Leaving New York

Chapter 15

I did the shopping at a supermarket, "Wild Foods." It was small but managed to have just about everything. Gar gave me two hundred Euros a week for groceries. On a Tuesday afternoon, a cab dropped me home about three o'clock with a load of groceries. I found Gar eating a leftover bowl of my famous chili.

"You're home early."

"I took the afternoon off--I was sick of it."

"I'm sorry."

"Here, let me help you." He grabbed a couple of bags then dumped them on the table. I gave him the receipt as usual.

"I guess you sometimes wonder where the dough comes from?"

"Sometimes."

"Chloe's stepfather, Morrell, was loaded when he married Ethel. Ethel made a small fortune with her detective series."

"Okay."

"When Ethel married Morrel, they bought this house. They also spent a ton traveling, collecting art, kept a big sailboat in Nice. Morell died about five years ago, leaving the remaining cash to Ethel. It was enough to keep her going, but she couldn't afford significant repairs, so the house started falling apart.

Chloe inherited the house with the remaining money. We live on what I make, about $110,000. We have a few splurges, but they are pretty modest compared to Chloe's childhood friends. I grew up a rich kid, but my dad left everything to charity. Nothing for me and Barry or Lion."

"I see."

"I'm stuck at a job I hate because it makes enough money so Chloe can stay in her precious house with all her maternal memories. It's like a mausoleum to me. You're so smart, Jack—can you talk some sense into her about selling?"

"Probably not."

"I'm ready to quit my job. I fantasize about taking a hatchet to work and splitting my asshole boss's head right down the middle."