August 2021

Duncan had gotten himself a penthouse suite at Caesar's Palace - for the month. But he had never been a people person. Crowds bothered him. He could take them up to a point so long as he stayed near the edge. But it just felt like there was nowhere like that on the strip. And even though he knew the ladies were just trying to make his stay pleasant, he felt … patronized. So he had begun to fan out his search for out of the way places to eat.

The first place he discovered that he liked was a diner named Omelette House. It was a small, family owned establishment with a friendly staff. It was about 2 miles SW of downtown and about 3 miles north of one end of the strip. It was also only maybe half a mile off the interstate. He had looked it up online and expected it to be anything but what he was looking for. But he found it exactly what he was looking for.

For his first meal he had glanced over the menu and frowned, searching for something apparently not on the menu. He asked if he had just missed it and was going blind. But he wasn’t. Grits. He had wanted grits - real, honest-to-God grits - fresh. He sulked momentarily, then went to Plan B. He actually called it Plan B. He ordered the stuffed french toast (blueberry) with 2 extra eggs (over easy). He was decisive and quick. He added coffee. Yes, cream and sugar. He asked about flavored creamers. As it turned out he had his own - caramel macchiato.

He had picked a booth. He had brought a laptop with a powerpack in with him, a touchscreen that flipped to become a large tablet, and went happily tapping away at the keys while he waited. He mostly typed one handed, which made the fact that his left hand had a fingerless glove on it more obvious. But he typed fast for someone with one hand and had to have finished a couple pages before his meal got to him.

He was quiet. And he was later joined by an older man. The second man was built like a marine, but sharply dressed. Duncan clearly cheered up when the guy arrived. He offered the second man, Gary, anything he wanted, but the guy just asked for some coffee and as small a meal as he could order. When Duncan considered seconds the older man smiled. When he was younger Duncan might have gone for thirds. Instead Duncan just took the bill and paid - with a very, very healthy tip. He shook his head hard when Aliyah tried to make change. His own mean had been around $20. Gary’s had been maybe $6. Duncan had handed her $60.

drive.google.com/open?id=0BxokA0dBKb4p..
Gary

The next morning he returned. As it turned out he had been waiting for 2 hours. He hadn’t noticed the limited hours. And there was a cop asking him questions about the time the staff showed up to open up. Duncan was growling a bit. But he explained the misunderstanding. He was used to Waffle Houses and IHOP’s.

His routine was pretty much the same each morning. He seemed to like a splash of flavor - something new and different each day. He didn’t gamble - not really. But he had finally played at a live table - a first. He explained that his mother had been a dealer when he was a child too young to remember. His story about that involved her catching him shuffling cards wrong. He asked about things to do in the area.

By his 3rd breakfast he was proving to be a creature of habit. He looked around first to see if he could tell who was waiting what tables. Then he tried to sit in Aliyah’s section and the disappointment was evident when a different waitress came over, a rather cute blonde. His attention kept straying back to the redhead. Gary, who was apparently just Duncan’s limo driver, noticed and smiled when the younger man wasn’t looking. He still tipped good though.

Breakfast #4. He again got lucky and got Aliyah as his waitress. His had announced he was going to try ALL the omelettes that weren’t offered in most diners already - like western and Denver. He decided to start at the bottom of the list and work his way up.

#25. “Jolly Green Giant”..............................................................10.99
Broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes and Cheddar cheese - ho! ho! Ho!

Extras - Salsa, Sour Cream or Spinach each ..............................1.09
Avocado or Guacamole....................2.09

Coffee … he had to have coffee.

Today was going so well though. Aliyah got one of those nasty, foul mouthed customers with a privileged attitude. If Duncan had been a cat his ears would have laid back. He kept looking back over at the offending table, then around at the other customers. Most were trying to ignore the scene, but clearly uncomfortable, especially those with kids. He spotted a family with kids around 5-7 years of age who were talking about getting their meal to go.

That was enough. Duncan flagged a waitress, any waitress, and asked politely, calmly and quietly for the manager. He got up and followed, limping to keep up. Once he got the manager, the woman asked if there was anything wrong. Duncan assured her that HIS meal was just fine, but he could see customers being driven out by the one table. He offered to pick up the tab - with a healthy tip - if the staff would just pack their meal up and make theirs to go.

Duncan added a stack (100 bills) of $20’s, still banded, clipped to the signed receipt. Noone saw that except the cashier and manager. But when the manager politely informed the unruly guests their meal was to go and that they need not worry about the bill, there was an air of relief.

For his own meal, he tipped his usual healthy tip. He looked a little embarrassed about the other table. He actually blushed.

Aliyah loved mornings at work. She was usually the first one in before anyone other than the manager. She enjoyed the quiet before the chaos. She could have come in later, and not done the opening shift every day, but she preferred to set herself up for the day. She liked things done a certain way, so that things were where she needed them, when she needed them. Her routine was the same every day. She rose at 5 am, and got ready for the day. She dressed in her work uniform, and pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail. She was out the door by 5:45, and letting herself in the back door no later than 6.

The first thing she did in the morning was to check that all the tables were set up. They were supposed to handle that at closing, but there were many times that didn't get taken care of. She filled and wiped down the syrup containers, and sugar caddies. She set every table up with silverware and paper place mats. She hummed softly under her breath as she moved through the place making sure everything was ready.

One of the things she loved about working here was there wasn't too terribly many tourists. Sure some occasionally found their way there, but this spot was mostly locals. She opened the doors, and the steady stream of customers started through the doors. Aliyah was different than most of her coworkers. She had her regulars of course, and many of those tables were the ones others hated taking. The older couple who thought ten percent was a good enough tip, or the families with lots of kids. Sure, it was harder to make good money when your day was table after table of low tippers, but Aliyah didn't need much to survive.

She greeted a guest at the door and showed him to a booth in her section. She hated having to tell him that they didn't have grits. They got a fair amount of requests for it, she would have to bring it up to the owners and let them consider adding it to the menu. She smiled a little as he went with his plan B. She nodded as he finished ordering and scooped up his menu promising to be right back with his order.

She passed by and refilled his coffee watching him type. She noticed the finger less glove of course, it made her want to ask if it was arthritis or carpal tunnel. She wore similar gloves when she did a lot of stitching, it helped the aches and pains in her wrist. She didn't comment though, just moved along after giving him his refill.

Shortly after his food arrived, he was joined by a second man, one who didn't seem terribly interested in eating. She took his order and brought his coffee right away. She could tell that the two were friends, they seemed to simply enjoy the comfortable silence between them. She checked on the men a couple of times, and the last time she did she slid the check on the table face down. She added her customary handwritten "Thank you for coming!" on the back of the check. She scooped up the check, and the payment on her way past to another table. "I will be right back with your change." She said cheerfully, her face breaking out into a large smile as he told her not to. It didn't happen often, but once in a while you got a big tipper in. It was usually a local who had hit it big at one of the casinos. She went about her day not thinking twice about it.

The next morning she smiled when she saw Duncan again, and grabbed a cup of coffee for him before leading him to another booth. That was how Aliyah worked. If she waited on you once, she remembered your drink, if you came in more often than that, she remembered your favorites. There were customers that would come in and not have to order at all. Aliyah would greet them from across the room, tell them to take a seat and just ask "Your usual today?" She was very good at what she did. She would get down on the same level as children who were starting to learn to order for themselves, or take a few minutes even at her busiest to exchange pleasantries with several of her customers. She was always the first one to take an extra table if her coworkers needed help. After his breakfast this morning she took a minute to observe him more carefully. He had over tipped again, that was fairly unusual.

