Chapter 2 - The Coin in the Dust
Victor reached out with a lightning-fast, dismissive flick of his hand, striking the bill of Arthur’s navy-blue cap. The sudden, disrespectful motion knocked the cap clean out of Arthur’s hands. The cap tumbled through the cold air and landed upside down on the dirty pavement, its American flag patch resting in the dust against the base of the red-brick wall.
Arthur’s mouth parted slightly in a silent, sharp intake of air. A profound, agonizing sting burned beneath his ribs—not from physical pain, but from the raw, unadulterated humiliation of seeing his service emblem struck down into the dirt by a man who had never spent a single hour in uniform.
Victor didn't break eye contact. Smirking with arrogant satisfaction, he reached deep into the pocket of his black trench coat, pulled out a single silver quarter, and held it between his thumb and index finger. With a slow, deliberate drop, he released the coin directly over the fallen cap.
Clink.
The metallic sound echoed sharply against the brick wall as the coin settled into the dark blue wool of the crown.
"There," Victor mocked, spreading his gloved hands wide as his enforcer chuckled quietly behind him. "Consider that your advance payment for the month. You should be grateful—most men your age don't even get that."
Arthur looked down at his cap lying in the dust, then slowly raised his eyes back to Victor. Tears of deep, emotional agony welled in the corners of his eyelids, catching the overcast light, but his jaw remained set like a block of iron. His posture did not bow. The Master Sergeant who had held ground under heavy mortar fire in winter trenches was still very much alive beneath the faded tan fabric of his uniform.
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"You think this is about money, don't you?" Arthur whispered softly, his voice trembling not with fear, but with a deep, righteous sorrow for the young man standing before him.
"It's always about money, old man," Victor sneered, tapping his leather shoe against the concrete. "Your pension is over. Someone like you doesn't need papers anymore. You belong in a home, off the state's payroll."
