Perverse Riches

Chapter 5

Soundtrack: I Realize - Megan McCauley / Voices - Motionless In White

"It was the best concert of my life. The sound was incredible and I knew the lyrics to every single song. Leo gave me a few weird looks for the giant poster in Japanese, but I didn't care. I made my way to the front and the artist saw! I got to sing on stage to Who's Going To Save Us Now and it was amazing. The only thing I could do when the security helped me back into the crowd was hug Leo and jump, jump, jump off the excitement." I jumped a little then, in remembrance. I'd never felt so alive before. The stage was amazing. The crowd, the lights, the sound... oh I was in love!

"Did you share a hotel room later?" Catherine edged closer. Strange, wasn't it? But who else my age did I have to talk about?

"Separate beds. There wasn't any fooling around, the man took a shower and slept as soon as he fell face down on the bed."

"How disappointing." She sighed understanding.

"Totally, but I can't stop remembering how it was to sing on stage. How about you?"

"Connor is still in jail. Daddy is keeping him there until I... get rid..." she started crying.

"What do you want?" I asked seriously.

"To marry him and move away with our child." She answered between sobs.

"Wish granted." She looked on in amazement with red rimmed eyes.

The phone rang twice before he picked up. "Seth? How are you, buddy? I have a job for you. A friend of mine is being held by the mayor for unlawful reasons. You can get it? Great. Oh, do you have the number of that friend of the old man's-" in two minutes I had what I wanted. I knew the person I was after, I just didn't remember the number off the top of my head.

"Hello? Samantha Kane? This is Elliot Atkins' granddaughter."

Catherine was crying again by the time I finished. That woman owed the old man, I was just collecting on his behalf. "Why? Why are you helping me?"

"Because I can. I have the means to. I could hold a grudge, yes, but then what? It wouldn't accomplish anything. Now you know." Now she knew what it was like to be on the other side, and she was a changed person because of it. And who knows, I helped her now, she could help another, who'd help another and so on in a wave of positive actions. Catherine hugged me tightly. We were in Connor's studio flat, and it was pretty small, but comfy. It had a TV on top of a dresser facing the bed, a small table with 2 chairs and an organized mini kitchen. The bathroom was the right size, not large and not miniscule. Near the entrance door was a large closet.

I helped Catherine pack everything while we waited for Seth to arrive in town. I knew an independent guy like Connor wouldn't like what I was doing, but Catherine could explain everything to him later. Her father would surely try to send more roadblocks their way and I wouldn't be around then to help. We both knew this was a one time thing. They needed help for a good start and after that it was up to them to make it work.

Two hours and fifteen minutes later Connor and Seth entered the flat. Most of it was already packed in roof high piles.

"Cat." He went straight to her and hugged her tightly. The loving, intimate, look between them made me turn away in discomfort. To keep looking would be voyeuristic. They kissed, hugged some more, then he addressed me directly.

"Thank you for this. I'll make sure to pay you back."

"You can do that by getting the fuck out of here. I called a friend of my grandfather's, Samantha Kane. You start your internship there next Monday, sooo, four days from now. Her employers are afforded housing, so finish packing and get off. Seth will give you a ride after the workers finish loading the truck with your furniture."