under a starry sky, and go swimming at the crack of dawn in an icy cold river water. Guess he’d know soon enough if she was compatible or not. It never took him long.
“Aries, do you plan to keep your shop?”
The waitress returned with a couple of glasses of water and a coffee pot. They both grabbed their water and took sips.
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because you’ve got your father’s money now.”
He shrugged and casually looked out the window.
“I like my shop. I worked hard to get that store up and runnin’. Dumped all my money into it at one point. I like interacting with the customers, fixing their pride and joy. Besides, a man needs somethin’ to do, no matter how much money he has. That’s the problem with the world nowadays. A guy gets his hands on some cash and then forgets about hard work and living life. Too busy buying silly shit, wasting his money on gold chairs, plastic tit strippers, and baby zebras.”
Lauren burst out laughing. “It’s true and you know it. Then, when it’s all gone, he’s suicidal because he forgot who he was. He identified himself by money he didn’t even earn to really appreciate it. He was focused on the wrong things. Should have been wondering about what he could do with his hands, and how he could use that brain of his to keep that cash flowing for his kids and grandkids.”
“Well, all of what you said is true, but you know how it is. A lot of times when someone comes into money, they start new hobbies and can relax a bit, so there are two sides to the coin. All work and no play makes Aries a dull boy.”
“Owning the shop is relaxing.” He began to pick at his fingernails. He’d cleaned them really well that morning, got all the oils out from beneath them, and trimmed them up, too. Sometimes I look around and wonder who didn’t clean their ass this morning. “I always have to keep busy, Lauren. If I don’t, I’ll start thinkin’ too much… Not all thinking is good thinking.” Just as fast as the words slid out, he’d also wished he could take them back. She cocked her head to the side and studied him. He wished he knew what she was thinking right then. “I don’t even know how much money there is to be sitting here and salivating over it. I have a very broad ballpark figure, but won’t know the exact amount until I take care of his damn chores. Don’t even get me started on that again.” He huffed.
The waitress returned once again with coffee cups and stirring spoons. Pouring them fresh cups of coffee, she set the cream and container with sugar packets on the table.
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said.
“You’re more than welcome. Holler if you need anything else.”
“Go ahead with what you were saying.” Lauren motioned as she reached for some sugar.
“My father has some outstanding fees and whatnot that have to be paid. Normal things, nothing crazy. I had to pay for the funeral. He had money set aside for that but that no-good family of his didn’t even offer to throw a damn petal on his grave. Anyway, I mean, I doubt it’ll be chump change even after all of that, but it’s not like I’m going to turn into Jeff Bezos overnight or something. I think people are under the impression that my father was wealthier than he was. Yeah, he was rich. He saved some but lived well and he spent his money, too. That’s for sure.”
The woman began to rummage through her purse. He grabbed his coffee and sipped on it. Black, just how he liked it. The heat rose from it, comforting him in some strange way. Honestly, he hated talking about Benjamin but he was doing that a lot lately.
Lauren slid a black and white photograph toward him on the table. His tongue felt heavy and his breath hitched.
“Aries… that’s… that’s…”
“I know who it is.” He picked up the photo and zeroed in on the little boy in the middle. A strange taste flooded his mouth, competing with the bitter flavor of the coffee. His head started to throb as he placed the picture slowly back on the table. “Where’d you get this?”
“One of the books your son tossed aside for me. I probably wouldn’t have even chosen it. Isn’t that something? You can thank Aiden for this.” He nodded as he glanced