The third day he came in, she didn't have any room in her section, so he was seated with another waitress. Aliyah smiled when she saw it was Heather who had him. She spoke loudly and clearly across the room. "Heather, take good care of that one. He's a good guy." She said smiling. That was Aliyah's way. She tried her best to make every one who came in regularly feel as though they belonged there. Her day went smoothly, and nothing really seemed to stick out to her, other than Heather's excitement about the large tip she received from Duncan.

The next morning something felt off. It was one of those days when Aliyah just knew that nothing was going to go right. She woke up late, and had to rush to get to work on time. She was feeling off and slightly out of sorts. That morning though she managed another big smile when she seated Duncan. It was the fourth morning in a row that he had been in. She had his coffee ready, and took his order. She managed another smile for him as he decided to start trying different omelettes. It seemed like a good plan to her. "You'll have to let me know what you think of each one." She told him. "I'll use your opinions when someone asks. Between you and me... I don't like eggs." She said with a lowered voice, speaking in almost a conspiratorial tone. She scooped up the menu with another smile and headed off to put in his order.

Things were looking up, until her next table. She knew from the beginning that it was going to be a difficult one. They weren't happy with anything, the silverware had water spots, the coffee wasn't hot enough, she didn't put a cherry on top of the whipped cream in ones hot cocoa. They were getting louder with each minor infraction. She kept a smile plastered to her face as she tried harder to meet their demands. She had returned to the kitchen for the third time to have an order of breakfast potatoes recooked. This time they were too crispy. She had had enough, but there really wasn't much she could do. Just as the order had finished being refired, the Manager came in and told the kitchen to box it up and asked for a handful of to go containers. Aliyah asked what was going on, and was informed that another customer had taken care of their bill on the condition that they be given the meal to go.

Aliyah laughed a little and nodded. It was definitely a relief as the Manager let the table know that they would be more than welcome to take their patronage elsewhere in the future. Sadly tables like this weren't as unusual as one would think. She was unfortunately used to it. She managed to find a genuine smile though and headed back out to her tables. She stopped at each one and apologized for the inconvenience. She assured each table that everything was indeed well, and for the table with kids, she even offered chocolate chips and whipped cream for the little ones pancakes... on the house. She didn't mind dealing with tables like that, but it bothered her that her other guests were forced to.

She had just finished up with that table when the Manager walked by her and tucked a wad of cash into her apron. She glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow. The manager just shrugged and walked away heading back to her duties helping to run food. Aliyah picked up another pot of coffee at the waitress station, and looked in her apron. The sight that greeted her was one that almost made her hyperventilate. HOLY CRAP! That was a lot of money. She looked out over the dining room and her eyes settled on Duncan. She couldn't prove it, but she suspected that it was him who had slipped the manager the wad of cash.

She squared her shoulders and headed over to his table with the fresh pot of coffee. "A little warm up?" She asked as she without waiting for an answer poured his coffee with one hand, and slid the cash onto the table with her other. "Your kindness is appreciated, but far too much." She told him. "I get it, you've had a lucky week or two at the casino, but that luck never lasts." She said kindly pushing the money back towards him.

"So, How was breakfast this morning?" She changed the subject smoothly. "I'll still need your opinion on each and every one of those omelettes you end up trying."

Duncan flushed a little as Aliyah tried to give back the tip. He was already shaking his head. “No, no. If you leave that there it will still be there when I leave.” He laughed a little, actually starting to relax again. “And let’s just say I am probably one of the luckiest guys in the world. Good luck, bad luck ... I’ve had it all. If I were a cat, I’d be down a few lives.” His smile broadened. “And breakfast is great. I’m sort of celebrating. Being alive.”

He glanced back down at the money again, refusing to even touch it. “And yes, I am one of those guys that has beginner’s luck a lot. But …. Most of my winning went in the bank. That was just a little spending money. Don’t worry, 99% of what I win gets invested. I’m just killing a little time until I can get a passport, update my ID to 21 and over, get international usage for my smart phone and credit card, stuff like that.

“So … what is there to do around here for fun - away from the Strip - or at least the quieter parts of the strip? I’d don’t really care for crowds. That’s one reason I picked this place. I mean I enjoy eating out at those nice ritzy places, trying all sorts of new stuff. But I sort of have mild demophobia. I’m one of those people who hovers at the edge of parties.

“I visited Vegas about 6 years ago. Can’t say those are fond memories. But this time is going a lot better. Last time we were camping at the KOA. And … well … just bad stuff.” He shook his head slightly as if to clear bad memories. “Well, I’ll talk your ear off if you let me and I know you have other customers. But if you get a break and want to join us, feel free.” He turned a little red. Gary did his best not to notice.

He changed the subject and gestured at his laptop. “Been making this a sort of working vacation. Trying to

write a book. Sci Fi.”

(This looked longer in my editor. Going to work on it a bit. Just saw it as a good spot for Aliyah to speak.)

++++++++

Once Aliyah went back to her duties, Gary turned his attention back on Duncan who huffed and tried to concentrate on his food. The younger man had been trying to impress the girl a little. He certainly couldn’t blame the kid. Aliyah was drop dead gorgeous - and around Duncan’s age. But he could tell that Duncan had a terminal case of shyness.

“Can’t buy love Duncan,” Gary spoke quietly.

Duncan flushed. “I wasn’t trying to. I did THAT because those people were rude.”

“Uh huh … $2000? You don’t think that was a bit much? $200 and she might have gone for it.”

Duncan’s face took on a stubborn set. “Yeah … well. It will still be here.” He poked and prodded at his food.

Gary was careful not to smile. Oh yeah, the kid had it bad. Hormones. Gary could have offered all sorts of advice. But this wasn’t the right time. And besides, the girl might be spoken for already. He suspected not - which was a shame.

++++++++++

Duncan went back to his writing while he ate. He had been a published author since age 12. His first book had been a collection of short stories and hadn't done especially well. His second book was a novelette trilogy - three novelettes bound into a single book. Each was a stand alone story, but all connected. It had done better. His third book was his first real novel and was completed by age 14-15. His editor liked the fact that the kid hadn’t given up and persevered. His fourth book did well enough to convince a judge he could support himself as an emancipated teen. It was Duncan’s fifth book at age 17-18 that turned out to be a bestseller and vindicated the judge’s decision. His 6th book was a sequel and did even better. The successes of his last two books just increases sales on his older material. Book 7 was going to be something new.

Aliyah raised a brow and squinted her eyes giving him a look as he told her he wasn't going to take back the money. She did feel a little better as he mentioned that the largest portion went into the bank, but she still didn't take the money off the table. She leaned her hip against the edge of the table, taking a casual relaxed posture.

He asked about things to do off the strip and she chewed her bottom lip. There was a lot of stuff to do, it just depended on what kind of things you were into. "It depends on the kinds of things you like to do. There is always the pinball museum, well a lot of museums actually. Or hiking. I think The Springs Preserve is pretty if you're into plants. I'm kind of a homebody myself, so unless you want a tour of the local libraries I'm not much help."

She nodded her head sympathetically as he mentioned his last trip to Vegas not being all that great. That happened for a lot of people. Vegas was a lot like LA in that people came out with big dreams, and then discovered that not all that glitters is gold. She smiled a little when he invited her to join them on her break. She snuck a look at her watch, it wouldn't be too terribly long before she was off work. She was first cut today, which meant as soon as it slowed down, they would send her home. She was about to say something to that effect but he changed the subject to this being a working vacation.

She cocked her head to the side and listened to him. "Sci fi huh? I've always been more of a mystery, romance, and fantasy kind of girl myself. But I tell you what... you write it. I'll read it." She said with a smile. It seemed everyone was writing a book these days. A book, or a screenplay. She loved to read, and if every one of her customers who was working on a book actually ever finished one, her reading pile would be much larger.

