned in the pit of his stomach like the fire that had burned down his happiness.

By the end of the day, the only job Jiro had managed to secure was a cleaning job at Calvin's office. Obviously Calvin had wanted to help his friend get a better job, but at the moment, a cleaner's job was the most he could get his friend for he was not his own boss.

"I'm sorry, Jiro," Calvin apologised, "Give me more time, I'll find something better."
Jiro smiled and put a hand on his buddy's shoulder, "You've done enough, Cal. I'm grateful that I can even get work - I don't care if I have to scrub toilets all day long," he replied, chuckling to ease the atmosphere.
Calvin frowned, "Trust me, Jiro. I will help you find something better," he insisted.
Pulling on some rubber gloves, Jiro showed him a grin, "I better get to work then, don't tell Cyndi about this," he said before leaving his friend with a bucket and mop.

Calvin stuffed his hands into his pockets and nodded with an expressionless face, "Make sure you tidy yourself up too, you look terrible."

When Jiro had returned home to a small apartment that night, Cyndi giving him a hug was the first thing he experienced when he opened the door. Her warmth and presence made him smile, making him forget all his worries temporarily.

"Welcome home," she told him with a smile before observing his outer appearance, "You look much better than how you left this morning."
Jiro could only nod as he had recently gone for a haircut and shaved. "How have you been?" he asked her as he headed into their small kitchen to make himself some coffee.

As Jiro reached for the jar of coffee grains, Cyndi snatched it away before he could. She smiled at him, "I'll warm some milk for you. It's best not to drink caffeine at night," she reminded him before taking the mug he had picked up. Exhausted, Jiro just nodded and sat down quietly. "You seem to be in a good mood," he then commented as his fiancée placed a mug of warm milk on the table in front of him.

Cyndi nodded and sat down beside him, "Of course I am! Calvin told me about your new job and I'm so glad you've been able to find employment!" she gushed, causing Jiro's blood to run cold. It went so cold that even the hot milk he was drinking felt as though it became ice cold.
"Calvin told you?" he asked slowly, feeling annoyed that Calvin told her about his new job even though he had told him not to.
Again she nodded with a simple "Mhm," before holding onto his hand, "It's so nice of Calvinto have found you a job at his company," she added before her belly gently, "Looks like our family will be fine after all."

Jiro was one second away from calling up Calvin for a good scolding before realising that it was weird that Cyndi had thought that the salary of a cleaner would support them. He furrowed his brows and stared at her curiously, "What job exactly did Calvin say I got?" he inquired.
"He said you're their team's new sales executive!" she beamed happily, "Although the starting salary isn't alot, he said if you work hard it can increase," she continued, earning a sigh of relief from her partner, "Jiro, I'm so proud of you for getting through this tough time. I believe that we will be a happy family in the future, don't worry about money, okay?" And Cyndi continued to talk whereas Jiro just nodded and hummed whenever he felt it was necessary, too tired to verbally respond.

Later that night when Cyndi had gone to sleep, Jiro stepped outside for some fresh air. He walked down the streets and stared up at the moon that was accompanied by light clouds.

"I should give Calvin a call," he muttered to himself, bringing out his phone and dialling his best friend's number.

"Yo, Calvin speaking, the brightest Sunshine Boy around!"
Jiro rolled his eyes at his friend's greeting.
"What's up, JO?" Calvin then asked, calling him by an old nickname from highschool.
"I was talking to Cyndi earlier," he began, "And she said you told her I got a job as a sales executive at your company," he explained.
"What about it?" his friend responded.
"Why did you lie to her?"
"It's better than for her to think you're employed than lying about being unemployed," Calvin replied, "Don't make her worry about you when she's pregnant."

Jiro sighed, "You're right... but I feel bad about lying to her," he admitted.
"It'll only be a temporary lie," Calvin replied, making Jiro stop walking.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I told you I'd find a solution for you, Jiro and I have," the Sunshine Boy stated, "That sales executive job is yours as long as you have a high school diploma."
"Have you forgotten that I don't have one?" questioned Jiro.
"Then you go get one," responded Calvin casually, not making any sense to Jiro.
"But the only way to get one is..." Jiro stopped his speech abruptly as Calvin's meaning dawned on him.

Calvin smirked behind his screen.

"To go back to high school."