Quinn
I could hear the annoying buzz of my cell phone ringing. It was off in the background, somewhere that wasn't within an arm's reach of me. Somewhere where I wasn't tempted to stop what I was doing and pick it up.
I thought that I might have heard it earlier, but the grinder was too loud for me to be sure. This time, with no equipment making noise, I could hear it loud and clear. The phone was charging over on a work bench, plugged into the only free outlet on the bench, but like before, I still didn't feel the need to answer it. If it was someone that really needed me, they would call the shop phone. And normally, it was the only line that ever rang.
Twenty, maybe thirty minutes later I could hear the ringing once again, a third time. I would have continued to let it do so, but I was in the middle of swapping acetylene tanks, and Bruce started barking. So, if I ever planned on answering it, now would be the time.
Like I had said, my cell phone rarely rang. Only my closet friends, my family, and a limited number of business clients had the number, so when it rang for the third time, I decided to pick it up.
"Hey." I said in a not so friendly voice when I answered. Even though I lived in an area that the caller referred to as the "Boonies", I did have caller I.D., and I recognized the name and number on the screen. It was my brother, my older brother, and he seldom called me, in fact it had been a couple of years, but I wasn't keeping track, because when he did call, he usually needed sometime.
Before you get the wrong idea, it's not for money. It's never about money.
My older brother Daniel lives in Connecticut and commutes into New York City three or four times a week. He also keeps a penthouse there because, "It's the only place in the world to make the big bucks, baby brother." Yeah, Daniel loved to point out how much he made, and by comparison, how little I did. So, the things that he generally needed, were things that he and his money couldn't buy, or as it turned out this time, it was for a thing that he wanted to rent. That thing was me.
"Robby. Baby brother, how are you kid?"
"I'm good Danny." He hated being called Danny more than I hated the name Robby.
"Great. Happy to hear it. You still stompin in shit and livin' in hillbilly heaven?" He had always loved throwing petty jabs my way.
"Yep."
"I told you buddy, come work for me. You'll never get dirty another day in your life. Bright lights. Big city. You get your ass to my penthouse downtown and you'll be rollin in it. I promise."
I wanted to tell him that I liked getting dirty. I've always been told that dirty hands equal clean money, and if that is actually the case, all of my brother's money is dirty, because his hands have never been anything but clean.
My brother Daniel had always been my parents Golden Child, and he had no idea what a hard day of work meant. My welding and fabrication business did very well. It paid for my property. A nice car. A nicer truck. A boat for my days off and a few other toys. I owed very little and what I did owe was just to keep a positive credit score. If things didn't work out, I had a fairly good nest egg to fall back on, but neither my brother or parents cared, nor did they want to know anything about it, so I answered the way he wanted me to.
"Maybe someday."
"You always say that. And you know you're not getting any younger little brother."
"I'm twenty-six. Remind me again how old you are." This was my shot at him, and I knew that it hurt.
"Oh, screw you." He is almost forty-one. Our parents had us some fourteen years apart. I was always told that I was a mistake. "I may be older, but I'm wiser and way more handsome."
"Says who?"
"Every single broad on Wall Street."
"Broad? Nice. I suppose that all your women like it when you call them that?" Daniel snorted out a laugh when I questioned the pet names he used for his women.
"Well, the last one certainly didn't." He assured me.
"Wonder why?"
"Okay. Enough shitting on me. You still living at the same old place?" I had a nasty feeling that he had done something wrong and was planning on staying with me so that he could hide out or until things cooled down. It had happened before, and it wasn't pretty.
"Maybe."
"Robby, stop pissing around. I mean the one on the lake. The big place on the water. Are you still there?"
"Yes, I still live at the same place. Where the hell did you think I planned on moving to?" Daniel had been to my house a few times, but he stayed away simply because he hated it. He hated the water. He hated the food, and he hated the people, and all because he hated being out of the "money" lifestyle of New York City.
"Perfect. Look baby brother, I need a favor." There it was, the big freakin surprise. Gift wrapped and delivered just like I knew it would be. I didn't say anything, I just waited in silence for him to continue. "You still there? Robby? Come on man, you know that I never ask unless I really need..."
"What is it?" Trying to sound as impatient as I could.
"See, that wasn't so hard. No need to be a prick about it." Daniel cleared his throat and changed his tone. He either wanted to be more, "big brothery" or he wanted to give me the "Wall St." sales pitch when he told me what he needed. "Look Rob, it's Quinn. She and Mary, well they had a falling out. A big one, and Quinn's sorta been staying with me for the past few months, and I hate to say it, but she really fucking hates me too. She won't go back to live with Mary, and she can't stay here. I know that summer's coming up and you get really busy, but can you do me a solid? Let her come down and hang out on that stupid porch swing you have. Maybe you can teach her to fish or something." He chuckled. Trying to break the ice and smooth things over and all I could think was that of all the things he remembered about my house, it was only the swing that he mentioned.
"Come on Danny, I can't babysit a ten-year-old all summer. I just don't have the time for that kinda bullshit. Sorry, I can't do it." I told in outright. No sense delaying the news
"She doesn't need babysitting, and she'll be nineteen in October. Rob, I need you on this one."
What? The last time I remember seeing my niece, she was in grade school with a face full of braces. Thinking back, the last time I saw Quinn, Daniel and Mary were still a couple. One big unhappy family.
"Nah, I don't think that it's a good idea. You'll have..."
"Listen to me Rob. I'll be screwed if you say no. Do this and I'll never ask you for another thing. My new girlfriend is threatening to leave me if I don't do something. I love this one. She's a keeper. And not only is she my girlfriend, she's also one of my biggest clients." Just like that, he proved once again how shitty of a person he was. "Look at your e-mail account. I just transferred fifty grand to you. Password is "Help". Do what you want with it, but for the love of god Robby, help me out."
I thought about it. He wanted to be rid of his only child so badly that he was willing or should I say desperate to pay for it. In my mind I knew it was wrong, but to hell with it, $50,000 was a lot of cash in my world.
How hard would or could it be to have my niece stay with me a while? My brother loved to brag about how much he had, and now he just proved it. Instead of relying on a family member to help him out, he was going to buy his way out of whatever mess he had on his hands. He was willing to get rid of his own daughter to keep a client / girlfriend happy. That was always the way with him, so I was going to accept his gift, but I kept him waiting.
"Send her down to Florida to see Jim and Carol. I'm sure that her grandparents would love to have her stay at their place. Mom and dad have that spare room."