She lightly tapped her fingers on the table and edged the stack of bills towards him before slipping back into the flow of servers around them. She had a spring in her step as she finished up with her tables. Most of the other tables had been very understanding of the chaos with her less than pleasant customers earlier. As the influx of customers slowed to a trickle Aliyah stopped taking tables. She instead focused on taking care of what was known as side work. Making sure the caddies on the tables were filled, that the tables were set for the next customers. Normally she would have let someone else go, and stayed through the lunch rush, but she decided that today she was completely fine with getting off when she was supposed to.

She just finished wiping down her last table. That was it, she was done for the day. She glanced around and saw Duncan and his friend were still there. She grabbed the pot of coffee and headed over to give them a refill. "Still here? I promise the coffee isn't THAT good." She teased.

She handed the pot of coffee off to Heather as she passed by, the other girl giving her a questioning look. Aliyah just shrugged, a silent communication that they would talk later. "So a working vacation huh? You should try just a vacation. Give your brain a break, and when you come back to your book, it will likely come easier."

Duncan’s eyes lit up at Aliyah’s offer - to read anything he wrote. He seemed a little disappointed that she wasn’t a big sci fi fan, but then his own mother had had similar tastes to Aliyah.

The stack of bills sat there, ignored by both men.

As soon as Aliyah went back to her duties again, Duncan shot a look at Gary. “CanIborrowthekeystothelimo?!” Duncan may as well have said all that as a single word. Gary handed over the keys and Duncan shot up and out of his seat and gave a hasty ‘be right back!’ and limped out the door to the limo. He climbed in and rummaged about for a couple books - Book 5 and 6, his bestsellers - in hardback editions. He had been doing a signing for book 6 and kept a few copies of each with him.

Gary’s behavior was a little unusual as he half followed Duncan and kept him in sight while he stepped out. That was when Aliyah realized that there was quite possibly a lot more to Gary than met the eye. She might have been mistaken, but he seemed to have a side holster under his jacket.

Despite his haste he stopped and held the door for an older couple on their way out and exchanged pleasantries. Then he limped rapidly back to his seat where Gary was already waiting.

Aliyah handed the pot of coffee off to Heather as she passed by, the other girl giving her a questioning look. She just shrugged, a silent communication that they would talk later. "So a working vacation huh? You should try just a vacation. Give your brain a break, and when you come back to your book, it will likely come easier."

Duncan grinned from ear to ear. He reached over and picked up book 5 and clicked his pen for ready use “This is the first book of this series. The other is the sequel. How would you like me to sign it?” He didn’t wait for an answer, but instead whipped out his ID (which said Under 21) and pointed first at the name on the ID, then at the name of the book’s author. Then very smugly he added, “I brought you some reading material.”

He laughed at his own antics. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t resist. But you did make me an offer. I write it, you’ll read it. You don’t really have to. There’s some pretty heavy science in the science fiction in my books. I studied Physics and Chemistry. My brain doesn’t get many breaks. I’m trying to distract it.”

Duncan jumped as someone (Gary) kicked him gently under the table. The young man blushed. The embarrassment shut his brain down for a moment as he tried to remember what he had been saying. There was another nudge and Duncan glowed at Gary. He wasn’t really mad though.

“Uhm … uhm … “ he drew in a breath and tried to figure out how to ask a waitress out. “Uhm ... you’ve been waiting on me for a few days. How would you like dinner out on the town? Anything you like. Anywhere we can get a reservation on short order. Heck I have a private catering service in my room on call.” He blushed and added hastily, “not that I was making suggestions. It’s just a fact. Comes with the room. Just saying if we couldn’t get reservations at …” He stopped himself, then continued more soberly. “I can probably get reservations just about anywhere in the world on short order.

“Speaking of which, I am planning to travel the world soon. Any thoughts on where I should go next. Bora, Bora sounds cool. But I have no idea where it is.” Gary stifled a laugh and shook his head slightly. HE clearly knew. Duncan smiled again and got defensive. “Well … I don’t … I also plan to go to Australia and Japan …. and Alaska … and Iceland. Not sure about the Himalayas. I can only hike so much.”

Aliyah laughed as he showed her his ID and the name on the book. "I did. I did say I would read it. I am looking forward to it actually. I have a tendency to read with anything with words." She bit her lip again as he mentioned it being pretty heavy on the science. "Well I am no Michio Kaku, but if they are well written enough to make the NYT Bestseller lists, I am pretty sure I can follow along." She would have said Stephen Hawking, but everyone knew of him, and well she had to make sure he knew she wasn't a complete idiot. She did know the feeling of a brain that didn't shut down though, although hers was likely much different. She instead had what was commonly known in the industry as Server Nightmares. She could be in the middle of something simple like showering before her brain would suddenly send her into a panic because table 35 never got the extra side of ranch.

She grinned a little listening to him ramble as he asked her out, and then jumped into his world travel plans. She thought it was absolutely adorable. She got asked out a fair bit, but not usually by someone she wanted to take up on the offer. As soon as he finished talking about his travel plans she tilted her head a little to the side and grinned. "What? Why on earth would you ever want to leave the peace and serenity of lovely Las Vegas?" she said with just a hint of teasing sarcasm. She seemed to gloss over the question of going out with him, at least at first. She was thinking. It could be fun, but she was definitely not a reservation type of girl.

"As to your earlier question. You can take me out anywhere with three conditions." She said holding up three fingers. "One, no where that requires a reservation, the second, because I would like to get to know you, should be something YOU would enjoy. Finally, my final condition should you chose to accept it is simple." She said brushing a few strands of hair from her face that had escaped from her ponytail during her morning rush. She picked up the cash that had been sitting ignored on the table until this point. She quickly and easily counted out a pile with $500, and a second with $100. She handed the larger still uncounted out pile of cash to Gary. "You hold this." Then turned her attention to Duncan with a smile pushing the $500 towards him. "You are a spender, which is cool, but to avoid giving my frugal self a heart attack, THIS is your absolute max budget." She said as she reached into her apron and pulled out her notepad and scribbled her name and phone number.

"Aliyah 702-555-4321" She slid her number across the table laying it on the $500 before picking up the stack of $100. "And a date, well that means this girl is going to have to go shopping."

Gary had to turn away to keep from laughing. If Duncan had been a cat his ears would have laid back as he saw the money get moved around. But slowly he smiled. He had been outsmarted. He was fairly certain she had really wanted the money and probably needed it - or at least had a good use for it. But she also had a sense of wanting to earn what she got in life. That was something he understood all too well. Hell, he felt a little guilty about all his money.

“Fiinnnee,” he drawled the word out.

“Wait.” Gary spoke up crisply. “Counteroffer.” He looked back and forth at the pair. “You dragged me into this, so here it is …” He looked at Duncan first, “Unless you want to take her out on the handlebars of a 10-speed.” He watched Duncan’s eyes widen and jaw drop. Then he held up the remaining $3900. “You might not have used the D word, but she did. Date.” He reached out and pinched Duncan’s shirt. “You get to go shopping too. And don’t think you are going to get around her conditions by writing in an oversized tip any bigger than your usual one for this meal - or any meal she waits on your for. I believe that’s the spirit of her conditions.” He looked at Aliyah and winked. “And he’d do it too. However, you did use the word date. That $100. That’s your tip for the other table. I take you BOTH shopping. I’m his bodyguard and now I think you see why.” He gave Duncan a displeased look. “I pay for your new clothes from this stack - both of you. We’ll give him a little more time here to plan a date. Nothing like a little pressure. You get 30 minutes Duncan. Once you have a plan, that will tell us what sort of clothes to wear. Remember, something YOU like Duncan. And remember, there will be a downside to this plan. The limo may not fit in the parking lot of a non-reservation type of place. If so, I’ll have to drop you off.

