This isn’t some quest, is it? I’m not Indiana Jones. Hasn’t he done enough? Or not done enough, I should say?”
“I know it’s rather unconventional, Aries, but—”
“I don’t like this. I ain’t doin’ it. Can’t ya just write the check and send me on my way? I don’t want this kind of aggravation. I’ll even take a few thousand less if it’ll make this all go away. I didn’t even know this man and here he is, givin’ me a Honey Do list. No, sir. What the hell kind of game are the two of you playing?”
“Mr. Creed, he—”
“I was mindin’ my own business, running my shop, taking care of my kid and then out of the blue, I get told this guy is dead. There’s a big ass funeral, and two ex-wives and a girlfriend with enough Botox and plastic surgery to make a Barbie Doll look realistic. These gals were half his damn age. None of ’em are my mother since they were never married, and now here I am, just sitting amongst a bunch of people who look at me like I’m the worst thing since the Devil tried to get bossy and got kicked outta Heaven. Who is he to leave me something with stipulations? He didn’t do shit for me at all, Mr. Smith, but donate some cum. Excuse me…” He shot a glance at the lady assistant. “My apologies… let me rephrase. Didn’t do a thing for me at all, except have a fling with my mother, and then have the audacity to have rules and conditions like this a sweepstakes, telling me all about what I do with the land, the property, and the money? That’s a bunch of bullsh… bull crap.” He shot the woman in the room another glance then glared at Mr. Smith.
“I understand your frustration, Mr. Creed.”
“Aries. Just call me Aries. You’re much older than me… Seems disrespectful for you to feel the need to be so formal with me.”
“Okay. Aries it is. I don’t blame you for how you feel. It’s a lot to take in. I’m not judging you. I imagine if I were in your shoes, I may feel the same. However, this wasn’t my idea or plan. As I told everyone else, I’m just carrying out your father’s wishes.” The man placed his hand against his chest.
Aries gritted his teeth, snatched his baseball cap from the desk, and got to his feet.
“Is there anything else, Mr. Smith? I gotta pick up my boy from school and finish workin’ on a Yamaha. Told the guy I’d have it completed today.”
“ATV, dirt bike, or motorcycle?” the older man smiled.
“A motorcycle. You don’t get hands like these by workin’ on dirt bikes. Maybe the doctors made a mistake and should’ve left that extra appendage when I was a baby. That sixth finger may have come in handy after all.”
The old man chuckled when Aries raised his palms in the air, showing years of wear and tear.
“That’s right. I did see that you do own a motorcycle repair shop. Is business good?”
“Yeah.”
“Here you go, Mr. Creed.” The legal assistant placed the additional papers in a folder, stood up, and handed it to him. Aries took the folder from her and couldn’t help but notice a slight smile across her face.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Please take that information home and you can read in detail what your father is requesting, in his own words.” Mr. Smith explained. “I don’t think anything will be terribly time consuming for you to complete, so no worries.” Aries nodded, itching to get out of there. “I think that covers it. If you have any questions, you have my number.”
“Yeah… So, uh, once I get finished with these tasks, I guess, for my father, do I get the money right then or do I have to wait? I just wanna get this done and over with. I need a few repairs for my house and it would be nice to get more tools for the shop. It would be even better if me and my boy could go on a nice vacation together. Camping or something. Maybe this way, I could buy me some time, if nothing else. I work like a dog. I would like to relax for a minute.”
Mr. Smith grinned, in an all-knowing way, then removed his glasses once more and set them down.
“Mr. Creed, you’ll have enough money to do all of that and then some. To answer your question directly, yes, once