The Alibi Bar
Kevin was incredibly nervous about asking Stan if he could buy the bar. After taking several deep breaths that didn't help, he slammed back a shot of vodka.
Ah, that worked.
He tossed back a second shot and then walked upstairs.
Stan was in the early stages of dementia these days—sometimes lucid, sometimes confused. Right now, he was having a good moment.
Kevin took a deep breath, sat down across from Stan, and started, "Stan, I need to talk to you about something."
Stan was sitting in his armchair. "Spit it out! Don't be such a whining broad!"
Kevin had been taking care of Stan for years and knew his personality, so he wasn't bothered. "I'll tell you then, Stan. I want to buy The Alibi. What do you think?"
Stan looked surprised. "You want to buy my bar? With what? You're a broke-ass!"
Kevin smiled awkwardly and explained. "Here's the thing. I have a friend who's loaded. He's going to invest in me. We'll work together to make The Alibi great, and we can make a lot of money."
Stan squinted. "What friend? What rich friend could a dummy like you possibly have?"
"Stan, no personal attacks, I'm not a dummy," Kevin replied helplessly. "My friend opened a restaurant right on this street, and the business is booming."
"Oh?" Stan kept his squint, looking Kevin up and down. "Are you sure you didn't fall for a scammer?"
Kevin shook his head firmly. "Of course not!"
"With that brain of yours, I don't trust it!" Stan shook his head.
Kevin started to get anxious. "Stan!!!"
"Alright, alright," Stan said impatiently. "It's no big deal, why are you shouting? If you want The Alibi, I'll give you The Alibi. I already wrote in my will that I'm leaving it to you anyway."
Kevin was stunned. "????"
After several seconds of shock, Kevin snapped out of it, unable to believe his ears. "Stan! You're giving The Alibi to me??? You can't do that! You still have a daughter, right? No, no, I can't take it for free. I have to buy it from you."
"Fk you! What's wrong with your head? I'm giving it to you, and you don't want it? You insist on buying it? Are you stupid!" Stan was even more irritated, shouting so fiercely that spit landed on Kevin's face.
Kevin had to wipe his face. "Stan..."
"Shut up! You're making my head hurt!" Stan didn't want to continue the discussion. "It's settled. The Alibi is yours, but let me tell you, I'm still living here. Don't you dare try to kick my ass out."
Kevin was overwhelmed with emotion and didn't know what to say.
Stan didn't care. "Why are you just standing there like an idiot? Go fix me dinner, I'm starving."
"Okay," Kevin nodded blankly, got up, and prepared to warm up a can for Stan, as he usually did.
After taking two steps, Kevin suddenly had an idea. He turned back to Stan. "Stan, wait for me. I'm going to get you dinner from my friend's restaurant. I promise you'll love it."
"Suit yourself, just hurry up," Stan grumbled.
This old man really had a personality.
Kevin didn't waste any time. He ran downstairs and sprinted to "Ding's Eatery."
Naturally, the restaurant had already closed for the night.
However, Kevin was welcomed in easily.
"Kev, why are you running so fast? Is something wrong?" Veronica looked worried when she saw him.
"I'll tell you later. I need to find Dexter to make me dinner first," Kevin kept moving, rushing toward the kitchen as he spoke.
He found Dexter in the kitchen.
"Dexter, can you make a portion of shredded pork fried rice for takeout, please?" Kevin asked urgently.
Dexter was busy and looked confused. "Sure, what's going on with you?"
"My brain is all messed up," Kevin replied. "Can you cut the line for me? I'm in a hurry."
"No problem."
"Thanks," Kevin grinned, and then volunteered the situation. "Dexter, I just told Stan, the owner of The Alibi, that I wanted to buy the bar. But Stan actually said he'd give The Alibi to me, and that he'd already put it in his will! I really don't know how to process this."
Dexter had pretty much guessed this might happen, so he wasn't surprised and just laughed. "Isn't that a great thing? Why are you reacting so weirdly?"
Kevin was confused himself. "It is a good thing, but how can I take a whole bar for free? That's not right."
"Plus, Stan has a daughter. Even though they don't talk, she's still his daughter. Stan's inheritance should go to her."
Hearing this, Dexter's smile brightened. "It sounds like he doesn't like his daughter."
Kevin: "...Yeah, that's probably it. I don't know much about it."
"You've worked at The Alibi for a long time, haven't you ever seen his daughter?"
"Nope, never once."
"Do you want my advice?" Dexter asked.
"Hit me with it. I'm desperate for advice right now," Kevin replied quickly.
"If he's giving you the bar and he's already made a will, just take it," Dexter suggested. "Then, if you feel bad about it, take the money you would have used to buy The Alibi and set it aside. You can discuss with Stan later whether that money should go to him or his daughter."
Kevin, using his somewhat limited intellect, thought about it for a moment. "That could work."
"It's just a suggestion, though. I don't know him well. What does Veronica say?" Dexter asked.
"..." Kevin was stunned. "Shit! I haven't told V yet. Hurry up and finish my food so I can go tell V."
"Got it," Dexter answered.
Kevin quickly left the kitchen, found Veronica, and told her the whole story.
After listening, Veronica had the same reaction as Kevin—she felt accepting such a huge gift wasn't right. "Don't overthink it too much. When you go back, talk to Stan properly."
"He does have a daughter, after all."
"And he's old and not doing well. He needs money."
"If we give him the money, he can definitely use it."
Kevin nodded repeatedly. "That's what I was thinking, too. With that money, I can hire a home health aide to take care of him until he passes."
"Exactly. Talk to him again. There's no rush on this."
"Okay," Kevin's mind felt a little clearer.
After a couple more sentences, Veronica went back to work because it was the peak dining hour.
Kevin sat and waited.
After waiting about five or six minutes, Kevin grabbed the fried rice and hurried back to the apartment above The Alibi.
"Stan, dinner is here."
Stan sniffed the air and was amazed. "Holy shit, what kind of delicious garbage smells like that?"
Kevin laughed at this comment, which was either a compliment or an insult, and shook his head. "It's rice, not garbage!"
"Whatever the hell it is, come on, let me taste it."
In a short time, Stan took a bite and gave a thumbs-up. "This garbage is delicious!"
Kevin threw his hands up. "It's not garbage, it's rice. It's food."
"Whatever," Stan didn't care. "I want to eat this garbage every day. Consider it your repayment for me giving you The Alibi, that way you won't feel weird about it anymore."
Kevin: "..."
Kevin wasn't great at math, but he could do basic calculations.
One serving of that meal was \$168. Eating it every day... how much would that cost in a year?
Holy crap, that's tens of thousands of dollars!
Wait a minute.
Crap, I don't think I paid for it just now.
As Kevin was calculating, he realized he hadn't paid, and he felt his mind explode with embarrassment, wishing he could run back and pay right away.
But the issue at hand had to be dealt with first.
"Stan, that 'garbage' costs \$168 a serving..."
When Stan heard the price, he was instantly flabbergasted, and then he exploded with rage. "What the fk! Is your friend robbing people? Is he trying to steal your money?"
"Go get my shotgun! I'm going to go fire a few rounds at him!!!"
Kevin: "?????"