“Aliyah,” Gary continued, “please accept the rides. You spend enough hours on your feet at work.” He had noticed her pain on occasion.

Duncan finally nodded. The fact that they were calling it a D-A-T-E had caught him off guard. But that was, in fact, what he had wanted to ask for. Gary had put him on him spot and now he was forced to brainstorm. That was something he was good at actually. “Uhm … maybe we should plan this for a day off. I mean shop today and date when we have time to do a little more than just eat. I was thinking we could DO something first, then go eat.”

+++++++++

Duncan got to work on his laptop once more. 30 minutes. He was done in 15 and was even smiling. “I have the place. Casual or business casual will work. I have a spot we could go to dinner tonight. I also have a day or half day idea for doing stuff, then eating. No reservations, but for the second idea there are admission fees. It is a place within a place …that is within a place. I believe the full site takes a few hours, maybe a little more if we see the last thing. It is definitely a me place. I did look at some other spots, but I thought those were a little too much for a first date. Over romantic stuff. I didn’t want to put you on the spot like that. Just a simple night out. And places where you’d stick out like a sore thumb if you went formal. But casual or business casual works very well. For the second idea, some walking is involved, but not too bad. Still it would be better for a day off.”

(Read the last paragraph .. also note the Area 51 exhibit inside.
vegas.com/attractions/off-the-strip/at..

The Limo (lol .. it’s a bit much … but then Duncan IS young … He’s never played on an Xbox.)
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1276038/T..

Aliyah turned her head and looked at Gary as he suggested his counter offer. She chewed her bottom lip considering it. She finally nodded and grinned as Gary managed to reign Duncan in on the extravagant tipping. "Deal, but no malls. I do hate to see a good body guard twitch at the idea of such a large unsecured building." She teased Gary before gesturing for him to slide out of the booth so she could slide in to the side closer to the wall letting him have the end to get in and out easier.

She slid into the booth and looked to Duncan as he suggested shopping today and the actual date on a day off. It was cute that he thought she actually took a day off. She thought for a moment and realized she did have a couple of days this week where she was only opening and should be off no later than 10 am rather than working the whole day like she tried to do as often as possible. She enjoyed what she did, and she often took the low tipping tables because most of her coworkers had kids, and needed the money much more than she did. She had grown up with even less than she had now, and so she was perfectly fine with her level of income. She knew she was good at this, and could make a lot more money other places, but this place worked for her, so she stayed. "Not a bad idea. I should be off by 10 am. 11 at the latest tomorrow and..." She paused to think about her schedule. "The day after I think. If you want to wait for an actual day off, I can arrange to have a shift or two covered."

When Duncan began his internet searches to start planning Aliyah turned to Gary and started a conversation. "Should we be running locations by you before we make definitive plans?" She never asked either one why a body guard was necessary. It didn't really matter to her, the fact was Duncan had one, so she was going to make Gary's life as easy as possible.

She turned her attention back to Duncan when he spoke and smiled a little. "Sounds like a perfect plan." She wasn't worried about admission fees. She had given him a budget and was pretty sure he would be able to manage to stay inside of it as much as he didn't particularly care for that part of the deal. "I tell you what. I have to go home and shower, and put on something that doesn't smell like bacon and syrup." She glanced at her watch. "Give me 45 minutes and I can meet you back here if that works for you?" She said.

Gary wasn’t too worried about security so long as Duncan stopped flashing lots of cash around. He’d been well behaved for the most part. He said the only thing that concerned him was whether the limo would fit. The thing was shaped like a Hummer, but dwarfed one. It wa a little scary looking, more like a tank. It it had been a police car it would have terrified anyone that got a ticket.

Aliyah’s condition of no malls made Gary smile. “I’d have no problem with a mall - for now. Duncan here gets most of his clothing at Walmart, Sears, and Men’s Warehouse. We’ll need to find something better. You know the area, so you say where. You can either point us there or Duncan can look them up to see what the parking looks like.”

Duncan spoke up about the hours. “For the second thing, the place I was going to take you is open 10-5. Dinner goes until 10 ish, so plenty of time for a meal afterwards and the place I had in mind is even in walking distance. But we should ride over.

“For just the meal tonight I spotted a place I’ve been meaning to go to. It is a food I miss. I used to be a military brat. We got stationed overseas and I fell in love with the food there. Really hard to get a quality version of that food here in America, but Las Vegas might be the best place to try.”

The place in question served Turkish cuisine. Duncan had lived in Ankara for a year and a half. In America it was hard to get goat and lamb that was good quality. It felt a little odd planning two dates at once. But there was nothing like a little pressure to make him work hard. And he felt oddly encouraged. Maybe it was the fact she liked to read. But it was a lot more than that.

Gary offered to give Aliyah a lift home. But neither was offended if she preferred to walk.

+++++++++

For Duncan shopping for clothes beyond grabbing anything beyond more jeans and black T shirts was painful. Gary must have said something to him though while she was picking up her first item - which she was allowed to keep secret. ‘No Christmas-like cheating for Duncan,’ Gary announced. Duncan tried to retaliate by announcing that went both ways. Gary just mumbled jeansblackTshirttennisshoes really fast. Duncan tried to sulk, but he got the point and grinned.

At least Duncan’s hair was in good shape.

Duncan’s new ensemble was tan slacks, dress shoes, dark socks rather than his usual white. He still wore a black shirt, but it was a dress shirt. And, of course, he wore a belt.
skytopmenswear.com/product/free-shippi.. Part of his problem became evident. He stood 6’7”. It wasn’t exactly easy to find anything that fit him. But he refused to try on any light colors.

When they finally got sat down in the Turkish restaurant, Duncan explained the reason for his choice - having lived in Turkey. He spoke to the waiter in Turkish - fluently. Even Gary looked surprised. Duncan, for all his claims of being a horrible people person, had a gift of opening up to people and getting a response in return.

“They have Turkish Chai,” his eyes danced. “You know those tea sets with the shot glasses and cups filled with sugar cubes. Imagine a 10-11 year old with what was for him an ungodly sum of money set loose on a ferry boat in the Bay of Izmir, drinking glass after glass of hot tea with so much sugar in it that it was like syrup.” He laughed at the memory. “Only equivalent I can think of in America would be a six pack of 20 oz Red Bulls. I told them I am being coerced into maintaining a budget, but it doesn’t sound that bad. When I was in Turkey the dollar was worth a lot of Lira.

“So now you know at least one kind of food I like. Truth to tell I like all sorts of new foods. But I bet you suspected that from the way I talked about omelettes. I don’t know if you’ll like what I have planned for tomorrow. But you said to pick something that is me. So I did. Well, sort of. There was one part I thought we’d both enjoy. Only thing I really got to see last time I was here was Hoover Dam. So everything else is new. I’m afraid it was a falling apart time for my family.” Duncan stopped and clamped his mouth shut. “Sorry, not good subject for a date. And I am trying to make good memories of this place. I was born not far from here. Reno.

“So … maybe you tell me a little about yourself?”

Aliyah nodded as Gary expressed concern about the limo fitting in a parking area. It could be a challenge, but one they would work around if necessary. She laughed as Gary expressed dissatisfaction with Duncan's shopping methods. Not that she could complain. She was very much a let me just grab what fits when I need it and call it a day type shopper herself.

