The city-light polluting the midnight sky, obscuring the soft shine of distant starts. The highway lamps briefly illuminate a lonely, white, matte SUV rolling down the highway, seldom encountering fellow vehicles. Adrianna, the driver, with hair curling down to her shoulder, whose scowling face reminds one of a school teacher who's done with their students shit, and Denis, an early 20 something, his rough thin face introspective and hesitant, with a long and unkempt head of hair and a short scraggly beard, both sat in the midst of a conversation.
"I'll pay you back once the business gets back up and running," Denis said. "I just need a couple dollars to find a place to stay."
"You still haven't paid back the $1000 I gave you before and the $1000 before that, and you want me to give you more?" Adrianne said.
"You know the past couple years have been hard on me. The pandemic, the settlements, mom, the eviction, everything's been sucking me dry," Denis said.
"Excuse after excuse," Adrianne said.
"Valid excuses might I add."
"Denis. You understand I also have to pay bills. I'm…"
"And that's why…"
"I'm finishing my degree," Adrianne said, glaring at Denis for a moment. "I'm trying to pay off the student loans. I can't live in this fucking apartment forever, I feel suffocated in there. I'd like to live in decent house once day and have some savings or something, so I can breathe again. All this pressure, and now I have to keep loaning money to a deadbeat who can't pay me back."
"I'm not even asking for much just $300's all I need," Denis said. "And the landscaping will pick back up soon, I got a list of appointments I can show your right now. You'll get everything back and then some. I'll even help with the loans."
"You're never going to get enough money to pay me back from that thing you call a business."
"Yes I will. Listen," Denis said, fumbling with his phone until he opened an almost empty schedule, barely coming to 2 clients a day. "I'm getting close to 8 lawns a day. I have a Ms. Cloverfield at 8, a Mr. Busby at 9, a Mr. Smith at 10. My schedules packed. If this keeps its trajectory, I'll be golden in a few months and then I'll promise I'll pay you back."
"You know one of your clients, Andrew, messaged me. Me, because he couldn't get in contact with you," Adrianne said.
"Andrew? Name doesn't sound familiar."
"Oh really. You don't remember the at 672?" Adrianne said. Denis shook his head. "Because he sent me his security footage from his house of your 'landscaping'. The lawn was patchy, you missed grass everywhere. You destroyed his shrubs. It was messed up."
Oh that guy. Yeah, he got what paid for as far as I'm concerned," Denis said, turning toward the litter covering the well-kept grass flanking the highway. "Once he pays me what I deserve, I'll give him my expertise."
"Expertise? Expertise? Didn't realize you became a comedian."
The engine hum now permeated the now silent air, an ode to the ingenuity of mankind, whose capacity of mind allowed the creation of such a machine. Denis watched the tree's blur by, wondering if the trees would be better or worse off if they were introduced to the concept of money, if it would enhance their experience of life, or leave them in despair, or if trees could feel despair.
"Ok, you want me to get into contact with Andrew?" Denis said to an impassive Adrianne.
"I want your clients to stop bothering me because they can't get to you," Adrianne said. "And you fix his lawn."
"I'll get into contact with him, and I'll fix him up free. Promise. I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing to me. You should be apologizing to the lawn you destroyed."
"I understand you're angry with me. It's understandable. I would be too considering my… my personality in the past. That's what I'm sorry for."
Adrianne shook her head in disbelief, continuing the down the barren highway, gazing toward nothing in particular as Denis racked his brain for a solution.
"Let me take you out bouldering, as an apology." Denis said. "One of my buddies said he can get probably sneak in a few people free."
"I'm never going anywhere with you again," Adrianne said.
"Well you can go by yourself then. This is just a gift," Denis said. "But seriously, can you spare like $100?"
"I've been trying to help you Denis. I really have, but I have no clue what you're doing anymore, and I don't think you do either. You're going to have to ask someone else."
…
A sounds of subdued revelry sounded from each house in the Gladport neighborhood. Each a 2 story house built to the exact same specifications, but each with their own personality, one with flamingos standing in their year, another with the American flag displayed prominent at their door, another who's owner one could easily imagine the pride on their face as they gazed at their perfectly kept yard.
Cars filled most driveways in Gladport, some opting to use some of their more lonely neighbors driveways in lieu of their due to lack of space in the streets. Once driveway house the previously lonely, white, matte car now flanked with cars, trucks, and even the occasional motorcycle, all of males and models.
Casually attired people stood around conversing with one another, speaking of their resolutions they had no intention of following. Silvery numbers displaying 2022 hanging around various walls and door flapped around as the party-goers walked by to get food, displayed prominently in ceramic red bowls.
"Can I ask you," Denis said to a man he had met only a minute ago. "How is your lawn right now."
"It's fine, I suppose," the man said "Why do you ask?"
"Forgive my manners," Denis said, extending his hand for a handshake. "I'm Denis Pearson, a landscaper."
"Leonard," Leonard said, returning the handshake.
"I was just wondering if you need some landscaping," Denis said, "or know someone who would be in need of my expertise." Denis handed the man his business card, a stock image of a lawnmower and a man with his thumbs up with the text, 'You'll never go back to your old landscaper once you get Pearson.'
