at the picture once again. “As you can see, Aries, the photo isn’t in the best of shape, but do you have any idea where that may be? There’s no information about the location.”
“I have no idea.”
“Well, I think I know. I could be way off, but you know where it kind of looks like to me?”
“Where?”
“Druid Hills.”
He plucked the photo from the table again to give it a closer look.
“How can you tell from this? It’s just them standin’ there.”
“Look in the far right hand corner. That looks like St. John’s Chrysostom Melkite Church. I bet you money, Aries, your father’s family used to reside in Druid Hills at that time, or at least went there often. We can confirm it I’m sure, you know, if they ever lived there, but the important part of this is that Benjamin may have some other relatives you haven’t met yet. Maybe they can answer some of your questions?”
“In my father’s obituary, it said he was born in Chamblee, Georgia. No living relatives there. They all moved or died. I checked.”
“Aries, Druid Hills is only ten or so miles from Chamblee, give or take.” Their eyes hooked. “I mean, really think about this. What’s so special about Druid Hills that they’d stand there and take a picture? Just think about that. It could be a simple reason or it could be complex. It’s not like in today’s world, where we’ll take a photo of a piece of trash on the ground and post it online as if it’s something special. Back then, photos were way more of a big deal. Look into it. I would if I were you.” He sucked his teeth, mulling over the words the woman spoke. “Why are you looking at me like I have two heads?” Her lips pursed like a clam shell.
He couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Who are you? Nancy Drew or some shit? I love it.” She broke out in a smile and rolled her eyes. “Nah, that’s good… You figured all of that out, huh? Well, I’m not expecting much, but I’m going to check that out. May not lead anywhere, but it’s worth a shot.”
Soon, their food arrived and neither wasted time digging in.
“Oh my gosh!” Her eyes lit up. “This is soooo good, Aries!”
He smiled proudly, as if he’d cooked up the food himself.
“I told you.”
“Aries?”
“Yeah?” He swallowed down a spoonful of gravy.
“How’d you get your name? It’s so different.” She bounced around in her seat like a giddy child. It made him happy to see her like that. “I like it though. It suits you.”
“My mother’s friend. I called her, Aunt Honey. My mother didn’t know what to name me. She had a girl’s name picked out, but not a boy’s. She was going to name the girl Ariel. This was obviously way before Disney’s Little Mermaid, before the name was popular. She’d heard it from someone else and liked it. Ariel was a Jewish name though, and even though people asked her to not do that, she was going to do it anyway. Her friend told her it was going to be a boy, so Ariel wouldn’t work. Name him Aries, she said.”
“When is your birthday?” He smirked. “What?”
“I know what you’re thinking. It’s a coincidence, trust me. If I had been born in December, my name would still be Aries… but my birthday is April 9th. It just happened to line up like that. When is yours?”
“July 2nd.”
“You’re kiddin’ me?”
“No, why would that be surprising?”
“That was my friend Owen’s birthday.”
“You say ‘was.’ Is he deceased?”
He shrugged.
“I hope not. I honestly don’t know though. I haven’t spoken to Owen since, hell…” He thought for a second. “Since we were kids. People move, grow up, grow apart.” She nodded in understanding. “Lauren?”
“Yes?”
“Would you like to take a ride with me out to Druid Hills in a few days? I figure I’ll do a bit of research online beforehand, but regardless, I haven’t been out that way in a long time. It’s pretty there. Old, scenic… historic. Probably right up your alley, right?” He winked at her. She winked back. It was more than evident that Lauren was not only an avid reader, but that sort of thing got her juices flowing. The lady was plain smart. She noticed old buildings, street markers, things of that sort. Shit other people didn’t see.
“I would love to.”
“Great. So, let me ask you some things about you for a change.” She sat straighter, her