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"Ah yes, Ava. You've got yourself one amazing daughter, James."
The gardener smiled heartily and at that moment it didn’t feel like a conversation between boss and employee, just two old friends reminiscing on some good ol’ days. They strolled along the garden, matching each other's slow and relaxed pace.
"You are lucky, my friend," Elijah's voice took on a sad note. "I wish Benjamin was more like her. I really do…"
"Why’s that, sir? He's such a fine young man."
Elijah puffed his cheeks and waved his hand over his face.
"Oh, please James. Don’t lie to a dying man.”
"He is a very good businessman," James pressed on, determined to show Benjamin in a good light.
Elijah stood still and once again felt the flowers against his fingers. His eyebrows arched as he pursed his lips. He didn't look over at James, almost as if he was ashamed.
“If that alone would make life worth living, I wouldn’t be so worried about him.” He turned to James; his eyes narrowed.
"Ava dedicates her life to helping those in need. That's inspiring. My grandson..." he scoffed, "all Benjamin does is find a new model girlfriend each month, and they're all just as shallow as he is. He doesn’t think about what really matters in life. I'm not sure he even knows how."
“Have you tried speaking to him, sir?” James asked. It was clear this problem was foreign to him.
“You don’t have to keep calling me sir, James. I’ve known you for what, thirty years?”
“Forty,” James nodded.
Rousing applause came from the direction of the event, Elijah’s gaze soon shifted away. His mind was heavy and now, more than ever, he could see his time running out—to save his grandson, not his own life.
“I can’t even blame the boy. It is not his fault. It’s mine. His father left too soon, and I didn’t spend enough time with him, Ben. The company demanded all from me, left so little for the ones I loved.”
He was so deep in his thoughts, he was startled as soon as he felt James’s hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t be too harsh on yourself or the boy. We all make mistakes. But it is never too late to correct them. In the end, family is all we got.”
Elijah nodded and narrowed his eyes. “Having so much money can be a curse.”
James thought about that for a moment and then agreed. “You’re right. And so is having too little.” he said.
Elijah stared at the flowers in front of him again, well aware of the meaning of James’s words.
“The boy will find his way.” James smiled faintly. “My Ava wouldn’t have fallen for just any boy.”
Elijah’s brows rose high.
“Ava is in love with Benjamin?”
James laughed. “Not now. But she used to be. All the way up until high school. Sad love songs would play over and over again loudly out of her room every time they had a fight, which was every time they met.”
Elijah grinned wide. “I had no idea.”
“It was a long time ago. Please don’t tell her I spilled her secret. She would never forgive me. As I said, it was a long time ago. Well, Sir, I am terribly sorry, but I have to go.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you, James.”
James leaned over to grab his gardening hat and put it back on.
“You will figure it out. You always do. And I have no doubt that Benjamin will turn out just fine. Sometimes all we humans need to get back on track is a double scoop of love.”
With that, James grabbed his garden scissors off the ground and left.
Elijah’s eyes followed James until he disappeared into the darkness. He wanted to go back to the party, have a drink and enjoy himself for the last time in his life, but instead he had more important matters to take care of.
He pulled his cell out of his jacket and dialed Walter’s number. His original plans to tie his fortune into a trust fund for Ben were not enough. A drop of water in the ocean. He had to do more, a lot more, give it all he had.
“Love, huh?” he mumbled to himself as he listened to his phone connect the call. Walter picked up immediately.
“Walter, it’s me, Elijah. Hey, listen, I am sorry to bother you so late but there is a very urgent matter that needs the best lawyer in town, and this cannot wait…”
