The Windfall (2 page)

I looked at him in surprise before bursting out in laughter. “F-bomb? Really? Come on, what the hell is that?”

A hurt look on his face, Felix kicked at the ground with his beat up sneakers. “It’s my street name, ya know? Like my persona in the clique. We all got ‘em.”

“And you couldn’t have picked a better one?” I asked, arching a brow.

Felix shook his head and pushed his hair out of his face, a glint in his eye. “F-bomb is the shit. It makes me sound cool, ya know? I need the street name to stay relevant.”

“You need the name Felix to find a job,” I countered, thinking of how long it had been since Felix had held down a decent job. He’d fallen into the trap of easy money, thinking that messing around in the street was the way to go. If he continued on the path he was traveling, I was afraid Felix would never see his thirtieth birthday.

“F-bomb,” he reminded me, cracking his knuckles. “Besides, dude, I make more G’s than you could dream of. I don’t know why you want to work when you could be rolling in the dough. Think of all the meds you could buy for your mom then.”

I shook my head, wishing that he wasn’t so stupid sometimes. “It’s gonna get you killed, dude, or in some serious trouble. What would happen to your brothers and sisters if you got thrown in jail or killed over some stupid shit?”

A light flickered in his eyes before he batted it away, shrugging his shoulders. Felix’s mom had died a few years before from cancer, and he had been given the hard duty to raise his four brothers and sisters who were currently scattered around town with family members. Felix was still a good guy, just living a dangerous, worthless life because he thought it was cool at the moment.

Not wanting to fight with him any longer, I resumed my trek to the store, pausing before we reached the front door. “Remember, keep your hands to yourself unless you have money and plan to pay for it.”

“Ya ain’t gotta worry about me,” Felix replied, holding up his hands. “I’m just along for the ride.”

“That’s what I am afraid of,” I muttered, pulling open the door. Inside, the place was packed, more so than usual. The cashier behind the counter, Sarah, who I knew from the neighborhood, looking a bit frazzled as she took on customer after customer. Apparently the lottery was at an astronomical amount, the drawing in less than an hour. The poor souls in line were shouting for tickets and I just shook my head, fingering the small amount of money I had brought with me. Money was too precious to waste on a lottery ticket that wasn’t going to pay out in the end. Didn’t these people know their odds of getting hit by a car were better than actually winning the lottery?

Above the drink cases, a TV blared as the reporter on-screen excitedly told the listening public about the three billion dollar drawing, showing the lines forming outside corner marts, gas stations, and grocery stores to get the last remaining tickets before the numbers would be drawn. It had been the longest drought of no-hitters in lottery history, which had worked everyone up into a frenzy that today might be their day.

“Dude,” Felix was saying as I walked past the line at the cash register to the aisle where the coffee was located. “Could you imagine hitting that kind of change? Fuck.”

“No,” I said, grabbing the coffee and tucking it under my arm, careful to keep my face averted from the manager’s office, where he sat glued to the TV as well. One glance and I wouldn’t be walking out with any coffee tonight. “It’s ridiculous to even think about it.” The lotto was a guessing game, a one in a lifetime hit. Sure there had been people who had hit it numerous times, but I could only imagine how much money they had sunk into their chances before actually making it. “Come on, we’ve got to get in line.”

Felix shuffled in beside me as we made our way to the line, already four deep as Sarah tried to get the tickets printed quickly. It seemed that I was the only one actually buying something other than a ticket.

“Hey, what numbers are you going to choose?”

I turned around to see an older gentleman, his fist full of one dollar bills, looking at me expectantly. “Excuse me?”

“You know, for the lotto, the Sizzler Jackpot,” he explained, giving me a grin. “Surely a strapping boy like you is going to try to hit it big. I’ve been playing the same numbers for years, and I can just feel my luck turning tonight.”

“I’m not playing,” I replied evenly, unsure what all the fuss was about. The old man’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “Why the hell not, son? Everyone has the same chance. Why not at least try to get out of this dump of a neighborhood?”

