to show me which house we were looking for.
“That’s him,” my dad said, pointing to a tall man wearing blue jeans and a tan Carhart work jacket walking from his drive toward his porch. He wasn’t hard to spot, being the only person outside in that cold. I swooped up to the curb on the wrong side of the street to a stop in front of his house. I got out while he was still working his house key in the lock.
“Jeremiah!” I called. I could see him checking who was behind him in the reflection of the door glass before turning halfway in my direction, keeping one hand on the door knob. I was still dressed in a suit, which might have made him think it was a lawyer or detective behind him.
“I know you?” he called over his shoulder.
“You knew my brother. Aiden Tanner. He was buying a motorcycle from you.”
“Yeah. OK,” he said. He let his hand fall from the knob and turned to face me square on. He stuffed his fists in his coat pockets. “Good thing he didn’t fuck my bike up. When I heard about the accident I was pissed.”
“You were worried about your bike?” I said.
“Hey, it’s a shame about Aiden, man. Fuck. You know? They just told me my bike had been in an accident. I had to get down there before they impounded it. I didn’t know about Aiden until I saw it in the paper.”
As much as I wanted to go off on him about caring about his bike more than about my brother, I realized that maybe the police wouldn’t tell someone who wasn’t related to Aiden what had happened. So I gave him the benefit of the doubt and put aside my disgust.
“Mind if I take a look at the bike?” I asked. The bike was nowhere to be seen, but most of those old houses had garages off the alley.
“Can’t. Sold it.”
“Sold it? Already?”
“Buddy of mine was on his way out west. Needed a steed. I didn’t want to keep it. Not after I found out Aiden had died on it. It’s cursed now, if you ask me. But my buddy didn’t mind. He took off yesterday.”
This whole time, my dad had stayed standing by the car. Now he stepped beside me.
“How much did you get for the bike?” he said to Jeremiah, whose impatience was manifest as he shifted his weight from leg to leg.
“That’s none of your business, friend.”
“It is too my business. If you got your money from my boy and you got all your money from your friend, you got paid twice, and you owe me what Aiden paid you.”
“I don’t owe you shit, old man.”
“I put my son in the ground today, you fuck. My heart—I can barely believe I’m standing here right now, talking to a fuck like you. It’s not bad enough I put my son in the ground, but you’re robbing him after he’s gone.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? I’m not robbing anyone. Fuck you. Get the fuck off my property.”
“Hang on. Hey!” I called to intercept Jeremiah from going inside. I was standing on the public sidewalk. I wasn’t going to march up his yard and give him an excuse to escalate things into a brawl. “Listen. If you got your money from your friend, then you got your money for your bike. And if Aiden wasn’t late on any payments, then the part of the bike he paid you for was his. You should have given my dad the chance to pay off the bike before you sold it. But you didn’t. So it’s only fair you refund part of the price. Aiden wasn’t behind, right?”
He stood staring at me, squinting as he might if he were tacking a spot weld without a face mask. Looking like a lawyer may have leant credibility to my case. “I’m not trying to cheat anyone,” he said. “But I can’t give you back all he paid me. I’ve got three hundred dollars inside. Take it, and leave me the fuck alone. I’m sorry for what happened to Aiden, but this ain’t my problem.”
I looked over at my dad. He gave a nod of agreement to Jeremiah, who went inside, leaving the door open. Either he didn’t mind his heat escaping outside, or the money wasn’t far from the door. Staring
“That’s him,” my dad said, pointing to a tall man wearing blue jeans and a tan Carhart work jacket walking from his drive toward his porch. He wasn’t hard to spot, being the only person outside in that cold. I swooped up to the curb on the wrong side of the street to a stop in front of his house. I got out while he was still working his house key in the lock.
“Jeremiah!” I called. I could see him checking who was behind him in the reflection of the door glass before turning halfway in my direction, keeping one hand on the door knob. I was still dressed in a suit, which might have made him think it was a lawyer or detective behind him.
“I know you?” he called over his shoulder.
“You knew my brother. Aiden Tanner. He was buying a motorcycle from you.”
“Yeah. OK,” he said. He let his hand fall from the knob and turned to face me square on. He stuffed his fists in his coat pockets. “Good thing he didn’t fuck my bike up. When I heard about the accident I was pissed.”
“You were worried about your bike?” I said.
“Hey, it’s a shame about Aiden, man. Fuck. You know? They just told me my bike had been in an accident. I had to get down there before they impounded it. I didn’t know about Aiden until I saw it in the paper.”
As much as I wanted to go off on him about caring about his bike more than about my brother, I realized that maybe the police wouldn’t tell someone who wasn’t related to Aiden what had happened. So I gave him the benefit of the doubt and put aside my disgust.
“Mind if I take a look at the bike?” I asked. The bike was nowhere to be seen, but most of those old houses had garages off the alley.
“Can’t. Sold it.”
“Sold it? Already?”
“Buddy of mine was on his way out west. Needed a steed. I didn’t want to keep it. Not after I found out Aiden had died on it. It’s cursed now, if you ask me. But my buddy didn’t mind. He took off yesterday.”
This whole time, my dad had stayed standing by the car. Now he stepped beside me.
“How much did you get for the bike?” he said to Jeremiah, whose impatience was manifest as he shifted his weight from leg to leg.
“That’s none of your business, friend.”
“It is too my business. If you got your money from my boy and you got all your money from your friend, you got paid twice, and you owe me what Aiden paid you.”
“I don’t owe you shit, old man.”
“I put my son in the ground today, you fuck. My heart—I can barely believe I’m standing here right now, talking to a fuck like you. It’s not bad enough I put my son in the ground, but you’re robbing him after he’s gone.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? I’m not robbing anyone. Fuck you. Get the fuck off my property.”
“Hang on. Hey!” I called to intercept Jeremiah from going inside. I was standing on the public sidewalk. I wasn’t going to march up his yard and give him an excuse to escalate things into a brawl. “Listen. If you got your money from your friend, then you got your money for your bike. And if Aiden wasn’t late on any payments, then the part of the bike he paid you for was his. You should have given my dad the chance to pay off the bike before you sold it. But you didn’t. So it’s only fair you refund part of the price. Aiden wasn’t behind, right?”
He stood staring at me, squinting as he might if he were tacking a spot weld without a face mask. Looking like a lawyer may have leant credibility to my case. “I’m not trying to cheat anyone,” he said. “But I can’t give you back all he paid me. I’ve got three hundred dollars inside. Take it, and leave me the fuck alone. I’m sorry for what happened to Aiden, but this ain’t my problem.”
I looked over at my dad. He gave a nod of agreement to Jeremiah, who went inside, leaving the door open. Either he didn’t mind his heat escaping outside, or the money wasn’t far from the door. Staring
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