hapter 6 Harold Patter
Ms. Healy removed two notes and returned them to him.
“You don’t need to give me extra. All I want is for you to repent and treat Ancira better! She’s a good girl and a loyal wife! How could you treat her like this?”
“Ms. Healy, this is my way of thanking you. Please accept it.”
Neil pressed the notes back into her hand. Staring into her eyes, he said solemnly.
“Ms. Healy, this is nothing compared to what you have done for my family! Here’s a suggestion, if you have money to spare, invest in a few houses in Remmington. It’ll appreciate over time, and you’ll get a lot of money from them after selling them off!”
Ms. Healy was shocked.
Neil left immediately after.
“Appreciate? Earn a lot of money?” She mumbled to herself.
She did have spare money. Her children worked for government–owned companies. She had saved the money they sent her every year.
The money had been earning interest in her bank account. She had two houses and had never considered buying property in the city.
Did Neil have inside information?
Ms. Healy silently watched him leave.
Neil knew that people of a certain age would not consider buying property, especially those from small towns.
Who would have thought that housing prices would rise from a thousand to five or six figures in thirty–odd years?
It was just some offhanded advice, but the choice to invest depended on her.
He returned home with the remaining roast chicken.
Once upstairs, he smelled his wife’s cooking.
Aneira had terrific cooking skills, even though they ate the same vegetables, and the meat was a rarity.
She transformed them into different dishes for her children.
Neil entered with the roast chicken.
Aneira had just placed the food on the table.
Neil surveyed what she had cooked.
Stir–fried broccoli, roasted pumpkin, and a small plate of pickles.
Neil’s heart ached for his children eating such meager meals.
After becoming a world–famous singer in his past life, he indulged himself in various delicacies. He had enjoyed his fame and wealth to the fullest.
But he had left his wife and children to suffer.
Neil gave her a strained smile. He placed the roast chicken on the table and called the children for dinner.
“Yivi! Luca! Here’s your roast chicken!”
“Wow! There’s really roast chicken! Yivi loves chicken!” The two–year–old bounded over and clapped her hands in glee.
Aneira eyed Neil warily.
Knowing she did not trust him, Neil tore off a piece of meat from the chicken breast, put it in his mouth, and began to chew.
Aneira allowed the children to eat after Neil had taken the first bight,
“Take your seats. Daddy will help you.”
Neil washed his hands. He carved the chicken and placed the meat onto their plates.
Such delicious food was so hard to come by. The children stuffed their faces with chicken meat until their cheeks puffed out.
After dinner, Aneira took the children out for a stroll.
Neil sat down on the worn–out couch and began to plan for the future,
Traveling to the provincial capital on the tenth will require some money to cover food, accommodation, and transportation.
He had about eight hundred left. It will last him quite a while.
He’ll sing ‘The Pearl from The East‘ at the competition. The song will receive a lot of attention,
and music companies should be interested in buying it.
He didn’t have money or a channel to promote it if he were to release it himself.
Cassette tapes, CDs, radio stations, and music channels on TV were popular during this time.
Without the internet, it would be difficult for indie songs to gain traction. He’ll need tens of thousands of dollars, which would be hard to come by.
But this will all depend on him winning the grand prize and getting the attention of these major music companies.
In his previous timeline, Harvey had caught their attention. But different people had different qualities that attracted attention.
Back then, Neil had only become famous with the introduction of the internet. He was one of the early waves of people who became famous online.
He wasn’t sure how he’d get famous now.
He can’t put all his eggs into this competition. There were too many variables he could account for.
He needed to find a job!
Ideally, one at the county radio station!
He had no connections, so he’d have to start as an intern and work his way up.
As long as they had good conditions for broadcast and lax academic requirements, he could be a regular after his internship, depending on if he passed the test!
With a stable job and a steady income, Aneira would worry less.
But an internship at a radio station would not pay much.
He needed another way to make money!
Neil turned on the dated TV, but there was only static.
Ms. Healy had given them the TV.
After channel surfing, Neil realized that the familiar shows he was used to did not exist in this timeline.
But the entertainment industry remained unchanged.
At eight o’clock, there were two channels showing fantasy films.
Another channel was broadcasting a period drama equivalent to “The Crown in 1996.
The only difference was that this series was on this alternate universe’s history.
Neil had an idea.
There were two ways he could make money quickly.
First, he could write some theme songs for films and tv dramas. He could make money from the copyright that way!
Secondly, he could write fantasy novels and publish them on the traditional route.
It would be much quicker, and he could earn more by writing novels.
Even though Neil could not remember every word and sentence in the novel, the plots, and iconic sentences he had read were deeply ingrained in his mind.
Now all he had to do was to regurgitate the stories he had read in his own words.
There was one problem!
He had to write the novels by hand. It would be much slower than typing it out on a computer. One novel would take him at least a few months to complete!
Neil sighed.
He had no choice but to try.
As long as he had a direction, the rest would be easy!
At that thought, Neil hurried out. He found a stationary store and bought some paper, pens, envelopes, stamps, etc.
He also bought the latest issue of two entertainment magazines and a literary magazine.
It wasn’t easy to earn money even by writing short stories!
That night when Aneira got home, Neil had fallen asleep on the couch.
Aneira bathed the two children and tucked them into bed.
She turned to see Neil still sound asleep on the couch.
He was cleanly shaven and had thoroughly washed himself in the shower. He didn’t look as
unkempt as usual.
The house looked like it had been cleaned. The windows had been wiped. The floor was mopped, and even the wooden table – which looked like it was on its last legs – had been tidied up.
There was a stack of paper on the table weighed down by magazines.
Aneira picked up the paper and looked at it.
The first line was a title.
‘Harold Patter.
Aneira frowned. What is this? Was Neil learning to write novels?
For some reason, Aneira felt anxious.
Neil used to be obsessed with music. All he did was make music.
Aneira had fallen in love with his music and then with him. She had married him, but she never once thought he would sink so low after meeting some setbacks!
She had understood then that Neil wasn’t someone who could handle failure. He always saw himself better than everyone else.
If he wrote these novels and could not publish them, would he feel slighted and take out his anger on her and the children?
Feeling unsettled, Aneira read the first few lines.
To her surprise, Neil’s writing was outstanding!
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