They chatted about the day's plans, and agreed to meet back up. She declined their offer of a ride. She needed some space to think about what was happening in her life. She excused herself and headed towards home. She smoked only one cigarette on the way, which for her was a vast improvement, but she had been making strides towards quitting. She let herself into her tiny studio apartment and sighed. She emptied her apron of crumpled bills and tucked them into what had once started life as a 5lb cottage cheese container. She had over time decorated it in many forms. Today it was wearing a lovely wrapping of purple camouflage duct tape. She didn't even bother to count it today. Thanks to Duncan her tips over the last several days had been more than she normally made.

She got into the shower and got ready in record time. She had chosen a pair of skinny legged jeans, a tank top that was fitted near the chest and loose and flowing down to where it hit her mid thigh. She slipped her feet into knee high black boots with a low heel. She ran a brush through her hair. She tied it back before tucking her phone, ID and cash into her back pocket.

She rushed out the door hurrying back to meet up with Duncan.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
They ended up at a shopping center filled with clothing stores, it wasn't quite a mall. It was filled with places that were much nicer than Aliyah was comfortable with, but based on the long suffering sigh from Gary, not quite as high end as HE would have preferred.

Aliyah cheated. As soon as she was able to split away from Duncan and Gary she cornered one of the sales girls and begged for help. She was soon locked in a dressing room with item after item handed to her. She had no idea what she was doing, so she let herself be dressed and redressed like an over sized doll. The sales girl finally decided on a pair of slacks that were red, and a black fitted shirt. Aliyah didn't know that she liked it, but she was going to go with it. ( s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/ba/8..)

She wasn't too sure what to think about the Turkish restaurant, she was a very american food kind of girl. She looked on in shock as he spoke in Turkish. He was full of surprises. She laughed as he told her the story of the tea. Yeah a six pack of redbulls would certainly do a number on anyone. She could imagine the scene. Science has said that sugar highs in kids were purely anectdotal, but she disagreed. Kids were little shits on too much sugar.

She looked at him sympathetically when his talking took a downward turn. She reached over and lightly rested her hand on his forearm, giving him a supportive smile. "We all have memories like that." She said quietly. He asked about her and she shrugged a little before tucking her hair behind her ear.

"There really isn't a lot to tell. I am a native to Vegas. My mom had her issues, so we moved around a lot, one crappy place after another. I really spent most of my time growing up in the library. I started at the Omlette house... oh boy it's got to be four or five years ago. I like it though. I've got my regulars." She looked at him and smiled shyly. "and once in a while I get a chance to meet some very interesting people."

The ‘kids’ weren’t so all dolled up for their first outing - not that Aliyah needed much work to make a guy forget to breathe just by entering a room. This was just a small friendly meal after shopping. Gary had figured out that Duncan was mostly someone who said exactly what he meant. It came with the whole military brat origin story. Duncan had invited Gary along and explained that this was just that. Tomorrow was the solo flight.

Duncan was glad he caught himself as quickly as he had. But he was a little saddened when Aliyah boiled her family life down to a couple of sentences. Her adult life wasn’t much better. Oh she claimed to enjoy it. But the truth was that she existed. She had never really lived.

He nodded and thought about it for a moment. Concentrate on the positive. “Well, I turn 21 toward the end of September. My life hasn’t been all bad. I think I grew up under that curse, May you live in interesting times.’ Some paraphrase that as May you have an eventful life. That would be my life. Being a military brat meant moving around a lot. You had to adapt a lot. I got a chance to see a couple other countries. But we were also very, very poor. I used to get my clothes from dumpster diving. We’d find things to fix up and sell at flea markets. I worked hard to put food on the table. Yard work, firewood, snow shovelling. Despite that my stepfather managed to keep a roof over our head and food on the table. We got to see more of the world by the time I was 15 than most people see their whole life. One of the last things we did as a family was a tour of the southwest. That brought us through here.

“It wasn’t until I was 10 that my grandparents bought me a laptop. They had to buy them for my stepbrother and stepsister as well. They paid for some internet. Their supposed reason was so we could Skype while we were in Turkey. But the real reason was that I was bored in school. Being a military brat meant I had to keep retaking courses in every new school system. That is my biggest gripe about our educational system, by the way. It needs to be federally controlled - by a single authority - and encourage development, not stifle it.

“There was no stifling me though after that. I started writing short stories. I won my first short story contest. Published a short story collection at age 12. That was how I started paying for my education. Just one piece of good fortune - my grandparents. It wasn’t enough to make me rich. But I paid for my GED. Then college courses.

“I wanted to play soccer in high school, gymnastics too. But … well, bad stuff happened about a month after that southwest tour. I ended up with this limp, reduced lung capacity, a left hand split in half, and no parents, no stepbrother. I died, in fact. Yep, 1 minute 8 seconds. My stepsister had gone to a foster home. My stepfamily took my little brothers.

“My grandparents were struggling with their own medical bills. But after a brief stay in a foster home, I convinced them to take me on the condition that I start college and stay in dorms - which I could afford. I managed to emancipate myself at age 16. That ended the foster home problems. All that also enabled me to finish high school - in a much nicer school free from gangs and violence.”

Duncan stopped and laughed a little. “I hope your life was quieter than mine. Nothing wrong with a little excitement now and then, but let’s just say you aren’t the only one who found libraries a sanctuary. I devoured libraries. If there was a sci fi book, a book on any hard science - non biology - I read it. I loved books on fringe science and UFO’s. My parents didn’t let us watch TV’s or go to movies.

“So … all that was my past. Now I am looking at the future. Now I actually have money - enough to enjoy it - and I am taking that advice you gave me about giving my brain a chance to relax. Oh by the way, if there is a cute redhead in one of my future books …” He stopped and grinned. “Anyways,” he laughed and was blushing, “uhm … what was I saying? Oh yeah …” His confused look made it clear he was struggling to find his train of thought again.

“Right! Money … suppose you had enough money to go and do just about anything you wanted. What would you do? I’m taking some time off - except for some writing - and I can’t decide what I want to do. You know how I am about picking something to eat? Same problem. I can’t choose. I guess I could throw a dart at a map and go there. But I plan to be careful about some areas.”

She listened to him talk and could sympathize with a lot of what he was telling her, especially about growing up in poverty. She knew all about dumpster diving. It was a skill she had gotten very good at as a kid. When she was growing up there was a spike in what was called the "freegan" movement in which people were dumpster diving for more than clothes and items to resell. Food and medicine were often among the treasures she would find.

She listened to him talk about his grandparents and the laptop they had purchased for him. She wondered if they were still alive to see the amazing person they had helped build.

She laughed when he said he hoped her life was quieter than his. "I highly doubt I would have survived it being more interesting."

She didn't like talking about her past much. Her mother is or was an addict. She didn't know if she was still alive. She left the house after highschool and never looked back.

He asked her about what she would do if she had enough money to go anywhere and do just about anything she wanted. She smiled a little and tucked her hair behind her ear again. That seemed to be her nervous habit.

"That's a good question." She said as she met his gaze. "It is really silly, are you sure you want to hear it?" When he assured her he did she continued.

"I don't have any particular destination in mind. I would just get in a car and drive. I don't want to go to any of the big cities though. Everyone does that. I would visit small towns and off the beaten path places."

She took a small drink of her tea shaking her head a little at the sweetness of it it. She mostly drank water, because growing up, even watered down Kool Aid was a luxury. "I mean I would do SOME touristy stuff. The Laura Ingalls Wilder museum in Desmit South Dakota, or Storybook Land in in Aberdeen. But I would probably skip Mt. Rushmore. I am just weird like that."

She didn't tell him that she would love to stay only in haunted hotels thought, she figured that was a little too weird for most people.

