AIDAN
My fingers tapped impatiently against my desk as my client droned on in my ear. His voice hit a nasally pitch, and it took everything in me not to tell him to snap out of it and talk like a man.
The man in question currently had his face plastered over every billboard and marquee in the country as part of one of the biggest movie franchises since James Bond-thanks to his shark of an agent and me.
I was the expert legal counsel making multi-million-dollar contracts, ensuring my client was covered to the hilt legally and that all his needs were met-or else. It took blood, sweat, and tears to get here. So, I did not appreciate being used as a sounding board about the lack of variety at the craft services tables on set.
I still remembered when this kid was ecstatic about landing the lead in a hemorrhoid cream commercial. Now, he was bitching about the lack of crudite, claiming it violated his contract and personal liberties.
“Look, Stone,” I said, trying to reason with him. “If it bothers you that much, order a vegetable plate from GrubHub.”
“You don’t understand the severity of the situation, Aidan! This is a personal rights issue!”
I couldn’t take it anymore. “Look, kid, your ‘suffering’ doesn’t compare to the real world. Find a real problem. And, kid? Find someone else to bitch at.” I hung up, knowing my office would get an irate call from his agent, but I couldn’t care less.
The one part of my life I could muster enthusiasm for was my daughter. She was the light of my life and my greatest accomplishment. I was looking forward to spending quality time with her this summer. Another year, and she’d be graduating college and heading to law school. I just hoped she wouldn’t follow my exact path-a workaholic with no personal life.
I looked around my spacious office. It screamed “successful lawyer”: awards, accolades, and photos with ultra-famous clients adorned the walls. But I couldn’t care less about any of it. I spent more time here than at home. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept in on a weekend, and worst of all, I was utterly alone. There was a time after my divorce I reveled in that aloneness. Now, I wondered what it’d be like to have someone to come home to.
Disgusted with myself, I grabbed my phone and keys, passing my assistant Jacob. “I’m out for the afternoon. Tell any caller I’m unavailable.”
“Right, sir,” he replied. Then the phone rang. Jacob answered professionally, “Miles and Stafford, how may I help you?” He held the phone to me. “Mr. Miles, it’s Stone Cage’s agent. He’s very upset.”
I sighed. This poor guy had to field worse nonsense than I did. “Tell Stone’s agent he can go fuck himself.”
Jacob’s eyebrows shot up. “A-are you sure, sir?”
“Yup. Those exact words.”
As I left, I called back, “Oh, and Jacob?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Schedule a meeting next week. We’re discussing a pay raise for you.”
His grin was wide. “Yes, sir.”
I smiled as Jacob picked up the phone. “Mr. Trent, Mr. Miles says, and I quote…”
The door shut before I heard the rest. I chuckled to myself. This day started out shitty, but I believed I was the ruler of my own destiny. If I wanted something to change, I had to put in the elbow grease to make it happen.
What I needed now was a change of scenery and the company of a very special lady.
After stopping at the florist, I pulled up to Greendale’s Luxury Retirement Community with an armful of colorful blooms, including sunflowers, lavender, and white roses. Only the best for Angela Miles.
I didn’t visit her often, and she never hesitated to remind me of that. Despite her reminders, I always left her feeling lighter. Sometimes, even at forty, a guy still needed his mother’s encouragement.
When she answered the door, she put her hand to her chest. “And who is this handsome man? It couldn’t possibly be my son-I hardly remember what he looks like anymore.”
“Ma,” I groaned.
She smiled indulgently. “I should give you a harder time, but you did bring flowers. I guess I’ll let you in.”
I kissed her cheek and told her I’d take her to dinner later if she was up for it.
“Sorry, sweetie, I can’t. I have plans with the girls,” she said, arranging the flowers in a ceramic pot Lila had finger-painted years ago.
I wasn’t surprised. She’d jumped at the chance to move here, loving the maintenance-free lifestyle and new friends. She said it was like high school, except now she knew when someone was full of it.
She looked at me with a squint. “So, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, Ma, I just wanted to see you is all,” I told her, not wanting to delve into my problems.
She rolled her eyes, hand on her hip. “Aidan, I held you inside my body for ten months. It took-”
I interrupted, reciting the line I knew by heart. “Forty-plus hours!”
“That’s right,” she continued. “Forty-plus hours to claw you out of me.” She mimicked claws for emphasis. “I know when something’s wrong with my son. Now spill!”
I sighed, settling on the couch. “It’s nothing, Ma, I’m just restless. I don’t know… maybe it’s a mid-life crisis or something.”
“Nuh-uh, nope-you’re not having one of those.” She shook her finger at me. “Your father had one, and he was a giant pain in my ass. No, you’re too smart for that. Now, tell me what you’re feeling, and we’ll figure it out.”
Knowing better than to argue, I laid out what was going on in my head. When I finished, she looked at me like I was an idiot. “Aidan, I keep telling you-you need a woman, you’re lonely. And I don’t mean just for the hoochie coochie stuff. I mean someone to share your life with.”
I took a deep breath. This wasn’t a new conversation. “Ma, I told you, I tried that. It didn’t work out so well.”
She put a comforting hand over mine. “I know, but not every woman is Renee.” My ex-wife. I’d gotten over her long ago, but what she’d done to me was harder to let go. “Besides,” she continued, “how fair is it that you’ve cloistered yourself up while she’s been allowed to move on…and on…and on.” She rolled her hands dramatically, referring to Renee’s many marriages since ours ended.
“C’mon, it has nothing to do with Renee. It’s just that…” I trailed off, unsure how to describe it.
“Aidan, I know it’s scary laying your heart bare after what you’ve been through. But you won’t find true love unless you take the risk. Maybe it gets broken again, maybe not… but you’ll never know if you don’t try. Otherwise, you’ll spend your life in that office making other people’s dreams come true.”
She was getting to me, and she knew it. She went for the kill when she asked, “What would you tell Lila in this situation?”
I laughed as she added a smug, cheesy smirk. “That’s a low blow, Ma.”
She grinned, fondness replacing smugness. “I never said I fought fair.”
I smiled back, grateful for her wisdom. “Thanks, Ma.”
“Always,” she said, kissing my cheek as I stood to go.
“You owe me a dinner,” I called over my shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah,” she said. “Oh, and Aidan? I know you’re planning on going to the beach house with Lila soon. Promise me you’ll actually take time off and not work the whole time.”
I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Do what your mother tells you, and your dream girl will appear,” she said.
I laughed but answered, “Yes, ma’am.”
“Loooove you,” she called in a sing-song voice.
“Love you, too, Ma,” I said, shutting the door behind me. As I’d suspected, I already felt lighter. She was right-I was lonely. Over the years, I’d made excuses: the firm was too busy, it wasn’t the right time, or I didn’t want to complicate Lila’s life. But really, I was afraid of getting my heart broken again.
As I walked out of the retirement complex, I looked at the clear, beautiful sky. For the first time in a while, I felt a new sense of possibilities.
“Alright, Universe, I’m ready to put my heart out there. Show me what you got.”