"My prices are very fair for the quality of my work," Denis said
"I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid I can't."
"You seem like a busy man," Denis said, giving the man a friendly tap on the shoulder.
"Guilty as charged," the man said, giving Denis an awkward laugh.
"So you have to be tired doing all that work all the time. That time would be much better spent doing work."
The conversation went back and forth, ending with rejection and so Denis stated another conversation with a brunette woman by a punch bowl.
"My landlord evicted me and's threatening to bring me to court because he claims I didn't pay rent," Denis said, feigning a sigh in an attempt to gain sympathy, "so I just need a little cash if you can spare any."
"You know what. My sister got kicked out cause she got laid off not too long ago because of…," the woman trailed off and gestured with her hands. "I'll say current circumstances, and her landlord did something very similar. She had to move in with be because of that. Right now we…," she said. Denis nodded along, but zoned out finding the fire-pit's blaze outside much more worthy of his attention. "I very much understand your situation." She sorted through her purse and handed a $100 bill to Denis. "That's all I can spare."
"That's plenty," Denis said, giddy at the cool feel of the cash.
And so Denis shopped around asking various people inside and outside for monetary support.
"It's really quality work. Look I'll show you," Denis said to a somewhat tall woman pulling as he showed her images of lawns he found online.
"No. With all this craziness going on, I can't budge on the price," Denis said, negotiating with another man who thought the $500 a hour he charged was entirely too much.
As Denis searched for another target, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Adrianne laughing with a bald, big nosed, but still somewhat attractive, man. In his inebriated state, he decided that talking to the man would be a good idea. He walked to the man and put a hand on his shoulder
"I don't believe we've met," Denis said, extending his other hand for a handshake. "Denis Pearson."
"Oh," the man said, surprised at Denis' sudden appearance, but recovering quickly to return the handshake. "Levi Roth"
"Oh my god," Adrianne said, turning away from the inevitable.
"How are you Anne?" Denis said to the back of her head. Levi looked back and forth between the two awaiting Adrienne response.
"You two know each other?" Levi said mainly to break the silence.
"Yeah, we do," Denis said. "I just saw you both from over there and was wondering what was going on."
"I was just telling her about a trip I went on," Levi said. "I can tell you about it if you're interested."
"No, no. I just came here to say I don't think you two shouldn't talk anymore," Denis said.
"Do you think you're my dad or something?" Adrianne said, turning around, "Go the hell away."
"You're just going to talk to another man right in front of me? After I've been disrespected like this, No I don't think I will go away," Denis said in a drunken stupor.
"She said to go away," Levi said, getting in between Denis and Adrianne. "You're fucked up right now. We can figure this out later"
Denis swung at Levi, but missed. Levi returned the swing with an uppercut, connecting on Denis' jaw.
"Stop, stop," Adrianne said, trying to break up the brawl, but the two continued.
She signaled for the attention of people at the party who took notice of the fight and a few went to try to break it up. One man suffering from the effects of male pattern baldness, one who looked face could easy pass as 35 despite only being 23 years old, specifically took noticed since he recognized Denis as one of his best friends.
He ran to Denis and pulled him from the fight.
"What's your problem dude?" The balding man said.
"They're disrespecting me," Denis said, struggling against his grasp. "Can't just do this shit in front of me without expecting me to do something."
"You got to cool down," the man, continuing the struggle.
"If it weren't for Barry, I'd be beating your ass right now," Denis said, giving Levi an accusatory point.
Denis eventually relented to Barry's pull and continued with him out the party. The pair walked to the sidewalk just outside the house.
"He was just talking to her like it was no big deal," Denis said, shrugging his shoulders in confusion. "The gall of this man. Crazy."
"I don't see why you're so angry. You aren't even seeing each other," Barry said, searching Denis' face. "You aren't seeing each other right?"
"We're… We're taking a break right now," Denis said.
"Sounds like a breakup to me, but what do I know?" Barry said.
"Say what you want," Denis said, massaging the bridge of his nose. "I'm just going to walk home. Need to clear my head."
"That's crazy man. I'll just get a taxi for you or something" Barry said.
"I need the exercise anyways," Denis said.
"You're drunk as hell," Barry said. "I can't just let some drunk guy roam the streets. You'll probably deck some guy or child or some thing. I couldn't live with myself if I found out you punched a child because of me. You want me to live with that guilt for the rest of my life?"
"You're so stupid. I'm not gonna… Whatever, get the taxi," Denis said, and laid on the cool grass exasperated.
Denis looked at the time: 11:57 PM."What a way to end the year," he said under his breath.
He looked to the sky, almost empty of stars, only the most shining through the neighborhood lights. The cold winter air brushed his long hair back as he thought of a character, Sebil Erwig, an affluent trader/magician who served as the most interesting antagonist in the Overturned Trilogy, so Denis thought at least. He used his cunning to deceive to hero and almost trap and kill him in one of his elaborate plans, but ended up dying to the hero on account of his overconfidence. Denis always found him wishing life was similar to his, without the dying, since he found it so compelling, such a refreshing breath of air compared to his stuffy, subdued life. As the new year turned he wished his life was more like Sebil's and so it was.