A Penny's Worth Of Diamonds.

A Penny for your Thoughts?

Music video: Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey.

This chapter contains the loss of a life.

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They'd taken me to see him. They said they needed someone to identify the body. So I stood there while they waited for me to breathe the words.

It's him.

But it wasn't him.

This body in the photo was cold, devoid of life and it had multiple bullet holes where his brain should be. This person was dead. Marcos was not. But the resemblance was uncanny. He had the same unique pear green eyes with lime coloured streaks that were at such odds with his darkly tanned skin. He'd gotten so convinced he was Brazilian after watching the world cup held in Brazil. Dakota, the grief counsellor, waited patiently for me to go over the image with her cup of black coffee in her hands, no doubt to warm her up.

He hated coffee. Especially coffee without milk. He said it was the worst thing he had ever tasted.

"I consider myself a hot chocolate kind of guy" he had said with a wink and that awkward grin. The left corner of his bottom lip dropped slightly lower over his teeth when he smiled too hard.

My tears spilled down my cheeks silently. It couldn't be him. These eyes were petrified. Marcos's eyes were never petrified. They were fearful that one time I forced him to take the plunge and bungee jump. His eyes opened wide at the sight of the drop and I could see the entire green circle. He was scared then but not petrified.

Yet still I nodded. It was him.

Dakota put a hand over mine when I put the photo down on the table. My eyes moved from her slight tan and up to her weary face. Her years of being pushed in front of grief had taken their toll on her yet she looked at me with genuine amber eyes. Her furrowed blonde brows betrayed the dark caramel brown dye coating her hair.

This morning, like the ray of sunshine he was, he joined me on my tiny single bed, pinning my front to the cold cement wall.

"God, what is it Marcos?" I asked, barely awake. It was my one day off this week and I had fully planned on sleeping in till 9am before I put the finishing touches on my latest order for a knit cardigan.

"I'm heading over to Charlie's" He said. He tucked his palms underneath his head. His arms being the length they were, his elbows rested on my face in an uncomfortable angle.

"You've got the job again? How much is he paying you?" I asked, turning around in the cramped space so his elbow slid across my face and touched the cold cement wall then placed one of my legs over his warranting a chuckle from him. He got the message and used his elbow to prop his head up while he lay on his side. His face only a couple of inches from mine.

"Just a bit more than before. I told him I needed to buy a suit for my date tonight".

My eyes were still half closed from not being quite awake yet but I could see he was waiting for me to say something. I nodded once with a smile knowing what I was going to do next.

"Ugh!" He protested scrunching his face when the smell of my morning breath hit him.

He shot straight out of my bed, shaking it a bit and I coiled up in a laughing fit. My sides ached so much I had to kneel on the bed to continue laughing. I followed him out into the kitchen where he was packing up the rest of his things into a backpack and leaned against the counter.

"What are you doing this time?" I asked, mostly awake.

I took the opportunity of him filling me in on what his day looked like to brush my teeth. Like the insufferable friend I was, I listened to him describe this girl he had been seeing for some time and just how he thought they were meant to be because of how her eyes twinkled when he spoke about travelling the world.

"How will you get to your date in time?" I asked.

Getting to Charlie's house on foot was near impossible and the traffic by this time would be ridiculous. Charlie wanted him to do a bit of housekeeping for him because he couldn't and he wanted the company. Without Charlie's talking about his life, it was a three hour job minimum and he'd need to be with his date by 1pm for lunch.

"I'm walking" He said simply, avoiding my eyes. He grabbed the thermos and tuna melt sandwich he'd made in hand then adjusted the backpack strap on his shoulders.

"Are you going to cut through Flax street?" I asked concerned.

"And Beird Lane. But I'll be fine. They've started construction there. Besides, I'm going to get us an apartment there when they're done. I'm just gonna check it out, Não se preocupe" He said trying to comfort me. His thumb rubbed down on my cheek and his curved index finger gently pushed up my chin so I was looking into his green orbs looking translucent with the early morning rays filtering through them.

I bit my lower lip contemplating what to say. I didn't want to micro manage his life but he just had to go through the two most dangerous areas and I needed him to be home again. He was the only close friend I had and our history went too deep but he was right. More people were going down those routes recently because of the presence of construction workers, their equipment's and the police. The right corner of his lips tugged up slowly to form a half smile. A dimple would have completed the look if he had one. Releasing my lips I formed a smile that was at odds with my raised brows.

"Don't go through there. Be late" I tried convincing him but he just tilted his head to the side and cocked his brows.

"Okay. Be safe. And call me the second you get there" I stressed, jabbing a finger into his chest.

"Yes ma'am" He said with a salute. He kissed my cheek and walked out the door.

He texted me almost thirty minutes later saying he's passed by Beird and was about to cross Flax when he met Klemens, a friend I wasn't fond off but I was glad he was safe.

Safe, huh? I scoffed at myself. I looked again at the photo looking at just how safe he was with bullet holes in his head.

I was home before I knew it. The only reason I noticed was because of the incessant dinging of the bell. I scrambled up to the comm system annoyed. My first thought being didn't he take his keys?

"Oh" I said out loud when realisation dawned on me. I just felt numb.

"Hi it's me, Jaylyn. I'm Marcos's date" The voice said. Oh yes. She'd called earlier.

Briefly I contemplating breaking the news to her over the system but chased the thought away and let her in. She was dressed in a navy blue and white tee and black skinny jeans that clung to her tiny figure and she extended her hand but I couldn't take it. It felt too final. Like I was accepting he was dead. Too cold. Instead, I pointed to the worn leather brown sofa.

"Coffee?" I asked barely above a whisper. He hated coffee.

"No, hot chocolate for me please" She said with a small laugh and I died a little more inside.

I handed her a mug. One I bought. I specifically chose one I bought. Several minutes passed by while she sat on the sofa finishing her cup and I sat slightly to her right stirring my drink with my mind elsewhere wondering how best to break the news to her. Her phone dropped, bringing me back into the room.

"He's dead"

She stopped halfway to her phone for a second but picked it up and righted herself. Her face was blank. The twinkle Marcos had spoken about was nowhere to be found.

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Continued...