Sid stared back at him in a rigid, confused manner before the familiar sight of the café waitresses reared up from the side. She brought a glass half full with tap water and small latte balanced upon a pattern frilled miniature silver tray. Without saying a word, they looked on as she placed both drinks on the table. The waitress studied them with short, fleeting glances. A feeling of rising nervousness filling her body.
”There you go, gentlemen.” She stated and hastened back into the safety of the café, her shoes clacking with every step she took against the pristine marble floor. Michael took a modest sip to wet his lips however Sid refused to do the same. His eyes were yet to leave Michael.
”How much more of this bullshit have I got to put up with before you give me back my steem. I told you ten minutes and you’ve already outstayed your welcome by a whole sixty seconds.”
Sid returned a smug grin as if he had uncovered the final solution to all the worlds problem. ”Did you hear me right the first time? I said Charles, with my assistance, want to give you back a whole lot more besides your precious crypto. Why speak to me in that disrespectful tone when I’m only trying to make up for all the lost time between us? Well, attempting to anyway.”
Michael screwed his face up in frustration. This mornings shenanigans had begun out of the blue after the simple act of picking up a phone call last evening at about 8.30pm. He recalled almost dropping the receiver when first hearing his brothers voice on the other end. The sequences of events leading up to their meeting at the hotel involved a combination of one restless night and some detailed plotting as how to exact revenge against him once the transaction had taken place. But those plans were but a by-product of the original task at hand. He realised this and calmed his mind in a concentrated effort to bide his time spent with Michael. Sid shut his eyes and sucked up a lungful of air before expelling it heavily.
”You win, Mike. You hold all the cards. The fact those very same cards belong to me is irrelevant at this stage, I suppose. Now, what is it you want exactly?”
”To give back to you what I stole and more.” Michael declared in a sullen trance-like repose. ”I mentioned that already. You see, Charles and his followers took me in after I had left those good-for-nothing’s to overdose themselves to death. I learned a lot from that man. I came to further understand your plight. For instance, the fact that our parents died in a car crash. You took on too huge of a responsibility in raising me. My presence in your life hindered you from forming any meaningful relationships because all I wanted was your undivided attention. Would you say that was a fair assessment?”
”I guess so. Yeah.” The answer came to him easier than he would have expected.
”Fine. Well, I guess we’re on the same page then. Good.” Michael continued. ”So I, in effect, voluntarily removed myself from the situation and offered you a chance at enjoying a rich and successful existence without me getting in the way. And you’ve done us all proud, materialistically anyway. Me, mum and dad.”
”Don’t refer to them. Ever again. You understand?” His eyes widened with anger, yet the rest of his demeanour remained lucid and in control.
”Sorry, I only meant to say that with the best of intentions. Charles has enlightened me about a great number of things. This world, the humans that inhabit its every corner, the infinite universe. In a nutshell, the bigger picture, Sid. And he also taught me the value of interpreting the “intersecting pathways of life”. How one event, however simple it may be, could lead to the salvation of many. We are all guided by an unseen invisible force, willing us to choose which ever path is right for us. But that decision ultimately boils down to that individual. “His” hand can only guide. We wield the power to decide the final outcome.”
”You're a fucking madman.” Sid muttered in awe, shocked at the devastating wreck his brother had become. ”You’ve lost your mind. I mean, are you actually aware of what you're saying? I always knew you’d get in with some bat-shit crazy cult on that goddamn excuse of a social media platform. I remember the clamour a few years back to get communities implemented and up and running. God, if they had only known better at the time. You’ve ended up a world class mental case because of it.”
”A bad workman always blames his tools. Isn’t that how the popular saying goes?” Remarked Michael in defiance. ”If anything, finding Charles's community of “Empowerment" helped in that long, arduous road to rehabilitation and redirected my focus to a much more... shall we say, purposeful cause. They advised me to remain in the same garms they found me in as a constant reminder of my past life of debauchery. Hence why I’m still dressed in this attire. But I’m not as stupid as you think. You're at a crossroads now, Sid. “He” has laid the foundation offering up a selection of paths and it is up to you to decide which one be chosen.”
”Who is the hell is “He”?” Barked Sid, feeling a little threatened by the deranged ramblings of his brother and nearly forgetting altogether about the money that was owed to him. ”What are you on about?”
Michael slipped a hand into his dishevelled flowing coat and plucked out several sheets of paper. Two long pieces of beige thread caught under his sleeve and were torn out a little further than before. As Sid watched dumbstruck, he placed them in neat order facing upwards in front of Sid. There were five in total, displaying a printed QR code including a series of ascending numbers pencilled in under each squared pattern.
”OK, Sid. Here you go. Five different options leading to five different outcomes.” He pointed to the first sheet of paper. ”This corresponds to our official “Empowerment” account.” He moved a finger to the next. ”This is a charity organisation aimed at helping battered women seek shelter and re-integrating them into…”
”What is this shit?” Sid asked. His mouth hung open in wonderment as his brain struggled to decipher what this all meant.
”Well, you must be able to figure out some form of pattern here I hope.” Michael chuckled. ”Now, listen carefully. These accounts are all linked to well-meaning charities that can save a lot of people out there. But one of these papers is your account. Yes, the one containing the 1.3 million steem. But which that is I cannot tell you. Let your angel of destiny decide. This is your ultimate reward, brother. Higher than any financial remuneration I could ever pay back to you. Now tell me your selection and choose who ultimately gets this money.”
”You better be completely insane at this moment, Mike.” Sid growled back. ”Because that would be the only explanation I can think of for your current actions. Now give me back my money. Right now.”
”I told you, brother. Can't you see? I’m giving you back much more. Allowing you to dictate fate according to whichever one you chose. If it is meant to be returned back to you then so be it. However, it if is deemed to make its way to a cause worthier than your own, it will also be decided by your hand and yours alone. Let nature and providence take its course. Don’t fight it, please. Make your selection and accept the outcome.”
The entire world changed in the blink of an eye. Sid leapt out of his seat and flung the metal table aside in one quick motion. Before Michael could react, his brother brought down two hands around his throat as they both crashed onto the floor. A clerk opposite the lobby screamed while a few hotel workers hurried to the scene. The café waitress rushed out and held a palm over her mouth in fright.
Sid panted with a bloodlust, searing rage. He had not applied pressure to his neck yet, but allowed Michael a final plea before the frenzied madness finally took complete hold of him. A sliver of spittle dangled from the side of Sid’s mouth. ”You motherfucking psychopath.” He whispered in Michael's ear, aware of the commotion of bodies gathering around them. ”I swear to God. Your God that drove you to steal from me and now lead me on this wild goose chase. If you don’t give me the right answer in the next five seconds, you’re a dead man.”