Duncan nodded. “You should see them. Don’t keep telling yourself you’ll do it next year. Eventually you’ll be so socked in by responsibilities or bills you won’t make it. I bet you’d love some of the places I’ve been. Meteor Crater, AZ, Death Valley, Bottomless Lakes, Gila Cliff Dwellings, and Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Chiricahua National Park where Geronimo hid out, Yosemite, places like that. I never made it to Yellowstone or really most places up north. I have seen the seven churches the Apostle Paul spoke to in Revelations, Goreme in Eastern Turkey where the Crusaders hid out, Istanbul, Attaturk’s tomb…

“Alcatraz would be a neat place,” he suggested. He drank a little of his water. Despite his love of Turkish Chai, he mostly drank water for his meals or fruit juice. Breakfast was the exception when he had coffee. “Maybe …” he hesitated. He frowned. “Problem with going all these places is that they are no fun alone. Not really.” His frowned deepened. Finally he sighed.

“I am eventually going to ask you, so I may as well get it out now while we are talking about it. How would you like to travel - see the world. I can literally take us anywhere we can legally go. I think I’d avoid most of the middle east these days or anywhere war torn. But even Antarctica is on my list. I am considering the Himalayas too. Might park the limo and take a yacht. I can get us a private jet. I really can.” He laughed. “I didn’t get lucky at the casinos. But I did get really lucky. Like I said - luckiest guy on the planet.

“I mean you don’t have to decide right away. I have a room at Caesar’s Palace for another few weeks. But it takes a little time to get a passport. I have some tax stuff to do before I go travelling. And I have to talk to a dozen different investment brokerage firms. And I have to hire accountants and real estate managers. And I need to hire an estate manager. I don’t even have a place to live. I am technically homeless.”

Out of the blue he asked, “wanna go to Paris?” He laughed as it was clearly a joke, but he was also serious. It was an option. “I think I’d like England and Scotland better. And I’d have to visit Norway and Iceland. Maybe we could tour Europe by rail. Oh, and I want to see all the castles along the Rhine!

“The offer is genuine. And I planned to wait to ask you about this stuff. But given my track record, waiting isn’t something I am good at.”

Aliyah smiled as he mentioned actually seeing them. It was highly unlikely she would ever do that. She never planned on leaving Vegas. She was managing fine here. She could be making more money elsewhere, but she liked where she was.

She listened to him talk about the places he's been. They all sounded incredible. They were places she had only seen through photos and online videos.

She practically choked as he invited her to travel with him. It was hard for her to catch her breath until Gary reached over and slapped her on the back. She wiped her eyes and blinked a few times.

"uh... wow." was the only response she was able to give at first. Her brain was going a million miles a minute. He wanted HER to go with him? Why? Of all the women in the world he was asking her? They hadn't even officially had a date yet.

She glanced at Gary her eyes wide almost as if asking if this was really happening. She didn't really have a response at the moment so she took a deep breath and ignored the travel question.

She instead chose to respond to his other comments about money. "Well it sounds like you have a busy few weeks ahead of you. I can't give much advice, but I would definately say not to invest in anything you don't understand. And coming from a life long Vegas native... stay away from real estate here. It goes in vicious cycles." She said.

She did have lots of ideas on things he COULD do, but talking about them would mean opening up about her past. Something that was incredibly painful for her to do. If he had been as lucky as he claimed, he would need charitable write offs. She knew a lot of things about that, well at least from the aspect of what was helpful, and what was not.

She thought for a few minutes. "Are you thinking about commercial or residential real estate? If you are looking at residential, and are thinking of multi family housing units, I have a suggestion if you would be interested in hearing it."

“Well, the key is diversification. I want hard and soft assets. In other words, I want mutual funds. But I also want hard, material things that still have value even if the market crashes. Only way I lose everything should be a war or theft. And I am going to work hard to make sure even that won’t take everything.

“To answer your question, yes. Yes, commercial. Yes, residential. And yes, I’ll listen. But I am really not ready yet for real estate. I need to set up property management first. There are a lot of laws I don’t know about. But there are a few I do. Even those are enough to know I have to set some basic rules.

“I have to meet with tax people, lawyers and such too. It’s a lot of money. It’s so much I don’t have to invest at all. I’d have trouble spending it all regardless. But I do plan to. It’s just … a lot. I do plan to consult professionals. I am great at math. But my brain shuts down when you add in dollars and cents … and especially laws.”

He waved his hands as if trying to shoo away troubling thoughts. “Back to travel.” He barked a laugh. “Sorry about the shock factor. I had a few reasons. Today made them more concrete. I mean … my head doesn’t get turned easily. I had cheerleaders throwing themselves at me in high school … and just had no interest in them. Yes, they were cute. No, I’m not gay. One cheerleader started that rumor because I ignored her. Truth was, I thought she was a vain and vacuous airhead. I was a tutor and she tried to monopolize my time and threatened other girls who sincerely needed and wanted my help.

“Oh, I played a little football. I was limited to playing Kicker. Only position I could pass a physical for. Plus the team had no kicker and it was to be their last season. Football proved to be a lot more complicated than I expected. I thought that was pretty cool. Quarterbacks and Kickers have to be pretty smart - and think fast. Hesitate and you get sacked.” He laughed. “Trust me I know from experience.

“Travel! Before I sidetrack myself again. I forgot to breathe the first time I saw you. That plain and simple. Like I said, I don’t easily let that happen. Ad it rarely lasts. And no, that had no bearing on my tips. I’d tip a guy the same way. But I also like talking with you. You’re smart and clever. Maybe you aren’t Paterski. Google Physics Girl. She’s sort of the new Einstein. But … there is something about you I like. Basic. Personality stuff. And I think you’d enjoy travelling to places I bet you only read about. Who knows? You may write your own books someday. I know a publisher.”

His demeanor became sober for a moment. “Oh lord. You know how they say guys are always trying to find their mother in the girls they date? Gah! You are a bit like my mother. I mean you have a similar personality. You like the same types of books. I bet you sew or to needlepoint or cross stitch. You probably doodle, like art. Do any archery? My mother used to win competitions when she was my age. And you probably have a health issue that prevents taking up extreme sports. You look nothing like her though.

“Anyways, yeah … you are exactly the sort of person I’d enjoy showing the world - or rather share the chance to see it. Yes, it would mean giving up a job you love here. You can’t see the world and work in a diner at the same time. And I know I have probably just scared the heck out of you. It’s too fast. Let me tell you something about that. I know what having your world turned upside down in seconds is like. I died 6 years ago when a gang broke into our home and killed my mother - and me. My stepfather was in prison for child abuse and child abandonment. He died in prison a month later. I month before, my stepbrother was killed by the same gang. Life changing stuff.

“A few months ago I won the lottery. Remember when the Powerball got up to $1.765 billion? I was the single winner - and I had Powerplay. $8.8 billion or about $5.5 billion lump sum. After taxes I should end up with $3.5 to 4 billion if I am smart about it. $3 billion would be a lowball figure. And that’s why I hired Gary. But that was also a life changing event. Trust me, the numbers intimidate me too. That’s part of why I need help with figuring out what to do with it - not just how to invest it or make more - but how to use it.

“Sure I’ll build real estate - of all types. I will also likely create scholarships. I am probably going to fund some good group homes. I had a brief taste of foster family life and I hated it. I will build a think tank or two. I’ll create research grants.” He fidgeted and shrugged. He was clearly uncomfortable now.

Aliyah blinked as she obviously opened the flood gates, and information came pouring out of him. She was actually glad of it, it gave her so much more information, and she knew she wouldn't have to feel bad about sharing some of her own past. She let him ramble taking mental notes of everything he said. She was so very glad of her ability to recall information. It was part of what made her good at her job, she didn't ever have to write anything down, she could remember all of it.

