relationship that lasts, if you don’t let this go.” He removed his hand from hers to put it on the steering wheel. “We’re here.”
He pulled up onto a wide gravel driveway leading to the property.
The air seemed different here. Richer, pungent. The intoxicating odor of freshly cut grass gripped him as he stepped out of the truck. He helped Lauren out, her hand gripping the papers now rolled into a scroll, and they walked about, neither of them saying much.
“Lauren,” he called out as she wandered off into the distance, approaching the barn. She paused and looked over her shoulder.
“What?”
“I know this may seem like a stupid question, especially since it was my idea to come on out here, but I just don’t get it. I don’t think in abstracts, and all of this Japanese shit is going over my head. I deal with black and white, all right?” He threw up his hands. “So, help me out here. What exactly am I looking for?”
“We’re looking for Benjamin, Aries. That way, we can find the missing pieces of you.” She turned away and walked off.
His heart weighed heavily in his chest, as if his ribs had an elephant sitting on them. As he jogged toward her, an unexplainable feeling washed over him. Where she goes, I need to follow. That driving thought took over his brain, forcing him to catch up. She didn’t seem surprised to see him nearby. Although she didn’t acknowledge his presence specifically, the smile on her face said it all. The barn doors were weathered, the wood splintered here and there. She coughed into her fist and he shined the light from his phone as they entered. Old hay lay scattered about the dirt floor of the shed. Thick cobwebs dangled from the rafters and the stalls were divided to accommodate twelve horses comfortably.
“I never saw any proof of interest for horses in my father’s house.”
“He may have seen it strictly as monetary gain.”
He placed his phone down on a rusted metal chair, and shoved a little window open. The act took all of his might to accomplish. Streams of light entered, making him blink and allowing them to finally see much more clearly. The sweet air began to filter in, too, blending with the stagnant stench of animals long gone.
“I hadn’t been here for weeks.” He walked into some of the stalls, looking about. He spotted a bucket in one, and a timeworn dandy brush and white rubber boots covered in dried mud in another.
“I am not a big animal lover or anything, but I like horses, Aries. They’re such majestic animals. I wonder if Benjamin ever rode them?”
“Who cares what the hell he rode? He certainly didn’t ride the bus of care and compassion for others, now did he? If so, it must’ve gone over a cliff. Come on, let’s make this fast. It kinda stinks in here so let’s just look around and be on our way. Hopefully, this is the last visit for me here.”
He could hear the woman sucking her teeth, but didn’t dare look in her direction. He exited one stall and checked out another, then another. And then, something caught his eye.
A folded piece of paper set on a wooden stool alongside two horse shoes. He paused. His heart began to beat fast. He grabbed the paper, unfolded it, and put the light from his cellphone upon it.
Shit.
“Lauren!” he called out.
“What?”
“Come ’ere! I found something. It’s written by my father.”
He recognized the handwriting immediately. On the bottom of the page was some Japanese writing. Lauren was soon beside him. He handed her the letter, his phone light still illuminating the words. She visibly swallowed, then read the first few lines aloud…
“This letter is written by Benjamin Creed. Aries Creed, my son, has inherited my properties and I am hopeful that as he goes to each of them, he is given or discovers each location’s letters. I have written this statement at the top of each individual letter. This letter is for the eyes of Aries Creed, his mother, and his son once he is of legal age, only.”
She attempted to hand it back, but he shoved her hand away.
“He doesn’t get to dictate anything to me. He wants to once again do his dirt in the dark. Nope. There should be witnesses to his bullshit. I’m shinning’ the light on him. I want you to see this, Lauren. You’re my lady, but you were his friend, and you need