“I’m not wasting my hard-earned money on a one-in-a-billion chance,” I said, thinking I was the only one who hadn’t caught the craze. What were these people giving up by playing the addictive game anyway? Who was going hungry or without electricity tonight? “What happened to making your own way?”

The older man cackled with laughter, wiping his eyes with his hands. “Making your own way? Son, that doesn’t exist anymore, not even for old geezers like me. Why work your ass off only to get it handed to you in the end? Take my advice and find an easy way out. You will be happier in the end.”

“Amen,” Felix added, giving the man a high five. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him.”

I rolled my eyes and moved up in the line, watching as Sarah immediately hit the lottery machine buttons in rapid succession, punching out a ticket before handing it to me with a harried look on her face. “Here, before you even ask.”

“I don’t want that,” I said automatically, putting the coffee on the counter in front of her. “I only came in for this.”

“You shouldn’t be here at all,” she hissed, her eyes straying to the office where the manager sat. “You were banned from the store, remember? If he finds you in here, he will call the cops and then you will be in a world of trouble. You and that idiot next to you.”

I looked over at Felix and he held his hands up, walking away from the counter to the door. “I understand, but I needed coffee for Mom and you are the closest store. Just ring me up, Sarah. That’s all I’m asking.”

“Hey, what’s the holdup?” the old man asked behind me, invading any personal space I would have had otherwise. “Come on, buddy, time’s a ticking. I’m ready to win!” The line cheered behind him as I turned back to Sarah, pointing to the coffee. “Just please ring me up so I can go.”

“You got to take the ticket as well,” she argued, shoving the piece of paper at me again. “I’ve already printed it, and I can’t take it back. You gotta buy it, Cooper.”

“I’ll take it if it means I can get one before the damn clock runs out!” the old man shouted, causing the manager to look up from the TV. “Get out of the way so we can get ours, sonny! Time’s a wasting, and we ain’t getting any younger back here.” Great. Not the in and out I was hoping for.

Extracting the entire wad of money I had brought with me, I threw it on the counter and grabbed both the coffee and the ticket, giving her a look of displeasure. “Fine. You just made me waste two bucks for nothing.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and looked to the next customer as I moved out of the way, shoving the piece of paper into my pocket angrily. She had just cost me lunch tomorrow. Now, I would have to make sure I packed an apple or something so I wouldn’t be hungry all day.

I stepped out of the store and found Felix lounging against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. “Dude, that was close. She nearly turned us in. Oh, and that old man, too. If he’d made any more racket, we would have been nailed to the wall by that manager.”

“Yeah,” I said, tucking the coffee under my arm once again. “I’ve got to get this back home before Mom goes to work. I’ll see ya later.”

“I’m out,” Felix said, flashing some weird sign with his fingers before walking away. I just shook my head, thinking of the money had I just been forced to waste as I made my way back to the apartment. I should have gone downtown instead of taking the easy way out. At least, I would be two bucks out on a bus ticket and not a worthless piece of paper. Most people would say it was just two bucks, but two bucks was the difference between the rent being paid and us being forced out on the street. It was the difference between lights or sitting in the dark. Eating or being hungry. Two bucks was the world when you were on a tight budget.

* * * * *

I made it back to the apartment building without incident and climbed the three flights of stairs, my stomach still churning about the lotto ticket. I hated the fact that I hadn’t pushed back and refused to take it, but my current issues with the manager had prevented me from making a big scene. I supposed two bucks was easier to afford than going to jail.

Pushing open the door, I heard my mom talking to someone in the other room, her voice happy as she chatted on. There was only one person who would make her that happy. Placing the coffee in the kitchen, I peeked around the corner to find her leaning up against the faded wallpapered wall, a smile on her face. “Oh, he just walked in! Let me put you on speakerphone so you can tell him as well.”

She pressed the button, and I grinned. “Hey, Aunt Sophie.”

“Hi, Cooper, my boy. You sound so old on the phone. I’m sure you have just shot up like a root.” My Aunt Sophie was my mother’s only sibling, five years younger and full of spunk. Instead of getting married straight out of school like my mom had, Aunt Sophie had gone on to college and gotten her degree in history before meeting a local business owner who had a fondness for historical antiquities. They had moved to California a few years ago, but she kept in touch with phone calls. “Anyway, I wanted to tell you that Bill and I just purchased the most gorgeous house in Malibu. We have the best view of the water. You wouldn’t believe it until you see it, and I dearly hope you will come see it soon.”

