Heir of Aurelian

It was about two weeks after Maria’s wedding that Frank found himself completely isolated from his family. Since his little stunt at the reception, not a single one of his family members had returned his calls or his texts.

He was beginning to become worried about the whole affair. His rent was due soon, and yet his parents, who normally paid for it, had not sent him a single dime. It was as if they had cut him off completely after exposing his sister to who she really was.

Ultimately, Frank found himself in Don’s house with his head hanging low. Since the disaster of the wedding, Don had gotten his annulment and was free from Maria’s treacherous grasp. As a result, he included Frank into his circle of friends, who were all quite wealthy.

Thus, while Frank’s family had shut him out, he was not completely alone. Don walked over to the boy and handed him a beer before giving him some advice.

“It’s only been two weeks. Give your family some time, they’ll come around. What you did was incredibly embarrassing for your sister and your parents. They all bear a mark of shame now, and it is not easy to erase. With enough time, all wounds eventually heal.”

Frank nodded his head in silence before sighing heavily. He was looking at his bank account as he nearly broke out into tears at such a paltry sum.

“It’s not my family that I’m worried about. It’s the fact that they have completely cut me off. I can’t even afford to buy a decent meal, let alone pay my rent. I have no idea what I’m going to do if they don’t come around within the next two weeks.”

Frank took a sip from his beer, as Don thought some things over in silence. It was only after several minutes that the man posed an alternative solution.

“You remember, Owen, right?”

After a taking another sip from his beer, Frank looked up at Don and nodded his head slowly. Upon seeing that the boy’s memory was intact, Don continued his train of thought.

“Well, his bar has gotten really busy lately and he could use an extra pair of hands. If I put in a good word for you, I have no doubt that he will hire you as a bartender, and they make more money than you might think. If you’re willing, you won’t need to worry about your finances for some time. What do you think?”

Frank looked up from his phone and thought about the offer sincerely for a few moments before nodding his head in agreement. He knew he could not sit by and do nothing. Now that Don was going out of his way to get him a job, how could he reject the offer?

“Thanks, man… I feel better already.”

A smile appeared on Don’s face as he took a sip from his own beer before responding to Frank’s statement.

“Don’t mention it. It’s the least I could do after you helped me with your sister. I’ll go give him a call right now.”

After saying that, Don left the room and gave Owen a call, where, as expected, the man was willing to hire Frank on the spot, regardless of his employment history. When Don finally returned to the room, he did so with a bottle of bourbon in his hand, which he poured a glass for each of them before speaking a toast.

“To new beginnings!”

Frank smiled and nodded his head before clinking his glass and repeating the toast.

“To new beginnings!”

The two men continued to drink for some time as they talked about Frank’s sister and the problems she had caused. Later that evening, Frank found himself within Owen’s bar, learning the ropes on how to be a bartender. As a sociable person, who was already accustomed to mixing drinks, it did not take him long to pick of the craft. After roughly two weeks, he was on the job working full time.

On the first night of him performing his job, a familiar figure sat down across from him with a pretty smile on her face. Though Frank was in the middle of pulling out a beer for another customer, because of this, he did not recognize her presence until she called out his name.

“Frank, how have you been? It’s almost been a month since you ruined your sister’s wedding, hasn’t it?”

Frank looked over at the newcomer and smiled, before posing a question to the young woman.

“Anna? Long time no see, so what’s your poison?”

The girl smiled seductively as she heard these words before giving an answer, along with a proper retort.

“A shot of whiskey. And while you’re at it, tell me something, will you? After that night, you never called me back. Did I do something wrong?”

A slight scoff erupted from Frank’s lips as she shook his head before responding to the woman’s question.

“You tell me, after all, you never gave me your number.”

After saying this, he handed the girl her drink, where she swallowed its contents, as if the whiskey did not have the slightest bit of bite. After taking the shot, she handed the glass back to Frank with a pleading gesture on her pretty face. Taking the hint, he filled another shot for the girl. However, rather than drink it; she handed the beverage back to him with a playful tone in her voice.

“It’s your turn. I’ll tell you what, if you manage to drink this shot without a single gag, I’ll give you my number. How does that sound?”

Frank downed the shots’ contents with little effort before handing the empty glass back to the girl. There was a look of surprise on her face as she saw him so easily drink the whiskey. Silence remained for a few seconds as she wrote down her number on a cocktail napkin before stuffing it in his pocket.

“Color me impressed… So how about you tell me all about what’s been going on since your family kicked you to the curb? After all, you’re working here, of all places, so something interesting must have happened.”

After careful consideration, Frank declined her request before making one of his own.

“After I clock out, I’ll take you out for something to eat, where I will tell you my tale of woe. But I’m working right now, so it will have to wait.”

A pleasant smile emerged on Anna’s pretty face as she nodded her head before responding.

“Very well. If that’s the case, then get me a cold one. I’m not going to sit here and drink whiskey for the next two hours.”

Though Frank was slightly confused about how this woman knew his schedule, he ultimately put it aside and did as he was commanded. Serving the woman an ice cold beer. As for the promise he made her, he would fulfill it to the letter, and in doing so, grow closer to the woman he had randomly hooked up with on the night of his sister’s wedding..

Marcellus woke up shortly after concluding their discussion and gazed at the ceiling. He could not help but wonder what became of Frank after the disaster that was his sister’s wedding. After all, the man appeared to have lived for at least another two years after the dream he had just had. Ultimately, he would put these thoughts aside and focus on his day ahead. After all, he had plenty of concerns within this life to worry about.