Read Online Out to Lunch by Stacey Ballis - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Stacey Ballis
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cetera. Plus the extra donation for the university. Probably one fifteen to one twenty-five all in.”
One hundred twenty-five THOUSAND DOLLARS??? Hell. To. The. No. I try to keep my face impassive. “Well, Wayne, I think we want to be very careful. After all, that is a lot of money and the piece will live forever. And I never knew Aimee to want big public acknowledgment of her generosity like that, that’s probably why the small plaque. But why don’t you have this guy send you a drawing and some specs so that we know what we are really dealing with, and then we can make a final decision.”
This will at least put it off a bit. And since Wayne has the attention span of a deranged hummingbird with ADHD, he might forget entirely.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea! Don’t want to do something that doesn’t do her justice. I’ll talk to the artist tomorrow.”
“Great. How are you doing otherwise?”
“I’m okay. My guys have been really good; they check in on me all the time, stop by so I’m not alone. And Aimee’s brothers have been pretty great about calling and stuff. But the house feels really empty. I mean, I was used to being there alone a lot, because of the crazy hours you guys worked, but it’s just different now that I know she’s not coming home . . .” His voice catches a little. “But I’m hanging in. Day by day, you know. You betcha.”
“Good.”
“The accountants said that Aimee told them I could sell the house if I was too haunted by her memory or something, as long as the sale covers whatever I buy to replace it. But I dunno, if I move someplace she never was, then it’s like I won’t feel her there, and I like feeling her there.”
I can’t imagine Aimee’s house with someone else living in it. It’s hard enough to imagine it with just Wayne. Aimee built it from the ground up, every detail was hers; no one else could ever fully appreciate the things she agonized over. Another of the places we diverged, I wanted old history and quirky and patina. Aimee liked shiny and new, ultramodern and sleek and flawless. I wanted to stay in Logan Square, quiet and off the beaten path, and she wanted Lincoln Park.
“You shouldn’t really make any big decisions about anything for a while. I think it must be like AA, you know, they tell you not to make any big life decisions or start any new relationships or anything until you’ve been sober a year, you know? You just need to take your time and figure out what life looks like for you now that Aimee is gone.” This is actually a good tactic, maybe I can convince him that he should spend this next year grieving and not doing much, and he will mostly stay out of my hair and then I can hand him back to the lawyers and they can babysit.
“Yeah. You’re probably right.”
We finish our burgers, and Wayne heads for the bathroom. I wave for the check when a voice at my elbow startles me. “Well, hello there.”
I look up. Lawyer Brian of the Chin. Looking casual in dark jeans and a Chicago Bears logo thermal shirt under a worn brown leather jacket. Five-o’clock shadow on his chiseled mug. Yowza.
“Hi, Brian, how are you? What are you doing here?”
“I’m well, I was having a quick bite with a buddy, but his kid has the flu, so he just left, and I saw you here.”
“Small world. I’m having dinner with Wayne.”
“How is that for you?” A smile plays around the corner of his mouth.
“Awkward. But okay.”
Brian winks at me. Or he has something in his eye. Hard to tell. “Well, good,” he says, still smiling.
“And how are you?” This man sort of makes me generically stupid.
“I’m pretty good. Things at work are cranking along. Everyone gearing up for the impending holiday season.”
“I would think that your business would be slower around the holidays?”
“It is, but as a result these last weeks before the holidays are a little insane. But you must love this time of year!”
“Why is that?”
“Well, I assume
One hundred twenty-five THOUSAND DOLLARS??? Hell. To. The. No. I try to keep my face impassive. “Well, Wayne, I think we want to be very careful. After all, that is a lot of money and the piece will live forever. And I never knew Aimee to want big public acknowledgment of her generosity like that, that’s probably why the small plaque. But why don’t you have this guy send you a drawing and some specs so that we know what we are really dealing with, and then we can make a final decision.”
This will at least put it off a bit. And since Wayne has the attention span of a deranged hummingbird with ADHD, he might forget entirely.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea! Don’t want to do something that doesn’t do her justice. I’ll talk to the artist tomorrow.”
“Great. How are you doing otherwise?”
“I’m okay. My guys have been really good; they check in on me all the time, stop by so I’m not alone. And Aimee’s brothers have been pretty great about calling and stuff. But the house feels really empty. I mean, I was used to being there alone a lot, because of the crazy hours you guys worked, but it’s just different now that I know she’s not coming home . . .” His voice catches a little. “But I’m hanging in. Day by day, you know. You betcha.”
“Good.”
“The accountants said that Aimee told them I could sell the house if I was too haunted by her memory or something, as long as the sale covers whatever I buy to replace it. But I dunno, if I move someplace she never was, then it’s like I won’t feel her there, and I like feeling her there.”
I can’t imagine Aimee’s house with someone else living in it. It’s hard enough to imagine it with just Wayne. Aimee built it from the ground up, every detail was hers; no one else could ever fully appreciate the things she agonized over. Another of the places we diverged, I wanted old history and quirky and patina. Aimee liked shiny and new, ultramodern and sleek and flawless. I wanted to stay in Logan Square, quiet and off the beaten path, and she wanted Lincoln Park.
“You shouldn’t really make any big decisions about anything for a while. I think it must be like AA, you know, they tell you not to make any big life decisions or start any new relationships or anything until you’ve been sober a year, you know? You just need to take your time and figure out what life looks like for you now that Aimee is gone.” This is actually a good tactic, maybe I can convince him that he should spend this next year grieving and not doing much, and he will mostly stay out of my hair and then I can hand him back to the lawyers and they can babysit.
“Yeah. You’re probably right.”
We finish our burgers, and Wayne heads for the bathroom. I wave for the check when a voice at my elbow startles me. “Well, hello there.”
I look up. Lawyer Brian of the Chin. Looking casual in dark jeans and a Chicago Bears logo thermal shirt under a worn brown leather jacket. Five-o’clock shadow on his chiseled mug. Yowza.
“Hi, Brian, how are you? What are you doing here?”
“I’m well, I was having a quick bite with a buddy, but his kid has the flu, so he just left, and I saw you here.”
“Small world. I’m having dinner with Wayne.”
“How is that for you?” A smile plays around the corner of his mouth.
“Awkward. But okay.”
Brian winks at me. Or he has something in his eye. Hard to tell. “Well, good,” he says, still smiling.
“And how are you?” This man sort of makes me generically stupid.
“I’m pretty good. Things at work are cranking along. Everyone gearing up for the impending holiday season.”
“I would think that your business would be slower around the holidays?”
“It is, but as a result these last weeks before the holidays are a little insane. But you must love this time of year!”
“Why is that?”
“Well, I assume
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