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“But—”
“No buts,” Sammy cut in. “No bullshit. I’ll explain later, when I’m sober. Okay?”
He picked up the duffel, looking a little alarmed at how heavy it was. For a moment I thought he might unzip it, and I might have to stop him. Instead, he shoved it back into my arms and turned to face his son.
“All my life you’ve never listened, never trusted a word I said,” his father said solemnly. “And I get that. I can’t blame you for it.”
His voice was all choked up, as if the weight of two long, lonely decades weighed heavily on his heart. He was looking into his son’s eyes now. Searching for a connection.
“But if we’re to have a relationship… I’m asking you to trust me now.”
Adrian’s broad shoulders went back a little. I saw his expression soften.
“Do you trust me?” Sammy asked solemnly. “I need to know.”
It seemed like time froze between them. I was afraid to move, afraid to do anything as each stared directly into the other’s eyes.
“Yes,” Adrian said finally. “I trust you.”
His father grabbed him hard, clapping his arms around him. Adrian hesitated, but only for a second. Then he was clasping his father back, enveloping the man in his two big arms.
“Thank you,” Sammy said, and his eyes were glassy now. He sniffed the air, then nodded back in the direction of the open gate. “Now come on, you’re just in time to give your old man a ride home. Much better than me calling a taxi.”
As we started walking again, I chuckled.
“No one calls taxis anymore,” I explained. “We call Ubers.”
“Ubers?” he grunted.
“Yeah.”
Sammy Mannix smiled drunkenly. “Fine, whatever you want to call them then,” he growled. “Your generation dropped the ball anyway,” he said, glancing up at the sky. “According to the cartoons I grew up with, we should all have flying cars by now.”
Fifty
KAYLA
“It’s gonna be tight,” Luke said, going over the figures. “Rent’s cheap per square foot, but it’s alotof square feet. And the taxes on that property are gonna be steep, even after we have them reassessed.”
We’d sat down all morning and figured it out; how to afford the move to the new place. First, the projector building at the old Starlight drive-in needed a major overhaul. Some of it the guys claimed we could do ourselves, but other parts like all new electric needed to be outsourced and signed off on by licensed tradesmen.
“The cost of moving itself is going to be a bitch,” said Warren. “Getting the lifts installed. Dragging every last shed, dumpster, and shipping container over there… not to mention all the trips it’ll take just to get the cars over there.”
“And the gas that goes with it,” Luke agreed.
Adrian stood as usual, leaning casually with his arms folded. He looked a little tense today. He and Warren both looked tired.
“You sure you’re kicking this much in?” asked Luke, circling a figure on the paper. Adrian nodded.
“It’s everything I have.”
“We know that bro,” said Warren, “but I’m not sure this business is worth kicking inthatmuch. Maybe just match what Kayla gave, and we’ll just call it—”
“No,” Adrian shook his head. “Look, I have more money than you guys because I never got the chance to spend it. I never had family, friends, a girlfriend, not on the regular anyway.” He frowned a little. “Hell, I never even had time to spend anything. I was always out to sea, or deep in the woods, or working double-shifts at the quarry. Saving it all up, I’m lucky enough to be able to help out. So if you want me as a partner…”
“Okay, okay,” Luke smiled. He looked down at the figure again and whistled low. “Thanks, then.”
I stared down at the numbers, wondering if there was anything I’d missed. I’d thrown in my own life’s savings as well, which were fairly substantial considering all the crazy — and expensive — hobbies there were back in California.
