MR DELAIR

MR DELAIR 1

"The song is ended but the melody lingers on...
–Irving Berlin

"Are you crazy? It's too risky and just because one of your friends needs money for some harebrained scheme doesn't mean you are the bank, Max."

"Zaheer, don't be like that. You took a chance on me when no one else would." "I remember how it feels to know that you have a great idea, and no one else believes in it." "You took a chance on me, and I always said that if I had the money one day, I will help people and now thanks to you I do have money, so please as my broker I'm telling that I would like to invest in a restaurant which just happens to be my friends"

Zaheer Delair shook his head and rubbed his scar. He always did that when he was starting to feel agitated. Max Richards had been his first ever investment, a fledgling IT company that no one was interested in. Zaheer had taken a chance and it had paid off big time, and anyway, Max was right. If you had the money and you could help, then you should.

"Okay, fine, but this is going to be done properly, no handshake and I'll give you my word story." "we are going to have contract and lawyers and it will be done through the proper channels" Zaheer fixed Max with a steely stare and Max nodded enthusiastically. He would call his friend right away and tell him what Zaheer said.

Max smiled at Zaheer and it was a smile of a child who had gotten his way. Zaheer smiled back and shook his head. Max was exactly like a child. Almost zero social skills but the brain of a genius. Zaheer wouldn't even pretend to understand what he did, but whatever app he created, they would always be guaranteed to make a lot of money off of it. Zaheer wasn't complaining about that. It was simply that Max was too trusting. He was always just giving people money. Then they would disappear and Max would simply shake it off.

As an investor, it drove Zaheer crazy. He was not averse to borrowing people money and he certainly had no issues spending it, but it had to be done responsibly. For Max, it just took one sob story and he was pulling out his checkbook.

Sometimes Zaheer felt like a parent to a child, but Max wasn't a child. He was 42 years old and a friend like no other. When Juwayriya had died, Max had taken care of everything. For once Zaheer had been the child and Max the parent. Max had come to see him every single day for almost a year. He had made sure that Zaheer ate, that he bathed and tried his hardest to save Zaheer from a crippling depression. At that point in his life Zaheer would have gladly just laid down and waited for death, but Max had been his saving angel. Zaheer had been spiraling into a dark abyss and it had been Max's hands that had pulled him out.

And now here they say almost 7 years later. it sounded juvenile to say that Max was his best friend, but that was the truth. Max had been there when no one else had. And now here was again, wanting to invest in some sob story. This time it was a fusion restaurant. Max's "friend" and Zaheer cringed at that word. You seem to have a lot of friends when you have money. Max's friend Peter was going to open a restaurant and he needed backing.

Max returned with a smile on his face. "Peter said that's ok. he knows this is a loan and he will pay it back and guess what, he already has a lawyer, some lady with a funny name."

"Peter said that she would call your office and make an appointment for tomorrow."

Zaheer nodded his head. "No problem, Max. We will sort this out tomorrow and please don't do anything like this again, not without seeing me first. If you continue like this, you might just end up a pauper at 50."

Max laughed at him." Zaheer you will never let that happen to me, you are my brother and I love you. I'll see you tomorrow, text me the time of the meeting, ok?".