Respect
A requiem for the cursed
Ari's assistant buzzed him mid-morning. “Cedars-Sinai, line three, they say it's urgent.”
He picked up. “This is Ari Ascher.”
“Mr. Ascher, this is Dr. Gloria Goldberg, Mr. Miller's physician. He's insisted I speak with you candidly. Frankly… he's dying. He's been asking for you by name.”
Ari sighed. “I'll be there within the hour.”
Chen met him in the parking garage, clipped a receiver under his lapel, and drove.
Irwin was half-encased in a cast when Ari came in.
“Look at me, Ascher, I'm fucking dying here, about goddamned time you got here,” Irwin rasped, then coughed.
“I was pushed, Ascher. Felt a hand on my back.
It was someone from Joel's new crew. He's shacked up with his slave-girl, Sarah, in Mexico. Fucking convenient.”
“Why now? Why not wait you out, I know you are ill, Irwin.”
“Money. His ass is always in trouble.” Irwin waved his good hand.
“Enough about Joel. Ascher, I'm giving you Galaxy Music.
Powerhouse and my properties go to my son in an irrevocable trust, nothing I can fucking do about that now.
But my jet and my liquid assets I kept separate.
He doesn't get to burn through everything I built.”
Ari sat with that for a moment. “I don't understand why. We haven't spoken in years.”
He reached out with his good hand and patted Ari's knee. “Because you were more of a son to me than my own. Now it's confession time. I paid Joel's man, Simo, a shit-ton of cash to not kill Jenny Jones and to get her out.”
“I am relieved to hear that. Is she safe?”
“Bah! Of course she is. I don't know where and I don't want to know in case I start babbling shit.”
“Good. Jillian and Ronson will be happy to hear of this, too.” Ari scooted his chair closer. “I must admit, this is so unlike you. Why care about JJ?”
Irwin let out a long, exasperated sigh. “You and I both know all this shit went down because of my fucking so-called son. Stop him, Ascher, get him into the crazy house or prison. However, you have to, get him off the street… please, just don’t kill him. I've made my peace with the rest.”
“You have my word.”
Irwin's eyes went distant. “When you get to my age, things change. What mattered so much when you were young is a grain of sand on the beach now. Speaking of which, you should have never let Annabeth go.”
Ari's guard slipped. “It was the business, Irwin. Christina’s attempted kidnapping for one...”
Irwin sighed. “I heard she is doing well.”
“She is, it’s Annabeth who is not doing well.”
With a nod Irwin segued, “Look at me.” Irwin's grip tightened on his hand.
“I'm a fucking billionaire, and who's here for me? You. Only you. My grandfather died alone, my father died alone, and now it’s my fucking turn…
it's the family curse.” His finger came up and pointed at Ari.
“Don't you do the same fucking thing to yourself.” He smacked Ari's arm.
“Go get your wife back. Take my jet right now and go, with my blessing.”
Ari felt his throat tighten. “Irwin…”
“Get out before Goldberg comes back and starts fussing at me. Go find those fucking suits and keep my work alive.”
Ari took Irwin's hand in his and shook it firmly. “Thank you, Irwin. I will. Godspeed.”