by Denise Daye
The same ringtone echoes over the heads of the gala once more. A second wave of chatter broke out. Elijah found Ben’s gaze. It was only for a brief moment as Ben rose and rushed out with his phone, but even that second was enough to show the whole room how disappointed Elijah Radcliff was in his self-centered grandson.
“So, to cut things short,” Elijah shouted to get control over the gossiping crowd again. “I, Elijah Radcliff, will donate $500,000,000 dollars myself. Thank you and enjoy the party.”
If he didn’t have people’s attention a moment ago, he had it now. Shockwaves exploded as people broke out into wild discussions about the generous amount. Elijah’s gaze found Lucy’s, whose eyes and mouth were as wide open as the endless ocean. Her hand clutched at her neck; she looked paralyzed.
Good, Elijah thought to himself as he walked off the stage. Benjamin came running up to him. “Grandfather, I am so sorry. I know I should have left the phone outside but –”
“I need to be alone,” Elijah mumbled, cutting him off. Without another word, he exited the hall from the back door. The sound of the thrilled voices faded as he walked out of the building into the cool night air.
He felt a cloud of somberness hover around him. His speech was meant to be longer than that. He’d planned to make a joke how they will still be billionaires and wanted to call on Benjamin at some point and officially announce that he would be taking over his company. Then he had planned to mingle with the guests, have a drink, maybe a dance, have some fun for the last time in his life. But right now all he wanted was to be alone.
Elijah held his jacket over his arm as he strode through his estate’s rose garden, mercifully free from the crowds inside. Stretching out his hand, he let his fingers run through the moist leaves and brushes. They understood him, these leaves and flowers.
He continued his slow stroll through the garden, holding on to the little comfort he had left, when he spotted James Burns, his gardener, walking in his direction.
"A nice night for a walk, sir," James said through a smile.
A friendly, honest face was very much welcome at this moment. James was someone he'd known for years - more than forty. He'd never known anyone else with so much simplicity, who was truly satisfied with the little he had.
"Yes indeed," Elijah responded.
They were about the same age, although the strain of hard work was visible on James’s face and the wrinkles and cracks on his hands. His hair was grey and balding. The years of working the gardens and being in the hot sun showed on his skin. This is a man who's been through a lot, Elijah noted.
"You're really doing a great job with these flowers, the garden looks superb," he complimented him.
"It's my job and I enjoy it." James beamed, his weathered eyes and skin brightened.
Elijah accepted that with a nod and sighed.
"Are you not feeling well again, sir?" James asked, looking at his boss who stared at the flowers in front of them.
Elijah spoke calmly, "James, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
He smiled and turned to look at his gardener. "How do you do it... stay so happy, even despite, you know... The obvious lack of wealth?”
James smiled. "There's no big secret, sir. You just realize the things you have and focus on them; hold them dear. In my case, I may not have a lot in my bank account, but I have my Ava, and that makes me a lucky man."
"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…”
B
enjamin watched the people mutter and whisper amongst themselves, all dressed in black. Some cast somber glances his way, probably wondering how the grieving grandson was doing.
Elijah’s wake was held in the gardens, just as h
is grandfather had wanted it. He saw a few people wearing sunglasses and wondered why the hell they would do that on a cloudy day. It was about to rain…damn it! The clouds were dark and thick, signs of the coming precipitation; the sun was nowhere in sight.
Over and over again, some old guy he'd never met would come and shake his hand and pat his back, muttering some words of consolation like, "Your grandfather was a great man!" or, "I know how hard this is." He'd nod and smile, but that was it... they had no idea how hard it was; how shocked he'd been when he heard his grandfather had passed on. It had been an unexpected jolt to reality.
He watched from a distance as the crowd slowly dispersed, the mass of black moving on in various directions. The burial had been sad and tiresome. Watching some people laugh loudly and drink as if this was a nightclub made him wish it could all be over. It nearly was.
"I think the wake is over, Mom," he'd said to his mother as he heard a few couples burst out into laughter over a joke someone had made.
"Over? Now? You have to wait, Benjamin. These people are here for your grandfather."
"No, they are not," he'd raised his voice. Lucy threw him a sharp look before heading off to talk to some of his grandfather's so-called friends, the very group that had just laughed out loud.
For the first time Ben wondered if his grandfather actually had any real friends. Did he ever feel lonely?
An hour later, his mother was still moving from one person to the other, greeting and accepting condolences with practiced social grace. His mother would occasionally look up from her conversation, then glance his way.
Benjamin watched it all and felt a sour taste in his mouth. These people didn’t care about his grandfather. Half of them were his mother’s friends and had not known Elijah well. Was this his funeral or hers?
Finally, the first drop of rain hit his nose.
Thank you, God, he thought. The rain soon started to drizzle, cold drops falling on his hand and face, and lips. The air was cold, and the sky was dark and clearly filled with rain. People started to slowly disappear at first, but that speed picked up once the rain did as well.
"Thank you, God,” he mumbled out loud as he watched the people bolting to their cars. Ben himself did not move an inch, embraced the fresh drops that distracted him from his pain.
"I remember how much I just wanted it to be over when my mom passed away," he heard a voice from behind him. He turned. It was Ava. Dressed in black, no sunglasses.
"I forgot about that. Your mom passed not too long ago, didn’t she?"
Ava nodded. "You never really know how much it really hurts until it does.”
Now it was Benjamin’s turn to nod.
“How are you holding up?" she asked.
“Good enough, I guess.”
“Well, I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but it will get better. Avoid isolating at home, if you can; that helps things return to normal. I can’t count the times I went to the museum or aquarium.”
“The museum?” Ben now looked at her in surprise.