“Of course,” Mom replied, her voice perky, though her face divulged what she was really thinking. Unless Aunt Sophie was willing to fund us coming out to visit, there would be no extra funds to do something so extravagant right now or any time soon. And even if she did fund it, we couldn’t afford to take time off work. My stomach rolled as I immediately thought about the money I had blown. The precious extra dollars that could have been used to fund Mom’s medication or something else we needed, not a worthless piece of paper shoved in my jeans pocket. “We would love to see your house, Sophie. I am sure you are very proud of it.”

I elbowed Mom, looking over at the calendar where a birthday was written in for today. “You ready, Mom?” I asked, loud enough for my aunt to hear her. She nodded and I started, Mom joining in quickly. “Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Sophie! Happy birthday to you.”

“Aren’t ya’ll so sweet!” Aunt Sophie laughed, the sound of her happiness warming my heart. We couldn’t do much else, but we could still give happy birthday songs over the phone.

Chapter Two

Emma

“Ugh! I am going to be so late!” I gathered my things from the cabinet in the storage room and headed for the back door. “I’ll see you guys next week!” I shouted as I rushed through the employee entrance. I glanced over my shoulder as I made my way across the parking lot. Keefer’s Bar and Grille was situated adjacent to one of my favorite surfing spots and often times after work I’d grab my suit and board and catch a few waves before heading home. There was really no point in checking out the waves since I was already behind schedule, but it was a habit.

I hurried toward my car as fast as I could, dropping my apron in the backseat as I slid into the driver’s side and cranked it up. My shift at Keefer’s had ran over. Again. I actually couldn’t think of a time in my career at Keefer’s that I had gotten off of work on time. When it came to waiting tables, the odds of that happening were usually pretty slim.

Pulling out onto the highway, I slid my sunglasses on to shield my eyes from the bright sunshine. It was another perfect California day, so much so that I’d have much preferred slipping into my suit and going surfing instead of rushing to catch a flight traveling across country. But I knew my father was looking forward to going to Atlanta so he could visit his half-sister, Beth, courtesy of Beth’s daughter, Julia, who lived and worked for one of the major airlines in Los Angeles. Because of Julia, I was able to get two plane tickets for nearly nothing. Otherwise, there would have been no way we could have afforded the trip.

Thanks to Aunt Beth’s generosity, we weren’t going to have to pay for a place to stay either. She told us her home wasn’t in the greatest of neighborhoods, but there was plenty of room for us to stay and each have our own bed. While I hadn’t been around my Aunt Beth all that often growing up, Dad always said she was a good person even though they’d had a little bit of a falling out a few years prior. He didn’t talk about it much, so I was never really certain what caused it.

Personally, I felt a little odd staying with her, since I didn’t know her that well and she and Dad were still a little on the uncertain side in their relationship, but I couldn’t afford to turn down a free place to stay for the few days we were going to be there. Besides, my dad hadn’t been feeling so great in recent weeks, and I was hoping this trip was going to lift his spirits. Though we only had a few days, I had planned a couple of sights I wanted to see with him.

With a calming deep breath, I turned my car toward my father’s house, hoping he was already packed and ready to go. I had packed my suitcase the night before and loaded it in my car before heading to work. At which time I had also sent Dad a text to remind him he needed to be ready to go when I got off work. And another text during my lunch break to make sure he was, in fact, ready. We had precious little time to get to the airport an hour and a half before our flight.

Fortunately, he was waiting for me on the steps, walking with his suitcase in hand and a smile on his face to the car. “Hey, Emmabug.”

“Hey, Dad,” I replied as he climbed inside and shut the door, the endearing nickname always bringing a smile to my face. “Are you ready for our trip?”

“I was born ready,” he said, winking. “Let’s hit it.”

“Let’s hit it?” I grinned and threw the car in reverse, some of my concerns about his health melting away. ‘Where did you get that saying?” I asked.