She wasn't too sure how she felt about being compared to his mother, but there could be worse things she supposed. She could be being compared to HER mother. He was mostly right though, which was strange. The last thing she wanted a good looking man to be thinking of when he looked at her was his mother. She would occasionally glance over to Gary as Duncan chattered. It was more to reassure herself that she was actually here, and this entire situation was happening.

Once Duncan was finished she smiled and leaned forward a little bit. The best way to handle this would be to chop this up into topic. She took a deep breath. "Ok, wow." She blinked a few times. "First of all... billions... wow. Yeah... interview professionals, at least 5 from each specialty. Don't just go with the first person who looks good on paper."

Not that she knew anything about hiring professionals, but she did know quite a bit about people, and had done her share of interviewing and hiring over her years at the Omelette House.

"Second, seeing that we are planning a date, I cannot tell you how comforted I am by the fact that you are not, in fact, gay." She teased. She certainly found him incredibly attractive, or she wouldn't have agreed to go out with him. Not that looks were that important to her, but she treated dating more like a distraction. She never expected it to go anywhere more than a cup of coffee or a quick bite to eat.

"As for Einstein, he was a very intelligent man I will give him that, but Feynman and Oppenhimer were just as intelligent, and get none of the recognition." Ok, so she might have fallen asleep to some documentaries on Netflix a time or two, but it at least made her appear to be semi intelligent.

"As to your assertion that I have similarities with your mother, based off your commentary, I can confirm that you are partially correct." She laughed a little. "I may or may not own a tablet for the purpose of downloading cross stitch patterns. I am not much into art, and I don't doodle, but I do design my own charts." She smiled. "As for Archery, I never learned, but step father number..." She stopped and tilted her head back and used her fingers to count. "4, or maybe it was 5" She said looking back at him "Anyway, he was a gun nut, so I am a fair decent shot." She admitted. "I have little hands though, so I prefer to use something like the Glock .30 SF because lets face it, get a really big dude, and a 9, might not be enough, and I sure as hell have no interest in those damn cute frilly girlie guns. Freaking useless 38's. And Well the last thing I want to deal with if I am strapping on a gun is having to ask my significant other 'Baby, does this gun make my ass look big?' "

She heard Gary choke back what sounded suspiciously like a laugh so she turned her head to grin and him and shrug before turning her attention back to Duncan. "As for a health issue, yes and no. I have a bone spur pressing against my spine, which can at times cause mild discomfort." Ok, so that was a mild understatement, but she learned a long time ago that chronic pain was not something many people understood. Duncan would, but it was a habit to keep those secrets close to the vest.

She had no idea what to say about the information about his family. He had suffered so much tragedy, but still managed to be a fairly positive person. He had a good point, life could change in a matter of seconds. She rested her hand on his arm briefly. "I am so sorry for your loss." She said quietly taking a deep breath. She had run out of things to address, well everything but the big question. She kept running the idea through her head, trying to find reasons why she shouldn't go. Really, what was the worst thing that could happen? She'd end up dead somewhere? Eh... from the way he spoke about his travels, it would be somewhere pretty, so there was that.

"I guess, the only thing left to address is ummm, traveling." She finally managed. "I mean, I think it sounds wonderful. I can't really think of a single reason why I should say no." Actually she could think of dozens, but she wasn't going to go there. "So yeah... Why not. Let's do it." She said with a laugh. She couldn't believe she had actually agreed. Was she crazy? She must be, but she was going to go with it.

Duncan grinned - a little nervously - as Aliyah went on about guns. He had never been much of a fan. Oh he could shoot perfectly well - just not a pistol. With a rifle he had never missed. Of course, he hadn’t been trying 1000 yard shots in high wind either. But he had been trained by a USMC gunnery sergeant who Duncan suspected WAS a sniper. It was just a hunting safety course and some follow up refresher training.

Duncan looked at Gary with a bland look on his face. “For the record, if I carry a pistol it is going to be small. I want the answer to any questions about the size of any parts of my anatomy being larger to be yes.” His ears turned red, but he smiled. “And fair warning. Something my friends learn about me. Never to ask me a question of me unless they want an honest answer.

“Do you know if the bone spur can be removed - safely? I did some work with a friend doing grad research in biophysics. I was helping him develop a material that simulates bone for replacement of knee caps and vertebrates. Part of the system was the development of an artificial gel that acts like a cushion. The challenge had mostly to do with rejection factors and toxicity. Ultimately he wanted to be able to cut and remove a vertebrate and replace it with an artificial one. But I’m sure he is a long way from being ready for that. It is supposed to be a treatment for people with degenerative bone diseases like osteoporosis. I ended up with a patent - half of one anyways - for an artificial muscle cell in the bargain. But that will probably never see use in a human. Toxicity.”

Aliyah’s touching attempt to comfort him was met with appreciation that bordered on ambivalence. “It’s alright. Six years ago I was empathically dead to the world. But I’ve had a lot of time to recover, Believe it or not, football proved to be a sort of therapy. Part of me wanted to just withdraw from the world. The other part is the one that refuses to give up - ever. They were going to shut down the football program. It felt like the school was quitting on the players. So I gave them a pretty exciting year .. and then an extra year.”

Duncan was a little surprised at Aliyah’s quick answer. It was a throw caution to the wind response that he hadn’t expected. But he nodded, “Okay … well, as I said, I have a few more weeks paid up for my room. That give us time to plan a bit. First thing that comes to mind is work for you. You said you love the Omelette House. So I am gues they have been good to you. Might want to give them plenty of notice and time to find and train a replacement. If you want to travel to other countries you’ll need a passport and immunizations. We’ll need to get international financing and cell service. If you like I can add a line to my phone and get you a new one. Don’t worry about costs. I’ll cover them. But I think you knew that already.

“If you want, start making a list of places to see and things to do. If you want to start in the States, that’s fine. If you want to have your back looked at, I can help there too. I should consider some reconstructive surgery myself. But it takes time to heal.”

Duncan wrote down his phone number and even gave his room number at Caesars. It was a penthouse suite. Aliyah’s whole apartment could probably fit in one room of his suite.

Aliyah laughed as Duncan commented on wanting a gun smaller than certain portions of his anatomy, that was such a man thing. Freud would have a field day with boys and their toys these days.

She took a deep breath as he asked about her bone spur. "I would assume it was possible since the pressure is still on the thecal sac rather than on the spinal cord itself at this point. I never really considered it before. Spinal surgery makes me nervous. I did at one point think about the Nerve stimulator implant though. I think at this point if I opted for surgery I would end up with a cadaver bone, which doesn't sound fun at all." She was mildly impressed with his knowledge of the surgical options. There were quite a few these days, and some of them were artificial replacements, but there was a higher risk of rejection.

She kind of glossed over the comments about what had happened all those years ago. It was a topic that bothered her greatly, so she couldn't imagine what it was like for him.

She made a face as he mentioned immunizations. She hated needles, but depending on where they were traveling, she would likely end up with a lot of them. "Yeah, I will give notice at the restaurant, they've been good to me, and I need to keep my options open. I will switch shifts one day this week and get a copy of my birth certificate. I will get an appointment at the health department to catch up on vaccines. I wouldn't worry about cell service internationally. I promise I don't need one." She said with a laugh. She barely had cell service now. She didn't need it, she was actually pretty glad that it was on right now, it was one thing she didn't bother spending a ton of money on.

She bit her lip and shrugged as he suggested she start making a list of places she wanted to go. It was going to take her a bit to get into that mindset. The way her mind was right now, she hardly believed this was happening. It was very possible she was going to wake up in the morning, laugh and shake this all off as a crazy dream.