“Yeah. My father and I just sat there, in deep thoughts. But it somehow made us feel less lonely having all those people around, even if they were strangers.”
Ben thought about it. It almost made sense. “I might try that, thank you.”
They both now stood there in silence as the rain was hammering down on them. At first it was comforting that someone was here with him but then turned a little awkward as the moment itself was so intimate. He’s known Ava for years, but he had never exchanged more than a few words with her.
She seemed to be reading his mind and she cleared her throat.
“Well, I better go. My dad is probably already looking for me.”
“Yes, of course. Thanks for the tip and for coming.”
“No problem. Really. See you around.”
Ben nodded as he watched Ava disappear behind the main house. They hadn't really gotten along since childhood; as a matter of fact, he had disliked her when they were young. It had been obvious that Elijah thought Ben should be more like Ava. All those years of comparisons his late grandfather had meted out at him. He never said anything out loud, but he never had to; his eyes did it for him.
"Can't you be well-behaved and focused like Ava," they’d said whenever he got in trouble again. It felt weird how much her words had actually comforted him—especially considering they came from Ava Burns.
Benjamin turned to his left and then the right to search for his mother who he finally spotted through a window inside the house. She had already escaped the rain with a few friends and was sharing another glass of wine with them in the living room.
“The museum, huh?” he mumbled to himself as the rain drenched every inch of him. He searched for his car keys in his pocket and walked over to his car.
“I must be crazy…”
But just as he was about to open the door and get in, he heard his name.
“Benjamin,” Walter called out, waving his hand as he walked briskly over to the car.
For some reason seeing the man made him feel sad again, remembering those days when his grandfather would have long meetings with him in the study while Benjamin was hiding underneath his table. Of course, his grandfather knew he was there, but he always pretended not to.
“Leaving already?” Walter asked.
Before Benjamin could say anything, the lawyer cut in.
“Do you have a moment? We have a serious matter to discuss.”
Benjamin frowned. “Can’t it wait? I mean, I was on my way to the… never mind. Is it that urgent?”
Walter nodded.
“I am really sorry,” he said with a deep sigh, his shoulders heaving, his face drawn into sadness. “I will miss your grandfather too. But it’s out of respect for him that we need to organize an appointment immediately, just as he had wished.”
Ben drew his brows tightly together and closed the door of his car. “An appointment? What for?”
“The reading of your grandfather’s will.”
A loud thunderclap coincided with those words. Grandpa’s will. He felt his heart thump fast. His grandfather was truly gone – granted, the funeral had been a big indication of that; but somehow he’d thought it’d all turn out to be a nightmare he’d eventually wake up from. But now his inheritance was about to be officially handed to him. It came with a mixed feeling of elation and sadness, but he tried not to dwell on the elation part.
There was also that slight fear creeping into his mind; fear of not being able to live up to his grandfather’s standards. It clawed at the inner reaches of his mind, so he did what he mostly did in situations like that, ignored it.
“Benjamin…” Walter said as his face softened.
“Yes… I’m sorry. Any time works for me.”
“Alright, tomorrow then. Get some rest. Make sure your mother is available. We need everyone present.”
Benjamin blinked. “Everyone? You mean my mother and I?”
Walter gave a half nod and then patted his arm. “See you tomorrow.”
Benjamin got back into the car and shut the door, feeling the rich leather give slightly under his weight. He took off his soaking wet coat and tossed it in the back, heedless of damaging the interior, his eyes on the windshield. Everything seemed blurry from inside the car. Staring through the rain pattering on the glass, it felt like he was staring through a portal into another world where gloom and sadness reigned supreme. He started the car.
“Museum,” he smiled faintly. It was weird… just like Ava. But what else would he do? His so-called friends would just want to try to convince him to go clubbing and the other option would be watching his mother and her obnoxious friends get drunk. He wanted to be alone but not lonely, if that even made sense.
It did to Ava Burns. So, the museum it was.
There was an eerie feel to the atmosphere inside his grandfather’s study the following day. When Benjamin walked in, he had to s
top at the door for a moment to take in a slow, deep breath. It almost felt like when he opened that door, he may see his grandfather sitting at his chair by the window, book in hand. Of course, Elijah wasn’t there, and never would be again.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” he apologized and took a seat beside his mother, avoiding her gaze.
Walter, sitting behind his grandfather’s desk, had his glasses perched on his nose, his lips pursed in all seriousness as he nodded slowly.
“That’s alright. We are still waiting anyways.” Ben and Lucy exchanged confused looks.
“Aren’t we all here?” he glanced at his mother, not sure who to direct his question to. Almost immediately, somebody knocked on the door. Benjamin couldn’t have jerked his head any faster to watch the door open. Neither could his face have contorted any harder when he saw who walked in. His mother let out a loud cry, almost as if she was the next to depart this world forever.
Walter on the other hand was sitting calmly behind his grandfather’s desk, as if he had expected nothing less. But then… maybe things were not as they seemed. Maybe it was all a big, enormous, gigantic misunderstanding. It had to be. It just had to…
Ava had been getting ready to leave for the shelter when her father called her into the living room. She’d rushed there hastily, replaying his voice over again in her head to see if she’d missed any sign of distress. Ever since Elijah Radcliff’s funeral she’d felt more scared for her father. If death could claim a previously healthy-looking man in a matter of weeks, then… she was too terrified to even complete the thought.
“Dad?” she called out for him. “Are you feeling alright?” She let out a sigh of relief when she found him with his normal smile sitting in his TV chair. The news was running in the background, muted.
“I’m alright, my dear.”
“Are you sure?” she pressed.
“Stop fussing over me, young woman,” he said almost cheerfully. “I said I’m fine.”
“What do you need then? I have to go to work soon.”