She raised an eyebrow as he told her his room number at Caesars. Her entire place would likely fit in the master bathroom. That reminded her, if she was going to do this, she was going to have to give notice. She was month to month, so giving up her place was not a big deal, but she was going to have to start deciding what to toss, and what few things to take with her. Luckily there wouldn't be a lot of hard decisions. She never got attached to stuff, far too many times in her childhood she had to leave a place in the middle of the night with just the clothes on her back.

Duncan kept his promise about not insanely over tipping. In fact, he even toned it down a little - about 50% rather than his 100+% that had been tipping for breakfast. It was still a very good tip. Then he and Gary escorted Aliyah out. Gary went and brought the limo over. Duncan made a mental note about asking Gary about security for Aliyah - whether it would be too much to watch them both.

He didn’t want to put Aliyah any more on the spot. He had pushed things really far by asking her to join him as a traveling companion. Gary saved him the trouble about asking her if she wanted to be dropped off at her place. Really it made sense. If Duncan had really wanted to stalk her, there was little she could have done about it. Billionaire. But the guy didn’t give off those weirdo signals. Geek maybe. It would be simple enough to look up recent winners of lotteries - correction the Powerball as it was the only one to get that large - and see who the winner was.

Duncan made no attempts to kiss her or anything else that awkward. Though he put off the signals that suggested he’d have been game. But even he realized it was just dinner - not so much a date. Tomorrow Gary would be there as driver only - but only a call away.

++++++

Duncan was there first thing the next morning. He looked a little ragged, as if he hadn’t slept as well as he would have liked. He took extra coffee and an orange juice. But he was his usual cheerful self. He wasn’t all dressed up yet - but then neither was she likely to be - not at work. He had given a little extra thought to the fact that she might like to freshen up rather than going out smelling like breakfast all day - as she had mentioned yesterday.

His suggestion was to drop by Caesars and use his facilities. Gary was already dressed sharp for the occasion. The surprise was that the concierge already knew her first name. The only way that could have happened was if Duncan had said something. As it turned out he wasn’t staying in a penthouse suite at $2690 a night, but rather the Marcus Aurelius Villa … at $25,000 a night. (The Nobu Villa is $35k a night, He had spent a little over a million dollars for the month. The place was … well huge was an understatement. It was the only rooftop villa and sprawled over 10,000+ square feet. It had a private elevator - which was what Duncan loved most. There was a butler waiting there. Duncan laughed and called it his temporary humble abode.

caesars.com/caesars-palace/hotel

He had already cleaned himself up earlier and just needed to change clothes. While he waited he sat down at the grand piano and started playing some light classical - nothing noisy. He was pretty good. But he only played for a minute until Aliyah had disappeared. Then he sat in one of the massage chairs. He was out cold when Aliyah came out. The butler gently prodded him with a “sir”. Duncan looked sheepish and grinned. “Yeah, yeah … someone didn’t sleep as well as usual last night. And we aren’t saying who we are blaming. Actually that catnap helped. And you look great. I’d suggest you try one of the chairs, but if I do that we might never get out of here.”

Aliyah could help but notice a professional portable keyboard, an electric guitar and a classic acoustic all near the piano. The electric had headphones near it. He glanced at the instruments. “Yeah, I play a couple instruments. I tried the violin too, but PETA showed up and gave every stray cat in the neighborhood a sign that said STOP THE TORTURE.”

As Aliyah and Duncan waited for Gary to bring the Limo around she turned and looked up at him, making a mental note to invest in heels. She was going to need them. Or roller skates. His legs were longer than she was tall it seemed. "Tonight has been great." She said. "I really enjoyed it."

She was searching for something else to say, but she was saved by Gary pulling up in the Limo. She nodded her acceptance of the ride as he held the door open for them to get in. Once they were settled she lightly rested her hand over the back of Duncan's. She was never really big of physical contact, but tonight this little touch felt right. They rode in comfortable silence back to her apartment.

Gary opened the door for her and she turned to Duncan and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before sliding out of the limo. "See you tomorrow." She said before making a dash to the door.

She closed her eyes and leaned against her apartment door, her face flushed. She had no idea what had gotten into her today. She stripped off her clothes and hung them up. She knew exactly what she was going to wear tomorrow, so she set those clothes out before heading to bed.

The next morning she crawled out of bed and went straight for her coffee pot. She brewed herself some breakfast roast, a nice light blend. Most people thought the darker the coffee the stronger, but that wasn't true. Before starting the coffee though she sprinkled salt over the coffee grounds, it helped cut some of the bitterness from using cheap coffee.

While the coffee was brewing she got ready for work, she packed her clothes in a duffel bag because she figured since he wanted most of the day, that it would make sense to just change in the bathroom at work. She grabbed a small bottle of fabric softener and water mix. It did two things, it smoothed the frizz from her hair and it covered up the scent of grease that seemed to stick to her after work.

She picked up the bag and slung it over her shoulder making a quick stop in the kitchen to fill her travel mug with coffee. She grinned as she read which mug she had picked this morning. It was bright blue and printed with the words "I tried starting my day without coffee...Once. My court date is pending."

She screwed the lid on and scooped up her keys and headed out the door to work.

Aliyah greeted Duncan with a wave and gestured for him and Gary to take a seat while she grabbed their coffee. She couldn't help but notice he looked a little rough around the edges. "Did I keep someone out past his bedtime?" She teased as she poured his coffee.

She took the order and slipped off to head back to work. Her morning went by very quickly, before she knew it the manager was telling her she was cut. She headed over to let Duncan know that she just needed to clock out and change and then she would be ready to go. He suggested that they swing by the hotel so she could freshen up, it was a chance she jumped at.

They arrived at the Hotel, and the concierge greeted her by name. She raised an eyebrow and muttered "I have either stepped into a cheesy romance novel, or a criminal minds episode. I am not sure which."

She allowed herself to be shown upstairs to what she thought was going to be his penthouse, but was in actuallity a villa. She took a deep breath through her nose and let it out slowly through her mouth to avoid hyperventilating. She did manage a laugh when Duncan welcomed her to his humble abode. "Mmmhmm. If THIS..." She said gesturing between the two of them "gets serious, you are banned from house hunting on your own. I can only imagine the horrible McMansion monstrosity we would end up in. I'd need a map to find the bathroom." She teased faking a shudder at the thought.

She listened to him play for a moment before having the butler show her where she could get ready. She took a quick shower, she would have loved to stay longer because the water was actually hot, but she was excited to see what the plans for today were. She dried off and pulled her hair back into a braid. She decided on that style because it was casual for the day, but when her hair dried she could take it out of the braid and end up with soft waves. She pulled on a pair of camel colored faux suede leggings, topped with a loose blouse that hit her at the hips. She slid her feet into brown knee high boots while she switched her gold studs out for thin silver hoops. She slid on a couple of thin silver bangle bracelets before pulling a light weight sweater. It was one of the open ones, and fell to her knees.

She went light on the makeup, just a swipe of mascara and lip gloss. She never really got into that heavy makeup look. She packed everything else back into her bag before returning to find Duncan sleeping. She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled watching him sleep for a moment. She was almost sorry that the butler woke him. He looked so peaceful.

She smiled as he apologized for sleeping. She had strangely slept very well. She moved to stand next to him as he rose from the chair taking in the sight of the instruments. She laughed and shook her head as he explained his experience with the violin. She was not musically gifted that was for sure. "I'm sure it wasn't THAT bad." She said.

As they prepared to leave, Aliyah realized the height difference was going to cause some difficulty in her keeping up. She thought for a moment, and then gently slid her arm around his hips so he would have to take smaller steps for her much shorter legs. Well that's the reason she gave herself anyway.